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Hornby 2014 - predictions


rovex

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Indeed, it was a key stepchange in the BR era methinks.........

"The Electric Scots" was the brandname for the new service, and it was promoted across the industry in a way unthinkable with the present day commercial fiefdoms. Even in Southern Region's Central Division (think Brighton main line) all the officers were wearing Electric Scots badges for the first week of service in 1974. The Divisional Manager Frank Paterson, being a Scot, may just have influenced that....

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It may have been someone suggesting that 3mm scale would be a good idea. I replied that however logical this might seem, I didn't think it would go well with the need for cash flow.

 

 

My original suggestion was, i must admit, a bit tongue in cheek. However, looking at it I have always thought 2mm too small for the train set market. 3mm has the advantage of a bogie coach being 70% the length of OO. so you can run longer trains in the same space and from the handling point of view it is only 14% smaller than HO.

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A significant anniversary in 2014 could be 50 years since the demise of Hornby Dublo in 1964, when Meccano was bought by Lines Bros. Hornby could release 21st century versions of quite a few of the old favourites in suitably retro-styled packaging. Silver King, Duchess of Atholl, Cardiff Castle, Barnstaple, 8F, N2, Classes 08 & 20.

 

Good grief! All of those steam engines are imprinted on all memories of boyhood, although we had a Duchess of Montrose, and Bristol Castle and N2 in 3-rail, and never had a Silver King, Barnstaple or 8F, these were just dreams and gazed-at in the landscape-format card-cover coloured Meccano and Hornby small catalogue, colour on every page, starting with Meccano, then Hornby Dublo, there might have been some 0 gauge (can't remember), then Dinky Toys at the end. About 1959 from memory.

 

There was a Standard 2-6-4T with three suburban coaches which looked highly desirable. Even then the cylinders on Silver Link looked less than convincing, but that was me aged 8yrs being expert....

 

As to branding, I think the Hornby name has everything to do with Hornby Dublo, much less with Triang.

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I said I wasn't going to....but...

 

Most years Hornby seem to do something in the non-passenger coaching stock. Now I do just wonder if:

 

LNER 6 wheeler (Thompson?) that lasted till about 1968

 

Also they have usually had a car-carrier in the range. Now what  about the Angl-Scottish Car Carrier vans?

 

And to round off, a rehash of the old Blue Circle Cement wagon of ECML class 33 (and sadly DP2) fame?

 

Stewart

The Thompson 6-wheeler (with its funny-looking arrangement of springs inside the W-irons) lasted into the mid-1970s:- http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/6096935341/in/set-72157603653607671

The Cemflos ended their days on a flow from Earle's Sidings to Dewsbury, and on some flows from Oxwellmains in Scotland- I think they lasted until the mid-1980s.

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Oh happy days - that catalogue takes me right back.

 

It does me too, and how enjoyable the current models are...  when available.   I guess it begs all sorts of questions about the relationship between catalogues and reliability of supply.  Given that Hornby were not in a good place financially at the time, with Bayko, old clockwork 0 gauge, Meccano, and Electrikit, Speedboats, and other things were all being made, also Circuit 24 slot cars?

 

here is another catalogue from the same year or close to...

 

post-7929-0-13765700-1386885183.jpg

 

post-7929-0-53049100-1386885207.jpg

 

post-7929-0-89378800-1386885241.jpg

 

post-7929-0-58638400-1386885260.jpg

 

post-7929-0-75909700-1386885281.jpg

 

post-7929-0-79802700-1386885302.jpg

 

post-7929-0-38404600-1386885386.jpg

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"There was a Standard 2-6-4T with three suburban coaches which looked highly desirable. "

My first trainset, on Christmas Day, dad and I set it up on the front room table. I turned the controller on full power, the tank flew off the track at the first curve and hit the floor with a resounding crunch.......rear buffer beam snapped off!! :angry:  Messed up my Christmas that did. :cry:

 

Mike

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The 'funny arrangement' of springs inside the axleguards was pretty common for non-bogied coaching stock, simply because the solebars were further apart than on a wagon - check out the infamous 'Pigeon Van' for another LNER example - which is another item of NPCS Hornby might turn their moulds to...

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A significant anniversary in 2014 could be 50 years since the demise of Hornby Dublo in 1964, when Meccano was bought by Lines Bros. Hornby could release 21st century versions of quite a few of the old favourites in suitably retro-styled packaging. Silver King, Duchess of Atholl, Cardiff Castle, Barnstaple, 8F, N2, Classes 08 & 20.

 

 

Actually thats a pretty good idea. I like it. Only problem is they'd charge a fortune for them (remembering the 40th anniversary edition of Evening Star that looked like you were paying an extra £40 for the packaging compared to the available Railroad version). Also not sure they'd like to celebrate the demise of Hornby, just in case..........................................

 

Cardiff Castle would be good though. Single Chimney, Collett tender, late crest ......a version they curiously have yet to produce!

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If we are going for anniversaries Hornby could have produce 4085 Berkeley Castle as it will be 80 years next Thursday (19th) since it fatally struck Churchward!

Mike, perhaps a "Churchward's bane" offering is a bit macabre, though I'm all for remembering the contributions of George Jackson Churchward.

 

It's a bit like offering a version of No. 45637 Jubilee Class 4-6-0 Windward Islands, commemorating the dreadful Harrow and Wealdstone crash in 1952.

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Mike, perhaps a "Churchward's bane" offering is a bit macabre, though I'm all for remembering the contributions of George Jackson Churchward.

 

It's a bit like offering a version of No. 45637 Jubilee Class 4-6-0 Windward Islands, commemorating the dreadful Harrow and Wealdstone crash in 1952.

That hasn't stopped people modelling Rocket, which started the death-on-the-tracks tradition with William Huskisson in 1830

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That hasn't stopped people modelling Rocket, which started the death-on-the-tracks tradition with William Huskisson in 1830

There's nothing wrong with models of Berkeley Castle, Windward Islands or Rocket for that matter.

 

My comment was more directed to the idea of marketing them as 'special anniversary editions' commemorating death. Were a potted history* of the locomotive included, noting that they were involved in a tragedy is perfectly reasonable.

 

* Something that seems to have gone out of vogue these days.

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I thought I might add a few new models (as opposed to reliveries) I don't want to see from Hornby, since this is far more likely to be fulfilled. So here goes:

 

1 yet another apple green 4-6-2, or similar

2 another variety of LNER non-corridor stock

3 a retooled King - yes I know the current one isn't perfect but its not bad and I'd rather Hornby looked at a GWR engine that hasn't been done yet.

4 more pullmans

5 An  LMS diesel No. 10,000 (well Dapol have one and Bachman, why should Hornby be left out).

 

Sure I will think of more

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There's nothing wrong with models of Berkeley Castle, Windward Islands or Rocket for that matter.

 

My comment was more directed to the idea of marketing them as 'special anniversary editions' commemorating death. Were a potted history* of the locomotive included, noting that they were involved in a tragedy is perfectly reasonable.

 

* Something that seems to have gone out of vogue these days.

 

I have to say that I would not want to buy a model of an engine which was without interesting characteristics other than a fatality. Just personal.

 

I couldn't look at a model of Jubilee 'Windward Islands' without thinking of that horrible accident at Harrow and Wealdstone.  Equally in NZ we had 4-8-4 Ka 949 which was in the bridge washout at Tangiwai on Xmas eve 1953, where a volcanic lahar hit the bridge as a 70'+ wall of rocks and mud just as the express approached at maybe 45mph and although the engine made it to the far side, the first 5 carriages didn't and 151 died, including the driver and fireman, the engine was in reverse with emergency brakes on, I don't think the bodies of the driver and  fireman were ever found. The engine was repairable, but after a year it was scrapped because it was generally felt that no driver would be prepared to drive it. To make model of it would be in some ways a commemoration I suppose.   But not to my taste.

 

Apologies for being off-topic.  As ever.

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... where a volcanic lahar hit the bridge ...

What a dreadful (and freak) accident. I was not familiar with it. That's the first time I've heard the term 'lahar' in an non-eruptive context. It is otherwise a very familiar term here in the Pacific Northwest where the geography has much in common with New Zealand.

 

We'll get back on topic soon though.

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The lahar wasn't an immediate result of a volcano, the nearby Mt Raupehu is volcanically active, 9,000+' high, and a crater lake at or near the summit spilled after a lake side gave way, probably due to minor rumblings

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiwai_disaster

 

My father worked for the traffic department of the railways, later was Publicity and Advertising Manager, and I dimly recall a sad Xmas day for us, though at 3 yrs old I wasn't very sure why.

 

As to commemorative models, I think that almost any celebration of the main 1950s-1964 Hornby Dublo models would be nice, but would of course depend on tooling and so on, and we know how smoothly THAT has gone with the A4s!



I would have thought the original 'Merchant Navy's would have been right up Hornby's street. Big, blue (or green) and powerful....

 

attachicon.gifWEB Merchant Navy original.jpg

 

Superb.  Where can I buy that model please?

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Should I start to butcher that Lima 94xx to fit a new chassis today or should I wait until Monday?

Depends on how much you want a new 94xx in the Monday announcement... (and how urgently you want a 94xx that works)

 

 

Andi

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