Hornby 2023 - New tooling - DELTIC prototype - Hornby Dublo

[E100]

 

 

Looks to be a nice model but not due anytime soon...

 

...I do hope this isn't the usual 500 piece limited edition or that's a heck of an outlay on tooling...

[Widnes Model Centre]

Personally, l think this is brilliant. @Nearholmer. Not made in Binns Road, can you clarify? As my late mum worked there it would make it even more important to get one. 
Need to place an order with another retailer as having just received our allocation…. None allocated to us.

[RedgateModels]

4 minutes ago, darrel said:

A model that has already been done by Bachmann and done extremely well. If you want a model of deltic chances are you have already bought the Bachmann one

 

or made your own 😉

 

I think Hornby have pitched this quite cleverly into the collectors market by making it a Dublo loco with a die cast body etc. My money is that they will sell well but not many will be seen on layouts at shows 

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, mevaman1 said:

Ohh,  what is the point!  This is a prototype that has been successfully produced by Bachmann.  I just don’t get why Hornby is releasing this.

Just milking the ersatz-HD collector market. 500 and gone.

[Dunsignalling]

1 minute ago, RedgateModels said:

 

or made your own 😉

 

I think Hornby have pitched this quite cleverly into the collectors market by making it a Dublo loco with a die cast body etc. My money is that they will sell well but not many will be seen on layouts at shows 

I doubt many of them will be seen on layouts at all. That's not why they are made.

[MikeParkin65]

5 minutes ago, darrel said:

I don't understand this one from Hornby a one off prototype that only carried one livery. A model that has already been done by Bachmann and done extremely well. If you want a model of deltic chances are you have already bought the Bachmann one. Which is also much cheaper.

 

Instead of wasting all the development costs they could have done something else Instead something with more livery variations that they could sell more of. 

If they wanted to do a prototype loco they could have done the prototype HST power car. If they wanted to duplicate a Bachmann model they could have done a class 47 there are enough livery variations to make that worthwhile. 

This seems a bizarre decision by Hornby. 

Already churning out multiple Class 47 liveries in the railroad range. No room in the market for a high end 47 with the excellent Bachmann model still 'new' and the Heljan version imminent.  Prototype HST an interesting idea but a different part of the market requiring both the loco and the coaches tooling up to be accurate. The new HD Deltic is playing into the heritage of Hornby and the collectors market and I do think it is shrewd move on Hornby's part. 

[JohnR]

I'd have thought they should have gone for a production Deltic - that way theres scope for different identities and liveries using the Dublo tooling in future years. DP1 was a one-off, only ever in one livery. 

[rogerzilla]

13 minutes ago, JohnR said:

I'd have thought they should have gone for a production Deltic - that way theres scope for different identities and liveries using the Dublo tooling in future years. DP1 was a one-off, only ever in one livery. 

I don't think it's worth trying to compete with the Accurascale model.  DP2 would have been the better choice, although it looks almost the same as a production Deltic and I guess the livery is less attractive to magpies.

Edited January 10, 2023 by rogerzilla

[Ian Hargrave]

Just now, JohnR said:

I'd have thought they should have gone for a production Deltic - that way theres scope for different identities and liveries using the Dublo tooling in future years. DP1 was a one-off, only ever in one livery. 

But saw widespread use in the late 1950’s on both WC & EC mainlines. I copped it at KX in September  ‘59. Remember it’s in the Dublo back catalogue .FMJ once again. If they get it right,IMHO a brave & inspired choice. However….as has been posted….Bachmann’s version ( twice ) is excellent too. I’m intrigued.

[Ian Hargrave]

51 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

For some reason, the working lights remind me of the classic Transcontinental Dock Shunter. This is a good thing.

 

And it's sad, but I really quite fancy one because of this. I love a gizmo!

Done for its proposed stint on Canadian railways touting for export trade, I believe…..which didn’t happen. Ironic that in time,the Class 66 came the other way.

[GordonC]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

I wasn't expecting this one, but a diecast metal Deltic will be very nice if done well. The Bachmann model tends to be quite expensive, and this will appeal to collectors as well as those wanting a model of the prototype. I will try and get one of these.

 

I really dont understand tooling this up.

 

Whats the point in making it diecast if its more for collectors than actually using and hauling trains? The Bachmann model must generally be far cheaper than this and are collectors really going to want to pay that kind of money for a shelf decoration???

 

And with Hornby Railroad, Bachmann and Accurascale with deltics in low, middle and high spec I cant see any room for a new entrant as a Production deltic, however popular the prototypes are

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by GordonC

[BR Blue]

4 hours ago, Bucoops said:

Does the NRM need to give approval for one of their collection to be produced? e.g. Locomotion Models have the rights as it were? Not sure how it works so could be wrong (and of course Hornby could have the OK).

Hornby would never announce something without having the rights secured, What sort of Titfield Thunderbolts do you think they are? :)

Edited January 10, 2023 by BR Blue
Grammar

[HExpressD]

Just now, GordonC said:

Whats the point in making it diecast if its more for collectors than actually using and hauling trains? The Bachmann model must generally be far cheaper than this and are collectors really going to want to pay that kind of money for a shelf decoration???

On the flipside, I can imagine that, being diecast, it can pull a fair amount!

[RedgateModels]

1 minute ago, GordonC said:

What's the point in making it diecast if its more for collectors than actually using and hauling trains? The Bachmann model must generally be far cheaper than this and are collectors really going to want to pay that kind of money for a shelf decoration???

 

Because it sets it apart from the Bachmann version. HD branding, die cast body.

[adb968008]

51 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

For those who don’t get it, this is why this loco will sell:

 

 

It is the thing that Binns Road implied they’d make, but never did.

Even in the 50’s they were getting it wrong…

 

Its definitely a diesel.

[TH47541]

I am excited by this one. All diecast should mean it will be a great puller. Will it weight as much as an Accurascale Deltic which is really heavy! 

[HonestTom]

Clearly Hornby have reason to believe there's money in this market, given that they've been catering to it since 2020, so I don't find it a bewildering choice at all. It's glamorous, it has the nostalgia factor (whether you saw it in service or in a museum) and it's the first diesel under the revived Dublo brand. I won't buy one, because I'm not in that market, but I daresay there are plenty who will.

[jjb1970]

7 minutes ago, GordonC said:

 

I really dont understand tooling this up.

 

Whats the point in making it diecast if its more for collectors than actually using and hauling trains? The Bachmann model must generally be far cheaper than this and are collectors really going to want to pay that kind of money for a shelf decoration???

 

And with Hornby Railroad, Bachmann and Accurascale with deltics in low, middle and high spec I cant see any room for a new entrant as a Production deltic, however popular the prototypes are

 

 

A lot of people like metal model trains. This isn't just a new British thing, Marklin retained metal bodies for a lot of their locomotives and found a market for them after the norm for European HO went plastic. Tenshodo make a line of diest models for the Japan market positioned between their high end brass models and their plastic range. The Chinese market likes metal models and diecast is widely used for Chinese outline models. Not to mention quite a few British enthusiasts like the idea of metal trains. Whether or not that is a silly preference or there is anything in it is a personal preference but clearly there's some demand for diecast models.

On why it should have a motor if aimed at collectors, a good question. It is not exclusively aimed at collectors, and if looking at collectors there is crossover between collecting and modelling. And I think people in Britain and the more western model railway markets expect locomotives to be powered. In Asia unpowered diecast models are quite popular for static display, and some of them are superbly done.

[spamcan61]

23 minutes ago, BR Blue said:

Hornby would never announce something without have the rights secured, What sort of Titfield Thunderbolts do you think they are? :)

Avanti 805 anyone....

Edited January 10, 2023 by spamcan61

[NXEA!]

It’s an interesting choice given the competition, but Hornby will know their onions commercially and as it’s a glamour prototype is sure to make them a good profit. Whilst having glamour prototypes to tackle won’t last forever, it’s a good way to commercially consolidate for now and ensure Hornby’s survival on a steady footing over the longer term. 
 

Edited January 10, 2023 by NXEA!

[Nearholmer]

26 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

A lot of people like metal model trains

This is something that those who don’t understand it will likely never understand, because like so much else about toy trains it’s irrational, often wrapped in post-hoc rationalisation.

 

I’m a metalophile, and find it odd that people are satisfied with plastic!

 

Im not much into Dublo specifically, but the other thing to be aware of is that most Dublo collectors run their trains, in fact they tend to give them a right thrashing, roaring round 15” curves, pulling draggy old coaches, for hours at a time, the great pride of real HD being that locos sixty or seventy years old happily do that with only basic maintenance and lubrication.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Nearholmer

[APOLLO]

Very nice model indeed, but I will keep my Dapol kit on it's Lima Deltic chassis, runs well, and looks OK (at 100mph on a foggy day) !!

 

Brit15

[sirwilliamfrs]

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

I wonder if they might get tempted to put a regular 55 body on that chassis.

Different wheelbase, bogies and overall length on the production Deltics.

[JohnR]

1 hour ago, rogerzilla said:

I don't think it's worth trying to compete with the Accurascale model.  DP2 would have been the better choice, although it looks almost the same as a production Deltic and I guess the livery is less attractive to magpies.

 

Its not so much to compete with the Accurascale model - the buyers of these die-cast Hornby Dublo models arnt (mostly) the same people rushing out to buy Accurascale models with detachable chains on the bogies. Its the nostalgia market - and Hornby never made DP1 - they made several versions of the production Deltic in Green (and didn't Wrenn do it in Blue?).

[andyman7]

2 hours ago, nathan70000 said:

This is a perplexing and frankly bizarre choice. If this year is indeed a catch-up year for Hornby and money for new tooling is limited, I would have picked something more useful to the modeller with plenty of potential for re-runs and different liveries. DELTIC is iconic, but surely anyone who really wants one has one already, and anyone who hasn't can buy the Bachmann model for far less.

 

1 hour ago, darrel said:

I don't understand this one from Hornby a one off prototype that only carried one livery. A model that has already been done by Bachmann and done extremely well. If you want a model of deltic chances are you have already bought the Bachmann one. Which is also much cheaper.

 

Instead of wasting all the development costs they could have done something else Instead something with more livery variations that they could sell more of. 

If they wanted to do a prototype loco they could have done the prototype HST power car. If they wanted to duplicate a Bachmann model they could have done a class 47 there are enough livery variations to make that worthwhile. 

This seems a bizarre decision by Hornby. 

I think we need to lay to rest the 'if they hadn't made this, then I could have had "x" ' themes that happens every time Hornby targets one of their other markets. Yes, if I am a scale modeller wanting a DP1 that market is served. But this is aiming for a niche that Bachmann can't fill which means it isn't duplication in terms of product to market; and whilst resources are finite, there isn't actually a formal system of model railway rationing in place that says if x is made, y can't exist.