Next Years Announcements (9th Jan btw)(not wish listing!, well that was the idea, but......)

[adb968008]

A green K1 would be nice, but how many would pay £250 for one ?

 

 

[The Meerkat]

23 minutes ago, Markwj said:

And perhaps some 142’s and 156!
 

LSL 142

[InterCity80s]

I'd like to see a VEP in BR Blue/Grey and I think that a 225 set in the current LNER "swallow" livery might be a realistic possibility.

 

They might have missed the boat, given the Coronation was last year and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee the year before that, but a full Royal Train set would be very welcome.

[The Meerkat]

5 minutes ago, InterCity80s said:

I'd like to see a VEP in BR Blue/Grey and I think that a 225 set in the current LNER "swallow" livery might be a realistic possibility.

 

They might have missed the boat, given the Coronation was last year and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee the year before that, but a full Royal Train set would be very welcome.

yes with the proper double doors on one of the coaches

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

i’m not convinced on this, there are still Scotsmans about. Theres really only 2 A4’s of the 6 sold out.

The only one that lit up the light was 6231 (the first one) and thats because it was only 250.

 

They could ramp up the price, but I think they would need lower the volume to secure it… the worst thing for dublo would be discounting.. collectors like to feel value not budget.

 

what may be better is the “limited to as many as they can sell” approach, and keep them website only preorders.

 

Yes, that latter point is the obvious counter position to calling things 'collectable' and would be a possible alternative if the real collector market doesn't exist.

 

But don't forget that I said  'If they really know the collector market ...'  And i remain a very long way convinced from agreeing, or even thinking, that theh recently departed management did have that level of market understanding - as some of the unsold references you mentioned would illustrate.  The genuine collector market is small while the 'limited edition acquirer  market' is larger but at teh same time far more fickle about what a good part of it would buy (again refer to unsold models).

 

Hence a potential reason why they couldn;t necessarily increase prices - but they'll be selling, I hope, a much greater number than they would witha genuined collector targetted model.  So they have. a choice -

either they tackle the collector market properly, and price accordingly,

oe  they go for the 'limited edition acquirer market'     (But must be  a lot more careful about choosing the right subject and don't overdo things with additional releases having said that it s 'limited edition'.).

or they do both with different editions where that is possible (but no idiot things like the  gold plated wheel etc nonsense).

 

It really depends very much on what the Brand Manager decides and to what extent he understands the market and pricing into it.

[jamieb]

5 hours ago, rovex said:

Less than 48 hours to go and this thread isn't even simmering. I can't recall such a level of disinterest in a product range announcement!

My interest is subdued by the fact that I won't be able to afford anything they may announce!

[E100]

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

A green K1 would be nice, but how many would pay £250 for one ?

 

I will be in the minority but £200 and below and I would bite.

[Pint of Adnams]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

It really depends very much on what the Brand Manager decides and to what extent he understands the market and pricing into it.

 

A quick search finds on LinkedIn that Martyn Weaver is the current brand manager, Hornby Hobbies, as of September last year. He was previously brand Manager for Scalextric (June 2018- January 2022) before a couple of other external senior roles. His start date suggests that he may have been enticed to return to the Hornby fold, given his previous experience with the company.

[AY Mod]

11 minutes ago, Pint of Adnams said:

 

A quick search finds on LinkedIn that Martyn Weaver is the current brand manager, Hornby Hobbies, as of September last year. He was previously brand Manager for Scalextric (June 2018- January 2022) before a couple of other external senior roles. His start date suggests that he may have been enticed to return to the Hornby fold, given his previous experience with the company.

 

The next issue of BRM features an exclusive, and very interesting, interview with Martyn about present and future approaches.

[woodenhead]

2 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

The next issue of BRM features an exclusive, and very interesting, interview with Martyn about present and future approaches.

Trains will come off the track if they corner too fast and in future will use a central guide system that will also power the trains.

[Hroth]

1 minute ago, woodenhead said:

Trains will come off the track if they corner too fast and in future will use a central guide system that will also power the trains.

 

Or at least a central power rail to make return loops easier to wire...

 

[woodenhead]

Just now, Hroth said:

 

Or at least a central power rail to make return loops easier to wire...

 

But wait till you see the new handheld controller....

[AY Mod]

15 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Trains will come off the track if they corner too fast and in future will use a central guide system that will also power the trains.

 

New trainsets will include diamond crossings and lap countdowns.

[miles73128]

49 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

The next issue of BRM features an exclusive, and very interesting, interview with Martyn about present and future approaches.

Oh interesting. What date is that issue published please? 

[AY Mod]

20 minutes ago, miles73128 said:

Oh interesting. What date is that issue published please? 

 

The digital issue comes out on 19 Jan and the print version on 25 Jan.

[Adi]

Surely we get the double smoke deflectors p2 

Hornby have already shown cads off

[Les1952]

7 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Indeed it does as it took a GWR trained man to sort out the notoriously troublesome middle big end on Gresley designed engines.

 

He actually sorted out frame alignment issues that were affecting the stability of the 2 to 1 lever in the conjugated valve gear- note that conjugated valve gear is what Castles had, but that drove the opposite way (valve gear in the inaccessible part of the engine driving outside cylinders) and only one gear per 2 cyls making it a bit simpler.  The GWR needed good alignment tools to make it work, and this is what was brought to Doncaster- together with intermediate piston and valve examinations, allowing the Gresley Pacifics to run over 100,000 miles between major overhauls- the A1s already were doing this sort of mileage.

 

Much of the issue of the middle big ends had been sorted by then but keeping the middle cylinder from doing too much work finished the job.

 

It is worth noting that the two guys were swapped by Headquarters at Crewe to put people without the appropriate background in charge of engineering for the two regions in the expectation that each would succeed in reducing the effectiveness of the power on those regions allowing Crewe and its products to shine.  They were already having problems with B1s being cheaper to run and maintain than Black 5s (though not as robust) and the most cost effective express loco they had being the Peppercon A1.  Both men then made improvements that weren't expected by higher authority....

 

Back to wish listing- a retooled B1 would be nice as would a double chimney Castle.  I don't need any more A3s (and if I did they would be TT or N- OO ones take up too much space).

 

Les

 

Edited January 7 by Les1952

[JSpencer]

2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

New trainsets will include diamond crossings and lap countdowns.

 

About time the high speed Smokey Joe made a return...

[Hilux5972]

8 hours ago, InterCity80s said:

They might have missed the boat, given the Coronation was last year and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee the year before that, but a full Royal Train set would be very welcome.

I would love to see a proper Royal Train set of coaches made. Double doors and everything 

[PeterStiles]

7 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

Train set of coaches made. Double doors

I've a set of eye-teeth here ready to swap for such.. I'd rather run my two Shorty mk3s (with the double doors) than the longer rake of correct-length mk3s for a royal train because, more than anything, the Double Doors are what makes them look royal...

[davidw]

17 hours ago, adb968008 said:

A green K1 would be nice, but how many would pay £250 for one ?

 

 

Isn't that the dilema facing any re runs of existing tooling. I can understand why Hornby have pushed the A3s and A4s as cash cows and the HD range. 

[Hilux5972]

33 minutes ago, PeterStiles said:

I've a set of eye-teeth here ready to swap for such.. I'd rather run my two Shorty mk3s (with the double doors) than the longer rake of correct-length mk3s for a royal train because, more than anything, the Double Doors are what makes them look royal...

Definitely agree about the double doors

[Ighten]

8 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

I would love to see a proper Royal Train set of coaches made. Double doors and everything 

 

True... Any company with half a marketing brain should have jumped on that last year. Instead we got a purple fictional railroad 66

[Roy L S]

12 hours ago, Les1952 said:

 

He actually sorted out frame alignment issues that were affecting the stability of the 2 to 1 lever in the conjugated valve gear- note that conjugated valve gear is what Castles had, but that drove the opposite way (valve gear in the inaccessible part of the engine driving outside cylinders) and only one gear per 2 cyls making it a bit simpler.  The GWR needed good alignment tools to make it work, and this is what was brought to Doncaster- together with intermediate piston and valve examinations, allowing the Gresley Pacifics to run over 100,000 miles between major overhauls- the A1s already were doing this sort of mileage.

 

Much of the issue of the middle big ends had been sorted by then but keeping the middle cylinder from doing too much work finished the job.

 

It is worth noting that the two guys were swapped by Headquarters at Crewe to put people without the appropriate background in charge of engineering for the two regions in the expectation that each would succeed in reducing the effectiveness of the power on those regions allowing Crewe and its products to shine.  They were already having problems with B1s being cheaper to run and maintain than Black 5s (though not as robust) and the most cost effective express loco they had being the Peppercon A1.  Both men then made improvements that weren't expected by higher authority....

 

Back to wish listing- a retooled B1 would be nice as would a double chimney Castle.  I don't need any more A3s (and if I did they would be TT or N- OO ones take up too much space).

 

Les

 

But is a GW four cylinder loco's valve-gear truly conjugated Les? I am happy to stand corrected but my understanding of the term "conjugate" is to join together and in the case of Gresley valve-gear two sets are joined to provide valve movement to a third cylinder. A Castle (for example) has one set of valve gear operating two cylinders via a single rocking arm which is not the same thing mechanically.

 

Regards

 

Roy

[Downer]

9 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

I would love to see a proper Royal Train set of coaches made. Double doors and everything 

Or, as an alternative, a Red Army Agitprop train from 1918.