Accurascale Fran

February 7

7 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

'next week' seems to have been and gone - are the Banana Vans on the same boat as the Mk2b coaches ?

Hi @Wickham Green too,

Apologies, any time I give out logistics info it comes back round and punches me in the back of the head.

Correct, in the same container as the Mark 2b coaches, so docks this week, lands in the warehouse next week.

Cheers!

Fran

February 7

Hi @Colin_McLeod,

Thanks very much for sharing!

Should any Accurascale customers be getting jealous, I can confirm that the ship carrying their coaches docks later this week, and after transfer to our warehouse, checks and counting into stock is complete, dispatch will commence later next week.

Cheers!

Fran

February 7

1 hour ago, 97406 said:

The Oxford connection may prevent this, but I'd like to see a rerun of the PHV ICI hoppers. They were the first "goods trains" that I remember and I'd accumulate a full rake in advance of extending the layout so I can run full trains when I do.

Pic from John Catterson's Flickr page - Link below

Oh look, they just "happen" to be hauled by a 40! 🤣

Subliminal pitching right there!

Cheers!

Fran

February 6

Hi everyone,

Just a heads up, due to a VAT glitch (Was not added correctly in the import) we need to delete some orders and re-import them, Your order is completely safe, so please do not be alarmed if you get a cancellation email from us shortly.

Thanks for your understanding as always!

Cheers!

Fran

February 6

9 minutes ago, Pre Grouping fan said:

Mine was done about 20 minutes ago.

Is it normal that the final order total doesn't include VAT? I see up an Accurascale account after getting the email from Hattons and put my address in (UK) but doesn't appear to be VAT on the order.

HI @Pre Grouping fan,

VAT has been left off in error, the joys of systems! It will be added back onto the orders shortly.

Order transfer still ongoing folks, will take the rest of the day and possibly tomorrow to sort out completely.

Cheers!

Fran

February 6

34 minutes ago, WCML100 said:

This is great news! Well done accurascale!

Will any of these be available through your retailers when they arrive?

Some FEA's would be great too hopefully! (if you do announce these based on your comments, a range of with and separately purchasable loads would be great as per your PFA's! some Green binliners and track carrying panels would be perfect! especially if they are in the same price range as your current gypsum containers packs!)

Hi @WCML100,

To maintain the Hattons price points (and sadly in the case of the AB and P, we had to increase them) and secure the already existing pre-orders for Hattons customers we are only able to offer these production runs direct only. Future production runs may be offered to retail partners, but naturally that will incur a higher price to include retailer margin. We shall assess that when the time comes!

21 minutes ago, BVMR21 said:

Brilliant news!!! Great to see the Barclays live on, one question I do have is in future runs will there be a spec upgrade? Just wondering if replacing the 6 pin socket might be looked into for example, as it is a bit of a pain to fit a decoder to the current iteration.

Either way, can't wait to see how this develops!

Hi @BVMR21,

Many thanks! We will assess the models in the future for any further tooling changes or spec changes. Fitting sound from the factory for instance is one we would like to do in the future, but a lot of work and investigating will have to go into the models first to see what is and what is not possible.

Cheers!

Fran

February 6

Hi everyone,

We have set up a thread in the Accurascale section of the website to discuss and answer any queries you may have, or discuss further, so please feel free to post there

Alternatively, reach out to us via sales@accurascale,com

Thanks,

Fran

February 6

Hi everyone,

We have set up a thread in the Accurascale section of the website to discuss and answer any queries you may have, or discuss further, so please feel free to post there

Alternatively, reach out to us via sales@accurascale,com

Thanks,

Fran

February 6

2 minutes ago, Southernman46 said:

The Warwell version I had pre-ordered is already showing sold out - I am assuming the existing ex-Hatton's pre-orders will take priority on the delivery ?

Excellent to see such co-operation within the industry to ensure continuity of these products too 👍

Hi @Southernman46,

That is correct, your pre-order will be imported onto our system and given priority.

Cheers!

Fran

February 6

Hi everyone,

Our hobby has been rocked by the news that Hattons Model Railways, a stalwart in the industry since the 1940s, has decided to close their doors for the last time. The familiar parcels wrapped in twine that many of us remember for many years have gone, along with one of the absolute pioneers of British retail with mail order, online sales and an eye for a shrewd deal along the way.

We may only be around for 6 years now, so we only had the pleasure of working for Hattons in their very final years. But, what a pleasure that has been, and a relationship that has educated us as well as helped us to preach the gospel that is Accurascale to even more modellers. From top to bottom, they have been fantastic to deal with and we hope that their staff and management go on to have great success in new roles and careers.

But, some of Hattons will live on, and we are delighted and privileged to be able to play a small role in securing their legacy.

As you may already know, acquired the tooling of the Hattons Originals Class 66 locomotives and announced a whole new run with some added Accurascale ingredients at Model Rail Scotland 2023. The production is now almost complete on those locomotives and they ship in mid February.

Utilising that existing relationship with Hattons, we have also been able to secure the future of other "Hattons Originals" toolings, beginning with the OO gauge Warwell wagons, The P Class 0-6-0 tank engine and the Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 tank locomotive. These three models will now join the Accurascale range forevermore! All three models are currently in different stages of production, with Hattons taken pre-orders on all three projects before they closed.

We will update you on each project separately in future, but for now the current status of each project is below;

OO Warwells

The Warwells are complete and will leave the factory in China just after Chinese New Year in late February, landing in stock with us in April 2024. The price of these will be maintained the same as the Hattons price of £25 each. Our bundle deal of 10% if you buy two or more applies along with free UK Postage and Packaging and 3% cashback on all orders. Our new "Accuracare" lifetime warranty will apply to these wagons too! Trains4u will receive their special limited edition commission as planned. Please contact them for further details on those.

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 ST

We're delighted to report that these locomotives are at decoration stage which we will reveal in the coming weeks. Production is slated to begin after the Chinese New Year break and delivery will be in Q4 2024. Unfortunately, with rising costs, the original price of £85 was impossible to maintain, so these locomotives are now priced at £99.95 each. However, with free postage and packaging and 3% cashback on all orders we can still soften the increase with some added value. They will also be covered by our new lifetime "Accuracare" warranty.

P Class

These locomotives are also at the decoration stage which we will also reveal very soon. Production is also slated to begin post Chinese New Year with delivery also in Q4 of 2024. These are likely to arrive after the Andrew Barclay tanks.As per the Andrew Barclay tanks, the P will also see an increase in price to £99.95, but with free postage and packaging and 3% cashback on all orders we can still soften that increase, along with covering them with our new lifetime "Accuracare" warranty.

Your Hattons Pre-Orders

So, if you have pre-ordered Warwells, P or Andrew Barclay, what happens next?Hattons will contact you asking if you have any objections with them moving your pre-orders to us. If you do not, then we will need you to register an account on our website and log your payment details for your pre-order. This is so we can safeguard your pre-order so you do not miss out. If you do not register after 2 weeks, we will consider your pre-order cancelled and we will offer the model for sale to other customers.

Next Steps And Placing Pre-Orders

As we are so deep into the production process on the P Class and the Andrew Barclay tank locos we cannot add any further locomotives to the production run, or make any further changes such as offering DCC Sound Fitted options. The specification will remain the same as Hattons originally specified when they first announced this new production run of locomotives.

These models will be for sale exclusively on our website only in order to protect historic pre-orders and keep prices as low as we can in line with Hattons.As mentioned earlier, the commission of Warwells by Trains4u will remain in place and will be delivered to Trains4u in April as planned. Please see them for more information about those models.

And finally, the question many of you may be asking; what other Hattons Originals models have joined our line up? Well, you will have to keep an eye on us for future announcements later this year and beyond to find out!

Pre-Order Your OO Gauge Warwell Here: https://www.accurascale.com/collections/50t-kwa-warwell

Pre-Order Your Andrew Barclay Tank Here: https://www.accurascale.com/collections/andrew-barclay-14-16-0-4-0st-industrial

Pre-Order Your P Class Tank Here: https://www.accurascale.com/collections/secr-p-class-locomotive

Cheers!

Fran

February 5

Hi everyone,

We should have an interesting little announcement later this week all going well that will please many. Just awaiting some final details before we go public.

What could it be?

Cheers!

Fran

January 24

On 22/01/2024 at 15:21, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

Just to check as it look like Irelands took a battering, @McC and @Accurascale Fran and anyone who works that side all ok??

Hi Eric,

We're all good thanks, think you guys got it worse in the end!

Cheers!

Fran

January 23

1 minute ago, Dixie Dean said:

I presume that you're OK with changing CVs and that doing so doesn't invalidate the warranty?

Hi @Dixie Dean,

Altering CVs is fine once it's in the parameters of the decoders capabilities. They're designed to be altered after all, so we would see no issue there.

Cheers!

Fran

January 23

7 minutes ago, ruggedpeak said:

Excellent news from Accurascale.

Two technical clarifications if I may, having read the T&C's (and apologies if I've missed the answers elsewhere):

1) does this extend to models bought "As new" or similar on well known auction sites from unofficial 'traders' (those hoping to make a quick buck but not understanding your pre-order process!!)

2) Can analogue locos be used safely with a 'Relco' type high frequency cleaner?

Thanks.

Hi @ruggedpeak,

1 - If they sourced the locomotive new from us (for example, an official trade partner) then yes. If not, then technically in our eyes it is second hand. We list our traders on our website, so always worth cross checking before you buy. However, and with any 2nd hand model, we would always repair it for you where we can, it would just incur a cost rather than be covered by our warranty.

2 - No. We really don't recommend them with our locos!

4 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Well done Accurasale, certainly a very welcome feature. All the more so for locos that you bought because it looks nice, but very rarely run like the Porterbrook Deltic.

One question if I may

Should you weather a model, or add different couplings (or even fitting your finescale wheels), would this invalidate the warranty should something unrelated (eg a motor failure) happen? Or does this just mean that if you make a mistake and brake something while you are doing the weathering/rewheeling/fitting your Accurascale crew etc you are (understandably) not covered

Hi @The Fatadder,

If it hasnt caused the failure, then yes, the locomotive would still be covered by our warranty. So, if you renumbered a loco, and a year later the factory fitted sound decoder goes pop, we will cover it. However, if you repaint it, or weather it, or damage it and then look for a new body to be covered by warranty, then naturally we wouldnt cover that.

Cheers!

Fran

January 23

Hi everyone,

We like to shake the market up as you know, so we have decided to review our warranty window of one year and extend it to an incredible, industry first, of a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty on all new, in stock and forthcoming Accurascale models!

But, what about the Accurascale models you already own? Well, we have not forgotten about you either!

So, how about this? We are EXTENDING our lifetime manufacturer’s warranty to all models ever sold new by us, or new by our retailers in the past, too!

This covers;

Locomotives
Coaches
Wagons
Accessories

We really believe in our models, so we will stand over them for life!

Should you be considering your next model purchase, you can check out our range, safe in the knowledge that we will have you covered, for life!

See all terms and conditions by clicking here

Need to contact us about a warranty issue? Contact us now now by emailing support@accurascale.com (If you purchased direct from our website, have your order number ready. If you purchased from a retailer please include either a photo of your receipt or order confirmation email in the email)

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

3 minutes ago, sulzer71 said:

Mine has had very little use on my end to end but is currently up for sale as it no longer fits my plans but if I end up keeping it I also have 2 x spare complete chassis so hopefully if there did turn out to be any issues with the motor fingers crossed at least one would be a good one

Hi @sulzer71,

If a motor issue developed we would replace the motor for you. It's as simple as that.

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

39 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

My money box is enquiring about when we might expect to see an RSH built version as originally delivered to the WR?

Hi Mike,

Ah all in good time (sends link of your comment to Gareth)

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

7 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Isnt that exactly what your CEO does Fran?

Hi Rich,

I must have a look, but hadn't noticed it when it was a post where someone was issuing a grievance about a rival company before. I have seen him trying to help someone who had an issue with 3rd party products before though, which is above and beyond really.

Edit - He also doesn't hide behind a pseudonym.

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

32 minutes ago, 97406 said:

Happy to oblige there, Fran…!

Hi @97406l

I think we could all do with some steam heating today!

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

19 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

When looking at one particular users post history, there is at least one poster on here who really hasn't done much besides moan about 37 motors for months.

maybe he has more 37’s than BR and does nothing else all day than service them ? - i dunno, but it seems odd to harp on about it and little else.

Hi John,

It's funny as the CEO of one of our rivals pops on here to "react" to any post on here that is in anyway negative towards us under his RMWeb pseudonym. You'd think he would have better things to be doing and not be so cunning, but I guess it says more about his company being so irritated by what we are doing than us personally, so we take it as a great compliment.

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

On 18/01/2024 at 07:00, Dunsignalling said:

If the last several pages on this thread are anything to go by, do steam-era fans think there's no point even making suggestions for future Accurascale products?

There's only one DMu I'd buy, and that's been near the top of the polls for years, to zero effect.

What hope for those classes that haven't?

John

Hi John,

In fairness we have three steam locomotives announced, with one in the market and two more on the way. We also have some in the works that are yet unannounced, so we are always open and positive on steam suggestions. We have some experience of the steam market now though with these models, and steam locos are not a "capex hungry" as multiple units, which is why I thought I'd conduct some rather rudimentary market research by asking about them on here a couple of pages back.

Always feel free to make some steamy suggestions below!

Cheers!

Fran

January 19

Hi Everyone,

Just to put some context to this; it's a bit more nuanced than "the motors are faulty" as that would mean they all are, and they are not. If all the motors were faulty then believe me, there would be literally thousands more posts online and the RMWeb servers would fall over with the amount of traffic they would see due to the volume we have sold.

We have not shied away from people having an issue with a dodgy motor, we have openly tried to help. We recognise that "some motors that are dodgy got out there". Should this have happened? No, and we are very frustrated about it, though obviously the most frustrated of all is the customer and we acknowledge that too.

We have taken the feedback online on board so we can do our very best to make it right and we have put measures in place with the factory to improve with even more product testing and QC checks with financial penalties put in place should there be no improvement. However, when they ask us our actual failure rate of motors on the 37 the percentage we have accounted for is tiny. This leads them to scratch their heads on why we are making such a fuss about it! Maybe that percentage is small because we are not being contacted by everyone who has had an issue? Metrics shows us where the attention needs to go and how to improve, and gives us context. So please email us and help us to understand and account better should that be the case.

All we ask is that you send us an email if you have an issue, and we will look after it for you. It costs you time, we understand, but we look after all the postage costs etc, so it doesnt cost you money. We will repair or replace and have you locomotive back to you. It's what the warranty is for. Emailing us the issue allows us to track metrics so we can see if this is a widespread problem.

At the end of the day, if you bought a new car, and the engine blew up, how would you go about getting it resolved? Would you post on social media, or take it back to the dealership where you bought it?

Email us, tell us, let us make it right for you. This helps out on your issue and helps us to do better in the future, making something mutually positive out of something negative that has gone wrong.

Cheers!

Fran

January 18

20 hours ago, atom3624 said:

When is Evening Star expected to be available?

Al.

Hi Al,

All 66s arrive together in late Q1.

20 hours ago, XChris said:

Quick question on these, I’m guessing that the couplings and front valances are the same as the Hattons ones?

Hi Chris,

Correct, we have not modified that area.

Cheers!

Fran

January 17

2 hours ago, ruggedpeak said:

Hi Gents

Tried that, hasn't worked.

To be fair, sending the 37 back was fine. Getting it repaired and returned to me or a refund issued (as requested) is proving a lot more difficult.

I would ask that someone in charge contacts me via PM ASAP since the existing 'direct' routes are not working.

Thanks

Tony

Hi Tony,

Apologies for this. I have flagged it with my colleagues who have since emailed you.

Many thanks,

Fran

January 17

33 minutes ago, derekdoestrains said:

Looking forward to seeing the plan to sort the issue on the current ones 👍

Hi Derek,

Delighted to report that ESU are currently working on it with the existing models. Deep diving takes time but we will get it right.

Cheers!

Fran

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