Hornby 2024 range announcements

[Robin Brasher]

As a modeller of a preserved railway another model that interests me is R30358 B1 Mayflower. 

 

This visited the Swanage Railway on an excursion on 20 July 2015. I am pleased that Hornby are making it in the same early British Railways lined apple green livery as the prototype 

[vikingsmb]

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

[GWRtrainman]

On 12/01/2024 at 10:25, MarkSG said:

 

It wasn't Hornby's decision to drop the Thomas range. The switch to Bachmann was a decision made by the brand owners. Kader (Bachmann's parent company) already had the USA rights, and when HIT Entertainment was taken over by Mattel, Mattel decided they wanted a single, global licensee for the brand on model trains rather than different national licensees. Hornby clearly weren't in that market because they don't have a significant US presence, so the only show in town was Kader who therefore acquired the UK and EU rights along with the USA rights.
 

 

It was Hornby's decision, I remember Simon saying the age group for the TV program had dropped and the Hornby range no longer had mass market appeal.

[rogerzilla]

1 hour ago, vikingsmb said:

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

And the thrill of throwing the loco against the wall when that fails!

[Phil Parker]

43 minutes ago, GWRtrainman said:

 

It was Hornby's decision, I remember Simon saying the age group for the TV program had dropped and the Hornby range no longer had mass market appeal.

 

Just pressing the "Don't belive everything on TV button."

[AY Mod]

1 hour ago, vikingsmb said:

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

 

On a medical forum somewhere there's probably someone still bemoaning modern science (probably aspirin) and the reduced use of leaches and trepanning these days.

[farren]

1 hour ago, vikingsmb said:

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

In the long run it might make repairs cheaper but the manufacturing cost would increase and so would the RRP. The caned motor was brought in to make things cheaper. Also would an open frame motors work with a Decoder? I know they can but often I’ve seen people state that the old models draw more current and so you need a slightly better decoder. Is this just because of the older motors or would a new open frame motor be the same. I don’t know .

but I’m sure some better informed bods will answer this. 

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, GWRtrainman said:

 

It was Hornby's decision, I remember Simon saying the age group for the TV program had dropped and the Hornby range no longer had mass market appeal.

 

Pretty much. Have you seen the new Thomas?

 

 

[Sjcm]

To be fair I don't think any self-respecting young modeller above 6 is going to be interested in Hornby's entry level tat, fixable or not. Various toy 0-4-0's with generic liveries and designs - at least they seem to have made some attempt to make a train set that's attractive to a modern kid with that itravellers set coming in around 80 pounds, though again it's just an 0-4-0 roundandround in reality. Once upon a time you used to get a station, a siding and something to actually... well do with it. Still I suppose it's easier to sell the Beatles b-side set to pensioners and collectors😉

[Steamport Southport]

1 minute ago, Sjcm said:

To be fair I don't think any self-respecting young modeller above 6 is going to be interested in Hornby's entry level tat, fixable or not. Various toy 0-4-0's with generic liveries and designs - at least they seem to have made some attempt to make a train set that's attractive to a modern kid with that itravellers set coming in around 80 pounds, though again it's just an 0-4-0 roundandround in reality. Once upon a time you used to get a station, a siding and something to actually... well do with it. Still I suppose it's easier to sell the Beatles b-side set to pensioners and collectors😉

 

What generic designs?

 

Apart from the Thomas lookalike they all existed.

 

 

 

Jason

[Sjcm]

Vaguely existed you mean like that industrial monstrosity. I suppose they 're also still doing the GWR thingy that lasted for about 5 years in the Edwardian era😂

[Steamport Southport]

9 minutes ago, Sjcm said:

Vaguely existed you mean like that industrial monstrosity. I suppose they 're also still doing the GWR thingy that lasted for about 5 years in the Edwardian era😂

 

Still real though.

 

If they did proper versions of them you would start getting complaints they are too fragile for their intended market.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Sjcm]

Just now, Steamport Southport said:

 

Still real though.

 

If they did proper versions of them you would start getting complaints they are too fragile for their intended market.

 

 

 

 

Jason

I just think once you get past the Thomas pre-school age, kids want an approximation on what possibly their dads have - the same things we want - technology, accuracy, stuff to do.  multi-coloured plastic  tat trains with coco-cola on the side going round in a circle isn't going to interest them

[Steamport Southport]

6 minutes ago, Sjcm said:

I just think once you get past the Thomas pre-school age, kids want an approximation on what possibly their dads have - the same things we want - technology, accuracy, stuff to do.  multi-coloured plastic  tat trains with coco-cola on the side going round in a circle isn't going to interest them

 

As was proven earlier in the thread they sell more of that stuff than anything else and a lot more than many other manufacturers even sell models. It's many hundreds of thousands of pounds going into the kitty so they can make the high end models we all want such as the 2MT and Turbomotive.

 

But if you want more accurate models then what's wrong with the Pecketts, Terriers, Rustons, Sentinels, etc? There are even a few Railroad models such as the Jinty, 14XX, Class 31s, 37s, 47s, etc.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Sjcm]

The coco cola thing is actually aimed at collectors. 😂 my bad, forgot they are aiming more for the Bradford exchange market nowadays.  Back in the 70's when I got a train set it was the Lord Westwood set which had a station,  a proper train, ,a siding and from memory a goods unloading dock. Show me an equivalent to that now?   You can probably price it up to find the equivalent. I doubt I would have been interested in a 80 pounds 0-4-0 that you can run in one direction, stop and run backwards. I also had access to old cheap Triang/trix stuff that would run on that track so a ready made train set

 

It's really up to to them if they don't want to cater for the young modeller anymore and concentrate on nostalgia and collectors - I'm sure that's where the money is.. For now. With Hattons talking about demographics changing in their closure statement, we'll see how that pans out, but I'm pretty sure you can't sell stuff to the cremated.

Edited January 13 by Sjcm

[Phil Parker]

15 minutes ago, Sjcm said:

Back in the 70's when I got a train set it was the Lord Westwood set which had a station,  a proper train, a station,a siding and from memory a goods unloading dock. Show me an equivalent to that now?

 

Family fun project?

 

https://www.monkbarmodelshop.co.uk/model-railways-c5/oo-model-railways-c6/train-set-oo-c7/r1265-hornby-family-fun-pro-p21364

 

Coca-Cola is in it's last year. Presumably, they should just pay the licence fee and not make anything to get the money back, because you disapprove?

[frobisher]

4 hours ago, vikingsmb said:

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

 

Except it would likely put the manufacturing costs up, otherwise why would Hornby have dropped them in the first place.  As it is, the motors themselves these days really aren't that expensive.

[Fair Oak Junction]

7 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

Family fun project?

 

https://www.monkbarmodelshop.co.uk/model-railways-c5/oo-model-railways-c6/train-set-oo-c7/r1265-Hornby-family-fun-pro-p21364

 

That brings back memories. I remember as a kid in the 90s spending hours looking at the trackmat type layouts, and the simple buildings in the Hornby catalogue.

They were nothing special, but did a job and did it well.

[Sjcm]

2 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Family fun project?

 

https://www.monkbarmodelshop.co.uk/model-railways-c5/oo-model-railways-c6/train-set-oo-c7/r1265-Hornby-family-fun-pro-p21364

 

Coca-Cola is in it's last year. Presumably, they should just pay the licence fee and not make anything to get the money back, because you disapprove?

It's 200 hundred quid and that's not the equivalent. It's got a naff engine and half the track and items

 

http://hornbyguide.com/item_details.asp?itemid=435

 

I don't disapprove at all. It up to them. I just don't see a future in it unless people are going to start living to 150. The future customers are thin on the ground or else we'd be seeing a Taylor swift b-side train set.

[adb968008]

4 hours ago, vikingsmb said:

Hornby pls pls make motors you can service, how about reintroducing the lima pancake for the railroad models?. which will make it cheaper and give youngsters engineering experience from servicing it

This is certainly the first time ive seen a call for the return of the pancake.

 

The issue is damping down the noise of the gears, I suspect at the factory its cheaper/ faster just to grab a cheap can motor for a few pence and drop it in.

 

As for practical experience, i taught my (then 10 year old) daughter to dismantle one of these, using a second hand one…. 3 years later shes building a robot for an inter school competition, for the 2nd year running… so totally agree.

 

Shes also later replaced that pancake with a cd rom motor, using a glue gun.

Edited January 13 by adb968008

[leavesontheline]

Just now, adb968008 said:

This is certainly the first time ive seen a call for the return of the pancake.

 

The issue is damping down the noise of the gears.

 

As for practical experience, i taught my (then 10 year old) daughter to dismantle one of these, using a second hand one…. 3 years later shes building a robot for an inter school competition, for the 2nd year running… so totally agree.

Yeah, my old pancake motor locos don't need sound, they come with their own built in 'soundtrack' 🤣

[Phil Parker]

6 minutes ago, Sjcm said:

It's 200 hundred quid and that's not the equivalent. It's got a naff engine and half the track and items

 

http://hornbyguide.com/item_details.asp?itemid=435

 

I don't disapprove at all. It up to them. I just don't see a future in it unless people are going to start living to 150. The future customers are thin on the ground or else we'd be seeing a Taylor swift b-side train set.

 

So, according to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £25 less than your Westwood £24.50 set would be if it was still available.

 

Less track and bits admittedly, although more, and better buildings plus scenic materials. And with a bit of work, you can make a respectable railway out of it.

 

Oh, and there will be more music related items in the future, so you might yet get your Taylor Swift train set.

[Fair Oak Junction]

Why stop at pancake motors? Why not go all the way back and just make everything clockwork?
That way we eliminate the need for track power! It's a win-win! 😉

[Sjcm]

1 minute ago, Phil Parker said:

 

So, according to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £25 less than your Westwood £24.50 set would be if it was still available.

 

Less track and bits admittedly, although more, and better buildings plus scenic materials. And with a bit of work, you can make a respectable railway out of it.

 

Oh, and there will be more music related items in the future, so you might yet get your Taylor Swift train set.

As I said its not the equivalent. How much does a medium sized loco cost for starters? Or the bridge or tunnel or the extra track for a  2nd loop and 2 trains? Of course you can add to it, but that's missing the point as an entry level set for a young person who doesn't want thomas, and with some built in playability. Arguing about inflation and quality is one thing but Hornby don't do it anymore.

 

I very much doubt swifty will be on release list. Hornby know their market and an ageing Beatles fan tie-in is about right. 😉 unfortunately, that market is getting old too just like the Presley collectors market that collapsed a few years back.

 

I 

 

 

[Johan DC]

I think the Q&A was, apart from the sound problems, quite interesting. Not afraid to name AS (and their chaldrons) a couple of times, even mentioning some sort of cooperation/shared interest for the couplings in Era 1 models. The limitations of the Era system were mentioned, too. Die those complaining about generic 0-4-0, the new one for starters they were working on, isn't burried. No idea about the class, don't think that was mentioned. The Locomotion and Flirt looked good too. The new range can be a bit underwelming for now ( it got two Loco pre-orders out of me however), but it seems they aim to reveal new models when they have at least something to show for. And more will be revealed during the year. 

For an old naval hand like me, it feels like this big tanker (don't have aircraft carriers in the Belgian Navy) is starting to alter it's course. Not yet on the new track yet, but getting there. Now on to april, and see if TT120 is more than a one-trick pony.