The Engine Shed

[Wickham Green]

Don't they realise I can quietly read Engine Shed in the office without anyone else noticing ........ the moving pictures and SOUND of Signal Box is impossible to cover up !

[MGR Hooper!]

Regarding TES:
People suggesting that TES is going to end/die out is a bit excessive or extreme. Hornby have publicly stated on more than one occasion, that it's not going to happen. Most recently they said that 2-3 months ago. I think we need to understand that whilst it has changed from it's initial style, that doesn't mean it's going to end. Maybe instead of speculating it's demise, we should use that time to pass on suggestions to Hornby as to what to do with it. It's actually getting annoying trying to read through this topic and find proper content but all you have is repeated comments from people saying it's dying. This theory of the demise of TES has been floating around since 2018. Nothing has happened.

 

Please move on! Either pass on suggestions on how to improve TES directly to Hornby or put and end to this theory of it's demise. Evntually ya'll will say it so much that they'll probably pull the plug on it because that seems to be the only responses they get.



Regarding the Princess Royal:
It seems they have edited and re-phrased that paragraph. Simple error. Everyone makes mistakes.

[Legend]

10 minutes ago, MGR Hooper! said:

Regarding TES:
People suggesting that TES is going to end/die out is a bit excessive or extreme. Hornby have publicly stated on more than one occasion, that it's not going to happen. Most recently they said that 2-3 months ago. I think we need to understand that whilst it has changed from it's initial style, that doesn't mean it's going to end. Maybe instead of speculating it's demise, we should use that time to pass on suggestions to Hornby as to what to do with it. It's actually getting annoying trying to read through this topic and find proper content but all you have is repeated comments from people saying it's dying. This theory of the demise of TES has been floating around since 2018. Nothing has happened.

 

Please move on! Either pass on suggestions on how to improve TES directly to Hornby or put and end to this theory of it's demise. Evntually ya'll will say it so much that they'll probably pull the plug on it because that seems to be the only responses they get.



Regarding the Princess Royal:
It seems they have edited and re-phrased that paragraph. Simple error. Everyone makes mistakes.

 

Simples!

 

Go back to the way it was 3 years ago . No need to reinvent the wheel , it was pretty good back then and receiving good press . It stimulated interest in the range so that people avidly looked forward to new edition to see what announced, or what they could see in the background .   The old management sans Simon Kohler didn't get everything wrong.

[truffy]

14 minutes ago, MGR Hooper! said:

People suggesting that TES is going to end/die out is a bit excessive or extreme. Hornby have publicly stated on more than one occasion, that it's not going to happen. Most recently they said that 2-3 months ago. I think we need to understand that whilst it has changed from it's initial style, that doesn't mean it's going to end.

 

1 minute ago, Legend said:

Simples!

 

Go back to the way it was 3 years ago . No need to reinvent the wheel , it was pretty good back then and receiving good press . It stimulated interest in the range so that people avidly looked forward to new edition to see what announced, or what they could see in the background .

Precisely. If the new-look TES becomes just another superficial marketing tool, like TSB, then it may not have been killed but it might as well have been.

[MGR Hooper!]

3 minutes ago, Legend said:

 

Simples!

 

Go back to the way it was 3 years ago . No need to reinvent the wheel , it was pretty good back then and receiving good press . It stimulated interest in the range so that people avidly looked forward to new edition to see what announced, or what they could see in the background .   The old management sans Simon Kohler didn't get everything wrong.

Tell Hornby that. I know there's a few Hornby staff on this forum, but they're not here to read everything, they have different job descriptions. I suggest contacting Hornby directly. The more emails, messages and comments they get directly, the more likely they are to change.

We've seen them improve TSB from Ep.1 to whichever one is most recent. So they take feedback well.

[JSpencer]

5 hours ago, Legend said:

A shadow of its former self . Looks like it was cobbled together at short notice to get something out , which explains the Princess pictures.   The new darling is Signal Box , I suspect Engine Shed will just wither and die . 

Maybe that is the objective. Let the engine shed degrade so that the signal box takes over.

That said, producing videos demands a lot more work to communicate the same message than a newsletter so I doubt it.

 

Either way, the Marketing people must get up to speed on their product knowledge, especially in a market where - say - 80% of your customers know an awful lot on subject knowledge about the products you are trying to sell.

Edited July 29, 2019 by JSpencer

[Vistisen]

1 hour ago, JSpencer said:

Maybe that is the objective. Let the engine shed degrade so that the signal box takes over.

That said, producing videos demands a lot more work to communicate the same message than a newsletter so I doubt it.

 

Either way, the Marketing people must get up to speed on their product knowledge, especially in a market where - say - 80% of your customers know an awful lot on subject knowledge about the products you are trying to sell.

I wonder whether that really is the right percentage?  I have been a modeller for over 40 years ( with a 25 year gap) I can recognise and identify most diesel locomotives and quite a few steam engines as well. I am in the middle of building a largish layout with hand built points and scratch built buildings, So i suspect that I am towards the 'hardcore' end of the modelling public, but I would not ever dare to suggest that I know more about the trains than those who produce the models. I think that if you look at the entire customers budget spent on Hornby products, that the figure is more likely to be 8%. It might well be that that 8% are responsible for a large number of posts on RMweb. But all in all we do not represent the public that the Marketing people are trying to reach.  YouTube videos are all about being the video that you will watch as an auto suggestion after the one you clicked on a link to see! On other words the video after the one you watched where the Flying Scotsman passes through your local station. 

 

People often confuse marketing and selling. My favourite explanation of the difference is a shoe company that sent a salesman and a marketing bod to a newly discovered tribe, The sales man wrote back in despair "This is a disaster, no one wears shoes her". The marketing man wrote back i jubilation. " This is amazing, no one wears shoes here"!

Edited July 29, 2019 by Vistisen

[Flying Pig]

11 hours ago, Talltim said:

I went and had a look expecting it to be biscuit tin inspired and was a bit disappointed.

 

I felt that way about the loco livery when it first came out.

[Legend]

While it’s undoubtably true that Hornby have the more general market ie those looking for a trainset for little Johnny . I’ll venture that their market is substantially enthusiasts , certainly I’d suggest the majority of their market . That does put them in the unenviable position of presenting videos or blogs that are likely to receive a huge amount of scrutiny.  In that respect it really was better when the development team, who clearly knew their stuff, were allowed to talk directly to their market , and that’s why the Engine Shed was so successful .  I can appreciate why, but I’d say to some extent marketing is getting in the way here , the need to be ‘on message ‘ and present a glitzy appearance .

[truffy]

1 hour ago, Legend said:

While it’s undoubtably true that Hornby have the more general market ie those looking for a trainset for little Johnny . I’ll venture that their market is substantially enthusiasts , certainly I’d suggest the majority of their market .

And surely that's why they've differentiated their offerings into Railroad and 'full fat', in recognition of the fact that some people are more knowledgeable or discerning and are willing to pay accordingly.

[GWR-fan]

It is not like Hornby is the new kid on the block.  They have had marketing/sales experience covering several generations so if they are still learning then they really need to up their game.  The original  ES was an informative wing of the research/development team,  treating the hobbyist as a modeller.  The current format is more of an advertisement for Hornby products rather than releasing new information or updates.  The SB will be ideal for the kiddies,  but leave the ES for the grownups.

[tomparryharry]

I think it's a difficult set of values for Hornby to cover.  Firstly, they (Hornby) need to get the all-important sales information over. Second , they need to keep it light & bright;  good presentation. Thirdly, they don't (Hornby) need a mackintosh-clad expert on screen, poring over the model, deploring the absence of feature XXX, and how the rivets were only there  in 1952, and they are 15 thou out to the right.... A tight spot to get into, I think you will all agree.

 

Now, if those attractive ladies at Hornby also offer male dress code to prospective visitors to model railway exhibitions, they will be on a winner.  " Make sure your flies are done up, and brush your hair".

 

With such a narrow base line, I think Hornby will be on a sticky wicket. I'd expect them to go quarterly quite soon, as the subject material dries up. It's not a fault, just that audio-visual work gobbles up air time. I wish them well. 

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, tomparryharry said:

I think it's a difficult set of values for Hornby to cover.  Firstly, they (Hornby) need to get the all-important sales information over. Second , they need to keep it light & bright;  good presentation. Thirdly, they don't (Hornby) need a mackintosh-clad expert on screen, poring over the model, deploring the absence of feature XXX, and how the rivets were only there  in 1952, and they are 15 thou out to the right.... A tight spot to get into, I think you will all agree.

 

Now, if those attractive ladies at Hornby also offer male dress code to prospective visitors to model railway exhibitions, they will be on a winner.  " Make sure your flies are done up, and brush your hair".

 

With such a narrow base line, I think Hornby will be on a sticky wicket. I'd expect them to go quarterly quite soon, as the subject material dries up. It's not a fault, just that audio-visual work gobbles up air time. I wish them well. 

Actually in this case it would be fairly easy for them.  Take TES back to where it was - it had market appeal and was eagerly watched for the reasons already explained in earlier posts, all of which turned into an excellent marketing tool for particular market area and one where spending seems to be pretty solid judging by the way models targetted at it sell quickly.   If it it ain't broke it doesn't need fixing - especially not with dreary outdated marketing approaches from the 1970s.

 

But Hornby has, and is hoping to enlarge, a diverse market beyond the enthusiast end if things.  TES as it was would probably be a bit too subtle for a newcomer to the hobby so wouldn't work so well in that market area.  Right, simples - create another video outlet for that market area and call it something else, such as 'The Signal Box'.  And there you are - serving too distinct areas of the market both of which you need to capture if you are to do well and stay in business let alone expand your sales.  In fact it strikes me as a stupid waste of resources to have two channels of video style communication if they aren't meant to appeal at different market areas and work in distinct ways.

 

Of course TES doesn't suit the return to the 1970s style of annual announcements now gripping Hornby because it let out little hints (and thus created continuing interest and a bit of frothing) about new things coming up over the horizon - and no doubt those things still sold so obviously it was an effective marketing tool.

 

As I said before all I can see happening the way things are now going is that we'll end up with 'The Moretonhampstead' should it be decided to reduce their video output to a single item instead of two , hopefully different, approaches.  

Incidentally for those who don't understand the irony of 'The Moretonhamptead' that place at one time boasted a signalbox built into the side of the engine shed, i.e. a combined signal box and engine shed.

[Hroth]

I watched the first Signal Box and was driven to distraction by the presenter.

 

If they go all Moretonhamptead* on us, then they'll have lost MY attention for one.  I'm not that interested in someone waving their arms about, introducing filmed snippets of infotainment.  It doesn't make the information any more accessible, unless the viewer is completely illiterate and has to be told everything and it makes things difficult to locate if you want to refer to something at a later date.  Coherent words, meaningful pictures and embedded video of specific items is fine by me.

 

Perhaps "The Signal Box" title is an in joke at Hornby because the presenter looks like he's trying to communicate by semaphore....

 

* Thanks for the heads-up on that snark, it had passed me by completely!  Its a wonderful idea for an ultracompact layout, I'm thinking of a mashup of the Dapol signal box and engine shed kits, with as the cherry on the top, a built in Dapol water tank kit at the end of the shed... 

 

 

[Hilux5972]

On the subject of Signal Box disappointment, Hornby released a new video today for the release and availability of the Hogwarts Express. And in true Hornby style, the video showed the old Castle version of the loco and the old Mk1 coaches. Another disappointing video from Hornby. 

[Wickham Green]

1 hour ago, Hilux5972 said:

On the subject of Signal Box disappointment, Hornby released a new video today for the release and availability of the Hogwarts Express. And in true Hornby style, the video showed the old Castle version of the loco and the old Mk1 coaches. Another disappointing video from Hornby. 

Whether old or new versions, this seems to indicate the sort of market the 'Box is aimed at !

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

On ‎30‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 11:05, The Stationmaster said:

...TES doesn't suit the return to the 1970s style...

That's it in a nutshell. The current marketing is reverting to the old 'control the channel' model; and how much better it would be if our customers had no way of rowdily communicating outwith our zone of control. I have had the conversation with him and the policy of Kohlervision is pretty clear.  While competitors are prepared to go white water rafting (or whatever alternative analogy you might prefer) with their potential customers and benefitting from this contact. Change will come, someone will retire, again...

[Cor-onGRT4]

New engine shed online Pricess Royal

[Wickham Green]

2 minutes ago, Cor-onGRT4 said:

New engine shed online Pricess Royal

....... and some graffiti-covered rolling stock  -  most of it red with a big swirl and lettering in white ........................................ an' an update on the 48DS.

[Dunsignalling]

On ‎29‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 15:33, Vistisen said:

I wonder whether that really is the right percentage?  I have been a modeller for over 40 years ( with a 25 year gap) I can recognise and identify most diesel locomotives and quite a few steam engines as well. I am in the middle of building a largish layout with hand built points and scratch built buildings,

 

So i suspect that I am towards the 'hardcore' end of the modelling public, but I would not ever dare to suggest that I know more about the trains than those who produce the models.

 

I think that if you look at the entire customers budget spent on Hornby products, that the figure is more likely to be 8%. It might well be that that 8% are responsible for a large number of posts on RMweb. But all in all we do not represent the public that the Marketing people are trying to reach. 

 

YouTube videos are all about being the video that you will watch as an auto suggestion after the one you clicked on a link to see! On other words the video after the one you watched where the Flying Scotsman passes through your local station. 

 

People often confuse marketing and selling. My favourite explanation of the difference is a shoe company that sent a salesman and a marketing bod to a newly discovered tribe, The sales man wrote back in despair "This is a disaster, no one wears shoes her". The marketing man wrote back i jubilation. " This is amazing, no one wears shoes here"!

I think it would be fair to say there are plenty on here who know more about some of the trains than those who produce them.

 

I'd also think that the "8%", being the more dedicated modellers/collectors who are disproportionally present on this kind of forum, may also generate a disproportionately large chunk of the total spend on Hornby's model railway products.  Our spending should also tend to be more regular/consistent than the "Little Johnny" market, which generally peaks around Xmas and birthdays, so we probably have a positive effect on cash flow.

 

Most years, Hornby get the bulk of the r-t-r portion of my modelling spend, with (lately) commissioners getting much of what's left and Bachmann (in recent times) only figuring when they come up with something of prototype interest. In my own case, that's not all that often and not usually bigger-ticket items like locos.

 

There's a need for Hornby to provide both levels of communication, IMHO, and maybe the ideal answer would be for The Engine Shed and The Signal Box to alternate on a bi-monthly cycle. That would even out the workload for their communications staff and help avoid the need to pad out either channel.

 

John 

Edited August 30, 2019 by Dunsignalling

[Hroth]

The engine shed....

 

https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/news/the-engine-shed/princess-royal-hvc-open-weekend-more

 

Sadly another lacklustre effort.  The Princess Royal section was ok in showing the more complete engineering samples and the video of one running interesting too. It'll be interesting to see if they get a model out before 2020 at this pace.  I hope the final version is a bit quieter, the sample sounds like my (very) old Airfix Prairie! Likewise the Ruston was interesting in showing that it might be easier to get to the DCC socket on it compared with some other locos.  I'm looking forward to getting one!

 

The Class 31 and Class 92 sections were perfunctory and the less said about the shameless product placement on the cola trucks the better. The pattern on the "graffitied" CCT looks similar to that on the Mk1 coach they issued a few years ago and ended up being flogged of by Hattons for as low as a tenner at the end.  Perhaps the CCT will go the same way?

 

Perhaps the ES should have concentrated a bit more on the Visitor Centre Open Weekend for those unable to attend.  I notice that they kept the camera well away from the decaying EMUs at the back of the shed, I would have liked to see a bit more of the 503 they showed in the previous edition!

 

 

 

[Hilux5972]

The Caledonian Class 92 still looks wrong. The blue doesn’t seem to have enough green in it. 

[Legend]

2 minutes ago, Hilux5972 said:

The Caledonian Class 92 still looks wrong. The blue doesn’t seem to have enough green in it. 

 

Agreed. Isn’t it supposed to be Teal

[robmcg]

13 hours ago, Hroth said:

The engine shed....

 

https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/news/the-engine-shed/princess-royal-hvc-open-weekend-more

 

Sadly another lacklustre effort.  The Princess Royal section was ok in showing the more complete engineering samples and the video of one running interesting too. It'll be interesting to see if they get a model out before 2020 at this pace.  I hope the final version is a bit quieter, the sample sounds like my (very) old Airfix Prairie! Likewise the Ruston was interesting in showing that it might be easier to get to the DCC socket on it compared with some other locos.  I'm looking forward to getting one!

 

The Class 31 and Class 92 sections were perfunctory and the less said about the shameless product placement on the cola trucks the better. The pattern on the "graffitied" CCT looks similar to that on the Mk1 coach they issued a few years ago and ended up being flogged of by Hattons for as low as a tenner at the end.  Perhaps the CCT will go the same way?

 

Perhaps the ES should have concentrated a bit more on the Visitor Centre Open Weekend for those unable to attend.  I notice that they kept the camera well away from the decaying EMUs at the back of the shed, I would have liked to see a bit more of the 503 they showed in the previous edition!

 

 

 

 

Yes the Princess appears to be still at the stage of 'detailing' with the vac pump apparently on the wrong side, but  with two boiler, two smokeboxes and at least two valve gear arrangements already tooled, I'm sure it will all come right in the end.

 

 

Is it possible some of the pics and video were mirror-image?  Ah no,  the video shows the boiler sides and vac pump mis-matched. The details do look superb though.

 

No sign of the model which had been on display with front frames and vac pump housing on the correct side. Early days.

Edited August 31, 2019 by robmcg

[MGR Hooper!]

21 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

The Caledonian Class 92 still looks wrong. The blue doesn’t seem to have enough green in it. 

Well most of th people buying this budget version of the Class 92 won't be too fussed about the colour. Also studio lighting is known to brightn things up.

 

People like us will buy the Accurascale Class 92 and get a better representation of the colour.