County of Yorkshire

Some Hornby locos at quite decent prices (between the £90 to £120 mark) in the Peter's Spares Hornby sale. I'm very tempted by another GWR Star at the price... CoY

The other concern here is that the Derails' email mentioned additional price increases on those items yet to appear from Hornby's 2018 range - which based on previous year's increases is usually around 10%. I must say that I cannot think of another sector where price increases are so relentlessly high year-on-year - a big tender loco from Hornby for instance, about 5 years ago came in at around £120 RRP, and thus around £90 - £100 discount, whilst now you won't get any change from around £180 RRP, and about £160 discount. Just how many locos are people buying at that price? White goods and electrical items invariably reduce in cost over time for example, yet seemingly models don't. Telling that you can still buy many 2016 Hornby releases through their website (such as the first GWR liveried re-tooled King). Price resistance will shrink sales volume and in turn will shrink production runs which will in turn push up prices which will in turn generate more price resistance - a vicious circle. I don't know that the answer is, but I don't think models will still be made in China by 2030, that's for sure. CoY

Hmmm. CoY

To be frank I don't really see any issues with this. If you are desperate for the latest release of a loco, you buy it straight away (as I did with the Heljan 47xx) and pay full whack. However, if the model is not a 'must have' but you would like one if you can justify it on price grounds, then wait and take the risk that the loco you want will still be available in 6/12 months time. The recent 'dumping' of the Heljan 02's onto Hattons did the company no favours in my view as now if I want another 47xx I'll just wait 12/18 months and get another one at 30-50% off RRP. We've all got the moral decision to make as to whether we pursue the cheapest possible price for an item, or whether we put more stock in supporting our local traders; but to me that's something of a private matter, and I struggle to see it as crime of the century if someone wants to purchase an item as the cheapest possible price they can - it's a free market. CoY

Yep. Closely followed by the Stanier 8f, Stanier Princess Royal, and GWR Manor. CoY

It still truly baffles me as to why Hornby didn’t throw an E128 into their range of revamped Colletts a couple of years ago. You can just about understand the commercial hesitancy behind not producing a diner or full brake, but a BCK is an exceptionally versatile vehicle and would probably have been of more use to Western modellers than the second ‘handed’ composites and van thirds. Still, Paul Isles alluded to the possibility of growing the existing coaching ranges and the Southern Maunsell RF gives me some hope that an E128 and/or H33 may be seen in the next few years. In the meantime, I must get back to the Comet sides onto a Hornby D95 project... CoY

The MRD has quite a few surprising and in truth telling things in its sale - the Southern RF in BR green is down to £33 a few months after coming out, and the amount of Bachmann coaches they’ve got in stock (Thompsons and Birdcages) show they haven’t sold at the £50+ RRP. Some Hornby locos - even with 30% off - still look too pricey to me. ‘The Last Day’ King and A3 are still hovering around £130, even with 30% off. You can pick up alternate versions of these locos for under £100 - including in this sale! CoY

No they don't. CoY

What a strange thing to say. Dapol are a private limited company and I as a private citizen will only buy one of their products if it is of a good enough standard and quality. I accept that 'grief' and general moaning is not in the least constructive, but surely constructive, formative feedback and insight from knowledgeable customers is marketing gold dust for any business when used correctly? You also give the inference that it is uniquely GWR modelers who dole out this grief to manufacturers and I would absolutely refute that when you look at some of the other threads discussing product development on here. CoY

Why have you created a new thread for the Bachy 94xx when there is already a perfectly good topic here? CoY

I would relish a new Hawksworth County - they were so very prominent on WoE expresses during my modelling period of 1945-1947 and had a powerful, purposeful look about them. Many claim they were the equal of a Castle despite having 2 cylinders! I think a County will move up the R&D longlists as the new build takes shape over the next few years; something that also makes me think we’ll shortly see a Saint announced before anything else GWR. CoY

Personally I thought we might have had a surprise mid-year announcement of a Manor made at the Hornby-sponsored 'move event' at McArthur Glen in Swindon which saw Hinton Manor come out and Ditcheat Manor go in to the Food Court! I have to say I would prefer a Hornby Manor over one from anyone else - Bachmann would take until 2025, Heljan and Oxford are still decidedly ropey in both design and QC, and Dapol, for me, are still something of an unknown quantity - the B4 model seems to have done well, but the GWR streamlined ralicar has the undecorated interior and that strange and visible bump covering the motor. Saying that I genuinely think Hattons would do you a good Manor - and you'd probably get myriad detail variations and wide livery choice too. The Manor is a favourite loco of many and I think Hornby would really do it justice - imagine a 78xx to the same standard as their Castle! CoY

Err - if you want an archetypal GWR tank loco built in any great number and that is not a 2-8-0T or 2-8-2T then you have nowhere else to go other than Bachmann: see 57/8750's, 64xx's 45/4575's, 56xx's. I take your comment on board for tender locos however - it will just leave Bachmann with the Hall, Dukedog and City class to modern standards (the Collett Goods model is too long in the tooth now imo) - given Dapol's forthcoming Mogul and the ongoing rumors of a Hornby Manor. Unlesss Bachmann can spring a Saint or Hawksworth County on us in next years announcements? Barwell's development timescales are glacial, aren't they? The 94xx is still at the CAD stage, 4 years after being announced, and the Warflat and Ransomes crane get no mention at all in this update, and again these were announced around 3/4 years ago iirc. CoY

Just received my second batch of Hattons Warwells which has prompted me to consider the Warflats... glaciers have moved more quickly. Pretty telling that Hattons have been able to R&D and get to market two tranches of Warwells (covering around a dozen variants) in half the time taken by Bachmann to even get three variants of Warflat to market. The slated RRP is a bit naughty as well - with the ubiquitous 15% box shifter discount applied the WW2 period Warflats are going to come in a shade under £47. You are therefore paying £14 for the Cromwell tank when compared with the load-less Hattons Warwell, and I am sure many modelers will not actually want the tank in the first instance. You can pick up a delightful Birdcage coach for just £3 more! Given that the tanks are allegedly the reason for this product's delay in development it strikes me as a strange marketing decision to put a tank in with these rather than just sell them without load. I wanted a rake of these but at those prices I might just have to get a token one, and wait for future discounts... CoY

I did not know this - having lived locally to West Hull for most of my life, I always heard of Springhead Halt being known 'colloquially' as 'Forty Steps' - hence the name of the street of the 1970's housing development. According to Disused Stations, the halt was actually known by locals as 'Forty Nine steps', as this was the actual number of steps up to the halt on the embankment. Where then, does the Forty Steps/Forty Nine Steps discrepancy come from? Indeed, was there ever a railway-related location locally known as 'Forty Steps'? CoY

Of course, you're right. Hornby are sponsoring the move event though - see here: https://www.facebook.com/officialhornby/photos/a.10150197267445843.309835.53107985842/10155479889430843/?type=3

The grammar and general standard of the copy on Hornby's Facebook event listing is appalling, yes, but I did feel for a fleeting half a day that we might get an announcement of a new tooled GWR Manor, following on from Hornby's 'tanks on Bachmann's lawn' move that was the Lord Nelson. Though yes, Hornby's only outlet store in the UK happens to be around 90 seconds walk away from where the Manors are to be switched around, and that's probably the cause of their event sponsorship, and not because they want to finish the set of GWR 4-6-0's in 1:76 scale.

Is it just me that is reading too much into this: https://www.facebook.com/events/the-big-train-move/1478381655595154/ ? CoY

I would strongly suspect we'll see a 21st century standard Saint, Manor and Hawksworth County before we get any whiff of an Aberdare. CoY

53a only open Tuesday to Saturday. Only opens on Sundays immediately before Christmas iirc. CoY

I ordered a stack of odds and ends - some Bachmann Scenecraft buildings and some Oxford Diecast 1940's vehicles, about 2 weeks ago, and paid for 48 hour delivery. Imagine my surprise therefore when I received a parcel from Hattons containing Oxford Diecast airplanes from WW2! A Stuka is not a GWR Pagoda Waiting Shelter! I returned the parcel last Friday and Hattons received this on Tuesday, yet I did not receive communication of this until I contacted them on Wednesday. The delay? They are waiting for the parcel with my ordered goods within to be returned from the gentleman who was expecting some WW2 die cast aircraft! I wouldn't mind but my parcel even contained my invoice with the correct list of items! The customer service response has been somewhat slovenly and I cannot believe Hattons employs warehouse staff that can put the wrong products in the right box- the late Barry Chuckle and his brother would have done a better job then this! Just a shade over 80 sheets worth of product and I have had to do all the chasing, and the email apology was blatantly auto-generated boilerplate stuff. I'm not particularly impressed with Hattons right now. CoY

Sorry for intruding into this wonderful thread of images, but I thought RMwebbers might be interested in a new exhibition being held in one of the new (though vacant) retail units at Hull Paragon Station on the History of East Yorkshire's railways. Details here. I have no involvement, but I will stick my head in at some point. That said, the absence of Forty Steps Halt on their map doesn't inspire huge confidence... CoY

There is a train of thought on the NYMR that the teak coaches give around 20 years between major overhaul, when compared with just 10 years between major overhaul for Mk1's. The reason? Metal corrodes, rusts and needs patch replacement much more regularly then well looked after, thoroughly varnished teak. The more restored teaks the LNERCA can outshop for the NYMR, the more Mk1's can be removed from service for overhaul, and given that the Mk1's overhaul cycle is 2:1 in favor of a teak, it makes sense to coordinate a bit more of an effort on the NYMR toward the restoration of the LNERCA's teaks in the long run. Heritage coaches are absolutely a USP and if marketed properly can more than bring in a premium return on the investment of restoring them. There are some really good heritage carraige blogs on line, and my favourite are: LNERCA LNER (SVR) Coach Fund Great Western (SVR) Association NNR Carriage & Wagon Blog WSR Heritage Carriages Project Sling some of these a few quid every month and we may just have some more pre-nationalisation stock to enjoy over the coming years. CoY (Fully paid-up LNERCA member)

Hawksworth County