Obvious RTR models missing from peoples collections/wish lists

[Mad McCann]

From my own perspective, we still have a complete absence of Scottish four coupled types, although the D11/2 fits nicely in an 'honourary' sort of way.

At least we have a pair of 0-6-0s now although the big NBR 'S' Class/J37 would be nice along with the 'other' CR smaller 0-6-0 which I no longer name since it appears to be cursed every time I do... 😉

 

Davy.

[MarkC]

11 hours ago, Philip Jackson said:

I would love to have a class 124 Trans Pennine set (in BR Blue). They could even do mix and match sets with Swindon class 123. I'm considering the Silver fox version

I have a Silver Fox Class 124 + all the donor parts in the roundtuit collection - just the time needed...

 

No doubt as soon as I complete it, an RTR model will appear - it's happened to me on a couple of occasions before; the last time was the RTR 76xxx 2-6-0, just after I completed construction of a Dapol/Kemilway model...

 

Mark

[peterfgf]

12 hours ago, Philip Jackson said:

I would love to have a class 124 Trans Pennine set (in BR Blue). They could even do mix and match sets with Swindon class 123. I'm considering the Silver fox version

Class 124 for me as well.  Good looking and long lived. Bachmann could easily do a Midland 2F 0-6-0 which I would snap up.  OO Works did a 2F a while ago but I've never seen a second-hand one (apart from Hattons "sold" category).

Peterfgf

[rob D2]

On 13/12/2023 at 14:19, Chris M said:

You 00 modellers don't know you're born

Aren’t you N gaugers about 10% of the market ? Therefore if you get 10% you should be more than happy 

[Crepello]

10 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Aren’t you N gaugers about 10% of the market ? Therefore if you get 10% you should be more than happy 

I think it’s a bit more than that. 17% springs to mind.

[Roy L S]

1 hour ago, Crepello said:

I think it’s a bit more than that. 17% springs to mind.

Yep somewhere around 20% is my understanding too.

[rob D2]

2 hours ago, Crepello said:

I think it’s a bit more than that. 17% springs to mind.

Creeping up then, but I’m not sure how accurate any of these are - must be a manufacturers best guess 

[Steamport Southport]

What's obviously missing is Deltic!

 

👀

 

 

 

Jason

[Covkid]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:47, Karl said:

We have GWR autocoaches coming from Dapol and the Bachmann BR(W) version, Hornby did a SR push-pull set. An obvious omission here to me is an LMS one to go with the Bachmann PP fitted Ivatt 2 and 1p.

 

Every time Brian and the team release the poll entry, I always put the LMS "motor train" as one of mu submissions.  I am surprised Bachmann have not announced one up to yet because their Jinty and Ivatt "Mickey Mouse" could both run with the vehicles, although we could dream that Bachmann are waiting to announce the ex LNWR Radial tank as another match.

 

LMS and BR used Motor Trains on a number of branches on and off the WCML. Of the top of my head ;

Watford Junction-St Albans

Wolverton-Newport Pagnell

Blisworth-Northampton

Stamford-Seaton (Rutland)

Coventry-Leamington

Walsall-Dudley

Amlwch-Gaerwen

Horwich-Chorley

 

Probably plenty more examples just for the ex LMS cars

 

 

were just three, plenty more up in Lancashire rtc. 

[Steamport Southport]

3 minutes ago, Covkid said:

 

Every time Brian and the team release the poll entry, I always put the LMS "motor train" as one of mu submissions.  I am surprised Bachmann have not announced one up to yet because their Jinty and Ivatt "Mickey Mouse" could both run with the vehicles, although we could dream that Bachmann are waiting to announce the ex LNWR Radial tank as another match.

 

LMS and BR used Motor Trains on a number of branches on and off the WCML. Of the top of my head ;

Watford Junction-St Albans

Wolverton-Newport Pagnell

Blisworth-Northampton

Stamford-Seaton (Rutland)

Coventry-Leamington

Walsall-Dudley

Amlwch-Gaerwen

Horwich-Chorley

 

Probably plenty more examples just for the ex LMS cars

 

 

were just three, plenty more up in Lancashire rtc. 

 

Bachmann have never made a motor fitted Jinty though.

 

However weren't the coaches they used ex MR ones and only used in South Wales?

 

 

Jason

[Invicta]

26 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Bachmann have never made a motor fitted Jinty though.

 

However weren't the coaches they used ex MR ones and only used in South Wales?

 

 

Jason

 

I think they have done both the Ivatt and also the Midland 0-4-4T (the LMS unlined black version) in motor-fitted form though -  the lack of an LMS push-pull driving trailer (whether of Midland, LNWR or LMS standard origin) has always struck me as a really obvious open goal that Bachmann keep missing!

 

IIRC both the LNWR Coal Tank and L&Y 2-4-2T were sometimes motor-fitted as well, though I don't think Bachmann included this option in the tooling for either model?

Edited December 24, 2023 by Invicta

[tomparryharry]

One of the things that happen is when an individual expands his collection.

 

Then we'll hear phrases like 'nothing for me here' . Taken out of context, it's a bit of a downer. 

 

In fairness, the manufacturers are closing down the niche gaps, so the missing links get even more niche.  In turn, manufacturers are less likely to commission a model when the returns on investment gets a bit sketchy.  A bit of Catch-22, methinks...

 

The ever advancing age demographic plays a deadly hand; how many people remember seeing steam in real life? 

 

Missing in my collection is:-

 

Large Metro,

39xx tank,

Ex- Cardiff Railway Kitson,

Armstrong standard goods

 

So you see, we're straight down to niche in just 4 sentences... None of those locomotives exist in real life; only in photographs.

 

Un-numbered wagons, please, especially the large fleets.

 

Cheers,

Ian.

 

By the way, did I mention un-numbered wagons....? 

 

No, it's not idle wish-listing...

[Dunsignalling]

Pull-push stock is a bit lacking across the board.

 

For we late fifties Southern Region fans, the Maunsell conversions (Hornby) only began to appear from 1959, and the ex-LSWR Gate sets (EFE) were on the edge of extinction by then.

 

The 1949 Ironclad conversions would neatly bridge the gap. Not all that numerous, but they did get around a surprisingly high proportion of ex-LSWR branches.

 

A glaring omission on the wagon side is the wartime and post-war GWR/WR plywood-bodied Mink. There's not even a kit in 4mm scale TTBOMK.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[RichardT]

On 23/12/2023 at 05:41, rob D2 said:

Aren’t you N gaugers about 10% of the market ? Therefore if you get 10% you should be more than happy 

Chicken, egg; cart, horse. Market share isn’t a static constant - it fluctuates with supply.

 

Richard

Edited December 24, 2023 by RichardT

[rob D2]

8 hours ago, RichardT said:

Chicken, egg; cart, horse. Market share isn’t a static constant - it fluctuates with supply.

 

Richard

True , but probably only within a few %. I wonder if Hornby get their act together will TT overtake N ?

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, rob D2 said:

True , but probably only within a few %. I wonder if Hornby get their act together will TT overtake N ?

Maybe in time but, judging by how long it took for N to get where it is today that's likely to be at least twenty years. 

 

I think there are a lot of people who wouldn't be confident about getting into UK-outline TT:120 while it remains largely dependent on one supplier, even though Peco being on-board adds a lot of credibility.

 

There are also very encouraging numbers of smaller suppliers pitching in, though the "new tech" most are employing; 3D printing and laser cutting, allow participants to easily and quickly switch sectors. However, the production flexibility these techniques allow means that so long as products are viable across a number of scales, there's little incentive to abandon any of them. Such items can be viably supplied to individual order, in contrast to conventional moulding etc. 

 

All that said, there has to be a firm r-t-r foundation to draw smaller participants in. There has been a sea-change in the board and management at Hornby, and it can't be certain that the new team shares exactly the same view as the previous one as to how, and on what timescale, they expect the scale to progress. That should (hopefully) be made clearer in the next three weeks.

 

To get TT:120 on to a really firm footing for long-term growth, I reckon it will need the entry of another brand, not on the level of Hornby, but committing sufficient assets to be seen as a would-be competitor. 

 

The emergence of a two-horse race is pretty much what it took to get UK-outline N really moving.  

 

John 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Steamport Southport]

Don't forget the emergence of RTR narrow gauge. N Gauge no longer has the monopoly on small space British outline RTR I'm afraid.

 

However I don't really see these smaller scales/gauges taking custom from 00 Gauge. To me it seems the same and must still be viable as why would "newer" companies bother getting into the market if it wasn't?

 

 

Jason

[frobisher]

5 hours ago, rob D2 said:

True , but probably only within a few %. I wonder if Hornby get their act together will TT overtake N ?

 

You'd need at least one other manufacturer seriously in the mix for that to happen.  It took Dapol to stir up Bachmann/Farish to get things where things are today.

[frobisher]

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

However I don't really see these smaller scales/gauges taking custom from 00 Gauge. To me it seems the same and must still be viable as why would "newer" companies bother getting into the market if it wasn't?

 

The market has a level of saturation coupled with batch production that has opened that door  The big players are playing whack-a-mole with certain subjects and maintaining a hump of historical products that perhaps should be updated, and all the while the new players are building nice, broadening ranges focusing on items that will sell and complement each other in the main.

 

[RichardT]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Don't forget the emergence of RTR narrow gauge. N Gauge no longer has the monopoly on small space British outline RTR I'm afraid.

Well…that rather depends if you want to model narrow-gauge railways!  I find real-life narrow gauge railways fascinating, but narrow gauge model railways (UK prototypes) all leave me completely cold. (Apart from the Craig & Mertonford.).

 

RT

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, RichardT said:

Well…that rather depends if you want to model narrow-gauge railways!  I find real-life narrow gauge railways fascinating, but narrow gauge model railways (UK prototypes) all leave me completely cold. (Apart from the Craig & Mertonford.).

 

RT

Check out Bridport Town by DLT of this parish, and its predecessor, Charmouth. A highly convincing freelance railway inserted into an only slightly adapted representation of a real location. 

 

And it's even more impressive when seen "live" than in pictures....

 

John

[Dunsignalling]

4 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Don't forget the emergence of RTR narrow gauge. N Gauge no longer has the monopoly on small space British outline RTR I'm afraid.

 

However I don't really see these smaller scales/gauges taking custom from 00 Gauge. To me it seems the same and must still be viable as why would "newer" companies bother getting into the market if it wasn't?

 

 

Jason

I reckon the recent forays into narrow gauge r-t-r were long overdue. Mind you, Lionheart's L&B beauties need at least 24" radii, so won't save much space compared with branch line modelling in OO.

 

However, there's no chance of OO losing its dominance in any realistic timescale. It's just too entrenched and too well-supplied.

[RichardT]

19 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Check out Bridport Town by DLT of this parish, and its predecessor, Charmouth. A highly convincing freelance railway inserted into an only slightly adapted representation of a real location. 

 

And it's even more impressive when seen "live" than in pictures....

 

John

I will look that up. Always happy to be convinced!

 

Richard

[The Stationmaster]

22 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Check out Bridport Town by DLT of this parish, and its predecessor, Charmouth. A highly convincing freelance railway inserted into an only slightly adapted representation of a real location. 

 

And it's even more impressive when seen "live" than in pictures....

 

John

And it not only looks good, sorry, very good, but it is designed for operation and is a joy to operate providing loads of interest.

[Dunsignalling]

23 hours ago, RichardT said:

I will look that up. Always happy to be convinced!

 

Richard

 

I omitted to mention the late John Ahern's wonderful OOn3 Madder Valley layout, located at Pendon Museum. Probably a major influence behind most quality NG layouts that have been constructed since. 

 

Due to its age and delicate condition, it seldom gets operated these days, but running days are announced on their website, for those who want to see it in action.

 

John