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I've been having a McRat evening tonight, with my collection of these Heljan models now standing at 11 Class 26's & 4 Class 27's.

 

P1190642.JPG

May I offer some advice..

https://www.rentokil.co.uk/rats/how-to-get-rid-of-rats/

:-)

It’s a lovely collection, though I don’t think I ever saw so many in one place at the same time, not even at Christmas or at VicBerrys.

There’s quite a lot of differences, indeed apart from the fact they have similar nose ends, there isn’t much that is the same.

I read often suggestions that, each time the real D9016 comes into ownership issues that a suggestion is to convert it into a DP2, when I think converting a class 50 into a DP2 maybe much cheaper and simpler. But really why, would be my thought..DP2 is just a different shape of class 50, other than shape that it adds no value historically, as it was a successful proof of concept. The others that weren’t are far more historically interesting as they represent something lost.

Back to DP2, the Heljan DP2 is a fine model, however Bachmann offer both the prototype Deltic (via the NRM), and the production class 55’s at a similar price to DP2 so it’s easier (and much more abundant) to buy one of them and save yourself the work of conversion, unless you just feel like the challenge.

4D-003-008 Dapol OO CL.52 D1023 'WESTERN FUSILIER' BR MAROON SML Y/ENDS

I have two of these, since release, no issues at all. (Though neither are carrying the number D1023).

I’ve 9 Westerns, has 2 niggles.., I discovered a while back that the different chassis are not always interchangeable as the screw fittings are different, and 1 Western runs slowly on DC, no idea why. It works fine just slower than the rest in both directions.

Hornby's quote is certainly open to interpretation.

My interpretation was, another year, another CEO. Feels like the first thing every CEO does at Hornby is find an excuse to blame for poor sales figures and missing targets in the current year, is to blame a policy of the predecessor, so he is covered at next years EOY accounts and buys him more time.

I’d more forgiving if a new CEO arrived and said “Here is a turnaround plan in line with a new strategy and needs x amount of time to implement it”... but I have never seen that, which makes me think there’s a bit of a struggle with grappling the problem by each new CEO.

Excuses since 2013: The Olympics, Sanda kan, the ERP system, European and Direct sales and now 2017 the holding back of discounts.

Similarly we’ve had Martin, Ames, Cooke, Johnson.. thats a lot of CEO turnover in a short period.

My opinion, Hornby is too big to support its business. It can increase prices but it’s got to face up to its costs, as growth just isn’t there at the levels needed. It’s of note that Oxford Rails prices are substantially lower than Hornby’s.. Oxfords Radial is £105 vs Hornby’s £140..yet Oxford seems to be doing ok at a lower price point across the entire range, my assumption is Oxford can do Hornby’s job at much lower costs.

A W or a Z would probably be more up Kernows street to produce.

And I think they would do well with it.

A P2 was only successful because of the euphoria over the launch of 2007 being constructed, and is probably a good long term bet. Interestingly the service sheet shows a streamlined front end moulding to the weight.. so a future variant there has obviously been considered. If they had announced a P2 instead of a rebuilt MN back in 2000.. there would have been much head scratching by modellers, marketing and accountants.

One thing no one has mentioned yet..,

There is nothing stopping Hornby making a working pan in 2018...

Never say never.

If the plastic pan causes the model to fail to sell, then they know the solution.

Thing is..l I bet it will sell so they won’t have to, and can kick that can down the road for another day.

Design clever may have a future, in times of crisis, make something you can sell, at a cost that works at a price the market can afford, you can always upgrade in the future.

Who knows one day 71000 may have fully working valve gear, and the thousands they sold before will end up binned..Hornby gets two bites at the cherry.

This could be partially why some many times “release 2”..of a model fails to sell... there is no upgrade so everyone keeps version 1.

If it’s perfect first time, you don’t get a second time... business is business, the hobby is their business, but we forget as their business is a hobby to us.

They tried that in the 1980s with an InterCity 86 & blue-grey Mk3's & apparently they sold poorly.

They are all unnumbered, shipped with self attach nameplates, looking on ebay there aren’t many nameplate glue disasters out there either.

Sell what separately? The extra bits provided in the models?

 

They probably cost pennies to provide so I can't see the problem.

 

 

 

Jason

Therefore it doesn’t matter if the user never adds them, but it’s a value add to those who do.

So if it costs nowt to add them, why take them away ?

But then they would probably lose the sales to people that do want them. 

 

Can't win, can they?   

 

 

 

Jason

Technically I'd say neither - to some extent the Hornby one is sitting a fraction high and the Bachmann one a bit low - combine this with Bachmann faceplate being short at 31.4mm and the Hornby one tall at 32.1 when they both should be 31.83mmThere is something else going on though for the difference when coupled looks a lot more than the 0.7mm it measures out at. Time for more measuring of gnat's whiskers...The Hornby one at first glance looks the better though.

Same offset is true for Hornby and Bachmann.

Surprising given the history of the Replica one, I would have thought it fits Bachmanns profile better, but that’s not the case.

This cross-breeding of Mark 1's is going to end in tears (of laughter), mark my words....

 

First

 

Bachby or Hornmann

 

Now

 

Replornby or Hornica

 

 

Notice the “trim” line effect when you have two manufacturers the same next to each other.

Not quite as apparent when you mix and match

Take note of the cab forward windows..

No massive plastic lump in the cab

... a lot of other manufacturers could learn from this..

Despite my protestations, it looks like I got caught out on my own preorders today as 4 blue greys accidentally arrived, two TSOs, BSO and the FO.

I put it alongside my Replica Railways FO, and surprised how dead on these two were, indeed the Replica FO, if it had flush glazing may actually have taken the lead off of the Hornby one.

Hmm..

So I took the challenge here..

I’ve just dismantled my latest R4715 Hornby CK to component parts. (I left the push fit windows, buffers and gangways in)

It took me 80 seconds to completely assemble a Mk1 coach and put it in the box.

It’ll be on ebay later (as I bought it to strip out the lighting unit and bogies for another coach).

It’s worth pointing out new Mk1’s are much easier to assemble than Margate ones, which were a 3 piece body (2 separate sides and a roof, which fitted into grooves under the roof and in the frame, which then was clip fitted into the vestibule ends and a bit delicate to handle), then after this is done there are two screws to put in... the Chinese ones as you saw then, require no tools.

That makes my assembly rate at 40 coaches per hour.

You'll most likely be revelling in the notoriety.... 

Tried being famous, but i’m too lazy, but it’s easy to be infamous.

Here’s a line drawing specifically referencing the 5000 batch for the North African theatre..

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/United_States_Army_Transportation_Corps_class_S100

Note the drawing refers to 48” centres, not 54”. But 54” diameter wheels.

There was an artickle I picked up some time ago referring to the NA campaign and locos being diverted there, and later not required, where the reference to US vs European config was referred to i’ll See if I can dig it out.

Outside chance I may see GRanite Rock 10 in December.

Here’s it at Watsonville in service condition (note air pumps,which presumably is a post war US requirement), it’s also oil fired.

These are from 1946, so immediately post war.

http://archive.graniterocktools.com/img/content/museum/steam_engines/engine_10.jpg

http://archive.graniterocktools.com/img/content/museum/1940-1949/army_surplus_steam_engine_2.jpg

This is its sadder looking sister today..#5014.

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/D1JB3G/old-railroad-steam-engine-in-former-gold-mining-boomtown-turned-ghost-D1JB3G.jpg

Crowd funded DJ 71’s now £109 at Hattons...

http://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/3094212/1000588/1000672/0/DJ_Models_Dave_Jones_OO_Gauge_1_76_Scale_Electric_locos/prodlist.aspx

£30 off rrp, £16 less than Kickstarter price.

Just ordered the GFYE E5010, takes my fleet to 5 class 71’s and the only variant so far not duplicated by Hornby.

Now available at Hattons for £109

http://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/3094212/1000588/1000672/0/DJ_Models_Dave_Jones_OO_Gauge_1_76_Scale_Electric_locos/prodlist.aspx

Yer man's probably been reading this thread....

I live in fear that one of mine ends up in this thread :-)

Blue SYP for me..., groan i’d Be up to 10 Westerns then.

I appreciate I went round the houses on that post :-)

I initially thought it was wrong and that the numbers, whilst larger Scottish type, were too high.

Then I also found another picture that was correct.

I was a bit surprised to find that in a period of 10years this loco had 4 different styles of repaint. And been caught on camera ex works each time.

Looking at its allocation history it seems to have moved around a bit too.

I wonder if this one was a works queen.

Either way i’m Changing my mind about this one.. a Scottish Black 5, with large numbers, that ended up allocated in London in such style...it’s growing on me.

Some mistake surely? All those 70's modellers need buses to go on their bridges and a LN perfectly fits the bill

Standing by this bridge with a handful of other photographers, this guy drives up, stops winds his window down and says why is everyone standing by this bridge with cameras ?

This guy responds... “We are waiting for Lord Nelson” at which everyone nods their heads.

The guy in the car looks puzzled and says “you guys from the flat earth society or something, Nelsons been been dead 200 years” and drove off.

Well ain’t you a pretty little thing...

Comparing my Hornby’s to my Bachmanns, I found Hornby’s is wider and shorter, Bachmanns being taller and slimmer.

Gut feel, from looking at it, is Hornby has the better shape profile.

For continuity, I bought an older Hornby Mk1 buffet, this is longer in length (about 4-6mm !) and but holds pretty much the same shape as the recent sk/bsk/so ( I tried to swap chassis from an SK to put with the buffet but it’s a no go, so I swapped the lighting unit and bogies instead) and it sits lower & closer to profile of the new ones as a result.

I now have a 6 coach rake in maroon, BSK/SK/SK/RMB/CK/BSK all with the same Hornby lighting kit and bogies.

The buffet is the odd one out because of the window edges, but it sits better than the Bachmann one, in colour, height and profile when in a Hornby rake, i’m hoping Hornby’s 2018 range will fix this properly.

Overall I think Hornby did a good job with the New Mk1, it might have moulded fittings but it is very nice, however personally Bachmann/Hornby don’t match.. a Mk1 shape is exactly that..when you look down a train consisting of mk1’s..its very straight and true, along the roofline, gutterline and sole bar it’s very uniformal.. it’s not a mix match of different heights and widths...unless it’s a train of mixed Mk1/2and anything else...colour is a different topic, except for roof deterioration of colours, in the days of blue and grey there was much less interpretation...standard means standard.

Here’s a video I did of a Peckett pulling 8 last year... it’s got everything in it.. old Hornby, New Hornby and Bachmann.. it’s easy to tell which is which, when really I shouldn’t be able to:

My recommendation would be to buy a full rake because together it looks a very good set but not to mix match Manufacturers, unless your mix matching different coach versions (Mk1/2 etc).

A few “engine sheds” ago Hornby referred to a “Big H”, but the latest collectors club refers to a “Big surprise”.

I think it’s been sussed that a Lord Nelson is one, but is an LN a “Big H” ?.

I’m thinking the SECR 01.. do Bluebell types refer to this as a big H ?..it’s certainly bigger than a H, and has a H boiler..there is a hint that an O1 is on the cards out there.

Could be both.. a 4-Big and an O1 :-)