Mel_H

From the video it certainly looks like it's the original 'incorrect' lighter orange - as was put on 66413 - that Hattons has used for its model of 66623, which in real life (as Chris says and photos show) is in the correct 'darker/stronger' orange. Interestingly, as this photo shows, there are other differences in the application between the pair (and indeed their headlight styles, so you can't renumber 66623 to 66413 to make your model prototypically correct) - they are... Oh hang, on. You play spot the difference!

Finally, may I nominate Austrian Federal Railways BBÖ class 80. And, it's already been modelled. Who needs SteamPunk!

And, before I forget, here's a visual for the Heathrow Express trains, when it was all funky and going to ultimately be two lines (the second going to St Pancras for people coming from the north - way before Eurostar was ever planned to go there - a plan that was quietly dropped around the time of privatisation). So, here's what was shown in the presentation, and then what we ended up with (Class 332). [Sorry, OT now; just my OCD kicked in!]

Let us not forget the 'Battersea Bullet' - which never made it off the drawing board (in 1987), to whisk people to the theme park, that was being built inside the former Battersea Power station. Designated Class 447 and branded the Battersea Bullet, three 4-car EMUs were to be built and owned by the operator of the entertainment complex. BR allocated carriage numbers 99469-99481 from the private owner carriage series. (Younger readers; this was 10 years before privatisation). The high-speed, bright yellow and red non-stop train would take visitors from platform one at Victoria Station straight to the park. The idea was to have the windows masked with LCD screens, which would give the illusion that the train was travelling at the speed of light, while uniformed attendants served futuristic food and drink – well, it was the 1980s" It's testament to developer John Broome's ambition that he took out a 99-year lease on platform one at Victoria station. Any other platform just wouldn't have been special enough.... Read more here - an article by John Broome's son: https://www.londonlaunch.com/be-inspired/battersea-power-station-the-lost-plans/ and at https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/bnkpj5/battersea-power-station-theme-park

If anyone wants to Panic-buy a Trabant (1:1 scale), PM me!

A helpful update, just in, courtesy of model shop Derails, about the shipping of the non-limited edition batch of Rockets: Good Afternoon, You are receiving this email as you have pre-ordered the R3810 Hornby Rocket Train Pack from Derails. As you know from our last email, we were expecting these packs to arrive with us over the next couple of weeks. We have been in conversation with Hornby over the past three days when we learnt that the that the despatch of R3810 packs would likely be split in a 50/50 batch, with some due soon and some due in May, due to the factory splitting the shipment in China. Hornby have today confirmed that to mitigate any potential supply problems or avoid cases of some retailers receiving their stock now and others later, that they will be delaying the release of R3810 until the entire batch of models has arrived, currently estimated for May. This may come as a blow to some, however from a retailer point of view this is quite convenient as it alleviates the bad feeling and inconvenience that arises when we have to send out to some customers months before others. It is also handy as it tends to cut down on the amount that end up on eBay at £300 a set! We will keep you updated as to an exact expected arrival date as soon as possible, and we thank-you for your understanding and co-operation. Kind Regards, Little Dan

Very nice! The one at Bodiam is almost worth the 'prototype for everything' department. If one modelling the massive welding seam on the side tank, and track with missing ballast, there'd be hell on...

Okay, it doesn't have to be like this. This email has been sent by Forest of Dean-based Derails this afternoon. As a friend of mine said, "This is why Derails is now my supplier of choice." I think it's a good example of proactive communication, in a way that keeps customers happy. It's reproduced below, in full. Good Afternoon, You are receiving this email as you have pre-ordered the R3810 Hornby Rocket Train Pack from Derails. We are expecting these packs to arrive with us over the next couple of weeks, and we'll be in contact as soon as they arrive. We are aware of the stories circulating regarding some retailers (not us, thankfully) altering the price they are charging without notice or cancelling pre-orders of these items due to oversell – we do not wish to comment on whether they are true or not, but are glad to say that this will not happen at Derails. We have been in constant contact with Hornby and checked and double checked the expected allocation of R3810 we will be receiving on numerous occasions, and we have not sold above our expected allocation. The only potential issue that could arise is if Hornby drastically under-deliver our expected allocation, however we do trust that Hornby will deliver our entire order to us. Having spoken to them today, this item is not oversold on their end and they are confident that the full shipment will be arriving from China, and this gives me great confidence that all will be as expected. Of the many that we have arriving here at Derails, we have kept six sets unsold to act as replacements in the unlikely event that any models do arrive damaged, and so on this basis and providing that no-more than six models arrived damaged, there should be no-one left waiting for repairs to be carried out or with a refund and no model. Lastly, the price is confirmed to be £161.99 with free-postage, this is guaranteed and will not change. Postage will be via DPD Local courier and as usual, when we call for the balance payment, we will organise a delivery day that's best for you. We understand the concerns that have been raised and I hope this puts a few minds at rest. Kind Regards, Little Dan

That's not correct, I'm sorry to say. As others have posted previously on this thread, when Hornby had its 'retailer days' in January, at that point they opened orders. Retailers were 'allocated' a quantity (based on their previous trading with Hornby - so those that buy more, get a bigger allocation). It was up to the retailer to decide how many that they wanted to order (and this applies to all models, not just the limited-edition Rocket). It appears that most (or all) took up their full allocation. This is normal practice by Hornby (and I believe some other manufacturers) to avoid the problem that both Hornby and Bachmann have had in the past of large quantities of unsold stock at Margate or Barwell. If all the retailers don't take up their allocation by the 'deadline day', then there is an opportunity for other retailers to have what's left over. In this case, Hattons took orders from customers in the hope/expectation that it would be able to get further supplies. Given that all model shops sold out within hours, or at least a few days of the limited edition Rocket, patently this wasn't going to be the case. In other words, all 1,500 were already spoken for. In the interests of good customer service, Hattons should have made it clear that they had sold out of its allocation (which it appears all other retailers did), and that they could not guarantee to supply orders placed after then, rather than continuing to accept orders. Why Hattons did this is not known. Like 'BachmannGate' it has said nothing, other than to give a vague impression that it's not their fault. What we don't know is whether Hornby had given Hattons the idea that there would be more. However, there is no evidence that this was the case. The only other avenue for further supplies is unsold stock from other retailers. Hattons does buy 'unsolds' from time-to-time, but this tends to be items that haven't sold and have been sitting on the shelves for a while. In terms of the allocation system, this procedure happens with all Hornby items. I'm aware that in some cases (such as 'ordinary coaches') retailers rarely order up to their limit. The allocation system is fair, as it stops retailers 'bagging' all/most of the stock and therefore becoming a de facto sole supplier. It's not just Hornby and Bachmann that use the allocation system, Heljan does as well (and possibly others). When you see the manufacturer's (not a retailer's) site say 'sold out at Heljan' or 'sold out at Hornby', for a new model, then this means that all the allocated stock has already been taken up by retailers. With all manufacturers now producing much smaller quantities of models, placing an advance order if you want to guarantee getting a specific model, and the end (or certainly fewer) 'fire sales' of very cheap stock that isn't shifting.

Not all limited editions sell so well. If the money's still burning a hole in your pocket, there's always this (six years and counting?) https://shop.keypublishing.com/product/View/productCode/LOCO6/gresley-4-6-0-b17-6-Manchester-United

A friend of mine is another one who had the Hattons 'rejection' email - he was a previously loyal customer. And, as others have noted, the non-limited edition Rocket is also sold out from them. Fortunately he managed to find another model shop with stock of the non-limited edition - a phone call established that they had still got stock of their allocation. My view is that Hatton's haven't acted with honour over this. Given with their experience of the market and pace of sales, they should have known it would be popular. So taking orders on the basis that they might pick up some more stock - for an extremely limited edition - strikes of poor customer service at best, and sharp practice at worst. My friend normally buys from his local (very small) model shop, but they weren't going to stock it. I also shop locally as much as I can. I concur that after last year's Bachmann fiasco and Hattons' inability to be straightforward with their customers, people might well be advised to consider taking their custom elsewhere for such items. And that is how business works.

OT, I know, but can anyone recommend a good book on Joseph Locke's life and work?

Just a load of LNER porn!

I concur with Chris, as I too have had the privilege of seeing George‘s original prints. Most of them were excellent (in terms of the actual printing) but Chris is correct in commenting on the damage that occurred due to the prints often being an over large size. From what I recall, a number of them were on fibre paper, rather than resin, which gave an extra depth to them. I don’t know whether he made his own prints, or whether someone else did them for him. I have seen the book, and it is excellent. I was a little disappointed by the reproduction quality of some of the pictures, but as I knew what some of the originals were like, I thought that I was probably being unfairly critical. Also the ones that have come out on the flat side, I don’t recall seeing the original prints of. Given the work of other noted photographers during the period that I’ve seen, it may well be that indeed the original prints that were used were flat, and the reproduction is actually faithful. Not every print by them was a winner, even although the negative was a good one. One explanation might be that a number of prints were made and the best ones were passed on to other people, and some of the ‘duds’ survive. Whether that could’ve been corrected using photoshop during reproduction stage, I don’t know. Given the price of the book, I would still recommend getting a copy despite this. I repeat that only some of the pictures are not 100% in terms of reproduction. Again, I think it is still good value for money and excellent that at last his pictures are gathered together in one book.

I thought that you were complaining that with only one motorised power car it would have insufficient haulage power on your layout. Having since read read on from that post to the current end of the thread I realise that your comments were different So I apologise for upsetting your feelings

Yea Gods. Are you running a full length train over hill and dale? If so, a little bit of actual modelling will solve this...

I suspect that others on this thread will have information, or can provide it. From this collective a list of specific sets and dates seen could be compiled.

Hornby has just sent this out, should anyone be passing Margate next weekend. For those with wider interests, 'special prices' also apply to Corgi and Airfix.

Try here: https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/memberships Bit of a hotlink fail, I guess

Nice photo!

Just had a promo email from Hornby announcing various 'special offers' - mainly on tools - for members of Hornby's Collectors' Club. Interestingly, it is also offering Golden Valley's Port of London No. 201 Janus 0-6-0 Diesel GV2015 for £55.00. (Best price elsewhere today is Hattons' £72). It's £28 to join the club https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/memberships

Good to see this diagram on the Hornby site. Clearly, someone is listening, somewhere by the sea!

The way it seems to be is that after the product is released many pages on this forum almost immediately run out of steam!

Nice, but the slight snag might be that this is what the book says, but not what actually ran?

Presumably to supply ETS?