ruggedpeak

You may be identifying a different meaning of arbitrary than I am.  Nothing in your factors you have listed should exclude offering a 9 car 390010 named the commonwealth games 2002, 390045 Virgin Valiant etc as one of your options.  When I ordered a 9 car set I assumed that that I the odds were 10/51 for any single unit to be chosen and since I would be happy with about 60% of the name options for a 9 car set and OK with half the rest the chances of only having a choice of something I didn't particularly want is less than 10%. Given you are only doing current options and a 60/40 split I have an 85.7% of being lumbered with something I don't want. Being an engineer I did bother to estimate the risks on name number - on what was said at the point of ordering a 10% risk was acceptable.  Consider this, if this was a model of an A4 would you think it odd if the only options were the final livery and final names? (and of course not having 4469 as an option)

So as an engineer you arbitrarily decide on a different meaning of a word but don't define it. You then make a large and pretty fundamental assumption, waltz off into some alleged 'risk' calculations that are not entirely clear, before coming to the conclusion that you are almost certainly going to be unhappy.

Given that you only have a 14.3% chance of being happy, ask Revolution to transfer your 9 car order to me (I assume it's just one and at the Kickstarter pricing) and refund you, and I'll pay the deposit so that none of us have to suffer any longer. If its DCC version then hopefully Revolution can alter the order to DC.

Or just be pleased that we are getting N gauge Pendo's with a manufacturer who is willing to be innovative and look at new ways of pleasing their customers by offering additional choice.

It's that bl88dy Russell Brand again, telling people not to vote!

Of course his latest book is called "Revolution", spooky or what!

Voted.

Nice bit of interactivity.

On a totally separate point have I missed a ban on modeling vehicles which have been involved in a fatal accident. I have had a Farish City of Glasgow and a Hornby Spitfire which where the main causes of the Harrow and Lewisham crashes. Or is it to avoid potential legal claims?

Or may be just common decency given this fatal incident occured as recently as 2007? UPDATE - Ben has answered as I was typing. I'm with Ben. The relatives of the deceased may still be coming to terms with it, unlike those incidents which were a very long time ago. And renumbering isn't difficult for those who need to have that train for whatever reason.

As far as I am aware it's the first time anyone has offered customers the chance to democratically choose the models that are produced, and none of us really know what to expect.  If I am honest I am surprised that the majority of the posts today have seemed a little negative - I find myself wondering whether people prefer, in reality, the benevolent dictatorship which chooses models and offers them as a fait accompli!

I'm afraid offering too much choice will be received negatively. That's life, a lesson I learnt when I had my own business and tried to be helpful/offer choice. It bites you on the backside. Business needs to be a benevolent dictatorship or it quickly gets out of control. Democracy and business are not easy bedfellows. Steve Jobs didn't become massively successful by letting his customers have a vote, he gave them what he wanted, and charged extra for often inferior kit that looked shiny! (not suggesting this is a model to follow)

Offering choice after the fact gets the "If I'd known I wouldn't have....." statements as above. This is despite the fact that some of those making them hadn't actually thought about it or raised it until you offered them the choice. Had you just sent a randomly numbered Pendolino they'd have been as happy as larry.....

The digital version has now been available for a week or two and was going to sig up but seems little point at present if none of the models are available (not the ones I am after anyhoo) and presumably no sign of mags?

Curious about exclusive info etc with launch of Engine Shed blog.

Have any existing members had any mags etc since January?

Which one will I buy now, will it be the DJ or the Hornby version. Decisions, decisions ?????

 

Just wait for the magazine reviews. Oh wait.....

Because they think people will buy it at £159.99 if they didn't it would be priced ve found out the Hornby model is priced to come in £10 less than Hattons. Surprise surprise. No doubt it's costed to the penny. What cynical.......moi Isn't the Hattons one around that price?

Is that a ladder propped against the wire, with the train running past?

And the four aspect on the nearest line is amber - is it still running?

It's OK, they got hi viz on so it's all fine

Couple of pics including 92 and Greenenergy wagons on the banner at the top of this webpage on GBRf website - wait for it to scroll.

http://www.gbrailfreight.com/services/petrochemicals/

What determines that maximum length?

Jason

I'd agree with GW. I can only surmise, but consider the following observations (as a commuter) on the Great Eastern line towards Liverpool Street:

Container trains run to/from Harwich/Felixstowe towards the North London line, through Stratford, even at rush hour. This route requires them to approach Stratford on the Fast Down line, so they normally pass through plaforms 10 or 10a (bi directional)(platform 9 is the Fast Up). They have to wait for a path across the mainline to the NLL, a traverse that passenger services don't make. Passenger services pass the freights on the other platform. This limits the length of the train to the length of those loops, as the blocking of the busy main line out of Liverpool Street would not be acceptable. Platform 10a's loop runs from the western end of the platform (immediately before a junction) up to where the 10 and 10a lines merge in Maryland Station to the east. No idea what the length is, but the freight must fit within it to allow the Norwich fast trains (Class 90 and DVT) and other GE services mainline through.

Passenger services take priority, and the freight must not interfere as passenger delays lead to rail companies paying compensation, which will be clawed back from NR.

In addition there are other loops. It is common for a London bound 66 and containers to be sat in platform 1 at Witham station awaiting a path in the early evening. Witham has pasing loops on both up and down of specific lengths. I surmise that the freights cannot exceed these in case of a problem, as again compensation is payable were a freight to fail and block the line if it was too long to fit in a loop. If margins are thin no operator wants a bill for thousands of grumpy commuters! And the GE is not the most reliable line.......

Our rail system operates close to capacity, so long trains that block junctions etc would have a disproportionate adverse impact on network operations.

 are there any copyright issues in posting the actual images on here?

No, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:From_station,_Dawlish,_England-LCCN2002696649.jpg,

scroll down for licencing

Great post, thanks. Have a non-TTS Railroad 40 in a box that was bought cheap for upgrading, so this is all useful stuff.

TTS is a great concept. Got a TTS 37 which will be upgraded and repainted as a Europhoenix 37 when I have time to order or get commissioned the transfers.

Perfect model for this sort of thing. Hornby have a great concept in TTS

Hello Rugged Peak,

 

Thanks for your note.

 

N is our primary focus, and we don't know that much about the OO market, so we don't want to get sidetracked for the time being. Once the N model is underway then we will look seriously at OO.

 

Mike and I are both wary of over stretching ourselves and we feel that limiting it to the TEA in N for now is good way of testing our concept in a manageable way.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

No problem, look forward to seeing the N gauge version. 

And then the OO gauge version!

Hello all,

 

Once we have got the N Gauge one underway we are seriously looking at offering the model in OO too; since we have done the research and we made a point of getting permission for both scales from VTG, Greenergy et al.

 

The difficulty is that Mike and I are not familiar with 4mm, so we would need a bit of guidance as to what the demand might be and what the balance is between detail/feature expectations and cost.  Having said that, Rapido have personnel who do know the OO market very well indeed.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

Gents, I would guess the 4mm demand will be considerably greater than the 2mm, but it is a guess.

Why not add an OO gauge expression of interest page too, even if it explains that N is the initial priority? I'd have thought a nice 3 pack matched to relevant loco liveries would be a seller?

37264

20+ years ago I got a Frizinghall Model Railways respray of this one as I loved the Scottish large logo 37's. Can still remember the postie arriving with it. Back then a respray was something exotic! Still have the model and remains pride of my fleet. 

Didn't see the real thing until last October when we visited the NYMR!

I've just joined this club, and recirved absolutely nothing at all... Not even an email.

 

 

Then I contacted them, to ask if that's right... And heard nothing.

 

Then I logged into my account to find it had been locked out...

 

Anyone else had this ?, my credit card got charged though.

Well it would appear something has gone wrong as they paid for back cover advertising for the Club on at least one magazine for 2 consecutive months.

At the risk of being negative I'd be asking my credit card company for a chargeback. No point speculating what has happened (have a few good guesses though!) but this is poor.

My renewal date came and went and not a peep. Which is a shame. This is where Mr Southworth or someone needs to put their head above the parapet and provide some sort of update. Perhaps they've just decided to focus on shifting product as there are some good new models coming through? If so please communicate.

Has Bachmann ever mentioned doing a MN in 00? 

No.

Got 8 pages out of it so far though, with references to cigarettes, North Korea and the Godfather!

As the OP on this thread I am pleased to report I now have one

My local model shop had sold out, so came from TMS.

Very impressed, great product for the price. Good work Hornby.

Note to Hornby - customer waiting to renew with the Digital club membership. Any timescale please?

Also looking to order at least one of the club loco's.

Do Virign own the trademark etc for the Traindeer scheme, a special livery would be nice, rather than standard VT verions......

They will definitely have the copyright to it, I'd buy a 5 car Traindeer set if it were available (at the Kickstarter price, obviously!)

I think that would sell well in retail too as it has the "ooo" factor and taps into pester power with the kids. Perfect for Dad to show kids, who can then do the hard work on Mum....

Maybe Rapido are saving that for themselves?

Their main wriggle is, of course the fact that as they hadn't taken your money, a valid contract to purchase didn't exist.

"Your order is an offer to Amazon to buy the product(s) in your order. When you place an order to purchase a product from Amazon, we will send you an e-mail confirming receipt of your order and containing the details of your order (the "Order Confirmation E-mail"). The Order Confirmation E-mail is acknowledgement that we have received your order, and does not confirm acceptance of your offer to buy the product(s) ordered. We only accept your offer, and conclude the contract of sale for a product ordered by you, when we dispatch the product to you and send e-mail confirmation to you that we've dispatched the product to you (the "Dispatch Confirmation E-mail")."

Wow, just wow. Well done Ben & Mike.

Although we are sold out of our original stock, the Hornby Trade site is showing we have more due to arrive this month. Should be the same for other retailers.

Thanks - shame you don't do mail order yet.

And glad you are getting stock that sells through quickly!

Agree Claude, too much typing and not enough thinking.

The point of the project was to deliver a full length model of a Pendolino in N Gauge. Technically until that appears in my grubby mitts it has not succeeded. At this point it is getting the funding to a level where it can move into actually producing the model. Which is fairly important, and has been achieved. Does it matter who's layout a Pendo ends up on and how much they paid? Not that I can see.

Plan B may impact a bit on that, but until the KS finished we won't know. No doubt commercial decisions will be made as a result and we will see.

But the simple fact is Ben and Mike are about to achieve a critical milestone in a project where others in the past have failed. And, their comms has been excellent, so although we are wondering about a few details we know that we will know the full monte in a matter of hours. Something others would do well to note. And this has to continue during the design and production phase, and I'm sure it will.

It is all part of the next few years in UK railway modelling that is going to be very exciting. Game on!

Personally Im a bit disappointed that Rapido are to step in to ensure it works. It harms all future crowdfunding projects in that it will dissuade people from pledging as 'sure the manufacturer will step in at the end so I dont need to pledge'

 

As someone who is seriously looking into creating a project for a very niche market (Neither N scale or British outline) this is not good. Im aware that despite Rapidos enthusiasm for a lot of things, they did not take this step out of the goodness of their hearts either. Its a serious business decision at the end of the day

I'm afraid that is nothing more than speculation - is there any real evidence it harms future projects? None that I can see. If there is then the other thread would be a good place to provide it.

Of course it's a business decision, Rapido are a business and it suits them. And Ben and Mike have done an exceptional job of:

1) getting a model made that would not have otherwise got done

2) raised money for charity

3) generated considerable interest in modern N gauge

4) provided a huge amount of learning for those who want to understand the dynamics of the N guage market, the wider model rail market and the role of crowdsourcing etc.

This is a hugely positive project that helps drives the hobby forward and pushes the boundaries. I am staggered people are griping about it. And I have no vested interest, as stated earlier in this thread I am a OO modeller who is keen to support great new initiatives and loves a bargain - 9 car model for £255, what's not to like! On the flip side, plan B removes the certainty of making a few quid from the models that the Kickstarter provided. But it was fairly obvious to me at least there would be a plan B, and the plan B proposed is a good one. Orders may get adjusted as a result but they know that. I'd prefer a lockout period where Rapido can't sell for a while but that probably doesn't work for them. The price differential between Kickstarter and not will be important. Kickstarters will need to feel they are getting a good deal. But I will be buying some anyway.

As for Rapido, it isn't rocket science, they are looking to move into the UK market and are doing things that make a big statement. This and the APT-E are exactly that. So what, why not? That's how we get innovation and a better modelling experience. And, from my perspective it pretty much guarantees a top drawer model delivered on time. In the current climate if Rapdio fail to deliver on a high profile crowd sourced project they will be undoubtedly and rightly crucified! So a huge win for Rapdio (and Ben & Mike and us) if they deliver, a huge fail if they don't, and their UK foray may struggle to gain traction. The risk and pressure is on Rapido, especially as they snuck the deal from DJM. Nothing like a bit of pressure to get results!

I read on another thread that Bob was the Bob from Eames of Reading. Just wanted to wish him well, as a kid I used to get a DMU on the Redhill to Reading line most Saturdays up to Reading, walk down the hill to Eames, spend a while perusing the shop, buy something and then either go spotting at Reading Station or shopping in the town.

If I remember correctly Bob also regularly attended a massive GWR 4mm layout in Crowthorne, Berks, run by an ex-GWR chap. Myself and a friend ran the starting fiddle yard one evening a week for a while. I think we were the only teenagers there! This was a pukka layout with full timetable, speeded up clock, signal bells, interlocked signals and points etc. Bob would also attend and we'd get a discount on anything from Eames. It appears another member of the team is on RMW http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/78357-large-garage-layout/I am pretty certain Pendennis was the layout.

If it is the same Bob, then I wish him well in his retirement.