Where are the Hornby models?

[Mike70]

I notice Rails is listing Abercorn as being 'temporarily out of stock' already...

 

Hattons are showing more than 10 in stock... but have they increased slightly?

 

I'm sure it was only £106 the last time I looked.

[Free At Last]

Hattons price was £106 on the morning of listing "in stock" and £115 in the afternoon. £106 had been the price since announcement in 2012.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Going back to the OP, took Grandson on a birthday trip on Saturday. Called at Hamleys in Regent St on the way back and the concession in there seems to have lots of stock at Hornby website prices. Didn't look at what they had in detail because I'm not in the market for revamped 1977 Airfix prairies at £100 each.

[brushman47544]

Just at the moment, Hornby seems to be getting more new products into the shops than Bachmann...

[Free At Last]

brushman47544, on 01 Apr 2014 - 13:47, said:

Just at the moment, Hornby seems to be getting more new products into the shops than Bachmann...

 

They may be returns as I was wondering whether to send my Hornby Duchess of Abercorn back to the shop.

When placed on the track the bogie fell between the rails. BtoB was 13.1mm. Adjusted them and ran the loco which derailed at the first set of points. I should have checked the driving wheels which were almost as bad. Don't the Chinese workers know how to use gauges?

No pickup from tender wheels as the wipers have been given a coat of insulating paint.

Potential of a short on the pickup wiper solder connections, I had to seperate them with a piece of plasticard, and under the 8 pin dcc socket where I also put a piece of plasticard.

Only that I have waited for two years I am not returning it, and I would not expect a replacement to be any better.

[brushman47544]

Just at the moment, Hornby seems to be getting more new products into the shops than Bachmann...

They may be returns as I was wondering whether to send my Hornby Duchess of Abercorn back to the shop.

When placed on the track the bogie fell between the rails. BtoB was 13.1mm. Adjusted them and ran the loco which derailed at the first set of points. I should have checked the driving wheels which were almost as bad. Don't the Chinese workers know how to use gauges?

No pickup from tender wheels as the wipers have been given a coat of insulating paint.

Potential of a short on the pickup wiper solder connections, I had to seperate them with a piece of plasticard, and under the 8 pin dcc socket where I also put a piece of plasticard.

Only that I have waited for two years I am not returning it, and I would not expect a replacement to be any better.

 

I was speaking generally, not just about the new Duchess.

[Mike70]

They may be returns as I was wondering whether to send my Hornby Duchess of Abercorn back to the shop.

When placed on the track the bogie fell between the rails. BtoB was 13.1mm. Adjusted them and ran the loco which derailed at the first set of points. I should have checked the driving wheels which were almost as bad. Don't the Chinese workers know how to use gauges?

No pickup from tender wheels as the wipers have been given a coat of insulating paint.

Potential of a short on the pickup wiper solder connections, I had to seperate them with a piece of plasticard, and under the 8 pin dcc socket where I also put a piece of plasticard.

Only that I have waited for two years I am not returning it, and I would not expect a replacement to be any better.

I was on the fence about buying Abercorn. I think you have just helped me make my decision.

[Andy Hayter]

Just at the moment, Hornby seems to be getting more new products into the shops than Bachmann...

I agree. I also have that impression and was almost tempted to start a "Where are the Bachmann Models?" thread - just out of badness. A quick check of steam locomotives on both companies sites, indicates about the same number of types available. On non-steam motive power and multiple units however, Bachmann are well ahead of Hornby. Of course this is just a spot sample and in itself proves nothing.

[Dunsignalling]

They may be returns as I was wondering whether to send my Hornby Duchess of Abercorn back to the shop.

When placed on the track the bogie fell between the rails. BtoB was 13.1mm. Adjusted them and ran the loco which derailed at the first set of points. I should have checked the driving wheels which were almost as bad. Don't the Chinese workers know how to use gauges?

No pickup from tender wheels as the wipers have been given a coat of insulating paint.

Potential of a short on the pickup wiper solder connections, I had to seperate them with a piece of plasticard, and under the 8 pin dcc socket where I also put a piece of plasticard.

Only that I have waited for two years I am not returning it, and I would not expect a replacement to be any better.

It's a concept that could take off. Create-your-own C.K.D kit, then put it together properly yourself..................

 

John

[caradoc]

Just at the moment, Hornby seems to be getting more new products into the shops than Bachmann...

 

Maybe so, but on visiting my local model shop last week the new version of the Trout ballast hopper (which has already come and gone at Hattons) was not in stock. However I was able to buy instead a Bachmann Sleeping Car (not a new model I know, but one I didn't have). Therefore, instead of spending £15 on a Hornby model, I spent £26 on a Bachmann one.

[AGR Model Store]

Hattons price was £106 on the morning of listing "in stock" and £115 in the afternoon. £106 had been the price since announcement in 2012.

If your or anyone still looking for one ...

 

http://themodelrailwaystore.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3903

 

£110 and free postage not bad and beats Liverpool stockists

[robmcg]

Mine runs fine, at least on test track, and looks fine. There was a white foam packing block between the front bogie and chassis as in previous Duchess models, the back-to-backs all look good. Assembly looks ok, cannot judge potential shorts as not inclined to dismantle it if runs well, as it appears to.

For me, the correct offset on the centre wheel crank is what mattes, and it is correct!

In the second pic I have cut off the front of front bogie (by editing) and tidied background. It is going to look good with steps and hoses on.

 

Delivered in 3 working days Hattons to NZ which is very nice!

 

[robmcg]

And here is my first pic with a pile of little changes, blackened cylinder faces, drain pipes, a little extra lining and tidying.

Lovely. It has kept me from my wartime black 6243!

 

 

[darren01]

HI

Do you ever buy Bachmann?, or just Hornby?.

[aussiebrfan]

HI

Do you ever buy Bachmann?, or just Hornby?.

 

Both, and Heljan.

[robmcg]

Just bought the s/h wartime black weathered streamlined Duchess the other day, as well as receiving from Hattons the Duchess of Abercorn, so it's a real Stanier fest here.

 

took the liberty of adding sand equipment and front brakes both missing on the Hornby models, but they make a very pretty picture... I will no doubt concoct some post war main-line scene with Stanier carriages.

 

 

[Mike70]

Just bought the s/h wartime black weathered streamlined Duchess the other day, as well as receiving from Hattons the Duchess of Abercorn, so it's a real Stanier fest here.

 

took the liberty of adding sand equipment and front brakes both missing on the Hornby models, but they make a very pretty picture... I will no doubt concoct some post war main-line scene with Stanier carriages.

 

Duchess_City_of_Lancaster_LMS_6243_Portrait_2abcdef_r1200.jpg

 

Duchess_of_Abercorn_LMS_6234_portrait_3abc_crop1_r1200.jpg

 

Yesterday I was not going to bother with Abercorn... but I've changed my mind after seeing this photo.

Just placed my order on line and should be able to collect it tomorrow from my local model shop.

 

The price was actually better than Hattons original price.

 

This will take my tally up to 4 Duchess class and 2 Coronation class locos.

Now where can I get my hands on a black Coronation class....

 

It's all your fault Rob!

[robmcg]

One can do a lot worse than model or illustrate Stanier's finest...  can't decide which background I prefer for this model, so here are both of my stock portrait scenarios..   engine coaled-up, in forward gear...  This engine stayed in crimson through the war I think, but may not often have been so clean.

 

Certainly Hornby are still producing models to my satisfaction... a weathered Duke of Gloucester from TMC is waiting, as well as the wartime black City of Lancaster with train...   a great pleasure making these pics., thinking of all the years the Duchesses did such fine work on the WCML.

 

Carlisle.

 

 

or Crewe North, or Camden, or something like that...

 

 

 

[Andy Y]

I think this a broken record now, an excuse that has been swallowed by magazines and trotted out for the last three years or so... I bet Hornby can't believe we are still spouting this out. If it was a big issue it would have been sorted, and sorted quickly. People I buy stuff off are only slow in sending it out if I am tardy in actually paying for it!

I can see that several people have addressed this but I think it worthwhile to quote this from Kader's annual report which indicates that a Chinese manufacturer acknowledges supply issues and global economy pressures so it's not just Hornby saying it.

 

BUSINESS REVIEW

The global economy continued its long cyclical recovery from recession during 2013. However, 

the weakness of Europe and the United States (“US”) affected the overall performance of the toy 

industry. During the year, the operating environment for manufacturing industry remained tough. 

The labour shortage and the increase in statutory minimum wages in the People’s Republic of China 

(“PRC”) in 2013 had adversely affected the Group’s performance. In order to prevail in this difficult 

environment and exploit available opportunities, the Group has consolidated its production plants in 

Mainland China to reduce the operating costs and has continued to expand new product lines and 

explore sales opportunities in the global market.

 

.............

 

For the financial year ended 31 December 2013, the turnover for the Group’s OEM/ODM toys

business was approximately HK$338.37 million, representing a decrease of approximately 35.79%

as compared to last year.

The slow recovery of the global economy from Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and the US fiscal

cliff adversely affected the sentiment of the ultimate customers and compressed the business of the

toys industry. The Group continues to be committed to maintain its competitiveness in terms of

productivity, quality and reliability. Efforts have also placed in enhancing safety precautions and

quality control.

 

Source - http://www.kader.com.hk/investor_relations/pdf/press_140331e.pdf

[Robin Brasher]

Hornby supply problems are not new. The Meccano Magazine of December 1947 stated that "The LMS Duchess of Atholl set and the LNER Sir Nigel Gresley set will follow early in the New Year." They did not arrive. As late as October 1948 the Magazine was stating that there would not be any deliveries to Meccano dealers until autumn. Please see Douglas Baldock's Hornby Dublo Platform End article on page 23 of the March 2014 issue of the Hornby Railway Collector issue 491. The models were worth the wait as I have both and they are still running over 60 years later.

[Ian Hargrave]

Hornby supply problems are not new. The Meccano Magazine of December 1947 stated that "The LMS Duchess of Atholl set and the LNER Sir Nigel Gresley set will follow early in the New Year." They did not arrive. As late as October 1948 the Magazine was stating that there would not be any deliveries to Meccano dealers until autumn. Please see Douglas Baldock's Hornby Dublo Platform End article on page 23 of the March 2014 issue of the Hornby Railway Collector issue 491. The models were worth the wait as I have both and they are still running over 60 years later.

Which neatly dovetails with Rob Mc.Gavin'ls latest photoshop postings of Hornby's latest release R3119 "Duchess of Abercorn"....a dead-ringer( well,almost ! ) for Dublo's "Duchess of Atholl".,which I well remember.My mate got the Atholl set....how I envied him....and I got the Gresley set for Christmas 1950....from Santa via Selfridges,who had them on display in their Oxford Street store.

Anyone brought up at that time will regale you with tales of austerity and postwar shortages,Remember it was the era....still...of ration books.The great shortage was that of raw materials..metals in particular.It is well documented that the LMS had to scrape around for the metals to build the diesel twins in 1947/48.What chance then had Hornby to market electric train sets ?Makes me have wry chuckle to myself when I read the howls of indignation being currently aired on this forum on the subject of new Gresley releases.Tinplate,anyone?China? Where's that?

[Ozexpatriate]

I can see that several people have addressed this but I think it worthwhile to quote this from Kader's annual report which indicates that a Chinese manufacturer acknowledges supply issues and global economy pressures so it's not just Hornby saying it.

 

Source - http://www.kader.com.hk/investor_relations/pdf/press_140331e.pdf

Andy,

 

I know you're not one to toot your own horn but that report continues with the following (as I'm sure you know):

Model Trains

 

The turnover for model trains for the year ended 31 December 2013 was approximately HK$554.94 million, representing a decrease of approximately 19.94% as compared to last year.

 

During the year under review, the Group has continued to improve the quality of the products, develop innovative products, enrich the product line and promote the product image and brand name. This strategy has succeeded in receiving encouraging responses from customers and gaining their loyalty, which in turn has helped maintain our leading position in the industry. In June 2013, the Group opened its online Web Store, with satisfactory sales in the fourth quarter. This provides another channel to promote its range of products.

 

The Group is proud to announce that during the year, our subsidiary, Bachmann Europe Plc., enjoyed success once again in 2013 by winning many UK awards from the RM Web – Model Rail – MRE Mag competition. Bachmann Europe Plc. has received the overall “Manufacturer of the Year” for the 6th year running.

Besides the serious decline in model railway revenues, it is interesting to see Kader promote their new on-line shop (much like Hornby) and reference RMweb (in terms of the model of the year award) in this announcement to investors.

 

EDIT: I just noticed Kader's comments on the model of the year award also posted here.

[robmcg]

Which neatly dovetails with Rob Mc.Gavin'ls latest photoshop postings of Hornby's latest release R3119 "Duchess of Abercorn"....a dead-ringer( well,almost ! ) for Dublo's "Duchess of Atholl".,which I well remember.My mate got the Atholl set....how I envied him....and I got the Gresley set for Christmas 1950....from Santa via Selfridges,who had them on display in their Oxford Street store.

Anyone brought up at that time will regale you with tales of austerity and postwar shortages,Remember it was the era....still...of ration books.The great shortage was that of raw materials..metals in particular.It is well documented that the LMS had to scrape around for the metals to build the diesel twins in 1947/48.What chance then had Hornby to market electric train sets ?Makes me have wry chuckle to myself when I read the howls of indignation being currently aired on this forum on the subject of new Gresley releases.Tinplate,anyone?China? Where's that?

 

Indeed it was the day of the ration book, hope for the working man, and a free and just society  (talking of cracked records)    and my enjoyment of the Duchess of Abercorn is largely based on my childhood memories of a battered Duchess of Atholl, which I converted to 2-rail around 1966 with a B12 chassis and Kitmaster valve gear.   Wouldn't pass muster today. That post war period really was interesting though. Everything was for EXPORT  Jaguar cars to America, and so on.. War loans, you know.

[Igor]

I can see that several people have addressed this but I think it worthwhile to quote this from Kader's annual report which indicates that a Chinese manufacturer acknowledges supply issues and global economy pressures so it's not just Hornby saying it.

Customers... Shareholders... Investors... Stakeholders... They are all pretty much the same in that they don't want bad news and so such has to be wrapped up in a believable excuse. I'm not saying there aren't any problems at all, in fact I believe there are quite a few issues, but I reckon these comments provide a convenient excuse for poor planning and have been trotted out every year. 1 possibly 2 yes, but every recent year? It's not as if you couldn't see some of this coming. Myself and, many others I know, said that Hornby and Bachmann using the same factory would end in tears with only one winner. If I saw this why didn't Hornby? Manufacturers are guilty of being far too optimistic in their timescales and land grabbing new items when in reality stuff is some years off.

[Adams442T]

Customers... Shareholders... Investors... Stakeholders... They are all pretty much the same in that they don't want bad news and so such has to be wrapped up in a believable excuse. I'm not saying there aren't any problems at all, in fact I believe there are quite a few issues, but I reckon these comments provide a convenient excuse for poor planning and have been trotted out every year. 1 possibly 2 yes, but every recent year? It's not as if you couldn't see some of this coming. Myself and, many others I know, said that Hornby and Bachmann using the same factory would end in tears with only one winner. If I saw this why didn't Hornby? Manufacturers are guilty of being far too optimistic in their timescales and land grabbing new items when in reality stuff is some years off.

I really don't think it's the shareholders, etc. who don't want to know the bad news as much as it's the companies who want to avoid letting them know!  The Hornby / Bachmann factory issue is, I think, a side track from the real issue of Chinese manufacturing problems.  After all, the companies in China are happy to make profits from whomever.  From my experience Chinese companies are, ironically, far more profit orientated in a long term view than their Western counterparts.   They probably are well aware that if 'Hornby' as a railway model brand 'goes to the wall' ,someone will pick through the bones and continue to want production slots from them.

 

Manufacturers are trying desperately all the time to issue timescales for new items so as to keep customers on board.  I well remember in the 90s doing the same thing with Britain's products with similar, tough, though not as severe manufacturing constraints.  We should be aware that we, as '00' minority production items, we are NOT the be all and end all of the 'toy' demand in the world.  In fact we could probably disappear and not raise more then a few bubbles in the pond!