Neal Ball

Fascinating thread, will photograph mine and post at some point. There are some great models here already. - None from Fullers yet.... or dare I saw..... Watneys, complete with teh red barrel over the sign!

Its arrived! - With the correct Smokebox door! - Thought there might have been a letter "very sorry" etc. inside..... Never mind its here! But will have to wait until Saturday until it can be tested. :-(

I would suggest you speak to the Marketing Department on the switchboard number. My contact is Emma Brett who is very helpful. The young lad on customer service did not know one end of a loco to another! BTW - Hornby received my model yesterday afternoon!

Very envious!

I hope this is very much a limited problem - maybe only to a few models - and that Hornby can resolve this and all the other supply chain / quality control issues they have at the moment.

An update to my tales of woe from last night! - I do have good news, but first the events of the day!!!! I put a follow up on the Hornby website Forum, in the hope that a moderator / employee from Hornby would see it, throw their hands up in horror and reply - but they didn't! I decided on the way to work this morning that I would throw the problem in Hornby's direction. After all a) they need to know, B) they are in the best position to get it sorted out! So at 9am I joined the telephone queue for the Hornby Helpline. The guy I spoke to did not really understand the issue, even asking is it a problem that there is a BR Smokebox number plate!! I asked him, why the loco had now sold out "its popular", so "you should have made more, this has been a very frustrating experiemce waiting for the order etc." - But he had no real grasp on what the issues had been. - He put me through to Hornby reception and told me to speak to the Development team. I had to leave them a message and got on with the day. Emma from the Marketing department called me back at 4:45pm and was totally sympathetic, understood the issues, frustration etc. Plus I dont think she thought much of the guy on the Helpdesk! The way she spoke was as if this was a unique problem. Anyway, I am returning the model to Hornby, using a special Freepost address and will have a new one shortly! - Sorted! - at last!

err yes it is Chris! - Or at least my Hybrid BR / GWR Castle is bolted into the box. Mind you the fixing looks better than the 28xx which I still think needs further adjustment. In my telephone call - see below - with the Hornby Marketing department, I took the opportunity of discussing the new packaging and relayed my experience of dropping the 28xx out of the box! Regards, Neal

It's arrived! - at last! - Not a Happy Bunny :-( having chased the supplier before I went on holiday, I was a bit put out when it did not arrive when we were away. I chased on Monday by email, having checked to see if my credit card had been debited. Tuesday I telephoned them - Oops, very sorry we haven't done it. - Not to worry we all make mistakes. The guys on the 'phone are always very polite, so not to worry. Anyway the issie is with Hornby quality control.... The loco arrived today and the staff in one branch brought it over to where I was working..... 1. Imagine the disapointment when I open it up and it has a BR Smokebox number plate. 2. Having called the friendly guys in Sheffield..... They tell me it's now out of stock. For goodness sake what a palava. - So it will be winging its way back to Sheffield - to say I am p****d off, would be putting it midly. Plus I do not think much of the new style box, this one is all in its constituent parts. No wonder I dropped the 28xx at Christmas.

Maybe its a deliberate show for the 'photo, but have we lost the connection from loco to tender? - Its fiddly as hell on the 28xx! - Having said that, I do prefer the idea of pick-ups and DCC decoder in the tender!

Looks like this is going to be a stunning model. Thanks Dave. I wonder what I should lobby you to produce next! - On the basis of the Western, we can look forward to some great models. Thanks again.

I am thinking about upgrading to the Prodigy, but am not sure now, having read this thread.

Lovely 'photo Pete

Thanks!

Thanks for the update Rob. Guess that means 2011 then.... I have some £180 credit with Rails, wonder if I should buy something to keep me occupied in the mean time!

Wow - very jealous now!!! - sound as well, must be a real treat. Maybe someone will treat me to a sound decoder IF Tintagel arrives before Christmas (2010)!!

All starting to sound very positive then.

Quite - it seems strange that new models are still being announced and shown as pre-production runs, when last years catalogue has still not been delivered! I think if I was at Steam and bumped into Simon, I might have a few difficult questions for him, like Why did he put onto MRE that it was due 5th July into the UK. Had China not told him they had not made any yet, let alone not shipped them!! (Sadly we fly to Spain that day, so will miss Steam again.) I don't think there is a gaurantee that any of the GW stock will arrive before Tintagel???? - I still think it very strange that this year of GW 175 and Hornby adverts have contained the 28xx and that toy 0-4-0 with no mention of Tintagel. Why did two BR verisions get released before anything pre-nationalisation? Agreed, so I guess it will be worth the wait, but it is very frustrating to receive email after email from Hornby to say "delayed until xx" I am pretty sceptical that it will arrive October as advised in their latest emails. Particulaly as a model shop is already commenting oct / Nov. I could think of a few very apt answers to that one! As well as the obvious frustration, I am very surprised that Hornby do not release official statements about such delays. If Simon can put a comment onto MRE a month ago, why could he not add an update? - Either on MRE or on here, something like.. "Sorry guys, delay due to ....." I shall have to go out and buy more Cooper Craft / Slaters kits to keep me busy, or decorate the Conservatory, or Build the new Kitchen !!

My email also asked about the implications to other GWR locos due. Will have to chase for a response and advise!

This however is the email received this week: Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:35:41 +0000 From: customercare@Hornby.com Dear Mr. Ball, Thank you for your email. The Tintagel Castle Class is due to arrive here in October. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further queries you may have in the future. Kind regards Customer Care

I have just received an email from Hornby after enquiring about a delivery date for Tintagel castle. It is now expected in........ October!!! I also asked about dates for the 28xx and 61xx but these did not get replies. Plus, I asked why the Castle has been delayed so long, but again there was no comment on that question. All very frustrating - at least we now know why the Castle was not included in the July newsletter!!!!

I have a couple of the Slaters toplights, they are a bit fiddly to make (I had trouble with the compartment partitions and the sides / floor), but other than they are great.

I always recall seeing Gloucester parcels cars around the Hayes and Southall area in the 1970's - As mentioned above they were on timetabled services every day plying the main line. I have very fond memories of 117 coming under the bridge (with loads of noise) on the Paddington bound local services at Hayes. Regards,

Yes, I agree, think it is a bit heavy handed - maybe once the layout is closer to completion I might repaint it!