Forester

When you say "New", do you mean New? If a model has sat on a shop shelf for five years, is it really New? If the same model sat on my shelf for five years, you would say it is Used. But quite a few of my models are unused and never taken out of the box, being bought for projects set aside. Yet the "New" models on the shop shelf are often really Used, having been tried in the shop by several propective purchaers. Perhaps what you mean is "pristine unused", like my sad left-on-my-shelf models waiting hopefully their layout will be started, I mean completed. In which case there are vast numbers of suitable available out there being sold by people like me whose project planning far outstrips their ability to build. I buy nearly all my stuff now through eBay, described as "new unused" with plenty of large pictures to check the models are pristine - and have not yet had to return one (which of course you can do whether the seller likes it or not under the eBay buyers guarantee scheme). Now I have at least one railway to run them on, I am unable to distinguish between the ones bought "new" from a model shop and the ones bought on eBay sold on unused by - well, people like me! We live at a time where vast numbers of models are pumped out by ever-increasing numbers of producers to an ever-reducing model fraternity. Probably only a small proportion of those purchases ever get used before they are sold on. Explore the Unused eBay, or similar, market.

In my view Hornby are missing an opportunity here. They should treat Railroad as a stand alone range with its own marketing manager and build up brand loyalty by offering a complete Railroad all-you-need-for-a-simple-layout range including budget rolling stock, buildings, locos all in a chosen compatible era - a sort of big brother of Thomas. Items could cascade down from the main Hornby range, suitably toughened up by removing some of the delicate detail, but there should be no marketing confusion between the two ranges.

Due to graveyard upheaval caused by people turning over, the Bassett-Lowke Steampunk is to be rebranded the Waterman Punk Steam Range.

Forty pounds is more than a "contribution" to the "museum coffers". I won't pay it and I think there'll be serious resistance to this price - and I'm a SECR modeller. They should take soundings from the community before committing to a large volume run.

The Wrenn is not a Merchant Navy but a West Country - and the motor sticks out of the back of the cab!

It would be a reasonable price for a special finish SECR as preserved NRM limited edition model - but not for a plain black one, by a long way.

It's the way the MN body is assembled and glued together so not unless you can unglue it and make a better fit. Never tried and think it unlikely without further damage.

It is normal for the Hornby Rebuilt Merchant Navy - if at the wide end of the normal range. (I have most of them although the majority are body only for identity changes)

Trying to get my head around the fact that Dapol expect to produce their new Manor for an affordable just under £160 but in conjunction with Rails the D class is expected to be an unaffordable "hopefully just under £200". Puzzled.

But todays model railway items don't have a "cost". They have a RRP, an initial discounted price (limited by manufacturers), a general discounted price ( after the period of time specified by manufacturer), a more discounted price (after the major retailers find they can't sell their stock), a sale price ( when they find they Really can't sell their stock), and a Flash Sale price when all else fails. Then there's the internet New Unused (I really didn't need this) Buy it Now price and the internet auction price. It's not as simple as saying "if its too much don't buy it". To what level will any given item descend to before it finally sells out? The higher the Manufacturer's RRP (and this set of releases crashes through all previous price ceilings) the fewer sell on release and the more cascade into the lower price categories. Somehow we modellers have to navigate through all this, or feel stupid for having paid far too much, and having fewer remaining funds to buy anything else.

Please do not shout down discussions about price. It is a perfectly valid discussion point whether an item is or is not likely to sell at the price stated and whether it may be worth waiting for large amounts of unsold stock to be reduced later. Every one of my 2019 purchases were in plentiful supply later at sale prices had I chosen to decline to pay the initial price. Draw your own conclusions about my 2020 purchases.

Not quite. Merchant Navy & West Country nameplates were red and Battle of Britain nameplates blue when built in Southern Railway colours. British Railways ordered black nameplates when they were painted into BR Green. Nameplates started to drift from black back to red (some Battle of Britains into blue and some into red) later in the 1950s. Early rebuilds were black and later rebuilds red. Merchant Navy and West Country nameplates were all in red by the early 1960s Battle of Britain nameplates remained a mix of red, black and blue until withdrawal.

What does Hornby have against MN Series One? Where all the best known shipping lines are. Missed out in the Rebuilt series. The most attractive and distinctive air-smoothed tender in unrebuilt form. How many more Holland-Afrika (who?) Lines do we need?

I just assumed they demoted the new Lode Star to Railroad. Haven't they? ......

Hard to think of a Limited Edition which made money for collectors with a run of more than 1000. These days limited editions which attract collectors are down in the 500 to 750 range. The other cloud on the horizon is whether collectors actually buy "Collectors Editions" any more?

From a Hornby survival point of view this looks like a serious gamble on the Collectors market, don't you think? Apart from the collectors items there's a lot of odd-ball stuff which some people are very excited about but may have a rather restricted market. It will probably sell OK provided they don't make too much of any one item. But there's not a huge amount of bread-and-butter items for the lowly occasional part-time hobby modeller like so many of us. Fair enough, you could say there is plenty already on the market, especially the nearly-new market to keep us going, This feels like Hornby is taking a risk here. If it works it could set them back on the road to financial success. But the collectors will need to bite seriously deeply this year for that to happen. Hope they are right. Fingers crossed for Hornby in 2020.

This is Hornby's plan for the whole 2020s decade. Right?

In this day and age how can they get the BR lining colour so wrong?

I'll pay good money for the sound chip alone. (That's a challenge I set you by the way, Rails!)

I take issue with the assuption that because a class was numerous in service this would be echoed in model purchase numbers. I know of no one who buys locos and rolling stock in proportion to the numbers in actual service. We'd have cupbords full of wagons and minimal locos if we did. While we may smirk at the "impulse" buyers, we all to some extent bias our stock to the things we like the look of - be honest. I'm proud of my fleet of locos, all from those correctly shedded in my area and in condition as in the date I use as a datum, yet there is hardly a BR Standard to be seen, despite the fact they should be there in numbers at that date. I just don't like them. So by all means consider producing the most numerous missing classes - but don't just assume sales figures will be related. People like the occasional rarity. Isn't that why we have the Poll?

I suspect there is an element of: "But it looks too much like the N class which we already produce". In which case why not go for the U1 which is a really interesting looking variation on the U with fewer of the variations people seemed concerned about.

Quite so. The D1 does seem to be pulling clear of the other SE 4-4-0s this year. My impression in previous polls was a closer clustering (maybe you could confirm that - or otherwise). If so, we SE 4-4-0 fans need to get behind the D1 next year. All I'm saying is the demand for a useful BR SE 4-4-0 is stonger than the current split vote suggests and the D class possibly won't satisfy it, nice though a pretty SECR or a (scrapline? does that sound ungrateful? - sorry!) early BR version will be.

The announcement mid-poll of the SECR D class has possibly scrambled the South Eastern 4-4-0 picture. Lovely though the D class addition will be, it didn't survive long enough into BR days to satisfy the needs of BR SR modellers who really need a 4-4-0 from the D1, E1, L, L1 range. The D1 is currently leader in this poll but perhaps we should get behind one or other next year as the vote is currently split between types. Another useful poll. Thanks to the Team.

There's nothing difficult about selling on eBay! It takes a while to get set up if you've not used eBay before, but once you're up and running it takes no time at all to relist if the item doesn't sell first time, or list another item in the same format. You'll receive at least twice as much cash as selling to dealers and probably get enough to build your new layout and collection. I've sold many items on eBay at well above the price I paid (I do keep boxes and look after stuff). The collector buyers are nearly all easy to deal with (unlike some other categories on eBay) and you'll start getting free listing and reduced final value fees once you're seen by eBay as a reliable seller. Don't give stuff to a dealer and then watch him resell at several times the price he gave you.

Delighted to hear your needs are now nearly all satisfied. For the rest of us there are huge areas almost untouched - Scotland, big gaps in the South East to name just two. This year's poll will be as hotly followed and contributed to as ever. We thank the Team and look forward to 14/10/2019 !