MonsalDale

Thank you, you're a star!

Is the Dorothea model in stock anywhere? I've been having a look online and not had any luck

Ah, I didn't realise the MR liveried 4F was a rerun. I should've known as I bought two haha! I'd be after another BR one if it were to reappear. Oh well, there's some decent stuff in the announcements and the quality seems to be as good as ever. Just a pity it's outside my area of interest.

Pity there's no 00 steam again. Always loved the Bachmann steam range. They have a lot of good models already tooled that I would love to see a rerelease of. I don't remember any rereleases of the 4Fs, Stanier Moguls or 1Ps

Not for me but looking forward to the rest of the announcements tomorrow nonetheless.

Are DJH still going? Their 00 section seems to have disappeared

It was a few years ago now, probably 5 I think. Paid last December.

Do you get an email upon dispatch? I have one on pre-order but not heard anything yet.

Not convinced people are trying to 'kill off the hobby'. We all want the hobby to do well, but some of us have concerns that the economic conditions, a lack of space for potential future modellers and it's clientele getting older are becoming a problem long term. Model railways will not die, but the bubble is likely to deflate somewhat.

What a terrible week

I'm aware that Hattons are primarily a retailer, the manufacturing was a small part of their business. I do not dispute this, but they were arguably the biggest retailer in the hobby. Certainly the go to name for online sales for a very long time. I didn't think a retailer their size was close to shutting up shop and I don't think many people did. I'm sure the hobby will continue. It won't die out but until wages in this country rise and prices stop increasing at the levels we have seen I don't see how that circle is going to be squared and nothing in your post convinces me otherwise. Times will get tougher, mark my words.

On one hand, this is completely unexpected. I did not expect a company the size of Hattons, which grew so quickly over the past 6 years to close like this. I am used to hearing about smaller model shops shutting but I did not expect a big retailer (and manufacturer) to just close. I can't imagine Hornby stealing its thunder with their generic 4 wheelers particularly helped matters to be honest. However, this has also been coming for some time. We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis without end. Costs in manufacturing have continued to rise over the past 15 years as Chinese workers seek fair payment for their labour. On the other hand, wages in this country have not kept up with inflation and people are much poorer than they were back in 2008. Model railways were somewhat immune for a short while as the retired were generally more protected from the economic problems than younger people who are on track to be the first generation worse off than their parents. Brexit has also made trading harder and more expensive. Some people, have been pointing that this would come to a head for some time. Rising prices at the levels we have seen and wages completely unable to keep up with those demands was going to become a problem at some point for a hobby dependent on disposable income. The bubble which grew in the 2010s from an influx of new manufacturers and new models was not sustainable given the above but many people were shot down on various forums and discussion of rising prices seemed almost prohibited at times because 'it had been done to death' and 'people were always saying that model railways would die out as time went on but this never happened'. People would point towards the rise in railway and model railway programmes to show that the hobby is growing. Interest has clearly grown, but the amount of money in our wallets certainly hasn't! Well... back then we didn't have 13 years of austerity, falling wages and rising manufacturer costs to deal with. I am very sad and shocked that Hattons are closing. My thoughts are with the staff at this challenging time. I didn't think it would be them, but this bubble was going to burst sooner or later unfortunately. I expect we will see more of this in the hobby and pastimes sector until people in this country see a long overdue pay rise.

I like it, it's certainly going to appear more eye-catching within the context of a magazine stand at WHSmith.

Has anything been said on whether these will be convertible to EM gauge?

Looking for some books that have material on the pre preservation Ffestiniog Railway. Ideally containing information on rolling stock, liveries, train formations and timetable information. Happy for some information on the preservation era too but I'm keen to learn more about the railway pre-preservation. Any other books on the line that are good I'd be happy to hear of too.