andyman7

Which version of the Ringfield motor is it? The pre 1977 version in a white housing with metal faceplate or the black one with the silver strip brush arms on the front?

Reviving the specific Class 45 thread following today's announcements. I'm assuming that the Class 45 (and 44/46) models are reworkings along the lines of the recently upgraded Class 40, i.e. tooling and lighting upgrades with Plux22 decoder fitting.

Interesting that D49 The Manchester Regiment reprises the original 1970s Mainline issue in green SYP. 

"There's nothing for you here!"

(sorry, couldn't resist...)

1 hour ago, Seaniom said:

Very underwhelming

 

I am starting to believe steam will play no part in Bachmann's future.

 

Very underwhelming

 

I am starting to believe steam will play no part in Bachmann's future.

(I thought I would say it twice as they like duplication.)

D&E modellers: Hornby are hopeless, nothing for me, they've ruled themselves out of the game
Steam modellers: Bachmann are hopeless, nothing for me, they've rules themselves out of the game

45 minutes ago, XChris said:

I have 3 AS ones on order through Accurascale/local shop, I will have to see what liveries and running numbers they announce if they do the right ones then I’ll buy them, if AS get round to them first I’ll buy there’s. Much the same as the 37’s. 
 

In my opinion the only people to blame for two new 31’s on the market is Hornby, if they had re-tooled and DCC Sound-ed there model we wouldn’t have had a gap which is now filled by two companies that obviously saw the gap in the market, makes you think what else from Hornby's range could go to another manufacturer…

Hmm, well that certainly takes the 'blame Hornby for everything' approach to new heights...

40 minutes ago, richierich said:

Very much a failure of Hornby to not develop and improve an already decent model. 

Why? They already have a Railroad one filling a market gap that no-one else is interested in, and a fully depreciated higher spec model that many customers will buy if it's available and offered at the right price and livery(s). As for us the consumer, we have lots more choice than we did a couple of years ago. 
 

1 minute ago, wombatofludham said:

Unexpected announcement in the frothing area...

I must be one of the very few who don't mind duplication.  It gives choice and when it is a long lived and numerous class should mean the companies will each get something back.  I've got three Accurascale models of their 31 on order and if Bachmann cover locos not on the Accurascale list I'll probably go for additional Bachmann examples as well.  They were literally everywhere in the Midlands in the 1980s and 90s as they replaced 25s, and even before then were a regular sight in the 60s and 70s (there's even a fantastic photo of one in the newly built Coventry station pre electrification on the daily Birmingham to Harwich boat train which used to run via Coventry, Rugby and what is now the A14 to Peterborough} and I've always had a soft spot for them, having endured numerous Midlands-East Anglia crawls across the Fens behind them.

I wonder if they released this video the day before so that all the "Why another one?" gumflapping could be out of the way before they make the main announcement?

I agree. Especially now that very specific examples are modelled, we are a long way from the 'one in green and one in blue' days of modernisation plan diesels. 

5 minutes ago, JSpencer said:

 

Add the 03/04, 08, 20, 24/24 on top. Bachmann has covered most with all new tooling.

 

Hornby are a bit stuffed. All their flagship diesels are now being done better elsewhere except the 08/09 and HST.

 

You're assuming that they want a dog in the fight. Hornby's more recent tooling is covering other subjects (big/unusual/classic steam, Railroad, plus things like the VEP and Stadler units). Other than that they have cranked out further 08s, 31s, 50s and 60s from tools made a long time ago now and therefore we can assume the initial investment is long paid off

I guess that brings the Hattons story to a close then...

Apparently they have been working on it for 'some years'.

35 minutes ago, Vepslam3417 said:

Hi, 

 

Yes 3455 was lineless on one end, I think this is a superb bit of detailing from Hornby.  Might be a slight issue if renumbering for some modellers but it's simple enough to either mask and paint or apply a transfer for others. 

 

 

Fabulous!

2 hours ago, markw said:

We have been through this before, they DO NOT have coreless motors.

'We' haven't been through it before but I am happy to be CORRECTED on that. The pertinent bit is that they are low floor

8 hours ago, kintbury jon said:

Just given both of a VEPs a test to check all is fine.  The new version is certainly brighter inside with white LEDs instead of yellow.  I'd say this is good for the modern ones as they were refurbished with fluorescent lights.  The small seating section by the guards area is obviously dark and looks a little odd so might ponder whether to do anything about it.  Running wise it is so much better than the original version.

 

A worthwhile project and I am pleased I have upgraded the NSE unit.  Just need to offload the SWT one now!

That 'dark' saloon affects the Bachmann refurbished CEPs and 150s too. The very latest newly tooled Bachmann DMUs (117, 121, 158) have low floor coreless motors but with these ones modified from earlier tooling it's a shortcoming we'll have to live with. If they produce pre-facelift liveries it won't be an issue - I'd quite like early NSE as the facelifting was done during NSE days and they exist in that livery with the early full brake van.  

7 hours ago, Southernman46 said:

Interesting analysis above - I hadn't realised that the original bogie can take a pin-point axle - need to check that out. I paid >£100 for my original B&G one in 2015 and it's OK - the face isn't perfect but better than anything I could do - I keep it sandwiched between two 4-CEP's (as they often were) anyway in an effort to assist it's progress.

IMHO Hornby deserve a modicum of respect for actually producing it and we've also been lucky enough to get the BIL, HAL & BEL and a decent 71 from them.

Yes, amazing to think that one retailer sold off the blue grey VEP at £99. I think it was a classic Hornby stock-dumping cash flow thing but it's a shame they couldn't have fed them out a bit more steadily!

46 minutes ago, br-nse-fan said:

 

I will agree, that no retailer could possibly hope to compete with eBay in terms of volume and selection.  The problem is us oversea modelers get absolutely shafted by exorbitant shipping fees, or the seller just not posting overseas in the first place.

It's a problem not just confined to people buying from the UK - many things I search for that turn up in the US have similarly absurd shipping charges. However, in such cases I can see an emerging opportunity for intermediaries who can obtain items domestically and then ship abroad. 
I was very happy to ship abroad for many years but the escalating costs and paperwork mean that generally I only use GSP for ebay exports (expensive for the buyer). It's simply not worth the detailed form filling to send an item overseas whilst running the risk that I'll be on the hook if they get it and decide they don't want it.

Just now, kevinlms said:

ONE reason not THE reason. 

 

If they really weren't charging overseas customers, the true costs, then they only have themselves to blame and not the end buyer. 

I don't think anyone has blamed the end buyers, and as for Hattons,  in terms of their orderly decision to close and the process that they have followed, as far as I can see they have been very responsible in taking accountability for their business.

It's an interesting one. As a consumer, there still appear to be retailers that will do a deal for overstocks of certain items - we see these in the bargain offers that appear every so often for items that have been in the catalogue for a couple of years or so. Bachmann are presumably unaffected. Gaugemaster is a distributor in its own right so it will depend on the degree to which Hattons picked up the cash flow management of stock items and I guess Peco, with its agency lines, is not dissimilar. 

On 02/02/2024 at 17:07, AustinJames said:

Hi folks, not being well-versed in the modern image area of UK motive power I figured this would be best to ask here. 

 

I recently ordered and received one of the Hornby Class 395 train packs, I believe it's the 2009 set (R2821). Finding the appropriate coaches (R4382 and R4383) to that specific set hasn't been the easiest task, so I'm thinking of picking up the currently available add-on two-pack for the Hornby Visitor Center version of the Javelin. I know that these have different coach numbers, but is there any other significant differences that I can't immediately see from stock product images? I can live with incorrect coach numbers and would re-number them eventually, but I'd like to get that prototypical-length train.

The paint shades are close on all of these and apart from the coach numbers (in fact only the final digits) they are identical. Indeed for the second release of the 395 Hornby didn't made any specific extra coaches so you just had to use those from the earlier release. There's a surfeit of the add-on coach packs for the Hornby Visitor Centre model right now so they can be had for good prices. 

27 minutes ago, sandwich station said:

 

Rails shipped me a Bachmann 4-BEP which was on offer minus the VAT and no postage charge either.

But that's because Rails don't do enough business with Australia to have to register for GST. Hattons did, and they had to charge GST to customers down under. So that doesn't particularly encourage anyone else to build a big business in shipping abroad,

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Hattons would have had a deal with the courier like many other large distributors do.

 

What you are paying isn't what they are paying. How do you think those online booksellers can sell you books for cheaper than what the postage would be?

 

 

Jason

Yes, but the comparison is with another business (Kernow) which suggests that even at business rate the Hattons charges weren't sustainable

1 hour ago, kevinlms said:

But there is no evidence that is true. Why would a business take a regular loss? It makes no sense at all. Short term possibly, when changes occur, but ongoing no.

 

I received an order from Hattons recently and they thanked me for my first order with them.

But that was incorrect, I have received orders before - but not recently!

Like in the early to mid 1980s, but I live at a different address and that was pre-internet/email, so not surprising they didn't match me up with previous purchases! 😁

Brexit, the changes import rules requiring VAT to be paid upfront, GST, the huge increase in overseas shipping charges are all recent events. As you say, why would a business take a regular loss? They put up with it short term but I don't think they could sustain it. Put it another way, if serving overseas customers can be done profitably and cheaply, why isn't anyone else appearing to be able to do it?

3 hours ago, irishmail said:

One of the best for on-line retail, what I liked most was that you could put items in your basket and straight away you would be able to see what the postage cost would be with a choice of shipping options.  Most other model retailers you have to go through the check-out process to see what that postage will be and whether or not if VAT/customs is deducted or not.

 

Definalty miss looking at the daily pre-owned listings. 

 

 

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

So the business oppourtunity is…

 

1. an online retailer, with industry knowledge.

2. Whom is able to receive, test and grade the incoming second hand items

3. Collate, photograph and present them

4. Take payment, store for individuals until shipping

5. handle tax for international destinations.

 

it seems to me, most shops handling s/h in the UK can do 1,2,3

its 4 & 5 that made Hattons usp on second hand.

 

How about if the business never bought the items in the first place, and was just a marketplace / handler ?

 

There's the thing - there was no-one to touch Hattons for export. But the problem is that they couldn't make it pay - the reason everyone abroad loved Hattons was because they were effectively taking a loss on international shipping given the issues of GST, VAT/IOSS payments etc. 

30 minutes ago, rob D2 said:

Not an option for many . Cavalex retailers seem to follow a lay line - nothing much west or south of london .

 

Theres a couple of geographical holes there I’m surprised kernow and or derails didn’t fill but I’m not party to the commercial agreements 

Understood - I live south of London. However, John Dutfield is half an hour by train out of Liverpool Street station and I fancied an afternoon out. It was just a personal choice, but also based on the store itself being an Aladdin's Cave of stock with no internet listings so well worth an enjoyable rummage...

I chose my Cavalex retailer on the basis that I could collect and pay in person - no courier angst or wondering where I was in the queue for packing and delivery, and at the same time saving the retailer the need to pack and post it. I know that's not possible for everyone but it's worth a consideration. (They also ended up selling me an extra one, so wins all round).

The night before Hattons stopped taking pre-orders I had a look at the pre-owned uploaded that day. I don't think I've bought any S/H from Hattons previously but there in front of me was a Class 56 'kit unknown make'. A quick look showed it was obviously (to me) and MTK kit. They wanted £42 which is generally beyond what I will pay for MTK models but this was a chance to buy something from Hattons right at the end, and the Class 56 is not a common MTK model. It was advertised as a 'poor runner'...

Well it turned up today, and I have to say is beautifully built. It's fitted with an Airfix A1A mechanism which needed a service and then was fine. The only other change I have made is to swap out the glazing - the model came with clear sheet glazing but I had a spare set of MTK Class 47 glazing which with a small amount of adjustment allowed flush glazing and a 'frame' effect around the front screens. OK it's not Cavalex but it is a worthy addition to my heritage MTK fleet.
 

And here it is, my very last parcel from Hattons, delivered today

One thing I have noticed on the SWT version is that the cantrail orange line is missing on the cab fronts of one of the DTC vehicles - it's there on the other end. They all seem to be like this (including mine). Not sure whether 3455 actually was like this or if it's a production error.