Hornby Arnold TT:120 4-axle Sffgmss container wagons

[Porfuera]

The DHL and Maersk versions of these wagons briefly appeared on the Arnold online shop earlier this week but are now showing as out-of-stock.

I requested stock alerts from Arnold for all three wagons a while ago but I don't appear to have received anything. Someone on the Hornby TT:120 suggested that they might be going to stockists and pre-orders first but I also put in some pre-orders with a stockist and haven't received any notification from them either and and they don't appear to have had any in stock.

Has anyone managed to buy any of these? I haven't seen any postings on social media, which I would've expected.

Here are some pictures  just to remind anyone that has forgotten or is not aware of them...

HN9737 ERMEWA, 4-axle container wagon Sffgmss "IFA", grey livery, loaded with 45' container "DHL", ep. VI

 

HN9738 ERMEWA, 4-axle container wagon Sffgmss "IFA", grey livery, loaded with 45' container "ONE", ep. VI

HN9739 ERMEWA, 4-axle container wagon Sffgmss "IFA", grey livery, loaded with 45' container "Maersk", ep. VI

 

 

Cheers, Neil.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Porfuera

[Porfuera]

It is also interesting that the one wagon that hasn't yet appeared in the Arnold shop is the wagon with the pink 'ONE' container, whose photo above is labelled as 'photomontage' (presumably indicating that it is some sort of Photoshop image) and this wagon is at a different angle to the other two with the container doors at the other end.

 

I wonder if this indicates that there has been some sort of licensing issue with the owners of the Ocean Network Express livery? Maybe that has delayed the appearance of the container for that particular wagon/container combination. Just speculation - I have no evidence for this.

 

Alternatively maybe they just had a problem matching the pink colour of the container or maybe the markings but then these wagons were announced quite a while ago and you'd think that wouldn't take too long to resolve.

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Porfuera
Spelling!

[ellocoloco]

I doubt there is a licensing issue as Jouef HJ6261 in HO is available with ONE containers.

 

I know from experience that the Hornby website is not always accurate - one of the Electrotren MMC wagons was missing for most of last year from the website and when I contacted Hornby CS to ask they told me it was a commission for a Spanish model shop and only available from them. I ordered two through Gaugemaster and eventually it did turn up as free order on the Hornby website.

 

HN9738 is still showing as preorder on a couple of German websites so I would suggest get in touch with Gaugemaster (other Hornby Int'l stockists are available) and Hornby CS and see what they say. I don't think there is evidence it has arrived yet.

[Porfuera]

As I mentioned I'd already pre-ordered mine from a retailer (who is also not showing them as available yet) but I was wondering whether anyone who may have ordered them direct from Arnold/Hornby had received them yet or received any notifications.

 

However I'd agree that the Hornby website can be somewhat unreliable. IIRC in the past some TT:120 items have shown as initially available to buy and then immediately out-of-stock just prior to their arrival so maybe it is a good sign.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Porfuera

[Ravenser]

As these are showing what looks like a TOPS code IFA , can someone confirm that these are in fact wagons used on the Continent but essentially to a British container flat design ?

 

I suspect they may have been put up on the website in error - the 66 won't be out until next summer

[Porfuera]

1 hour ago, Ravenser said:

As these are showing what looks like a TOPS code IFA , can someone confirm that these are in fact wagons used on the Continent but essentially to a British container flat design ?

 

I suspect they may have been put up on the website in error - the 66 won't be out until next summer

 

I'm not an expert but from what I've read on the Hornby TT:120 thread, these are continental wagons built to UK loading gauge (this signified by one of the 'f's in 'Sffgmss') although I don't know the origin of the design - I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be able provide more information.

 

However, I don't understand why you think it is an error based on the current release date of the Class 66 - given that the 66 was originally due to be released summer this year IIRC. 

 

And in any event locos and wagons aren't necessarily released together.

 

Also, they were announced here last January:

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/Hornby-2023-continental-range/

 

Also announced were two train sets, one of which was a 66 and 3 container wagons:

• HN9900 Train Set "Colas Rail", 4-axle diesel locomotive Vossloh DE 18 with 2 x 4-axle silowagons "Transcéréales", ep. VI HINT
• HN9901 Train Set Class 66 + 3 Container Wagons

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Porfuera
Addition of sets

[Mike Harvey]

21 hours ago, ellocoloco said:

 

I know from experience that the Hornby website is not always accurate - one of the Electrotren MMC wagons was missing for most of last year from the website and when I contacted Hornby CS to ask they told me it was a commission for a Spanish model shop and only available from them. I ordered two through Gaugemaster and eventually it did turn up as free order on the Hornby website.

 

 

There is a classic case of misleading images on the Arnold webpage for an SNCF couchette coach in N which shows two coaches for a one coach item, but bizarrely the two coaches shown are not opposite sides of the same coach but completely different. One is a 10 compartment B10c10 and the other a nine compartment A4c4B5c5. The nine compartment has not even been announced so the photos are probably based on the H0 versions. I did tell them about it some time back and it was going to be changed.

 

 

[westie7]

Single version of the IFA twin that Bachmann do. Built in the UK IIRC.

Currently used on the Tesco containers to Inverness in lieu of Megafrets

 

Rgds

Mark

[GenericRMWebUsername]

On 03/12/2023 at 15:19, Ravenser said:

As these are showing what looks like a TOPS code IFA , can someone confirm that these are in fact wagons used on the Continent but essentially to a British container flat design ?

 

I suspect they may have been put up on the website in error - the 66 won't be out until next summer

I believe this is a picture of the French prototype:

 

https://www.wagons-europe.net/picture?/81731/category/1415-4906_sffgmss_porte_conteneurs

 

More images: 

 

https://www.wagons-europe.net/index?/category/1415-4906_sffgmss_porte_conteneurs

 

 

Update: I found a product brochure from the company listed by Arnold in the description. According to "Ermewa" they are Europe's "first choice in railcar rental." I'll have to take their word for it! They list the "sffgmss" wagon under one of their wagons that is rentable. They note that "some of the wagons are compliant with the English gauge." You can find that on page 2 of the PDF at this link:

 

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/8009376/sheet-container-wagons-ermewa 

 

Additional Update: Here is a video of a train on the Continent with a Sffgmss and another British loading gauge wagon Sffggmrrss. 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by GenericRMWebUsername

[markw]

There are photos of them in use in the UK here

https://wagons-library.weebly.com/ifa-87-4906.html

[andrewshimmin]

Have ordered a couple of these, will report back.

[GenericRMWebUsername]

For those interested, some people have started to receive their wagons. Follow this link to the Hornby Forum to check out photos that were posted. I think Arnold has a winner here! 

 

https://uk.Hornby.com/community/forum/new-arnold-tt120-sffgmss-container-wagons-338120?ccm_paging_p=4&ccm_order_by=&ccm_order_by_direction=

[markw]

Have received mine today, it consists of a cast metal frame with details, bogies and container in plastic, it looks very well detailed including brakes in line with wheels and yokes between brake blocks.

It weighs enough to run well with or without container and is nicely close coupled.

Will be getting more of these.

 

[andrewshimmin]

Mine have come too. Agreed they are very nice.

They come in quite a fancy box:

Interesting to see the TT:120 labelling but for the Arnold brand.

 

They couple nicely and run well:

 

I had to put them in a mixed train as I've only got two of them!

Here's a closer look:

 

Very pleased with these.

[Fat Controller]

They were referred to as 'Multi-Frets' Initial use was by Freightliner  on trials of 140 kph loaded running on the WCML.

 

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi all,

 

I picked up a couple of these.  I think they are very nicely done with a good combination of robustness and detail.  

 

My model is numbered 33 87 4906 046-7, which according to my notes makes it one of a batch built in 2002-3 and coded IFA under TOPS.

 

There are plenty of searchable photos on flickr of wagons in this number series in use in the UK.  For example here at Peterborough in 2020: 

 

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Revolution Ben

[andrewshimmin]

Passed a trainload of these on my way out of Paddington this morning.

[J-Lewis]

Youtube review of the DHL version:  

 

[andrewshimmin]

I wonder if Hornby (Oxford?) will release a container lorry compatible with their Arnold container wagon?

[J-Lewis]

Would certainly make sense to have a TT:120 version of the Oxford container trucks, and it would be a good way to get the Tesco containers onto the market.

 

I’d love to see these Arnold containers available separately too, they are easily the best TT scale containers available, and would work well as replacements for Herpa containers on their TT scale spine trailers.

 

Would also be good to have some 20ft and bulk tanker containers available in TT.

[Porfuera]

My wagons arrived from Modellbahnshop-Lippe yesterday - we had guests staying so I didn't have time to play check them when they arrived.

 

I had time for a quick look-over and test today and as others have said they are lovely models, quite heavy yet very free-running and with a lot of very fine detail - much of it is so small that I need to wear a magnifying headset to see most of it in any detail.

 

I'm looking forward some more detailed 'testing' tomorrow... 😄

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Porfuera

[GenericRMWebUsername]

The newest versions of the Sffgmss wagons are now available for preorder from Arnold. They are retailing at 47.49 GBP. This represents a slight increase from the original RRP of 45.49 GBP in 2023. They are set for an Autumn release. 

 

HANJIN Version:

https://uk.arnoldmodel.com/products/touax-4-axle-container-wagon-sffgmss-45-container-hanjin-ep-vi-hn9753

 

Hapag Lloyd: 

https://uk.arnoldmodel.com/products/touax-4-axle-container-wagon-sffgmss-45-container-happag-lloyd-ep-vi-hn9752

 

DFDS:

https://uk.arnoldmodel.com/products/touax-4-axle-container-wagon-sffgmss-45-container-dfds-ep-vi-hn9751