Clearwater

Wasn't there a craftsman or NuCast 36xx kit?

You may be right. But they’d need to produce a premium model to persuade people to ‘upgrade.’ And the other manufacturers have weaker brand appeal. The MN is more attractive but in both cases if I was a manufacturer looking at options, I’d worry that Hornby would flood the market with ‘rail road’ versions depriving me of sales. With the large diesel classes like the 31/37, perhaps less risk. I’d think a retooled original BoB /`WC would be more tempting to both H and competitors. The names of shipping lines are passing from popular memory. The BoB much less so.

Under current management, Hornby seem commercial/collector as opposed to modeller orientated. Therefore, there is highly unlikely to be prototypes from unnamed freight only classes that only certain levels of experts can identify. I’d see this ruling out whatever ex-lner J classes or ex-MR 0-6-0s. I also feel it rules out prototypes withdrawn prior to 1950. Much as I’d love to seen a Claughton, the only way I see that is as a Bachmann/rails/NRM style collaboration (cf City’s, precedents albeit originals of those class exist). I’d also note the presence of some of the Thompson Pacifics in the large retailer bargains list… I also agree that a large chunk of the tooling budget will have been spent on TT. I don’t see 8F retools or MN retools. They’ll know how much new sales the retools of A3, 9F and `black 5 achieve. I reckon A3 is a predictable year in year out seller. But I’m less sure of 9f new sales. Comments here seem to be, I have x Bachmann ones. This one is not so much better I must change. I can’t see why the same wouldn’t be true on 8Fs or MN. so what do they do? more nostalgia: eg Dublo castle, A4 livery (to complement coronation st?) railroad versions of Class 50, Deltics. tie-ins: 6027 King Charles III. An obvious choice with a recent tooling to get value from. Poss Pendennis / Flying Scotsman 1923 exhibition centenary pack new tools? Gwr Saint seems an obvious choice. Class 81 electric? Any work on latter can feed into either trix or Dublo style future nostalgia packs. David

I share the fascination.the hole in the tank always makes me think of the tinplate era O gauge models that had clockwork keys to wind them up! theres a great old article in a 1970s RM on scratch building a 39xx from plasticard. Beyond my current cad skills, but strikes me would be fairly simple for someone who knew what they were doing to make a 3D body for a 39xx. It’s comparatively flat. With long term midlands modelling ambitions, I’ve always felt I’ll need some of these! david

It is said that if you meet your future self when you're time travelling, you might have a severe existential crisis. I'm sure its the same for our anthropomorphic locos. Would frazzle their DCC chips. David

I'd missed this. I know his posts weren't always to everyone's taste and he could be provocative in his opinions but some of the images he created were remarkable. May he find peace in rest. David

Surely you've already got a KR MOdels Big Bertha on order? I seem to recall she was lent to the GWR for banking duties?? I'm sure you can generate an implausible excuse!!

It would be interesting to understnad whether Wizard has seen any change in order volumes/ sales now they don’t attend shows. However, they are one of the better known brands in this space. Unless I’m mistaken, I don’t think they advertise in the main modelling mags? David

I think there’s little doubt that Bader could frequently be absolutely insufferable and a word that would not pass the mods. War creates a set of circumstances where their talents are valued. Bader was also capable of inspiring people as well as teeing them off. He was self aware enough to be able to use his fame/notoriety to raise money for charity and to raise the profile of disabilities. Barnes Wallis sounds a far more humane person with an equally remarkable career…. Sadly we never got to find out whether Gibson would have grown up and matured. Personally I doubt it. He had quite a traumatic child hood, privileged but not what you’d call stable. However, I’m not sure that you have to be an absolute xxxx to be a successful (junior) war leader. Take Gibson’s successor at 617, Len Cheshire, I know Holden and Martin held command briefly after Gibson. His later career was equally single minded and dedicated but took a very different route to Bader and whilst probably less well known these days than Bader, undoubtedly had a more positive influence on society. As an aside, Cheshire flew on the second atomic bomb raid as the British observer. ‘Sailor’ Malan’s stance against apartheid is also worth noting as a counter example.

Worth reading the Butt report. Summarised on wikipedia: "The report was initiated by Lord Cherwell, a friend of Churchill and chief scientific advisor to the Cabinet. David Bensusan-Butt, a civil servant in the War Cabinet Secretariat and an assistant of Cherwell, was given the task of assessing 633 target photos and comparing them with crews' claims. The results, first circulated on 18 August 1941, were a shock to many, though not necessarily to those within the RAF, who knew the difficulty of night navigation and target finding. Any examination of night photographs taken during night bombing in June and July points to the following conclusions: Of those aircraft recorded as attacking their target, only one in three got within 5 mi (8.0 km). Over the French ports, the proportion was two in three; over Germany as a whole, the proportion was one in four; over the Ruhr it was only one in ten. In the full moon, the proportion was two in five; in the new moon it was only one in fifteen. ... All these figures relate only to aircraft recorded as attacking the target; the proportion of the total sorties which reached within 5 miles is less than one-third. ... The conclusion seems to follow that only about one-third of aircraft claiming to reach their target actually reached it. Postwar studies confirmed Butt's assessment, showing that 49% of Bomber Command bombs dropped between May 1940 and May 1941 fell in open country. As Butt did not include those aircraft that did not bomb because of equipment failure, enemy action, weather or which failed to find the target, only about 5% of bombers setting out bombed within 5 mi (8.0 km) of the target." The Dams raid was, in part a propaganda exercise and also played to the strategic bombing offensives obsession with "panacea" targets (eg Schwienfurt, Ploesti) or Augsburg raids by way of example. 1943 saw the progressive expansion of the pathfinders as a way of addressing the issues highlighted in the Butt report. Not without controversary within Bomber Command (Cochrane of 5 Group was not a fan), but the system did see improvements in accuracy and the development of "area bombing" as a compromise given pinpoint accuracy was, with the technology of the day, not possible. It's stuck in the memory because its a wonderfully romantic story combining what we Brits see as our core qualities of pluck against the odds (both Wallis against officialdom and 617's raid) and striking a devastating blow for freedom encapsulated by a first rate movie with a stirring score coupled to the symbolism of wartime success against the backdrop of 50s austerity suggesting that the sacrifices were all worth it. Richard Todd captured how the audiences wanted to perceive Gibson as an urbane, well spoken and articulate fellow who has the incredibly haunting last line of the film about having not being able to go to bed because he has a lot of letters to write. Whilst Gibson was undoubtedly a brave (extremely) young man (I always find it incredible that he was born the same year as Nelson Mandela), he was definitely not the paragon of virtue that Todd portrayed. Brickhill has a lot to answer for. His portrait of another St Edwards' School pupil who achieved success, Douglas Bader, is equally rose tinted about that legendary figure's character. The film mythologises many aspects of the raid. Incredibly, some were on their first op; they weren't all grizzled veterans. Only one of Gibson's crew had previously flown on ops with him. The spotlight discovery was actually by a couple of technical boffins - though the idea of it being from a show is much sexier. Like other single operation films, it humanises the war and allows us to grasp what was happening in a way that offsets the tragedy of the bigger picture (cf the Great Escape). For a better film portrayal of Gibson, I'd recommend "Appointment in London" starring Dirk Bogarde as W/C Mason. Written by JOhn De Woolidge, former flight commander in 106 Squadron, Gibson's prior command. No coincidence that post raid, Gibson was sent to the States on a lecture tour and used extensively for propaganda purposes at home and abroad. The Richard Morris biography of Gibson is well worth reading for a more rounded view as are the more modern histories of the raid, eg John Sweetman. David

And probably thinking, now there's an idea I can adapt...

and who understands how social media works. Ie more than a tweet or Facebook post but how to actually drive engagement and visitor numbers.

Given Bachmann doesn’t have a direct UK retail arm, unlike Hornby and Hattons, I’d anticipate their sales are mostly at trade prices. Hornby is a mix but Hattons will have a higher proportion than Hornby of retail sales (Though I think Hattons do provide some of their own product to other retailers?). Hornby appear to achieve a far lower NP/sales figure. This suggests a higher cost base. I’ve commented previously that I think there’s value for them in looking properly at pricing. I also think the retailer/manufacturer model will continue to converge so a question of when not if we start to view Hornby in the same vein as Hattons, Rails, Kernow.

thanks for sharing. Some very nice stuff but I can’t help but look at some of these lots and wonder whose pride and joy they were and what layouts they operated on. I’m assuming the original owner have mostly gone to the great railway room in the sky. david

Presumably between Jan and December 1936 to avoid changing your name?

It was really excellent to see this out and operating. I think I enjoyed it more than my 6yo and cast my memory back to the descriptions of the layout and rolling stock in early 1980s Thomas the tank annuals.

£85k, sure but that’s how Hornby’s business model works. They sell comparatively small numbers across a wide range. in this case, it further amortises the tool cost and l, if they’re selling it exclusively, makes both their commissioning margin and sales margin. Selling 500 of these is likely to be better business than selling a larger number of models via other retailers. We also don’t know the extent to which adding 500 to an existing production run but with different paint/box drives efficiency with the factory.

Possible probable I'm misidentifying but this on Warwickshire Railways isn't the Dean tender the Nucast kit comes with? I'd assumed that was a Churchward one. I think the kit is with the tender in the second pic (also from the ever useful Warwickshire Rail)

I'd quite like an Aberdare too. I saw, but never got around to ordering, the reissue of the Armstrong goods though that was with a Dean tender. IIRC, weren't nucast also going to issue the kit with a Churchward tender? David

Also Bill Treacher and Sir David Butler.

I hope in the not too distant future that we’ll all be expanding our collection to include steam railmotors!

I appreciate different producers have different cost bases but I’m surprised that KR’s price here is so much inside that of say Rapido’s Jones Goods or the `Heljan Garrett. With the valve gear here, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see Bertha at a similar price.

being a mere youngster, and a midlander to boot, it took me a fair while to realise that this Brent wasn’t in north London….

Yes - tribalism is both good and bad. Not just the trend to extremism but also the idea that no-one else can possibly be right and you wrong. Seen on the dogmatic left and dogmatic right. If you dare disagree with the hard left in Labour, "you're just a closet Tory" and the purity spiral is immense. Its the same on the right where you nuance and disagreement sees you dismissed as being in league with the devil.

I think you're right that centrists are split across some historic groupings around the three main parties. However, I think there's also an aspect that many of those people come from very different places in terms of class (even in this day and age) and that informs which of those buckets they sit in as much as a cold analysis of political views.