Hornby 2024 range announcements

[Southernman46]

Relieved .............. plenty of other stuff elsewhere to get this year

 

Just waiting for the Gresley full brake in BR blue please Hornby 

[GordonC]

2 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

TBH, I suspect that for the vast majority of purchasers, "Era 1" will equate to "Rule 1" anyway....

 

 

There's certainly very very few exhibition layouts of anywhere near that era around. There might be some in homes, but its really not going to be an easy era to model accurately

[Roddy Angus]

10 hours ago, NZRedBaron said:

... He means coke as in the coal derivative, that's used in the steel industry.

And there was me thinking that the drug problem had got a lot worse.

 

Roddy

[elmtree-line]

 

My local model shop has informed me that R30161 Class 67 TfW Black livery is now a cancelled item.

 

 

[GordonC]

1 minute ago, elmtree-line said:

 

My local model shop has informed me that R30161 Class 67 TfW Black livery is now a cancelled item.

 

 

 

the one they showed the sample of at Warley not 2 months ago????

Edited January 11 by GordonC

[elmtree-line]

2 minutes ago, GordonC said:

 

the one they showed the sample of at Warley not 2 months ago????

 

All I know is Hornby advised them that the item is not orderable, the R code does not relate to any model.

[Fair Oak Junction]

The Black TfW 67 isn't even on the Hornby website any more. Some unavailable items are hidden on the website, but their page can still be accessed via Google (such as the non-smoke fitted Black 5s). But the 67 isn't even on there via Google, let alone the site itself. It's not looking good for it being available.

Edited January 11 by Fair Oak Junction

[spamcan61]

7 minutes ago, elmtree-line said:

 

My local model shop has informed me that R30161 Class 67 TfW Black livery is now a cancelled item.

 

 

Still showing as orderable from Colletts and KMRC for example, maybe last minute change

[Fair Oak Junction]

An email to Hornby would likely clear up any confusion. They got back to me really quickly when I emailed the other week about the malachite Lord Nelson.

[Butler Henderson]

15 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

 

 

Until I perused the update list I was also unaware of two new versions of the R&H 88DS as 'GWR No 1' (Era 3 - R30014) and 'BR D2959' (Era 4 - R30017) - I'm intrigued..........no pics yet but due April (along with a mass of stuff, allegedly - we'll see). This fictitious livery lark is getting out of hand

 

Have existed on preserved locos

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65480188@N07/18867434693/

 

and

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/british-finnish-railways/8864756351/

[On30runner]

23 hours ago, Metropolitan said:

EDIT I can't understand why they haven't released a Peckett in Met livery?

 

 

I can, the W4 and B2 are not the right breed of Peckett.

 

The Met ones were X class pecketts. A 3D prints available.

Edited January 11 by On30runner

[Fair Oak Junction]

Yup, neither W4 or B2 are anywhere near close enough to be fudged as an X Class.

Edited January 11 by Fair Oak Junction

[The Stationmaster]

17 hours ago, 1andrew1 said:

Sometimes it's what they don't say that's important. No mention of Playtrains (aimed at 3-6-year-olds) which Simon and Montana talked about last year. Now, confirmation the range has been discontinued. 

I wonder If the old regime may have given the range longer?

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/Hornby-announces-the-end-of-playtrains/#:~:text=Hornby announces the end of Playtrains - World Of Railways

One look at the Argos price tells you what was wrong with Playtrains - sets at the wrong price point for the market they were aimed at and the much cheaper competitiomn they were up against.    Clever idea poorly executed and overpriced.

 

I wonder how much of that stuff there is in the mountain of stock over-ordered for last year's Christmas market?

[stonesboy]

For those interested, the 2024 Catalogue is available in WH Smith’s as I purchased a copy this morning from the store in Ealing. 

[Vistisen]

I might have to get Black Prince. When I was a boy, my grandparents lived at Cranmore in Somerset. My grandfather was the gardener for a boy’s school there. About 100 yards down the lane, there was a level crossing and I remember one day hearing a steam engines’s whistle and charged off down the lane to see this monstrous black beast of a steam engine with so many wheels going slowly past at rail level. The driver (Presumably David Shepherd) stopped just passed the level crossing, backed up and asked if I wanted a ride! We only went back and forwards a bit, but I’ll never forget the experience.

 

Edited January 11 by Vistisen

[5Dublo2]

14 hours ago, Coppercap said:

Within the Era 1 range, we know the existing 1st and 3rd class coaches are accurate models of the existing 1930s replicas at the NRM, and both the previously-announced 'Queen Adelaide's Saloon' and Royal Mail Coach seem to be accurate renditions of the real things. But the newly-announced 2nd class coach looks like it is yet another of Hornby's fictitious Era 1 vehicles, just like the 'flatbed wagon', 'coal wagon', horse wagon' and 'sheep wagon' were (though in fairness, the last two did seem to take their inspiration from one of the fairly crude early images of a Liverpool and Manchester Railway goods train).

The only image I can find of anything looking like the Hornby 2nd class coach is this rather fanciful one on a commemorative postage stamp  from 1980 (and which was probably commissioned especially for the stamps):

 

 

 

There is a thread on the Hornby forum that indicates the 2nd class carriage  was based on an 1830 sketch by Henry Booth (but maybe they got the colour/livery from the Royal mail stamp set)

see the very first post in this link   https://uk.Hornby.com/community/forum/henry-booth-and-the-new-Hornby-lmr-carriage-338251
 

Edited January 11 by 5Dublo2

[elmtree-line]

3 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

One look at the Argos price tells you what was wrong with Playtrains - sets at the wrong price point for the market they were aimed at and the much cheaper competitiomn they were up against.    Clever idea poorly executed and overpriced.

 

I wonder how much of that stuff there is in the mountain of stock over-ordered for last year's Christmas market?

 

One wonders how much real long term thought was put behind canning the Thomas and Friends range.  Whether down to greedy execs not wanting to pay for the licences, or something else is up for debate, but it's clearly a viable product range or Bachmann would not have been so quick to snap up the licenses and get production rolling.

[Metropolitan]

1 hour ago, On30runner said:

 

 

I can, the W4 and B2 are not the right breed of Peckett.

 

The Met ones were X class pecketts. A 3D prints available.

B2 would be close enough for me. After all, Hornby are more than happy to paint locos with a Beatles livery?

Edited January 11 by Metropolitan

[Fair Oak Junction]

2 minutes ago, elmtree-line said:

One wonders how much real long term thought was put behind canning the Thomas and Friends range.  Whether down to greedy execs not wanting to pay for the licences, or something else is up for debate, but it's clearly a viable product range or Bachmann would not have been so quick to snap up the licenses and get production rolling.

 

I would argue Bachmann having the license was by far the better option. The Hornby Thomas range was lacklustre at best, with many of the locos having a barely passing resemblance to the characters, not to mention had Hornby retained it there is next to no chance we would have got the TTTE narrow gauge and N gauge models which have proven very popular.

[Mikkel]

5 hours ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

 

Yup, very true. It was just a let down to the handful of us who actually wanted to, as accurately as possible given the inherent issues with the era, model the birth of the railways.

Maybe the Parliamentary Trains site is of interest?

 

https://www.parlytrains.co.uk/

 

Not sure if they are still doing the kits, but they have a link to a Facebook page which is fairly active, so you could ask.

 

[The Stationmaster]

2 minutes ago, Vistisen said:

I might have to get Black Prince. When I was a boy, my grandparents lived at Cranmore in Somerset. My grandfather was the gardener for a boy’s school there. About 100 yards down the lane, there was a level crossing and I remember one day hearing a stem engines’s whistle and charged off down the lane to see this monstrous black beast of a steam engine with so many wheels goings slowly past at rail level. The driver (Presumably David Shepherd) stopped just passed the lever crossing, backed up and asked if I wanted a ride! We only went back and forwards a bit, but I’ll never forget the experience

 

The only time it would have been anywhere near a level crossing was the f dau y pf teh secret 1,000 ton train at Merehead Quarry and if it was heading out for the main line somewhere.  A,though there was of course the foot crossing to theh old signal box at Cranmore station which they turned into an gallety.

 

There was a farm crossing on the line beynd Cranmore but the only other one was a private crossing near the top end of the Merehead triangle which was a downright nuisance for abuse by the people whose house the  lane led to.  It was an all too frequent spot for near misses so it was one we and the BTP were inclined to make surprise visits to - and the BTP finally gota prosecution.  But 92203 should have been nowhere near it as it was BR running line.

[JSpencer]

6 minutes ago, elmtree-line said:

 

One wonders how much real long term thought was put behind canning the Thomas and Friends range.  Whether down to greedy execs not wanting to pay for the licences, or something else is up for debate, but it's clearly a viable product range or Bachmann would not have been so quick to snap up the licenses and get production rolling.

 

Not just Hornby but also preserved lines. The License costs seemed to reach biblical heights. When Hornby first did them in the 80s, it brought new blood (kids) into the hobby. I doubt we can say the same today whereby Thomas can be picked far more cheaply with battery power or wooden push along equivalents.

[The Stationmaster]

3 minutes ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

 

I would argue Bachmann having the license was by far the better option. The Hornby Thomas range was lacklustre at best, with many of the locos having a barely passing resemblance to the characters, not to mention had Hornby retained it there is next to no chance we would have got the TTTE narrow gauge and N gauge models which have proven very popular.

When my daugghter was sn mall we bought her teh clockwpork Thomas set for Christmas one - Thomas plus the two coaches and a circle of track.  Sounds incredibly simple and boring and it wasn't even electric.  But, believe it or not, it gave hours of fun and delight for a small child.

 

Tastes quite on bviously might well have changed but simple stuff on track that matches the bigger range has always struck me as a good idea to draw in the beginners of young age rather than something which has no onward compatibility at all.

[Fair Oak Junction]

10 minutes ago, JSpencer said:

Not just Hornby but also preserved lines. The License costs seemed to reach biblical heights. When Hornby first did them in the 80s, it brought new blood (kids) into the hobby. I doubt we can say the same today whereby Thomas can be picked far more cheaply with battery power or wooden push along equivalents.

 

Exactly. The only greedy execs here are the ones at Mattel, and before that HIT Entertainment. Let's not forget the time the Thomas rights holder tried to cease and desist the Bluebell Railway over Stepney, before it was pointed out to them that Stepney existed long before TTTE did! 😄

Edited January 11 by Fair Oak Junction

[Steamport Southport]

23 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Maybe Hornby need to decide whether they want to sell model trains or catalogues.

 

Right now, the timing of the latter adversely affects the ordering, production and sales processes.

 

It's a major cause of Hornby's perrennial inability to accurately match supply and demand because it forces them to do everything else in the least effective order. Whatever they make from flogging catalogues will be outweighed many times over by the inefficiencies it imposes on the business.

 

The obsession with keeping new plans secret to be "revealed" in the catalogue makes it necessary to delay gauging dealer requirements until after production contracts have to be agreed.

 

If Hornby want to optimise "The Day Job", it needs to be retailers/preorders first, factory second, catalogue last. They (and we) need to stop treating the darned thing as a newspaper, and maybe publish it in April!

 

John

 

But are Hornby selling catalogues?

 

They are made by Key Publishing....

 

 

Jason