Western Dave

Presumably the GWML western connection to Heathrow might help as well then when this happens

maybe but its complicated as its a joint GWR/TFL route now and there's also discussions to be had about who closes the door and rings the bell

Thanks Ian Not much room for the HS2 station then

Ok I'm out of the loop, I know Old Oak was going to be flattened to make way for HS2 and North Pole was going to be the IEP depot so what's left of the "old" Old Oak Common (HST shed, Hex etc...) and where is all the stock now stabled and maintained ) I know there's a new depot at Reading but that seems a lot of dead mileage to me! also is anywhere else being developed further along the routes like Long Rock is? I'm sure there are many in the know here and I'm curious Thanks

That's my GWR 166 fleet derailed then

It does not matter what the item is be it a loco, MU or a piece of scenery you need to factor in VAT, import duty tax, licensing fees, R & D, shopping costs etc... before you even put a margin on the item, oh and don’t forget the exchange rate!

From Hornby my wish is for a Class 50 unrefurbished finished in genuine rust holes with a seized main crankshaft and leaking oil and a wheel skate on No1 bogie

I think Reading station layout needs remodelling

I see XC trains heading to/from Bournemouth most days and the majority of the time they are 4 car, I'm not knocking XC it is what it is because they inherited the stock they have

I Like class 170's but that's a big ask (for a humble stopping DMU) to run them from Manchester to Bournemouth....

Indeed Andy Eastleigh is a good spot all round and it quite handy for me as I’m not too far away

Hi Richard Great corporate speak form you but what your saying was certainly not my experience and I will not be using you again based on it PS I'm still waiting for the recorded messages of my telephone calls to be forward to me as requested, you may want to listen to them as well as there is a difference between what your writing and what I experienced. and not for the first time this year sadly. This is not the place to conduct that conversation really though! PPS I've given up on the senior management actually contacting me a week on and clearly that opportunity is lost. Regards David

there lies part of the problem of how inconsistent they are. The last order I placed was on Thursday for delivery Friday (Paid the extra for next day) they didn't even pick the order let alone send it and sent me an email to say its not despatch, spoke to them first thing Friday morning about redirecting it and they claimed it had been given to their courier handling company (not a courier company, apparently they give all their orders to a third party who then despatches them for them on various couriers?! eventually managed to get it redirected and out for a Saturday delivery (although it turns out it never was but that's more misinformation) I even asked about paying extra for a DPD Saturday but was told its too late at 1050AM to arrange this, odd seeing as they have a 2PM cut off for next day deliveries, come Saturday afternoon and no delivery chased Hatton's only to be told "cant get hold of couriers not hopefully it might turn up Sunday or Monday" explained that nobody is going to deliver it Sunday and on Monday nobody will be in to which the reply was (what do you want us to do about it" asked to speak to a manager to be told you cants he on the phone dealing with another complaint and then told that senior management don't work weekends. Like I said in my original post I own and run an ecommerce company and mistakes happen that's a fact but firstly you cannot in this day and age allow them to continue for lots of reasons and this has been an ongoing issue for some time now and secondly its how you handle it when it goes wrong that matters.

firstly it is clear they are in some sort of distress (not all company distress is money related) as there systems are at odds with each other, I am not going to go into the full boring details of what went wrong on this occasion but any company that has a continued period of issues like this is considered to be in distress ( I also own a large ecommerce operation sending out in excess of 500 consignments a day and its nothing to do with this trade) and when I spoke to the staff they are clueless as to how to fix the issues raised and when I suggested they were in disarray and distress that agreed. with regards to speaking to senior management it was my intention to make them aware of the sorry situation and that the "coalface" staff need support/training and above all be honest with your customers instead of hoping that when its gone wrong its going to sort itself out.

Firstly as others have said before a late delivery is not the end of the world, BUT misleading information, no information, incorrect information and a couldn't care less attitude means I will not be using them again after the latest poor episode from them (the 4th one this year) many of us spend a lot of money (this order was nearly £600) and have busy lives and after all there are many other e-tailers out their at the same or very similar pricing and having used many of them as I told Hatton's I will be using them in the future. I do feel for some of the staff but their attitude is poor and it is clearly a company that is in some sort of distress with a complete lack of management direction PS 7 days on I'm still waiting for "the senior management team to contact me"! meanwhile my orders been returned back to them I've got my refund and I purchased elsewhere having spent a far too many thousands of ££££ with them in the last couple of years as I cant be putting up with BS and a don't care attitude from 3 different members of staff sorry rant over

No company in any trade is ever going to reveal that information, its called market forces/commercially sensitive If you don't like what the price is don't buy it and wait to see if the prices drops in the future if it does not sell out. Also why shouldn't large trade purchasers (like box shifters) get a bigger discount? its just a different business model

Does anyone have a list of the remaining DBS facilities for servicing, stabling or otherwise that are left nowadays? Looking to get a few days out and about but not sure nowadays which ones are left operational or worth a visit Thanks

Some senior manager and directors of companies are devoid of any reality at the coal face. A few years ago I had A meeting with the UK national accounts manager of a well known household domestic goods manufacturer that also had a commercial operation and advised me and others that they were going thorough product codes (16 digits long with no real product description) and we’re implementing a uniformed pricing policy throughout Europe in the main part based on the percieved highest market rate in any one country being applied to all counties. When challenged on this by myself the response was we expect sale to decline and will 8ncrease prices to maintain th bottom line. When I and others pointed out this was crazy his response was “when we are bought out by another multi national they will have a different strategy in the meantime I have to balance the budget” that company has now some 6 years later indeed been bought out and by god was it and it is still one huge mess with sale none existent on some what were core product lines.

Your right it is and was meant to be a general quote unless anyone has actual insider information from a modelling company it’s impossible to any of us to post anything and be certain it’s factual in terms of actual numbers and margins. However their are some hard facts in their that will prevent (based on current economic facts) any current or new entrant to the market moving all or the majority of their production back to the UK, I have run the figures and possible options for doing so ( outside of this trade but the more than basics are exactly the same sadly) in Hornbys case if it want to maintain its “budgeted” margins it has to be China in the main, unless we all want to pay dramatically more for our desired models!

lLabour costs in China are way way below ours and will remain so. I import finished manufactured product from China (nothing to do with railways or modelling) and their labour costs are about 18-22% of ours. They work 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week for about 47 weeks a year including all holidays and bank holidays! NI and pension equivalent is zero to minimal making them highly cost advantage and business costs like rent and rates are a fraction of ours. With UK wages incrasing year on year as well as pension increases added to increased rents and business rates it’s a pipe dream to bring production back home in any great numbers. Plus remember it’s a numbers game if you start to pull too much away you become too small a player for them to want to work with you or be responsive and competitive. Once you have made the move it’s very difficult to come back. Basic truth it’s its too expensive in the UK to do business.

Ok so this is NOT aimed at any individual post ok But firstly why would the price not go up? Ever other model in the last 12 months has increased not just because of the devaluation of Stirling but also due to the increased costs in/from China Secondly if you have the original model you may still want this one with a different number, after all most of us have more than one model of the same class etc... if I had a tube layout why would I not want a second, third or more

I too have been told it's in the region of 2 to 3 times th cost Forget air, unless it perishable or very high value airfrieght is not cost effective

Yep when you divide the cost over the contents it is pennies.Shipping in from China is quite easy in itself so long as your gears up logistically for the deliveries and a bonafide company, but the shipping and unloading is the easy part.....and the cheap bit in comparison Assuming it's a rerun of an item so no tooling no changes etc.... fdepnding on the quantities you order from placing a firm order and transfering a sizeable deposit you will never get your product physically in your warehouse in under 75 days and more likely in something like 90-150 days depending on what it is. So the likes of Bachmann, Dapol, Hormby, oxford etc. Have a huge task before this stage as most time they are not doing reruns it's new products or liveries so there is drawings, price negotiations, packaging details, hand crafted samples, modifications, final model agreements then pre production samples and livery samples before REAL production starts and then shipping. Oh and dont forget China comes to a standstill for a month for new year celebrations as well

Can't tell you what Dapol are paying or what thyou rail cost is but can tell you this years cost I have paid year 40"std cube £1890 40" High cube £1970 Price is based on FOB (free on board) ship in China landing here in UK At Southampton or Felixstowe and With transport to warehouse in west London or Southampton but excludes Import duty tax vat. 20" containers are about £150 less

Shipping from China is in the region of 4-5 weeks depending on port of loading, port of arrival in the UK and port visits on route. This assumes also that the manufacturer is shipping full containers, if it's part part loads add at least another week. These times are from loading on the boat not leaving the factory until arrivals at the UK manufacturer/importers premises