Hroth Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I'd just like to point out that Chinese New Year is on 19th February this year. (Year of the Sheep, I believe. Baaaa humbug!) Anything due March/April will probably appear towards the end of June... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spet0114 Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 ...Year of the Sheep, I believe ... I'm tempted to say that this is entirely appropriate as so many of Hornby's current range are 'mutton dressed as lamb'....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 8, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2015 The world's largest - at the moment - container ship CSL Globe has docked at Felixstowe this week with, among many other things, 15 containers of 'toys' destined for the UK. I wonder if anything will pop out of them for the model railway world. Hornby clearly have some sort of problem with dates, especially when dates have been announced which are close enough for it to be understood that the goods have actually left China only to be followed with weeks by announcement of another date much further into the future. This suggest to me a communication problem or possible misreading of information by someone somewhere and should be easy to put right. But having said that I do think they would be well advised to quoting very precise arrival dates - right down to the day - months in advance and to ideally adopt the Bachmann system of announcing an arrival when the staff is advised to be enroute (although even that sometimes fails). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 ... It also seems to be true that many think that the desirable range of British RTR locomotives will soon be reached - the Adams Radial has been cited as a good example - with some of the range already subject to duplication. The UK market (its oddball scale notwithstanding) seems to be surviving rather well. When you factor in the demographics, the shrinking size of UK houses, the expanding time gap between pre-Beeching and the present day, etc., it is all the more remarkable that there is such a broad selection available... I have been very happy to see many of the old 'hairshirt' theories about the UK market for RTR OO models disproved. The only really persistent blighter surviving is the determined naysaying agin 'better RTR OO track'. I propose that there's legs enough in the current level of interest to support the production of a good tranche of the smaller - mostly pregrouping - subjects that have never had a RTR model of any sort. (Duplication of existing 'big engines' and other glamour items that have long had models available probably unwise, as 'We two Kings from Orient' may well prove.) Anyone over 60 is likely to well remember steam in service, and this demographic is enjoying better health and income that at any time previous. The RTR model manufacturers have I reckon at least ten, and maybe fifteen years (given present increases in lifespan) to enjoy this group's spending. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Bedding Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I have been very happy to see many of the old 'hairshirt' theories about the UK market for RTR OO models disproved. The only really persistent blighter surviving is the determined naysaying agin 'better RTR OO track'. I propose that there's legs enough in the current level of interest to support the production of a good tranche of the smaller - mostly pregrouping - subjects that have never had a RTR model of any sort. (Duplication of existing 'big engines' and other glamour items that have long had models available probably unwise, as 'We two Kings from Orient' may well prove.) Anyone over 60 is likely to well remember steam in service, and this demographic is enjoying better health and income that at any time previous. The RTR model manufacturers have I reckon at least ten, and maybe fifteen years (given present increases in lifespan) to enjoy this group's spending. With such welcome assurance regarding my unused lifespan, I now realise that I had better give even more thought to my wishlist(s). Can we have two each year now Brian? Note to self: Get back to work on the layout with a view to getting it nearer completion. Why stop at so few Adams locos? The 0415 and O2 are all very well, but the Jubilees just lasted till post-war (WW2 that is), and a number of T1s. And I can remember Drummond 4-4-0s (OK., so I may not have had much of a clue as to what I was looking at, but my older brother was always happy to show his superior knowledge. My memory banks still have some ghostly images of pre-nationalisation steam, if not the warm tizer.) PB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 So I waited for the Arnold announcements for a UK N gauge model - nothing, nada, nilch. So no Hornby purchases in the foreseeable future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 So I waited for the Arnold announcements for a UK N gauge model - nothing, nada, nilch. So no Hornby purchases in the foreseeable future. More announcements are still to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted January 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 Anyone over 60 is likely to well remember steam in service, and this demographic is enjoying better health and income that at any time previous. The RTR model manufacturers have I reckon at least ten, and maybe fifteen years (given present increases in lifespan) to enjoy this group's spending. I grew up in south east London and I well remember 4SUBs and 4EPBs in service. So using the same logic as yours, when can I see models of these produced? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Bedding Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I grew up in south east London and I well remember 4SUBs and 4EPBs in service. So using the same logic as yours, when can I see models of these produced? My early years stamping grounds were split between two locations, one of which was North West Kent, and which after boundary changes became South East London. My memories of the EMU stock on the Dartford Loop are of three-coach flattish-sided units which in due course were boosted to four-coach units by the insertion of a Bulleid trailer unit of non-matching side profile. Thus in the 1940s/1950s 3-sets became 4-sets, and in turn became 12-coach trains. And yes, the arrival of the 2BIL and 2HAL units has now whetted my appetite for a little more. Even EMUs can be interesting! PB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted January 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 Peter Bedding, on 09 Jan 2015 - 11:55, said: Even EMUs can be interesting! Undoubtedly. As a child, the steam railway of the former SER from Redhill to Reading ran alongside a field opposite the house - but if we went to London it was by EMU from Dorking North. The Cor-Buf-Cor formation of the trains to Victoria, with the whine of the motor-generator sets, was far more impressive to me. Hornby has done the right thing by putting its toe in the water of heritage EMUs with the BILs and HALs, while offering seductive glamour with the Bels. Cor etc and Pul/Pan will come if the market looks good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
locoholic Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 EMUs can be interesting - I would love models of the units I used to ride on to/from Liverpool Street in the 1970s: OO gauge class 306 with opening doors please, Mr Hornby?! But I confess that my interest has grown in hindsight - I wasn't that bothered about them in the 1970s. What I really can't understand is why Hornby haven't announced an unrebuilt Merchant Navy. Judging by the Kernow D600 and Bulleid diesels, and the Dapol D6100, the announcement is just staking a claim. The actual model doesn't have to appear for years and years. I can only conclude that Hornby don't want to make a loco to pull all those Pullmans they make, even though they have the chassis done already. It really doesn't make sense to me at all, but I guess that's Hornby for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyboy Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I'm tempted to say that this is entirely appropriate as so many of Hornby's current range are 'mutton dressed as lamb'....... Or mutton priced as lamb? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted January 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 9, 2015 More announcements are still to come. Will there be an announcement about when they are making an announcement? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold papagolfjuliet Posted January 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9, 2015 There's a photo of the new Collector's Club model on the back cover of the new BRM. It's a Jinty in weathered black with quite a lot of French lettering stencilled on the tanks; presumably this is based upon one of the eight locos sent to France in 1939/40. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I grew up in south east London and I well remember 4SUBs and 4EPBs in service. So using the same logic as yours, when can I see models of these produced? When you and all the others like you yield sales enough to match the return on investment obtained from putting the product development money into steam locos. And I can see a couple of major difficulties which prevents this happening. One unit train looks much like another to all except the specialist, so that the variations already produced pretty much saturate the market in terms of appearance inhibiting casual purchases: "got an inner sub unit train, don't need another"; and then the track space required to accomodate unit trains, which must act to inhibit both casual and repeat sales. Whereas steam locos in their infinite variety of structure and livery options can be bought ad infinitum: there's room for ten little tankies where a 4SUB would bulk huge, and probably the space for half of Hornsey's allocation in the place of one whining COR-BUF-COR... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 When you and all the others like you yield sales enough to match the return on investment obtained from putting the product development money into steam locos. And I can see a couple of major difficulties which prevents this happening. One unit train looks much like another to all except the specialist, so that the variations already produced pretty much saturate the market in terms of appearance inhibiting casual purchases: "got an inner sub unit train, don't need another"; and then the track space required to accomodate unit trains, which must act to inhibit both casual and repeat sales. Whereas steam locos in their infinite variety of structure and livery options can be bought ad infinitum: there's room for ten little tankies where a 4SUB would bulk huge, and probably the space for half of Hornsey's allocation in the place of one whining COR-BUF-COR... On those grounds, this would explain my lack of interest in DMUs, as I grew surrounded by EMUs. I have of them, two old Hornby and Lima one! and two modern detailed Bachmann ones. But really cannot see myself wanting more! EMUs on the other hand I would, even though I have 15 of them. So I agree it becomes saturated, horses for courses type thing once you get passed a certain number. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 And I can see a couple of major difficulties which prevents this happening. One unit train looks much like another to all except the specialist, so that the variations already produced pretty much saturate the market in terms of appearance inhibiting casual purchases: "got an inner sub unit train, don't need another"; and then the track space required to accomodate unit trains, which must act to inhibit both casual and repeat sales. Yet Bachmann seem to think that gradually introducing a range of common length first generation DMUs is a worthwhile approach. They even go as far as bringing out regional variations. A lot of thought went into their latest offering and it did take into account several of he points raised on the forum. I presume they know what they are doing and have not lost the plot so some body besides me must be buying them. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted January 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 12, 2015 When you and all the others like you yield sales enough to match the return on investment obtained from putting the product development money into steam locos. And I can see a couple of major difficulties which prevents this happening. One unit train looks much like another to all except the specialist, so that the variations already produced pretty much saturate the market in terms of appearance inhibiting casual purchases: "got an inner sub unit train, don't need another"; and then the track space required to accommodate unit trains, which must act to inhibit both casual and repeat sales. Whereas steam locos in their infinite variety of structure and livery options can be bought ad infinitum: there's room for ten little tankies where a 4SUB would bulk huge, and probably the space for half of Hornsey's allocation in the place of one whining COR-BUF-COR... Unfortunately, no matter how many kettles one may have, they cannot substitute for EMUs in models of the area I grew up in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted January 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 12, 2015 So it's shovels or pantographs at dawn then ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 13, 2015 The world's largest - at the moment - container ship CSL Globe has docked at Felixstowe this week with, among many other things, 15 containers of 'toys' destined for the UK. I wonder if anything will pop out of them for the model railway world. Probably has the February batch of K1's............ Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Probably has the February batch of K1's............ Cheers, Mick And presumably some of the TTS diesels that the Hornby website has been promising for the beginning of February. Ha!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 13, 2015 I saw a Scalextric shipping box yesterday labelled to Margate via Thamesport. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tomparryharry Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 13, 2015 I saw a Scalextric shipping box yesterday labelled to Margate via Thamesport. Just a decoy, I'm afraid. If it had been a real container for Margate, it would have had traces of froth all over it, and sticky finger marks. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 13, 2015 Only a large cardboard box, not a container, containing cars, and alongside one full of Skaledale. No actual trains in evidence, hence no froth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium brushman47544 Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 13, 2015 I see from Graham Muspratt's site that "Stocks of the LMS horsebox and the BR 21T hopper wagon announced at Warley are already in the Hornby warehouse ready for immediate shipping in the new year." Wow! Or perhaps not, since the Hornby website is now saying Q4 2015 for the 21Tonners...? Well, well... Kernow MRC and Gaugemaster (and no doubt others) now have the triple-pack 21T hoppers R6691 in stock, but the Hornby website is still showing them as for Pre-order (although no longer as a Q4 arrival). A positive step for retailers if they are being supplied before they are available direct from Hornby. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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