classy52

Its a shame Rails aren't also commissioning 37612 as I don't think I've ever seen 37610 & 37612 apart from each other and always on Network Rail duties together....hopefully we'll see 37612 in the future.

11 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

 

Although given I have these from Bachmann I expect their values would plummet!

I wouldn't be to concerned as there could be licensing issues that may prevent Hattons replicating those particular 66's, especially the London Underground pair as they were sold as Limited Editions via the London Transport Museum shop.

Would be a shame not to have a Hattons version of these 66's but we'll just have to live with it if that were to be the case.

1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I have not heard anyone complaining about Hattons customer service. They seem to deal with problems with the minimum of fuss, so it is not like you will get stuck with a faulty model.

 

In regards to my own experiences with Hattons Customer Service they are one of, if not, the best in the business....an absolute pleasure to deal with.

1 hour ago, rob D2 said:

You talk about top end model, but that would start with getting the blinking EWS font right !

functionality wise - all these sound things leave me cold, TBH. I don’t want a user manual to challenge the one that comes with a car , with a model train .

 

But like you say each to their own and it’s a broad spectrum from the Lima 66 to the Hattons .

Yes Hattons have got the EWS font incorrect as it is not the same thickness as the number but too be honest which manufacturer has got anything on a model loco 100% correct?...ok we wait for Accurascale but lets just leave it here on this debate of accuracy.

I've taken the stance that I will avoid purchasing the Hattons 66's which have glaring livery or lighting faults thus based on that I will have about 8 of these that still knock Bachmann for six & at £119 (or less for pre-owned) there isn't any sense in buying the competition.

Now come on Rob, the user leaflet is no more complex than the one from Bachmann or any other manufacturer who does a loco with sound.

12 minutes ago, truffy said:

Totally agree, Rob. Added to that, and not wishing to get into the aural equivalent of a colour space debate, the videos that I’ve seen, sorry, heard, make them sound a bit weak or flat. Dunno, just not the ‘presence’ that I’d expect. And I’m only running DC. So the DC-ready one was a bit of a bargain. 

Trust me the Hattons 66 sound is far from weak or flat, it literally sounds like the real thing parked in your room and I had to turn the sound down before it brought the roof down....it is really that good!

8 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

As the price is now compatible to Bachmann. , it’d be hard to get another Bachmann but I’ll take extreme robustness over detail I think given the choice 

Each to their own but the Bachmann looks tired and I suppose you'll get robustness with less detail, same can be said if you compared the Bachmann to the Hornby 66 where you can handle that one like a football without worrying about the detail because there isn't any and is priced accordingly.

When you also take into account the weight, pulling power & functionality of the Hattons 66 it is actually a top end model especially at its current prices which either undercut or are the same as its direct competition.

1 minute ago, Pmorgancym said:

I am tempted but I've read too about bits dropping off to make me take the plunge.

I was like you a few months back but I took the plunge, trust me its worth it & you'll never buy another Bachmann 66 again...yes you have to be careful with it but that's what you get with extreme detail and they are now basically cheaper than brand new Bachmann's but of much higher quality detail with excellent weight and powerful motors.

15 minutes ago, Pmorgancym said:

Out of interest iI wonder if the reduction is because they're now all previously returned examples?

No the reduction is on their remaining brand new Class 66 models as part of their Festive sale, further reductions can be had on pre-owned or returned items as they appear each day.

This just in...first time I've noticed that Cemex 66780 has a pretty distinct light bleed thru the dark blue roof at both ends above the marker light, the one which is above the cab windows.

A bit of black tac stuck on the inside the roof will solve that or anything else really...

Got both Class 70's back from Bachmann the other day and run in on a rolling road, both had motor replacements and now running like new and faultless.

Again, great service from Bachmann in the short time it took them to do the work on 2 loco's and the price which included the return postage...very pleased.

32 minutes ago, Roy Langridge said:

 

My parcel has just arrived and my normally happy wife was bemused that my email alerts and the phone app have been quoting it as my "Whiplash parcel" 

 

 

The amount of heads these wagons are turning I'm not surprised.

8 hours ago, YesTor said:

 

Hmmmm, it's a while ago now and I can't quite recall if my issues were exactly the same as you have encountered, but yes, something certainly wasn't lighting up as expected...   A quick removal of the body and it became immediately clear that the switches were set as per a DC only model, ie. all six set 'up' (K1–K6), whereas K3 & K6 should be 'down' as shown in the instruction manual.

 

Top model:  DC only

Lower model:  DCC sound

 

 

Best

Al 

Thanks Al.

I removed the body last night which was a minor miracle as only 1 step came off which I glued back on but there was another small miracle later on when I put the body back on with all detail pipes & steps remaining on the body shell...too funny.

I found cutting up small pieces of white card and positioning all 4 pieces in the region of the the steps and body notches worked well getting the body back on without losing any of the detail, better than using credit cards with this experience. 

Ok the switches were set correctly and had a look at all the wiring and the soldered contacts which appeared to be ok so nothing looking untoward and found bits of tape randomly placed which didn't seem to make any sense but apart from that all looked normal, gave the contact pads a clean at each end as well.

Unfortunately after putting the body back on the lighting issues still remain thus will be giving Hattons a call for it to be returned but I actually would like them to try and fix it if possible because I don't actually want to lose this loco since it has been sold out with sound, hopefully they can have a go otherwise it will be a refund which I want to avoid.

6 hours ago, YesTor said:

 

I've three factory-fitted sound models and none of the inside switches were set correctly straight out of the box.  So it might just be worth looking inside before returning... 

 

Al

I was afraid you were going to say that, the thought of taking off the body scares the crap out of me with all that fine detail.

Out of interest with your 3 sound models did any of them have the same issues as myself or did you experience different lighting issues?

I knew my luck would have to run out at my 3rd 66 loco, as previously mentioned purchased 66783 Biffa (full price) with sound brand new but unfortunately it may have to go back, what's worse it was the last one so won't be a direct swap with another new one.

Anyway, issues as follows;

No.1 end cab light doesn't come on but has the switching on sound, daytime/night-time running lights ok

No.2 end cab light works with sound, daytime running lights ok but night-time running lights don't work as intended (headlight doesn't come on, just the 3 markers).

Underbody switches checked and contrary to instructions there are only 2 and not 3 switches and are set correctly.

I haven't taken the body off to check the main switches on the board but would think if these weren't set correctly at the factory none of the lighting/cab lighting functions would work unless I'm mistaken and corrected by someone who knows what K1 to K6 control and whether my issues above would be caused by these not being set correctly. 

Any advice or feedback is most welcome.

So KMS & Trains4U are atm only doing one running number each for the DB variant which may change to more if the demand exists?

Why don't you both sell one unnumbered instead of just one with a number and leave everyone to buy as much as they like so they can then apply their own running numbers post sale, or would that not work?...just spit balling.

As there are three threads on the 156 I would think this is the correct one to post on the new forthcoming 156.

Anyway, I'm interested in getting the Northern 156 (with sound) but I'm confused by the advertising on the Realtrack & DC KIts websites for these new models due in 2021.

Both 156411 (EMR) & 156412 (Greater Anglia) are not Northern liveried\operated going by Flickr photos thus assume Realtrack are still in the process of updating the websites with finalized liveries\details\running numbers?

Also the Northern livery that is currently advertised, is that the only one Realtrack are doing or will there be others as well?...the Royal Airforce 156480 would be good if there are no licensing constraints and there is demand.

Lastly, in regards to the pricing I see there are two sections so to speak with pre-order prices being cheaper than post-release prices correct?...i.e £380 for Pre-Order Sound Fitted as opposed to £420 for DCC Sound Fitted (Twin Decoder & Speakers) with being both being identical in regards to sound configuration (twin sound decoder/speaker setup).

Interesting that Hattons H4-66-027 66756 in GBRF Europorte livery "Royal Corps of Signals" is the only DCC Ready version that hasn't been reduced as part of their Festive Sale, still being sold @£150.

11 minutes ago, Krieghoff said:

 

Looks like a good ride,  what theme park is that?

Yeah bit my 3rd Hattons 66 bullet, just purchased the last 66783 Biffa with sound and noticed these were selling out pretty quickly in the last week as it went from 7 remaining to 0 within a very short time...I do love the livery on this one. 

Just a heads up everyone Hattons have greatly reduced their DCC Ready Class 66 prices on new models from £150 down to a starting price of £119...absolute bargain on these!

In addition it appears their used prices have also been reduced further as well.

Just received your email and see you are also doing the 'Modern unbranded - Mid-grey body side and weathered chassis - (2014 till present)' which is great as I have the Hattons GBRf Class 66's (780 & 789) that run on these flows.

Will you also be doing a livery render to show off the Modern Unbranded one as you've done with the other two?

1 hour ago, daz9284 said:

it was from a well known retailer who i have seen at many model rail shows

Yes I can vouch for that, they are a sizeable online retailer/model shop who also sell on eBay and remember seeing these wagons on sale at the time on eBay and even I raised an eyebrow considering they were nowhere near release.

28 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

You can only buy a new 66 from Hattons, they have a record of every sale.

Yes correct.

So why buy it off ebay anyway, when you can just buy it from Hattons, saving yourself a quid in the process and having the piece of mind of it genuinely being a new one.

Yep can't argue with that thus doesn't make any sense buying that one off eBay unless they reduce it by a good margin to make it worthwhile in taking the risk with any warranty hurdles that may transpire or not.

 

If it were cheaper, then yes you pays your money you pays the price, but thats whole point of being cheaper, not more.

Absolutely...

 

I was just giving anyone a heads up to be cautious that's all based on my own personal experience with a Bachmann loco.

Edit: Spoke to Hattons & yes if you do want to purchase a Hattons 66 or any other product not directly from them, then make sure who you buy it from is an authorized seller otherwise you'll have to wear the risk if the product fails after purchase within its warranty period.

3 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

if anyone fancies taking a risk on buying a second hand one with postage, for £1 more than buying a new one without the risks...

 

There is this..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hattons-Class-66-ONE-livery-66-587-H4-66-037-/164508677601?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

 

The issue perhaps is whether it is still covered by the Hattons warranty if purchased from somewhere else thus I would check that first before committing.

I had that issue with a Bachmann Class 70 which I purchased from a seller on eBay brand new and because I didn't get it from a Bachmann authorized retailer the warranty was voided even though I was provided with the original purchase receipt from the seller showing the date of purchase...something just worth checking when buying model railway products off eBay if not sold by an authorized retailer.

Daft question but has this been released already?...order page has 'In Stock' with a green smiley face.

4 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Politics only comes into it because most of those whinging about price seem to have bought the idea that you can have ever lower (or static prices) but better quality!

 

That idea has at the forefront of political thinking (of virtually all parties) not to mention business generally for decades and is the root of much of the woes - poverty, inequality, pollution, etc the world suffers from today. Be it pay for NHS staff, the condition of roads, UK generated plastic waste being dumped on developing countries - the root of it all is the unwillingness to pay the true cost of items / services we use.

 

So while I accept that 'politics' in itself is completely unrelated to the Heljan class 47 model itself (i.e. build quality, preferred liveries, numbers, etc) it becomes relevant the moment people start popping up whinging about the price Bachmann charge for it.

 

In a measure many be happy about, this will remain my last past on the subject providing we don't get any more gripes about price! It is what it is - if its too expensive go and start another thread to talk about it!

Your own political beliefs don't need to come into it though because if we all did that it would be open season as everyone has a different opinion on who is to blame politically for price rises or why someone isn't getting paid enough and then the thread will end up getting locked.

I'm just saying a discussion around prices will always come up and yes discuss the reasons why but keep political blame out of it which I'm sure can be done, I'm just seeing more snipes in these threads aimed political heads or parties and personally hate to see that creep into model railway discussions.