Hornby NEW models

Still no news of a loco drive 9F then? Modelyard's is just too expensive for a conversion which doesn't improve the tender chassis or any other elements.

Ian J.

I wait with baited breath for the 31. Does it say what quarter they will be released?

Hopefully they will follow the first batch up with a nice Railfreight liveried one.

"Meadowgreen-TMD @meadowgreen-tmd.co.uk wrote

No release information nor pricing - just says "to be advised" and the facility to order is blocked out.

John.

[snip list]

I thought that Hornby were making a Pendolino :(

"Mr Martin said Hornby hoped to boost its catalogue by developing a model version of Virgin's new high-speed tilting trains"

(quote from

)

The Class 31 sounds good though - hopefully a similar chassis to the new Class 50?

Jim

Thanks, John. Have they owned up to which they will mess up by blotching beige paint on the bottom half? (That's 'mess up' spelt 'w-e-a-t-h-e-r-e-d')

They always seem to weather the one I want - and if I want it weathered, I'd want it done realistically.

I challenge them to produce a 31 that looked like the one in your piccie at

Now, that is a fantastic picture!

David

I found this on the Hornby web site!

-- With Kind regards from

Mike in West Sussex. UK

(00 stuff) (books and vids)

(Note, address does not work to stop the stupid low life spammers from attacking)

Great. So rather than come up with original models, now we're going to get overlap from the manufacturers. Rather than Hornby competing with Heljan's Hymek, why don't they produce something that neither Bachmann nor Heljan are making? I could understand the overlap if Heljan's Hymek was a poor model (which it isn't) or if Hornby's was going to be a significant improvement (which I doubt).

Cheers Clive

Great. So rather than come up with original models, now we're going to get overlap from the manufacturers. Rather than Hornby competing with Heljan's Hymek, why don't they produce something that neither Bachmann nor Heljan are making? I could understand the overlap if Heljan's Hymek was a poor model (which it isn't) or if Hornby's was going to be a significant improvement (which I doubt).

Cheers Clive

I have to say I was surprised that they are still going to be doing a new Hymek! Unless it is a great upgrade I don't see the advantage, cost could be an issue I guess. But the 31 is welcome! I have two of the Airfix ones and five or so Lima. A new well made one has to be good! Now all I need is a few good class 33s, I heard Heljan are going to make them, hope so.

Great...there is going to be a Railfreight one....not so great...it's quarter 4!!!!

..likewise...I can't see the point of the Hymek with Heljan's model being excellent compared with theirs.

Seems to be a lot of 're-liveried' releases in there.

..come on..a really good model of a split box 37/0 is really needed!!

Looking at the pic of the Hymek on the press release -

- the bogies, where they fit to the chassis, certainly appear to be of the old Tri-ang model :( With the superior Heljan Hymek on offer, I must ask - why have Hornby bothered? It makes me worry that the Hornby 31 might be a resurrection of the old Tri-ang tooling - I certainly hope I'm wrong about that one... but then I usually am wrong :)

--

*** *** Updating regularly throughout 2004 Rich Mackin (rich-at-richmackin.co.uk)

In article , John Turner writes

I think you will find that there are only five weathered coaches, John. All of them are maroon Mk1s. They are not the first as one of the train packs last year had them in.

Pat

In article , Rich Mackin writes

The answer is simple - because they can sell them. It hasn't stopped their Class 37 and Class 47 from sell either.

You are wrong. The old Class 31 was dropped 30 years ago because the tools wore out. This will be a new model.

Pat

"Rich Mackin" wrote

Nope, the 31 is claimed as a *totally new* model. Hopefully to the same standard as the class 50 but without the gimmicks and traction tyres!

John.

"Pat Hammond" wrote

In that case Hornby want to make their order form clearer. Under the heading *Weathered Coaches* on the trade order form I've been supplied with the following are listed:-

R4200 R4201 R4202 R4203 R4204

R4205 R4206 R4207 R4208 R4209 R4210 R4211 R4212 R4213 R4214 R4215 R4216 R4218 R4219A R4220A R446 R468

Although there's a gap between R4204 & R4205 there's nothing on their listing to suggest that the latter bunch are not weathered, although you may well be right Pat.

John.

You will need the traction tyres if you want traction! On a "test" train tonight on our club layout, a fellow member recorded the following results on an inclined and curved piece of track. The track is probably raising about 6-8 inches in about 12 ft, so fairly steep and no the curve dont help! Anyway, Bachmann 25 + 11 coaches = failed Heljan Hymeck + 11 coaches just made it, failed on 13 Bachmann 37 + 13 coaches, failed. Heljan 47 + 13 coaches, just failed Hornby class 50, 17 coaches and could have easily taken more, the pulling power I would guess to be at least 50% greater than any other of the above, all caoches were Bachmann mk1.

I would be interested to know how much the sales have dropped. I personally would not buy them no matter how much cheaper they are, even if they interested me that much! I know my local retailer sells hardly any Hornby mk

1 coaches since the bachmann ones came out. The class 35 I can not see selling very well unless it is re-tooled, chassis and abody?

But if John T is right that the RRP will be £54, I can't imagine people would want to save £16 for what will be an inferior model - if I was modelling WR, I'd choose the Heljan Hymek. That said, if the Hornby 37 and 47 sell, I imagine someone out there will buy them. I'd only buy a Hornby 47 now if they offered a livery not available in the Heljan range - I may well be tempted to part with my cash for the Riveria Trains pair, and possibly a DRS one, having missed out on the Heljan Ltd Ed. :) With those, and the new-livery MML HST and GNER "Mallard" 225, Hornby look set to attract more custom from me than in 2003 - will "Mallard" Mk4s be available separately though? And there's no sign of an MML buffet coach, and yet again Hornby have passed over the opportunity to make shedloads of cash by not adding TGS coaches to their range :(

*phew* Looks like my donor loco for a Network Rail-liveried 31285 has been chosen then :)

--

*** *** Updating regularly throughout 2004 Rich Mackin (rich-at-richmackin.co.uk)

In article , John Turner writes

That's because they always arrange the subjects on their order forms in numerical order. I read it the way you did when I first saw it.

Pat

"Rich Mackin" wrote

It's not whether JT is right, but whether the price quoted by Hornby on their trade price list is right.

What you have to remember is that Hornby's market is wider than the model railway market. Their products are sold in toy shops and the large multiples like Toys R Us. Most of these will not offer the choice between Hornby and Heljan, therefore their consumers probably won't know of the existence of the Heljan Hymek.

It appears that most of the Hornby diesel & electric loco's will have an RRP of GBP 54.00 (for some reason the class 86s are a tad cheaper) and I suspect the numbers that the model trade will stock will be on the low side.

John.