Farish Autumn 2022 Announcements

[D9020 Nimbus]

While I'm not looking to purchase a class 90, I still welcome its introduction as evidence that Bachmann are still investing in N gauge, if such evidence was even needed given the number of chassis upgrades for DCC/sound that have been introduced recently. The need for totally new tooling is probably less in N than it was for OO — there's no need, IMHO, for new tooling for the 20, 24 , 25 or 37 which have all been retooled in recent times. Only the "25/3" (actually the newer body style as some 25/2s had this style too) needs doing.

 

Looking forward to the sound-fitted 4F. Also hoping in the future for some sound-ready upgrades and sound-fitted versions for the 20, 24, 25, 37 and 47…

[Mr chapman]

It's good to see some new models for the modern guys. However I feel it would have been nice if the dance hall got an N gauge version as well at the same time. To go with the C class, N class and birdcage coaches. 

 

 

Yea I know there is the 6 wheeler coming (already ordered) but I'm just talking about Bachmann and their original promise to shrink everything. 

[njee20]

I don’t think they ever actually promised that did they? They said today that they won’t shrink everything, so if they did then they’ve rowed back on it. Mind you I think it’s patently obvious they werent actually going to do it anyway, with so many models unshrunk. 

[davebem]

Not a bad announcement, anyone else find themselves now pricing up catenary!  Also I think n gaugers will be ok for 08s for a long while!  A run of mk2fs must be in the next one, they sold out in record time when first released.  You can kind of guess now that there will be lots more liveries for the crewe cut 47s as they appear to be doing bigger batch runs of loco releases.

Edited August 3, 2022 by davebem

[grahame]

10 minutes ago, Mr chapman said:

It's good to see some new models for the modern guys.

 

Not so sure that the class 90 (and 60) are that 'modern' - they're both from the last millennium. And there was the sound upgrade on the 4F for the ancient guys ;-)

But I'd have thought that the big issue currently is the lack of coaches and wagons for them to haul. None were mentioned in this announcement - fingers crossed for the next.

 

I think the 'shrinking' thing was more of them suggesting that it was an opportunity for them having undertaken the research for the OO/4mm version. More a kind of potential should the market and business warrant it rather than a promise to do them all.

 

[Kris]

31 minutes ago, njee20 said:

I don’t think they ever actually promised that did they? 

When they first took over Farish they did say that it was their intention to mirror the OO gauge releases in n gauge, however as you say it patiently obvious that this is no longer the case. 

[grahame]

15 minutes ago, Kris said:

When they first took over Farish they did say that it was their intention to mirror the OO gauge releases in n gauge, however as you say it patiently obvious that this is no longer the case. 

 

I seem to recall them saying that they 'could' shrink down models from larger scales (not that they necessarily have or would), rather than that they would definitely 'mirror' OO releases. Clearly they couldn't replicate the entire OO range or all the new OO releases in N as the market is smaller (a quarter of the size) and would be unprofitably swamped. And they've also chosen model subjects to develop and release in N but not in OO. Consequently I'm not so sure that there is any symbiotic relationship between the two scale ranges.

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by grahame

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Looking forward to the sound-fitted 4F. Also hoping in the future for some sound-ready upgrades and sound-fitted versions for the 20, 24, 25, 37 and 47…

Removing the cab insert makes it surprisingly simple to fit sound into DCC ready classes 24 and 25 - and it's got even easier with the latest tiny Zimo chips.

 

It will probably work in a 37 and 47 too.

[montyburns56]

5 hours ago, Steven B said:

It's great to see an all new loco together with some with upgraded chassis and new liveries what are we to put behind them? Whilst Dapol Mk3s are perfect for the Intercity class 90, where are the reruns of GUV and BG for the Res version? Why no Virgin Mk2F for the Virgin one.

 

 

What amazes me is that they have never tooled up a Super GUV in either gauge. I don't know if that's because they think that it wouldn't sell that well without a matching PCV.

[Mr chapman]

The thing is the dance hall actually makes more sense in N for their releases. Like the grey N class and Wellington brown coaches. Apart from limited editions they have only produced earlier secr liveries for 00 locomotives. Perhaps it will come later. Possibly to coincide with a collectors club grey C class or something. 

[fezza]

£224 for a class 60 analogue locomotive and a piece of paper? No, I really don't get this "collector's edition" business... has any collector's edition ever gone up significantly in value?

 

Now a standard blue and grey Mk 2 TSO on the other hand... they are going for serious money because people actually need them to run their railway!

[carderrail]

Some good announcements but ALL loco centric, where are the coaches (and wagons) that will be needed - these are surely a basic requirement - certainly Blue/Grey and Maroon for Mk1s and Blue/Grey and Virgin for Mk2s.

 

It is almost impossible to build coach rakes as a BG appears then six month later a BSK then a SK etc... Why not produce a complete batch in one livery at one time (and multiple SK/SO variants) so rakes can be built. It seems that nothing is every learnt and the same number of Brakes or Buffet coaches are produced as 2nd Opens/Corridors.

 

Hopefully a big pile of coaches will arrive in the Winter annoucement....

 

 

 

[rogerzilla]

I'm just thrilled by the prospect of a 2mm scale kebab van.  Every modern image layout needs one!

[fezza]

2 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

I'm just thrilled by the prospect of a 2mm scale kebab van.  Every modern image layout needs one!

Needs to be accompanied by a queue of bashers who have just bailed off the Inverness sleeper in the early hours...!

[Steven B]

15 hours ago, carderrail said:

It seems that nothing is every learnt and the same number of Brakes or Buffet coaches are produced as 2nd Opens/Corridors.

 

I raised that point with Farish/Bachmann a while ago, asking why they didn't produce more Mk2 TSO. The reply was that they do take into account expected sales when ordering specific numbers of each livery/coach type.

 

Suffice to say that I'm less than convinced and believe they regularly under-estimate. Five minutes of Googling found several model shops with more than ten Mk2a in RTC whilst the Regional Railways version released at the same time was virtually sold out on pre-order.

 

It's interesting to see that Dapol appear to produce a better ratio of first/buffet/second with their Mk3 range - it's a lot easier to find a realistic train-load months after release than it is with Farish.

 

I'd like to know the ratios of first/buffet/second/brake sold in N and OO. My guess is that train lengths may typically be longer in N meaning we need proportionally more second class types. If Bachmann are producing to OO Gauge sales ratios then we've no hope of keeping up with demand.

 

Steven B.

[scottystitch]

I think this is an interesting discussion, because I think the split of carriage types required depends on a number of factors.

 

Firstly, are the rakes marshalled authentically? Secondly, which region are you modelling,  and thirdly how many rakes you need to assemble to run your services?.

 

In my case, for my future Magnum Opus centred around Perth/Glasgow BS, I've used the winter 1964 marshalling document to assemble my trains and this amounts to:

 

5 rakes for Glasgow-Aberdeen

5 rakes for Edinburgh-Perth

4 rakes for Glasgow-Dundee

4 rakes for Glasgow-Inverness

1 rake Glasgow-Perth

1 rake for York-Inverness

5 rakes London-Perth

1 rake for "Aberdeen Postal"

 

This comes to around 166 passenger carrying carriages (and so excludes things like CCT, TCV, etc.)

 

The break down of types looks like this:

 

7 First class only (FK, FO)

48 Second class only (SK, SO)

26 Composite only (CK)

48 Brakes (BFK, BCK, BSK)

18 Sleepers (SLF, SLS)

11 Catering (RU, RFO, RMB)

 

The upshot is I, for one, am quite happy that that Farish make as many BCK, BSK, etc., as they do SK & SO.

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by scottystitch

[msw2009]

Has there been any statement on the development of other, previously announced new / modified tooling such as the 450 and sound fitted 5MT?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[Steven B]

22 hours ago, scottystitch said:

I think this is an interesting discussion, because I think the split of carriage types required depends on a number of factors.

 

In my case, for my future Magnum Opus centred around Perth/Glasgow BS, I've used the winter 1964 marshalling document to assemble my trains and this amounts to:

------------------------------------------8<------------------------------------------

 

The break down of types looks like this:

 

 

7 First class only (FK, FO)

48 Second class only (SK, SO)

26 Composite only (CK)

48 Brakes (BFK, BCK, BSK)

18 Sleepers (SLF, SLS)

11 Catering (RU, RFO, RMB)

 

The upshot is I, for one, am quite happy that that Farish make as many BCK, BSK, etc., as they do SK & SO.

 

 

Era goes into it too. None of my late 1980s sectorisation era trains have more than two BSK/BSO for example. Only three have CK. Half don't have any first class accommodation. Some trains slew the results - my Motorail train slews the results with 6 first class coaches out of seven whilst a third of my sleeper train is NPCCS.

 

My "average" train has 1 BG/GUV, 1 first class, four or five second class, one brake and half a buffet car. In reality, they're made up of primary services with roughly 1:2 or 1:3 first:second ratios and four-six coach secondary services with no first class accommodation.

 

Perhaps for the later liveries, certainly sectorisation onwards Farish need to increase the number of SO offered compared to other types. It's be fun being a fly on the wall to see what they actually order...

 

Steven B.

[Luke Piewalker]

My Strathclyde 101 arrived this morning. Going well so far.

Very orange...

[Stefen1988]

On 03/08/2022 at 16:10, TomE said:

I suspect things are going to be very interesting in N Gauge over the next 12 to 24 months!

 

 

I hope you're right, there is so much early BR Stuff I would like to buy if available.

[johny retro]

Looking at the ridiculous prices of rolling stock on the likes of eBay makes me worry that the same thing will happen again - box shifters will buy them all up, and we will have no choice but to either pay double or wait endlessly for another batch. Which will no doubt arrive in a different paint shade.

 

It's all very well making new loco's and novelty items, but there is obviously a very strong market of modellers wanting realistic rakes, which is seemingly ignored by Graham Farish.

I mean, where is the mk2 bfk in regional railways, a RB(r) in blue/grey for wcml layouts, a weathered mk1 CK in blue/grey, more batches of tso's in RR, blue/grey and intercity, or anything in virgin livery?

 

"Very interesting things in the pipeline" really doesn't fill me with confidence.

Edited April 9, 2023 by johny retro

[47475]

19 hours ago, johny retro said:

Looking at the ridiculous prices of rolling stock on the likes of eBay makes me worry that the same thing will happen again - box shifters will buy them all up, and we will have no choice but to either pay double or wait endlessly for another batch. Which will no doubt arrive in a different paint shade.

 

It's all very well making new loco's and novelty items, but there is obviously a very strong market of modellers wanting realistic rakes, which is seemingly ignored by Graham Farish.

I mean, where is the mk2 bfk in regional railways, a RB(r) in blue/grey for wcml layouts, a weathered CK in blue/grey, more batches of tso's in RR, blue/grey and intercity, or anything in virgin livery?

 

"Very interesting things in the pipeline" really doesn't fill me with confidence.

 

Accurascale have had plenty of feedback on their N gauge survey suggesting MK2 coaches (particularly MK2B/C), so maybe we will start to see some of this stuff in the absence of Farish producing such staple items. I agree with most of your suggested subjects, with the exception of Virgin since I personally draw the line at about 1994.

[johny retro]

On 21/03/2023 at 14:59, 47475 said:

 

Accurascale have had plenty of feedback on their N gauge survey suggesting MK2 coaches (particularly MK2B/C), so maybe we will start to see some of this stuff in the absence of Farish producing such staple items. I agree with most of your suggested subjects, with the exception of Virgin since I personally draw the line at about 1994.

For most of us that would mean starting all over again, after already spending a lot of time and money buying the ones produced by Farish, in the hope that they finally produce the remaining ones that people require.

I will look into the accurascale versions, so thank you for that.

I just don't see why Farish can't look at their own sales and feed the demand.

 

As for virgin livery, not everyone is modelling the same layout/era that you are.

There are plenty of folk out there who want to run virgin liveried rakes. Especially behind the IC and virgin liveried 90's.

Edited April 9, 2023 by johny retro

[47475]

13 minutes ago, johny retro said:

For most of us that would mean starting all over again, after already spending a lot of time and money buying the ones produced by Farish, in the hope that they finally produce the remaining ones that people require.

I will look into the accurascale versions, so thank you for that.

I just don't see why Farish can't look at their own sales and feed the demand.

 

As for virgin livery, not everyone is modelling the same layout/era that you are.

There are plenty of folk out there who want to run virgin liveried rakes. Especially behind the IC and virgin liveried 90's.

 

Don't get me wrong about the Virgin ones - I know there will be plenty of demand for them and I certainly hope for those that do model the late 90s that they are made. I think Farish would be mad not to release some this year.

 

I have quite a few of the blue/grey MK2As by Farish, but I would certainly still welcome some more (whether A, B and/or C) from Accurascale. I still personally wouldn't replace my Farish ones, though. It would be great to add more versions for variety.

[John M Upton]

Not understanding this replacing with talk.  Any Mk2 b/c from Accurascale would be complimentary and additional to the Farish Mk2 and 2a, not a replacement for.  They were different after all and some sub variants did not appear in some areas except for the odd extremely rare occurrence.

 

The Farish Mk 2 is a good model (the slightly odd fault with the B4 bogie axles sometimes coming out of their bearing pockets not withstanding), the issue is not the model, it is the chronic lack of supply to meet demand.

 

Still bewildered why they produced that RTC TSO, it is still lurking around unsold!