Nedrahn Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 You seem to have an unfortunate turn of phrase which gets a few backs up so it may be worth reining that in please. The move is obviously attractive to Hornby; if they were mindful of the same concerns as you and were offered a property deal which is out of the travelling distance of the employees would that be good for Margate/Sandwich/Thanet? Maybe you could spare a thought for the livelihoods and employment of some of your near neighbours? (1) The population of East Kent is too small to support a commercially operated international airport. (2) Not all airport passengers live in or come from London. Gatwick attracts passengers from 4 counties plus London thanks to its centralish position. It as direct train services to the airport from Hastings to Southampton and It is easily reachable from Reading (via FGW) and the likes of Cambridge and Peterborough will all be reachable without a change of train when Thameslink is finished. At present it has direct train services to 129 individual stations (which will increase to 175 with Thameslink) If coming by car it is similarly easily accessible thanks to the M25 Heathrow has good road access from multiple destinations across the SE (apart from East Kent ) though rail is restricted to the GWML corridor, Luton is again easily accessible by road from large parts of the country (and when Thameslink is finished will be in relatively easy reach by those living in Surrey Sussex & Kent) Stansted has good road access from multiple directions (though rail is restricted to the WAML corridor and the occasional through service via Peterborough & Leicester) Southend has good road connections to Essex & London (though rail is limited) Manston simply cannot compete. Very true. I'm beginning to understand how TheWeatheringMan must have felt on another thread. I promise this is my last comment on Manston. If Kent can't support an airport, why is Lydd being expanded to take jets? Why is there political support for a small airport near a nuclear power station and a decommissioned nuclear power station, in an area that is vital to wildlife, but which has very poor road and rail links? Why is this preferable to an airport with good freight and maintenance facilities (or it had before Gloag - it might have been stripped by now)? Why is lengthening the runway at Lydd better than using an existing runway that's so good it was designated as an emergency landing runway? Why does RiverOak wish to invest in Manston Airport? Philanthropy? On a wider scale, is it better to add new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, or build Boris Island at huge cost to the environment, than making use of all existing assets? More capacity in the South East is required, we're told. Something has to give. On a purely commercial basis, Manston might well be as marginal as Southend. But should everything be left to the great market? Should we have some strategic, joined up thinking and planning? Road and rail links - yes, terrible. Manston is only close to an existing rail line, which links in with HS1, and is alongside a mere dual carriageway that was recently modernised. Anyway, I'm done. My point about Hornby stands - my opinion, my choice, nothing else. It affects no other member of RMWeb, so why all the mockery? Hornby doesn't have to move to Discovery Park, and I don't have to buy Hornby products. I do have to use the National Grid and the NHS, but model railways are a choice. Regarding Andy's very offensive comment about my lack of concern for my near-neighbours, if anyone else had made it I would have reported him to the Administrator. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Is there a 'general chat' section this can be moved to... (sorry mods) Wheeltappers(as long as it doesn't get too political) - which is a big ask. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Who needs Grand Theft Auto when this excitement is available for free.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 ... Hornby doesn't have to move to Discovery Park, and I don't have to buy Hornby products. I do have to use the National Grid and the NHS, but model railways are a choice. ... You see, not knowing anything about East Kent, it's this that I find most intriguing. You clearly feel passionately about this issue, but your principles only extend to a boycott of the company which won't in any meaningful sense affect your life - even though you felt it important to tell the rest of us about it. I was banging on about something a while back, full of my own pompous outrage and wind-baggery, when one of my lovely friends turned to me and rather witheringly observed that principles only matter a damn if it costs you something to hold them. I'm not sure that boycotting poor, inoffensive Hornby is either addressing the real villains in this piece (whoever they are) or reflecting the depths of passion you have professed. Anyway, I'm looking forward to my lovely J15 arriving. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knapper Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Trying to keep this topic back on track, and I apologise if this has been mentioned but I've missed it, but Hornby have stated on facebook that the visitor centre is remaining where it is: Question- Is the visitor centre moving to Sandwich along with the workshops?? Answer from Hornby- "Hi Iain, At this time there is no change to the location of the Hornby Visitor Centre. Many thanks for your post." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2015 Re post 90 above about the on site shop being a month behind the retailers with new products, I bought the brand new BR condition ex-LMS horsebox in the site shop today. As I recall, availability of this was from about the 11th, i.e. yesterday. To me that sounds like it's supplies are as good as anyone else. They were sent out to some retailers last week arriving on Friday with some and possibly Thursday with others, I got mine last Saturday, the 7th (collected against a prior order). But what we don't know is when they arrived in teh HQ building shop and that too could have been last week. On another note I do wonder that if staff and stock are in two different locations, not to mention the visitor centre, whether as many of the Hornby staff will live and breathe the products as before. Will there be showcases of products to be proud of and certificates on the wall of a shared office complex? I'm sure there will be some in the organisation who have the exposure but will it be part of the culture? That I think is a reasonable fear but something that really started to develop when production moved away from Margate and was very much confirmed when warehousing went too. At present there is of course the museum link but just because it's on the same site does it mean senior executives go in there regularly to develop their feeling for their brands or the company's diverse history? Provided the development team move with the executives and money men and provided the sales and marketing folk talk to each other maybe an old fashioned 'pride in being part of the brand' can be fostered and developed instead of just using the word as part of managerial gobbledygook. But wherever they are it really depends on folk having a passion for their products, not just for the name on the box. I would be more interested to know if the currently very separate online sales team (based in London I believe) are going to be brought into HQ as using a modern building should a least facilitate setting up their IT? In many respects I currently see them as the most divorced part of the sales structure seemingly going their own price slashing (at times) way without heed to the overall sales and (publically stated) marketing ideas of Hornby Group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapford34102 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hi Iain, At this time there is no change to the location of the Hornby Visitor Centre. Many thanks for your post." Obviously At this time are the key words here. The other side of the road from Hornby are the empty Halfords and another empty unit. At the end are B+Q, there's a large parking area as well. It often looks like the set for a second rate zombie movie. When Hornby move the shop is going to be isolated in a unappealing industrial area. They'll move it and the smart money seems to be on a Margate location, which with the Turner Centre, forthcoming Dreamland heritage theme park and revitalised Old Town is trying to pull itself up by it's bootstraps and, it must be said, succeeding. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
orford Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Why all the moans about Hornby moving from Margate to the old Pfizer's site? For heaven's sake - Hornby (or anyone else for that matter) can trade from wherever they want to. As long as they keep turning out good models, who cares? And why oh why do we AGAIN have all these people (and not just on here) moaning about the advent of superbly detailed models and going on about 'Hornby/Bachmann, et-al should go back to producing cheaper and less detailed models'? I can only presume that these people still drive cars with manual chokes, window winding handles and little orange sticky-out paddles for indicators! And no doubt they still watch black & white televisions where you have to get up, walk across the room and turn a large knob on the front of the set to change channels! ......And have a Dancette record player! Do at least try to get real. We are actually now living in the 21st century. Things get better. Embrace it. After all - if you are posting on here then presumably you have been perfectly happy to lash out a considerable sum for a computer! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Why all the moans about Hornby moving from Margate to the old Pfizer's site? There does seem to be a disproportionate response here on a thread about Hornby's change of address card. Doubtless this is an emotional topic to the denizens of Kent - are they Kentites, Kentians or something else? Collectively we here are nostalgic for old things, and clearly RAF Marston has a storied history but, from what I can tell, most of the passion seems to be centred around not having a major airport in your backyard - an idea that is usually pleasing to people. It feels like the opposite of a NIMBY sentiment. Clearly it's an issue that touches a nerve, but it's only tenuously connected to where Hornby hangs their shingle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Your outrage at Hornby strikes me as misplaced: a bit like blaming the theatre that sold a ticket to the assassin John Wilkes Booth, thus enabling him to get access to President Lincoln. Let's not slag off the man himself, or even the gun or bullet manufacturers, or perhaps even the bus company that gave Wilkes Booth a ride to the theatre; no, let's just focus on the theatre. In certain corners of the US, the gun or bullet is commemorated still. There are people who sell replicas of "the gun that shot Lincoln" and advertise it as such. It's a strange old world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
orford Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Why don't we ALL boycott Hornby? Put them out of business. Then discover we can therefore no longer build model railways, because the main supplier has gone. Give up the hobby. Close this forum because there is no longer a hobby to talk about. Sell our PC's because there are no longer forums to read & write to.......................... ...................and all go back to Stamp collecting? Sorted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 What a bunch of Kents Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold farren Posted February 13, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2015 ok what am I missing? The models I buy are made in China. The company is owned by stock holder's and are probably from all around the world. is the design department even based here? So dose it matter where the head office. As long as they produce decent models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combe Martin Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 To be fair, only one contributor here (Nedrahn) has connected Hornby's move to the ex-Pfizer site in Sandwich with the closure of Manston Airport, because he feels (wrongly in my and everyone else's opinion) that in doing so Hornby are supporting the people responsible for the closure, because the owners of the ex-Pfizer site also now own Manston. But the closure of Manston was caused by previous owner Ann Gloag of Stagecoach fame, who then sold it (in a closed state) to the Pfizer site owners. The closure also seems to have been supported by Thanet Council who wouldn't compulsory purchase it, (could they afford the money ??). This has led many of the contributors to the topic to also bemoan the Manston closure but without connecting it to Hornby, so because of this (frankly ridiculous) connection by one person the topic has diversified to the viability of Manston and rights and wrongs of its closure. Us people who live down here in Kent may well not like Manstons closure, but we're not oddballs who blame Hornby !, well 99.99% arn't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapford34102 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Hi, I know I didn't start this thread but maybe it's time for the Mods to close the door on this one. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 It struck me that this thread "Hornby to move offices from Margate to Sandwich" was more of an "information only" type post and didn't really require any comment. How daft am I? Simon Kohler's shoe size is probably being discussed at length elsewhere on RMWeb, so it's no real surprise that anything with "Hornby" in the title should grow and evolve in often ludicrous directions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold papagolfjuliet Posted February 13, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2015 the denizens of Kent - are they Kentites, Kentians or something else? Kentish Men and Women north and west of the Medway; Men and Women of Kent south and east of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Kentish Men and Women north and west of the Medway; Men and Women of Kent south and east of it. Women? I thought the correct term was maids. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.