Hobby

4 minutes ago, spamcan61 said:

How many times have Hornby gone bankrupt or near as dammit in the last 50 years though?

So they should stop all thoughts of trying new markets and concentrate on 00 and nothing else... Another way to go bust i suppose when that market gets saturated and there's no longer any profit in it...

10 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Why isn't there a TT-120 replacement for the rock bottom starter sets in 00? (currently start around £80)

Priorities I expect. Large express engine sets have more pulling power than the sort of set you suggest. However Hornby have indicated that small tank engines will be coming along in due course and so that sort of set will appear. 

56 minutes ago, rogerzilla said:

the space issue mainly applies to homes with children taking up the bedrooms, so layouts need to be packed away.

29 minutes ago, TomE said:

Or the limited market size for a smaller scale in the UK has already been fullfilled by N and TT will find itself trying to fill a gap that doesn’t really exist. 

It's interesting re home (not house!) size, I suspect that N never took off in Eastern Europe simply because TT was there first and N offered no real advantages and TT had the advantage of being less fiddly. I've been in a few of the old Eastern Bloc blocks of flats and they are pretty close to modern UK housing sizes, i.e. "compact"!

Now N has never really been pushed hard in the way 00 was pushed, i.e. train sets, size advantage in modern homes, etc. Yes there's been some stuff  about it's size advantage over 00 in the enthusiasts market, probably starting off with CJF's N scale plans booklets, but when did Bachmann play that card? Most marketing has been rehashing 00 into smaller spaces which is fine if you want an Inglenook or branch terminus but not if you like to see stuff running or have kids which do the same. From what I can see that market is exactly where Hornby are aiming themselves, someone (adults and children) without the room for 00 and want to see stuff running and there's simply no competition from N as it's mainly aimed at enthusiasts like people on here.

2 minutes ago, Ravenser said:

 

Local advice from Murphalp is that TT is actually number two in Eastern Europe, and in Poland and Russia iit runs HO surprisingly close

I'd agree with that, I've visited many model shops in Eastern Europe and its noticeable that TT outstrips N in all of them and is not far short of H0.

Thanks for the clarification, John, but the tone of your earlier reply suggests otherwise! But I will take the above at face value! :)

But still we see some new developments with kerbs, that video shows just why that's a bad idea and as Boxbrownie points out it's not just disabled people that suffer. Shame, at this early stage, that the various companies could not work together on this.

4 minutes ago, Ravenser said:

Phase 2 can be seen as the 2023  TT-120 programme. It amounts to a Stanier Pacific, a 50, 66, HST power cars 4 LMS coaches and some wagons

 

Phase 3 amounts to a 9F, a 37 and a 47 on the loco front. The Mk2 and Mk3 coaches seem to be at the front end of this Phase , and are arguably where the serious financial risks start. This looks like the 2024 TT Programme .Again - manageable, though it would be a very big year in new tooling for an N gauge manufacturer

 

Phase 4 is said to be the 31, a Castle, a 57xx and a J94. Coaches are probably LNER Gresleys and more Mk1s (4 coaches) Given that none of that is likely before 2025 , I'm slightly surprised Heljan have walked away from TT-120 this morning - their 31 ought to have been available 18 months ahead of any Hornby one

 

Talk of Black 5s, Britannias, 73s, EMUS , etc etc belongs to 2026 and beyond.

I'm not convinced that your dates can be set in stone like you seem to think they are. Hornby have said that they've been developing the range for 5 years, that's a lot of time just for what has been announced at the initial launch. I feel that the later phase stuff will come a lot quicker than you anticipate.

But like you, I don't know, just guessing.

15 minutes ago, Legend said:

1. Now the dust has settled

 

2. TT120 isn't halfway between OO and N in the way Tri-ang TT was, it is actually smaller than old TT and closer to N. Therefore, is it too small for me?

 

1. We wish!!! 

2. Perhaps you need to look at the other threads on the TT120 section of the forum to answer that one. There's one which compares sizes and it is substantially larger than British N, both stock and buildings. I'd agree it's not halfway between the British scales, though it is half way between H0 and N 1:160! I can see where Simon was coming from with that comment because if he'd said HO instead of 00 not many people would have understood outside the enthusiasts.

Blimey, you really hate Hornby, don't you!

He's not the only one... It would be a useful thread without it. You have to wade through the negatives to find the useful stuff, as others have said.

(To A1600's post)

31 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Odd to see a disabled chap volunteering for added difficulty and cost. Most public chargers are tethered (with cable/connectors) which would be so much easier than trying to open the car boot, manhandle the unwieldy cable and try to connect both ends. Also, this is a slow charger and costs a considerable £1 per kWh. With very little thought/guidance he could charge so much quicker, easier and cheaper.

Surely the point is that there should be a standard!! Perhaps others were not available to him at the time. Motability are plugging EVs like there's no tomorrow at the moment, to the detriment of other, more suitable, cars so his comments are very useful for those with certain disabilities. Having a shorter cable is fine, until you need the longer one!

2 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Which is OK if what they are making lines up with your interests, or you don't much care what they make so long as it's big and green with nameplates. 

The later phases seem to indicate many locos without nameplates or big or green... I will just have to exercise some patience as all but one I want are on the lists...

No patience these days... Even if they produced everything at once I couldn't afford it all! I got by with a limited selection when i started out, and over the years in my narrow gauge modelling, so I'm sure i can cope with it! I feel sad for those of you who can't and use it as an excuse, though! ;)

14 minutes ago, Nile said:

No SR listed in the catalogue, even in phases 3,4 and beyond.

From the website, give them chance, they haven't even listed all the Phase 3 and 4 locos yet!

"While we cannot share details of forthcoming products, Hornby TT:120 is here to stay and we have at least 5 years of products either being developed or planned."

Why? TT is 1:120, always has been, British is TT3 and outside us enthusiasts isn't very well known... At least if anyone does accidentally buy some old Triang stuff it will still run on the track!

1 minute ago, philsandy said:

I have misunderstood this. I incorrectly assumed that this Hornby launch of TT was 3mm/ft. 

No problem, then I'd have agreed wholeheartedly with you, but they've gone with the rest of the world!

What struck me was it was the small things most of us wouldn't even think about that caused problems, that flip up cover on the plug socket being a prime example.

26 minutes ago, Flying Pig said:

but those predicting the demise of everything else are being extemely premature.

Who are they, I must have missed those posts?! (BTW I agree with you, just interested!)

29 minutes ago, Gilloverland said:

Hopefully we'll get more announcements at the likes of Warley?

I would hope we'll get to see the real things as it's close to Christmas which is where they are aiming their "set" sales at.

25 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Can you quantify “most” who you are speaking for ?
1000, 6000, 20,000, or a few to a dozen ?

Nope, same as you couldn't say how many of the more obscure models will have followers, but for the initial launch the locos supplied look a sensible selection to enable the scale to get off the ground. Phase 2 takes it a bit further, as to the next phases. It's unlikely that any manufacturer would set out right at the beginning to completely duplicate the existing range of locos in another scale, if Hornby had done I feel the criticism they have received from many people would have been justified, as it is they've done the sensible thing.

15 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Although, I think the actual timing of phases 3 and 4 will be very much decided by how quickly phases 1 and 2 sell through. 

 

However, unfulfilled supply of a completely new scale is likely to lead to customers thinking it'll be a habit and binning the idea at the get-go.

First bit I'd agree with, the second is pure speculation, we simply don't know what the future holds.

12 minutes ago, RateTheFreight said:

I might have missed it in the previous 30 odd pages but has anyone any thought as to the lack of Southern region locos or stock mentioned in any of the initial phases of launch? 

Someone mentioned it, I think there's some in phase 4.

8 minutes ago, philsandy said:

Pleeeese don't tell me it is 12mm?

Why on earth wouldn't it be 12mm gauge? 

1 minute ago, adb968008 said:

Said with such conviction, .. because in OO I can have the whole lot in one go

Why would I wait a few decades for TT ?

You may not, but most of us will be satisfied with the phase 1 to 4 stuff initially, I don't know or want any of the more obscure stuff, thanks...

2 minutes ago, Gilloverland said:

I hope this is a move Heljan come to regret; they would have been better focusing on something Hornby is not - TT120 Garrett anybody?

Perhaps not as obscure but yes I'd agree with you... Though it does make me think that their involvement was only half-hearted and they hadn't done all that much development as if they'd done a lot they'd have switched prototypes to, say, a class 24 or 5...

2 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

thats where I think this will stall. I cant imagine the BR130 Ludmilla is an annual favourite in the TT range at this point.

Bit early to say things with such conviction, they've only just launched... Or do you want the whole lot in one go?! :)

Just now, 'CHARD said:

Perhaps we're expecting distance shots of beaming families around a slightly out-of-focus table-top layout with one of the launch sets in view, an updated version of the 1960s classic style? 

Or just drawings/paintings of the new stock which is what I remember of Triang 60s catalogues! ;)

4 minutes ago, 'CHARD said:

What did strike me throughout was how unscripted it all felt, which whilst perhaps endearing for its lack of polish, also conveyed a sense of slight unpreparedness as 'big reveals' go.

Or someone who's enthusiastic but not that good in front of the camera, he came across like that in the Hornby TV series as well. Personally I prefer it as you will have gathered in my reply above, it marks out someone who's keen on their subject but also human, unlike Apple presentations...