Hi Sam, good update. I'll try to answer some of your questions about the Revolution MMA/JNA box wagons. In terms of specification - what do you want to know? As with our models in OO and N the wagons will feature prototypical variations in detailing including 9-rib and 11-rib bodyshells, with or without side cleaning doors, with body or bogie mounted brake wheels and incorporating variations in the positioning and configuration of underfloor brake equipment. They'll have standard TT:120 couplers in the same NEM sockets used by Hornby. In terms of pricing, while the numerous tooling variations we are offering do add a little to the cost, by far the biggest factor is the quantity you expect to make. TT:120 is an unknown market for us so we have priced the models the same as our N gauge versions. Comparing our model with the Hornby HAA (itself a very fine model) is understandable but misleading as they have significantly wider distribution and I strongly suspect they will sell far more than we expect to. Plus for a realistic HAA rake you need around 24-36 wagons; for a realistic MMA rake you need around 12-18 so the cumulative price is not disimilar. It is probably more realistic to compare our bogie wagon with the Hornby/Arnold TT:120 container flat which is £43. If you're at one of the shows we attend (TINGS, GETS, "New" Warley) come and have a chat and I will happily explain more of our thinking. Thanks. Ben Ando, Revolution Trains.
Thank you so much for sharing - really appreciate the extra info, the specs sound great! What sort of premium features will be on offer such any die-cast construction or accessories? Yes I totally understand your pricing from a business point of view, but my comments on price were made from a customers' point of view, which is obviously quite different. I certainly wasn't suggesting the two models are in any way comparable other than the HAA seeming more affordable at around half the price. Yes I'll be at some of the shows later this year - would love to take a look! Thanks again - Sam :)
Another thing worth considering is some of the stats in Hornby's report relating to TT - they mentioned having sold 8,000 TT locomotives and 30,000 items of rolling stock in addition to the sets. On average that means people are buying less than 4 items of rolling stock per locomotive. If that's accurate, the vast majority of people aren't building full rakes which is interesting!
@@SamsTrains Hi Sam re the premium features: we tend to avoid visible diecast components unless absolutely necessary as in my view the detail tends to be a little clunkier than injection moulded plastic and paint more liable to chipping; the wagons are of course weighted with a steel billet hidden inside the central spine. Accessories - cosmetic air brake pipes will be included as they are in OO and N. In those scales we have also offered a variant with a flashing tail lamp, but this adds cost and complexity so while we are designing the TT:120 models to incorporate this in the future we won't offer it unless/until pre-orders justify it. I had studied the Hornby figures but one factor to bear in mind is that they haven't yet released the 66 - it's the only loco I myself have on pre-order. Indeed, the vast majority of the locomotives they have released so far are primarily passenger locos, so coaches are liable to be outselling wagons. And four coaches per loco... doesn't sound too far off for the 'trainset' market.' Our wagon is aimed four-square at offering customers receiving their 66s a modern, big, exclusively British wagon to go with them, which is a gap in Hornby's offer at the moment. The Arnold container wagon is more usually seen on the Continent, though they do get to Britain occasionally. Hornby's upcoming KFA is a good fit when they do a Freightliner 66. The KFA and Drax biomass hoppers are among the very few models that Hornby and Revolution have both produced (in different scales) but there are plenty of other modern wagons in Revolution's range that Hornby haven't ever touched, and vice versa. Duplication is always possible, but in a new scale like TT:120 I would say is less likely than in OO or even in N. But as ever there is always lots to discuss and many factors to consider!
Thanks again for this - all sounds good and solid 👍 All the best with the venture - I looked at your nuclear flask wagon last year and it was absolutely stunning, so keep up the great work!!
Personally, my favourite Buckjumper was the one in that stunning Dark BR Blue Livery. I will definitely get my hands on it one day. And as always, great video Sam, the Model Railway news is my favourite way to catch up on developments in the hobby.
We must have all seen this coming with Hornby?. I personally feel that Simon Kohler is to blame when they got rid of their concessions and dealers that they had been dealing with for decades.
Yeah they treated many retailers poorly and relationships were damaged - not heard much about that situation recently, but last I heard things were a little better. Their report does heavily mention direct to customer sales though, which does seem to be a focus of theirs! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I think Simon did a lot of harm, I was talking to a very big retailer last year and he said he could get nothing out of him re demonstration layouts etc. However the new team had a display layout in his store within a week or two, and more recently I have seen a Scalextric track as well in the shop.
So, er, giving discounts to dealers, reducing their revenue and profit, is somehow going to increase profits? Not sure how that works. The way to increase profit is to REDUCE costs, and the quickest and easiest way to do that is direct sales, cut out the unnecessary additional costs and overheads that add no value for Hornby.
Another way to make profit is to actually sell the items!. They lost a lot of customers because of the way they treated their retailers. Also direct sales!. I have never bought a single item from Hornby direct because it is retail price. Why would I. Also does it look like it's working?.
You only have to watch that awful programme with them all flapping around. They were so clueless and watching them develop models was scary. Botch it, fix it that will do. "Let's get them in". Just terrible. That bloody awful Railroad advert being a high point.
Seems like Hornby needs to reassess what they are doing after treating their clients (retailers) and customers like rubbish over the last couple of years, the numbers aren't lying.
The reality is profit is revenue less costs. As a customer I would be more than happy to have dealer overheads and the additional profit taken out of the selling price. I won't buy from dealers that cry about Hornby giving them a 'bad deal' when all it means is price increases for the end customer. Hornby are not a charity, and I don't see why I should spend my hard earned cash supporting dealers..
I am not sure exactly what the profit curve is, but one thing is for sure is that it takes a lot of sales volume to pay off all new tooling. Obviously TT is all new tooling, but I think the sales numbers are actually quite decent - after all, the total numbers cover everything Hornby sells, so it looks like a respectable percentage is from TT. As a consequence, it is only reasonable to assume the lack of large numbers of new tooled items is due to the capital outlay.
Hi Sam, from your french audience : the summer is miserable too, on the other side of the Channel... Let's call this a perfect "indoor hobbies" summer :P
I'm glad another manufacturer is getting into British TT:120 scale! Glad they started with a piece of rolling stock that matches what Hornby has announced, but something Hornby has not made. Hopefully Hornby use their resources wisely and not make the same model. I would like to see you review the Hornby TT HAA hopper and the Mk3 coaches that go with the HST.
One thing people need to remember is that out of all the manufacturers which exist is the fact that most ONLY produce rolling stock / Locos! To create a ‘model railway’ you need track, buildings, trees, scenic materials etc - and none of the recent entrants to the industry make those things! In fact it’s only Hornby and Bachmann who can provide the entire model railway ecosystem so to speak and as such were Hornby to flounder it would leave a much grater hole than many seem think.
The cottage industry is growing day by day. You can get practically anything from this, not least as it is run by small private enterprises, they can produce such a lot cheaper. The quality also can be very good with 3D printing and laser cutting. It would be difficult for Hornby to compete with as their overheads will be enormous in comparison. A good example of a cottage industry is Sam Trains himself!
I agree. Manufacturers like Hornby is essential to the hobby. I don't think they will go away though, there will always be someone ready to take over. They have an extremely strong brand.
Yeah that’s true - but the likes of Accurascale only don’t make track and controllers because there’s no market for it…. It certainly wouldn’t be beyond their capabilities if that was to change. Scenics and buildings shouldn’t be a concern - they’re easily made at home, and again, should a gap in the market arise, it will be filled by others.
I can't see anybody else retailing a full train set for under £80. To be honest, I doubt we will see again a new tooled 0-4-0 released for below £100 by any other manufacturer. That's too expensive for a lot of people in these times. Hornby may move production to cheaper countries. Scalextric is now made in Vietnam and Airfix in India.
I realize it takes a lot of time / work to be able to produce videos this frequently, so thank you for the videos. You are one of my top 3 favorite channels.
Another nice watch. Looking at Hornby revenue and debts is kinda depressing, especially considering they have been in the hobby for over 100 years. I’m really hoping they don’t go out of business, because I think they make the best RTR Gresley Pacifics in 00. Also, you guys in England are getting rain? It’s more than 90 where I am right now! But other than that, good video as always Sam!
Yeah it is quite depressing - we see all these odd products and decisions and have to trust they know what they're doing... and then reports like this come out... not inspiring! Their LNER pacifics are indeed incredible, especially after their upgrades! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you so much for all the updates every month in the model railway industry! I'm from Canada and order my OO models from the UK and this helps me find out the information A LOT! Excited for the 57XX Pannier Tank and the Jones Goods in HR Yellow!
Fascinating Sam. The auto release coupling is of course an interesting notice. In the Märklin world the vintage solution was a pulse via the electromagnetic reverser (relay) to the coupler by the controller's reversing pulse (1960s, 70s, 80s). It worked but the rather bulky mechanics had to be hidden somehow. Today with electronics, it's much easier to implement the function in a discrete way via the decoder. We'll have to read H's latest report. As far as we have understood is that H has always been financially inconstant. Debt isn't a problem as long as it being covered by a Capex which in the end generates revenue with a projection of earning back with a healthy profit plus net projected value of inflation. However, such are high risks taken, and if H doesn't come through, then we'll have to see what's next... It's up to Gary Channon (owner of Phoenix Asset Management) who has a great passion for the hobby but does see H as filling a niche market. Hopefully he has the patience. Cheerio.
It does look very interesting - and a surprisingly slim mechanism too which is good! This year showed a worsening in Hornby's fortunes - doesn't sound like good news to me :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains We just went over the report. The following section is key: "Gross profit reduced by £1.9 million, to £25.0 million, for the year, albeit 76% of that difference, or £1.3 million, directly relates to tooling amortisation charges. Critical investments for the future in sales, insights, data & loyalty, digital marketing and development, contributed to an 11% increase in fixed costs." They have scrapped tooling (wise?) made critical investments, strengthened digital marketing and development. Asset managers have no problems with losses and debt as long as they are for covering calculated investments, which is the case. And... as long as they can report investments as costs..., in which case they depress net result to a deep negative so they don't have to pay taxes, lol. A default asset management trick ;) There are no other shareholders so they can use any artifice hahah. The financial risk remains of course, but it's a good sign that Gary does invest in H. Only the future will tell if all strategic choices are adequate. The H story continuous.
@@SamsTrains Well, we just went over the report. The following section is key: "Gross profit reduced by £1.9 million, to £25.0 million, for the year, albeit 76% of that difference, or £1.3 million, directly relates to tooling amortisation charges. Critical investments for the future in sales, insights, data & loyalty, digital marketing and development, contributed to an 11% increase in fixed costs." They have scrapped tooling (wise?) made critical investments, strengthened digital marketing and development. Asset principles have no problems with losses and debt as long as they are for covering calculated investments, which is the case. And... as long as they can report investments as costs..., in which case they depress net result to a deep negative so they don't have to pay taxes, lol. A default financial asset trick ;) H has no other shareholders so they can use any artifice hahah. The financial risk remains of course, but it's a good sign that Gary does invest in H. Only the future will tell if all strategic choices are adequate. The H story continuous.
Thanks for the update! Always look forward to these ^^ Jus to say Rapidos Metropolitan Railway E Class locos are now in stock! Looking forward to seeing your review of one Sam ;3 Can't wait for mine to arrive.. a very interesting prototype~
With Hornby not doing well financially, i wonder how long it will be before Mike Ashley (sports direct) buys more shares of Hornby 🤔 he already owns 10% of it. I work for GAME (owned by Sports Direct) and we're seeing an increase in Hornby products in our stores
Great vid Sam - really useful as always. As you say sad to hear of Hornbys position but in my opinion they've only brought it on themselves by continuing to produce overpriced and outdated junk (comparative to the likes of Cavalex, Revolution etc) - in my opinion had they cut some of this tat which didn't sell well such as beetles/coke stuff and steampunk, they could have saved their reputation and also their money!! There are many other things I think as well but I can't really go to detail on it here 😂 maybe though you could do a small video explaining what went wrong and how Hornby could change stuff and turn it around (like you did with TT?), that would be interesting.
I’m still super hyped for the Accurascale S56, and the fact we now have prototype samples makes me all the more excited. I’ve got my eyes on the Locomotion Models No. 87 variant, so hopefully it won’t sell out on pre-order. I can’t wait to see your review on the model if you get it.
Very hard to make a comeback when you’ve given up so much to an increasing, and higher quality, group of competitors. I think it’s too late for Hornby. But it’ll be interesting to see what they do. Those numbers are very very bad. Thanks Sam, as always, for the frequent and always interesting content. 😊👍👍
It's interesting to see that Revolution have set a price despite the fact it's at CAD stage. This would suggest that the excuse for high prices being due to development costs etc isn't strictly true; as there must be further costs involved after CAD unless these have been estimated already?
I think Revolution have said on another TH-cam video that they have set the price the same as the N gauge release becuase they know how much that cost to get to market and are taking the risk that the TT version will sell as well as the N gauge version. On the one hand the development work is done and the CAD drawings can be created from work already done on OO and N but next is cutting the metal tooling which is an enormous expense and is larger than for N gauge and then production costs which will be a couple of years further on in China price inflation over the N gauge version.
Some interesting stuff. Nothing to shout from the rooftops about, but I do like the look of those Backjumpers 🙂 Always a bit miffed when the GWR stuff seems to be in short supply...
I’ve just seen a pre-production model of the 08 up close and personal and all I can say is Wow! I’m certainly getting one for a small Leicester based shunting layout that I’m planning. The slow speed running will be the clincher.
Dapols 2nd batch of GWR toplight coaches are shipping - TMC says about 4-6 weeks to be on the shelves. Dapol also mention in the release that they're working on corridor versions.
Dude that’s sick, I love gwr toplights and the corridor ones will work with my West Midlands layout! Thanks for sharing I didn’t know about the corridor ones!
Hornby will not disappear as such even though the finances don't look good. I find it interesting that Mike Ashley is lurking in the background and has 10% shares in Hornby already a sort of foot in the door just waiting for his chance. Ashley brought the Fraser Group.( Retail) after it went bankrupt for a rock bottom price he had shares in it already he owns a lot more than people realise often brought from creditors. I suspect Ashley is just waiting for Hornby to mess up and collapse then put a bid in to buy the brand cheap and then try to return the company back to profit then sell it. I doubt Ashley ( but you never know) is into model railways it just a means to an end to add to his wealth.
Thanks Sam, as always for an interesting digest. Like you I am both cross and sad with Hornby. I do wish them well with TT, but they've kinda lost it in 00. All my recent purchases and pre-orders for locomotives have been from the newish kids on the block. Most of my goods wagons are Rapido. I have a healthy fleet of GWR era 3 suburban & main line Collett coaches are of course Hornby, but most bought at distress-selling prices. Rapido, Accurascale and Dapol are the pathfinders I feel.
The Buckjumpers look fantastic! I didn’t order one but I am tempted now… The Bachmann 08 is a bit of a disappointment in my opinion, the current one is fine, and if you REALLY want more detail there is the Hornby one, not looking forward to seeing the price on this one. The Hornby announcements hardly were announcements in my opinion, so I’m kinda left wondering why Hornby bothered making two sets of announcements per year. It’s cool to see another manufacturer entering TT (Revolution), and hopefully more manufacturers will start modelling in TT and we will see this scale grow!
They really do don't they! Yeah it's an odd choice isn't it? Hornby and Bachmann do seem quite risk averse these days... which is understandable don't get me wrong... but we don't seem to be getting many interesting never-seen-before prototypes these days, especially from Bachmann! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains that’s true, though do bear in mind that Bachmann have the Class 69 on the way, and it wasn’t that long ago that we got the 1P, Class 90, 812, Precedent, etc, and all their OO9 stuff has for obvious reasons never been done. Personally I think Bachmann have been retooling old models a bit much though, as the updated Class 37, 47, 24, 25, and now the 08 really weren’t needed, as there wasn’t really anything wrong with the older Bachmann models. Personally I’m hoping they announce the LSWR T3, LBSC Remembrance Class, LNER D40, or something like that!
A Palethorpes Sausage van was a regular pickup from their factory, just outside Stourbridge, on passenger as well as goods trains to South Wales, certainly during the fifties and sixties. Would like one in OO…
Enjoyed a warm & sunny Wednesday, on the east side of Eng-er-land.. seems like 2 more to come, so not panicking about filling my "green bin". Still to prepare the "Christmas fridge" tho', which is starting to bug me. Thanks for the review. Much to ponder, which will help me through the daily chores. If ever I do build a modest layout, it must be a thing of true, slow crawling, smooth running beauty.🤓👍
The variations mistakes on Asbestos, depends on what stage of the loco's life is modelled? Vac pipes will have been added in preservation as could the different buffers.
Hi mukka, Same old, same old class 8 and 9s... Why doesn't a manufacturer make a real investment in a class 13 for a change... with a motor in each unit they would be awesome! Maybe Accurascale would run with it. Sam, what is your email? I want to write about the era one wagons but cannot find it on your site! 🤔 Cheers from Oz. Gaz
That Bachmann 08 looks interesting. the last time I heard about a model having automatic tension locks, it was the Triang 08! I do hope with the 08 being a shunter, that Bachmann considered using buffer springs that aren't super strong. It would also have been nice if they made a fully sprung 08, as the 08 bounces around a lot (see the video 08 overtakes its own train). The Buckjumper looks nice, but the blue is missing a lot of depth, as the real GER blue has a strong, deep blue lustre to the finish that looks like it overlays the rest of the blue, almost like a metallic colour. For the price that dapol is selling that saddle tank at, it wouldn't be that much trouble for the modeller to add those small details, considering how good the rest of the model is. Thanks as always Sam!
I always look forward to your news bulletins. Bachmann playing safe with the 08, Sam? I've got the GER livered Buckjumper on order. Can't wait to see / run it. Now I love up in former GER country, and often find myself at London Liverpool St. I couldn't resist it. Good to see more manufactures making TT120 kit. Isn't one of Revolution's directors ex BBC reporter Ben Ando? Hornby's new steam tech is very striking, but it still manages to make complete howlers. The company can't carry on with this financial performance. It's a shame. The hobby needs a strong Hornby.
In my opinion, two big new features that appeared are Bachmann's automatic uncouplers, and Hornby's incorporation of the smoke (water vapor) generators. I wonder if either of these features will remain exclusive, or if others will be able to provide similar. Imagine a Dapol loco with the smoke.
11:44 I really hope that this is not death by a thousand cuts for Hornby again. To give the company the benefit of the doubt, perhaps there were unforeseen use of space issues after the destruction leaflet had gone to press Hapless Holders of a corner of every modeller's heart, where's the customer care? I'm super~annuated enough to remember the delight that is the annual catalogue coming with at least loose printed sheets. One the price list ~ _that's_how to do some extra maths ~ the other an addendum politely apologising for the mistake and showing the new way to get to San Jose, the end. Well done sir for your _just_ the right side of obsequious, your gentlemanly and genuine good wishes. I can imagine that that should silence everyone accusing you of bias.
Perhaps you're not yet aware, but Dapol have N Gauge rolling stock in their range, including a very scary closed van that I braved my terror to purchase: the dreaded GWR Gunpowder Van. I dare you to purchase one yourself, while screaming in your own terror, if you're brave enough. Also, I've put up a poll on my community tab page. I'd like to see which model railway gauge, out of the 5 listed, you like best. You can comment on your choice if you wish.
We have to remember that Hornby railways is just one of 14 brands they have on their website. If they are spreading development money and time across all of those brands then Hornby are not going to be doing as much new tooling as we all might like. The hope might be that if Hornby do start to feel they are spread too thin and they start to reduce the number of brands then Hornby itself might be one of the core brands that survives.
Airfix and Humbrol are back on the shelves in Hobbycraft. Hobbycraft had to drop those when the Hornby company told retailers it was all-or-nothing with their ranges.
Hi Sam , just wondering what impact re-nationalisation of Railways will have for the modeller / collector .?? One livery , maybe others for freight , express , suburban , UK RAIL ( don't think they can go back to British Rail.) Not having all those different liveries to collect . I hope they choose an amazing new scheme .....maybe have a competition for modellers to decide ?? that could be interesting !
Got some interesting releases coming soon! Rapido’s metropolitan E locos are just coming into stock, the rerun of heljan tangos are due shortly (that shall be interesting to see), according to accurascales website, the class 31’s are in transit from the factory, the Graham farish lms 10000 are in stock, quite a few things coming. Plus, n scale V2’s just got announced, literally within the last 24 hours.
P.S. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you need a factory!! :) :) Really glad they’ve done so well but when the quality and design thoroughly beat the large manufacturers, it’s not surprising there was great interest. Well done Sam!
haha thank you very much! It's really what I love to do, and I'm already in production with the next model... something a little different but very interesting! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam I am interested in modelling British trams but there are no ready to run models available or track systems. Considering many of our cities now have tram systems I find this surprising. Also any layouts can be smaller with tighter curves.
There are several ready to run trams available (and kits) though I can't recall the makers as it's outside my main interest. I think there are/is a society so it might be useful to contact them.
I've been modelling British outline trams in OO for nearly 40 years. When I started, it was all kits - mostly white metal or plastic but there are now card ones as well - from a variety of sources. Unfortunately, many have ceased production and my board is at capacity , so I've not been looking for ready to run British. A lot of modellers use the chassis from the HO Bachmann PCC car or Bogie Brill. Most of my models use them, with a few Bec chassis or Tenshodo bogies. Track? I'd suggest a flexible length. A Bachman Bogie Brill will go round 9 inch radius without modification. The PCC chassis needs a bit of filing, and it's useful to have the powered bogie pushing to shorten the wheelbase. I use a standard N scale curve as a template for bending. The Tramway & Light Railway Society website may be worth a look. Thin card covers the sleepers. Regards, Pete
@@hughoconnor9172 Yes, the Tower Models shop. I bought several plastic kits from them. The kits were "Hadfield's" originally, and were later "Blackpool Plastics". I've not seen any for some years. The last kits I bought were card ones, via the TLRS web site
I think one of the best new anointments to me is the succes of Sam's era 1 trains.😁 As for new model suggestions, I think it's best to consolidate Anthony Dawson, if somebody knows it, it must be him. But please consider bringing the choice out of a complete kit you can assemble your self, it would make painting for those who want easier, that's my suggestion. Hornby, the hate love relation we all have😂, they always seem to mis the train right at the end, like the black 9, super beautiful model and the they ruin the party with the coupling of a few pence between tender an loco…
I really hope those class 08s come in black. Normally id rather not have plain black engines, as i find them rather boring, but i want me an accurate devious diesel, damnit!
Had a decent look at the Hornby annual report. However, there major problem is a large stock of obsolete items which they are very reluctant to reduce. Considering the high profit margin these items have ( retail price) and also when manufactured. There's no logical reason not to discount even by saying 10 to 15 percent. After all if it's that obsolete, the accountancy depreciation must count for next to nothing. There's no real break down of division figures either. Mike Ashley awaits in the wings😢
Interesting that hornby went bankrupt many years ago and got bought by triang and then became hornby again to only face bankruptcy. I believe that though we may see them go again I am fearful that it will not be the last of them.
Yeah - things went badly in the past, the company that was Hornby is now long gone, as Tri-ang out competed them and then ended up owning them... I suppose history could repeat itself? Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@bennickss if you want to spend £50 on an 0-4-0, but not from the second hand market, thankfully you can get a poorly done replica of a Tri-ang 0-4-0 shunter for that amount of money!
To be honest, even if the TT revenues were high this would only be good news if they weren't at the expense of their OO range. I don't have any data about that, so do you have any info on how OO revenues are going compared to pre-TT times?
Already prepaid for a Buckjumper, but was NOT aware of the dark blue BR engine. It’s got me wanting one, and I’m not seeing it on the usual sites… A new 08 can be cool, but it’s gotta be reasonably priced, unlike Hornby’s 08s. I’m glad your range is doing well, but I honestly thought you’d be sold out by now. Well, maybe you are now 😂 Glad people are loving the HLs, though the real-life Asbestos was intriguing to see. If people are turning their noses up at it, I may own one just yet 😉 I honestly expect Hornby to go after them. They gotta get that dollar/pound. I’d honestly like to have the 43 HST, though I’m sad that they didn’t opt for the BR blue/yellow. A second option would’ve been good to see, I think. Make no mistake, I want Hornby to improve, be the model railway kings we can expect them to be, but if they go out of business, I won’t be too sad about it. Time for new blood, all that business. Thanks for the update, and catch ya next time.
13:20 it's so frustrating that Hornby released that HST set in the Grand Central livery. It's literally only one of the three Liveries that would have been inaccurate, those bieng Grand Central, East Midlands Trains Revised and Rail Adventure. I'm sure a Cross Country, LNER, Scotrail, or even the original BR Intercity 125 livery would have gone down a treat. It's not like it's so cheap that the missing buffers can be overlooked with the excuse of "Railroad models are made cheaply at the sacrifice of detail" Because at 150 quid for the Powercar and dummy, it's not cheap for something that's essentially a kids toy.
On the state of Hornby’s decline it was to be expected because they were hoisted by their own petard. Other manufacturers who came onto the recently are better and cheaper including your 3D printed rolling stock. Perhaps you should print a second batch of models for the mixed goods pack considering their popularity
The Ultramarine J67 looks a very tempting addition to any collection. These high definition models pose a threat to Hornby, since the smaller manufacturer is not carrying the excess baggage of all those staff at Margate! It has to be the case that the Wonderworks and all the rest of it are a drain on company profit! You made no mention of the Bachmann Kinesis system which you may care to review in a future video. I think this is a recycled version of their earlier Dynamis Ultima, but that has the drawback of requiring line of sight from the handset to the base station. This new system is wifi. The railcontroller software looks very similar to that supplied for use with Dynamis Ultima. But with that, you had to purchase an unlock key before you could use it. Kinesis will have Railcontroller included in the price, which is useful tor those with large layouts.
It is very tempting isn't it! Exactly - Accurascale are an image for the future - small staff, sensible overheads, industry leading models... I personally think Hornby trimming the fat is the only way forward for them... they're not the big company they once were! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Buckjumper is looking great. Revolution trains models are very high quality - think Accurascale levels. Look at Hornby's price for the more basic container wagons! If they decide to compete then I think that's effectively the end of TT:120 since as you say they can't do it alone. The Railroad Grand Central HST is a farce and all that's wrong with Hornby right now. They should have gone with the Inter7city version or even the Blue Pullman as they have been popular but may also appeal to younger modellers. With Hornby finances obviously that is the company as a whole inc. Airfix / Corgie etc. There's so many open goals being missed with tooling being underutilised e.g. Dublo A3's and Merchant Navies/ Coronation coaches in anything but blue. They need to also seriously think about producing proper rakes e.g. they made R40020 and then none of the other coaches so they ended up in bargain bins whereas if they produced the full rake people might consider them. The quantities of items also seems to be much more finger in the air with plenty of stuff going into the bargain bins e.g. producing 3 scotrail 153 SKU's when at most someone needs 2 to model the west highlands!
Hi Sam, I’m a newbie to model train hobby. But I am thinking where to start. I was looking at Flying Scott model and Santa Fe on Amazon. Not sure which one to go for. Any advise you could give please. Many Thanks
Yes the hobby does need new blood coming into the TT.120 modeling side of things. The TT customers need more then just Hornby! PS Well done on your era 1 wagons, !
I hope that the Bachmann 08/09 includes tooling options for the class 10s (08s with different engines, so presumably a different exhaust) and 13 (presumably a club exclusive). An 08/9 would be nice, but that'd require more of a new body... I look forward to the Buckjumpers, having the BR GER Blue version preordered. But, the next batch of 37s and the mk2Cs are first...
Hornby need to reduce their pricing and update some of the tooling. They also need to add more locomotives like the 1P, J70, J11, J72, J27 etc because other brands are producing locomotives like these.
Maybe you can tell them how they can reduce their pricing, spend more money AND turn their loss into a profit? Less revenue + more costs = bigger losses.
A good video here Sam, the new 08 from bachmann is one I will definitely be getting, with any luck though I may look at the sound fitted deluxe version as their sound chips are some that I really like, my 158 and 37 are fitted with the standard bachmann chips and the sounds on those are very good.
Bachmann literally just announced an N gauge V2 today, what unfortunate timing. Also Sam, will you start selling 3D printed locomotives on Etsy? Great video as always!
I'm not sure Hornby is really responsible for the demise of Heljan's TT120 venture. The speed at which Hornby brought their TT120 products to market would imply they were months ahead of Heljan. Personally I think Heljan were hoping to hog and therefore milk the market, and chickened out when they saw they would have stiff competition. With regard to your constant complaints about pricing, would it also be fair now to acknowledge in reviews that a company losing 7 million, 15% of revenue, is NOT in fact ripping their customers off? Putting people off by saying models are too expensive under these circumstances will eventually kill the hobby, especially if we lose manufacturers.
No, that's not quite right. The models Hornby were working on before their announcement were not the same as Heljan's - they just promised all of Heljan's offerings in future phases, and there's STILL no evidence that Hornby has started work on the class 31 or the J94 etc to this day, almost 2 years on. And certainly not - I stand by the opinion that many Hornby products are a rip off in a vain attempt to turn a profit. Their continued failure to do so suggests this has not been successful! Why would the fact they lost 7 million mean some of the products I identified as a rip off are in fact not rip offs? Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Someone always has to be first. Heljan announced earlier than Hornby, but in terms of development and time to market, Hornby were in fact ahead. Heljan basically chickened out.
I have said it before and I will say it again - Hornby are set up as a mass market toy manufacturer - but the market is now a niche model one. Their overheads are far too high, which is why the likes of Dapol and Accurascale can keep their prices low for a better standard. I can personally see an insolvency coming sooner rather than later, with tooling and branding being sold to a new operator who can regroup under a much more modest cost base. And not be public. This is not a market for mainstream escalating return seeking investors
Those new 08/09 models from Bachmann UK look like they could be a new tooling for the Thomas and Friends range as im sure that Diesel mold is getting there in age.
not having seen the numbers I'm assuming its for the Hornby group -- not just the railroad section. I wonder where the losses are acrued ? if it was railway did that include lima, rivarossi etc.etc. tney bought - I wonder which brands causing the losses. May be TT investments?
Yeah - I can see why Hornby wanted it... a safe space away from the competition... but I'm not convinced there's enough of a market to support it in this country... but hoping to be proved wrong! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I'm not too sure exactly how it works as I've only ever ordered from within the UK, but I know Rails does ship overseas, and others do too! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Already got mine - I hope Sam has got some superlatives left after his review of the Dapol Hawthorn Leslie. Steam fans have been spoiled recently, that's for sure. My credit card isn't happy, though.
I'm in for the class 08, hoping they will sell a basic model without their automated couplers. They seems to crank up the things to the higher level possible. I'm in too for the Buckjumper, LNER black for me. As usual, Accurascale does the job at the highest level possible. As I have already said, having someone else than Hornby manufacturing TT models is good for this scale. I'm more confident now to say that UK TT is taking off. I have also suggest to do some HAA MGR hoppers to increase the range available, Hornby get the idea, and right by the way. Not received my Hawthorn Leslie, but I have paid the VAT this morning. My parcel will certainly be there this week, or next Monday... Mid-year Hornby, not interested... I might buy a West County class from them, unfortunately, there is no SR version. I'm waiting for their reissue of the L1 in BR black period 4 for the end of the year. By the way, for their financial review, it's not reassuring. They have a broad margin of improvement, especially on quality control. Their botched Black 5 is the example of what not to do... By the way, Dapol seems to be eating the wool on their back : they have announced two models originally made by Hornby : the 28xx (the Hornby one is pretty good, mine is fine), and the 14xx (a REAL model this one, not a sub standard toy from the 1960s). If I'll be them, I would strike with a BoB/West County class in OO, a class 35 Hymek (actual model botched by Heljan, Hornby does not manufactures their own anymore) and, to add insult to injury, a Britannia class if Accurascale don't have this idea before them. And, for good purpose, why not a class 14 to draw a finger up to Heljan ?
Yeah sounds like it - it's just the duluxe version that has the auto couplers. It is good to see another company doing some TT - hopefully it works well for them! All the best for the Hawthorn - hope you really enjoy it! Dapol are on fire at the moment - just love what they're doing! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Still waiting for my O gauge sound fitted J94 Austerity 'WARRINGTON' WD150 war department in green and the sound fitted British Railways Standard 3MT 2-6-2T. Do you have any news on these, please Sam?
Okay I get Hornby are having financial woes but then would it be too much to ask for another run of their Terriers? I would like a Stepney model of my own. Or maybe the Pullman Observation car in the USA Tour livery? These are models they've done before recently so why it again? Would be great.
Right! A bit of a rant here. I've been looking at loads of videos of model railway layouts on TH-cam. It doesn't matter what scale I have been looking at but none apart from the odd O or Gauge 1 layouts have any passengers in their passenger cars. Some do have drivers and in the case of steam stokers in the locos but still no people in the trains. The whole point of railways in real life whether here in the UK or abroad is to carry goods and people yet all the layouts I've seen have no passengers. These train layouts must be running at a complete loss. I am building a Z Gauge Railway lay out and all my running passenger cars have people in them and all the locos have drivers and stokers where needed. If I can do it in Z Gauge I don't see why other people can't do it in other scales including N gauge. Some layouts are incredibly detailed and extremely accurate yet still have no passengers in the trains. Come on you lot. Stick some people in your passenger cars and make your layout even more complete and realistic!
I agree. Cost would be minimal. Annoys me that they waste money on flickering fireboxes but won't add crew! I would rather see crew than cab detail too, much more realistic.
@@eisenbau If the manufacturers do everything, what is the modeller left to do but programme the decoder. That's playing with trains, not railway modelling.
Hi Sam, good update. I'll try to answer some of your questions about the Revolution MMA/JNA box wagons. In terms of specification - what do you want to know? As with our models in OO and N the wagons will feature prototypical variations in detailing including 9-rib and 11-rib bodyshells, with or without side cleaning doors, with body or bogie mounted brake wheels and incorporating variations in the positioning and configuration of underfloor brake equipment. They'll have standard TT:120 couplers in the same NEM sockets used by Hornby. In terms of pricing, while the numerous tooling variations we are offering do add a little to the cost, by far the biggest factor is the quantity you expect to make. TT:120 is an unknown market for us so we have priced the models the same as our N gauge versions. Comparing our model with the Hornby HAA (itself a very fine model) is understandable but misleading as they have significantly wider distribution and I strongly suspect they will sell far more than we expect to. Plus for a realistic HAA rake you need around 24-36 wagons; for a realistic MMA rake you need around 12-18 so the cumulative price is not disimilar. It is probably more realistic to compare our bogie wagon with the Hornby/Arnold TT:120 container flat which is £43. If you're at one of the shows we attend (TINGS, GETS, "New" Warley) come and have a chat and I will happily explain more of our thinking. Thanks. Ben Ando, Revolution Trains.
Thank you so much for sharing - really appreciate the extra info, the specs sound great! What sort of premium features will be on offer such any die-cast construction or accessories? Yes I totally understand your pricing from a business point of view, but my comments on price were made from a customers' point of view, which is obviously quite different. I certainly wasn't suggesting the two models are in any way comparable other than the HAA seeming more affordable at around half the price. Yes I'll be at some of the shows later this year - would love to take a look!
Thanks again - Sam :)
Another thing worth considering is some of the stats in Hornby's report relating to TT - they mentioned having sold 8,000 TT locomotives and 30,000 items of rolling stock in addition to the sets. On average that means people are buying less than 4 items of rolling stock per locomotive. If that's accurate, the vast majority of people aren't building full rakes which is interesting!
@@SamsTrains}
@@SamsTrains Hi Sam re the premium features: we tend to avoid visible diecast components unless absolutely necessary as in my view the detail tends to be a little clunkier than injection moulded plastic and paint more liable to chipping; the wagons are of course weighted with a steel billet hidden inside the central spine.
Accessories - cosmetic air brake pipes will be included as they are in OO and N. In those scales we have also offered a variant with a flashing tail lamp, but this adds cost and complexity so while we are designing the TT:120 models to incorporate this in the future we won't offer it unless/until pre-orders justify it.
I had studied the Hornby figures but one factor to bear in mind is that they haven't yet released the 66 - it's the only loco I myself have on pre-order. Indeed, the vast majority of the locomotives they have released so far are primarily passenger locos, so coaches are liable to be outselling wagons. And four coaches per loco... doesn't sound too far off for the 'trainset' market.'
Our wagon is aimed four-square at offering customers receiving their 66s a modern, big, exclusively British wagon to go with them, which is a gap in Hornby's offer at the moment. The Arnold container wagon is more usually seen on the Continent, though they do get to Britain occasionally. Hornby's upcoming KFA is a good fit when they do a Freightliner 66. The KFA and Drax biomass hoppers are among the very few models that Hornby and Revolution have both produced (in different scales) but there are plenty of other modern wagons in Revolution's range that Hornby haven't ever touched, and vice versa. Duplication is always possible, but in a new scale like TT:120 I would say is less likely than in OO or even in N.
But as ever there is always lots to discuss and many factors to consider!
Thanks again for this - all sounds good and solid 👍
All the best with the venture - I looked at your nuclear flask wagon last year and it was absolutely stunning, so keep up the great work!!
Personally, my favourite Buckjumper was the one in that stunning Dark BR Blue Livery. I will definitely get my hands on it one day.
And as always, great video Sam, the Model Railway news is my favourite way to catch up on developments in the hobby.
It looks super fancy doesn't it? Thank you so much - glad you like these!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I was torn between that one and the original GER-livered example. I decided on the latter in the end, but it was a close-run thing.
We must have all seen this coming with Hornby?. I personally feel that Simon Kohler is to blame when they got rid of their concessions and dealers that they had been dealing with for decades.
Yeah they treated many retailers poorly and relationships were damaged - not heard much about that situation recently, but last I heard things were a little better. Their report does heavily mention direct to customer sales though, which does seem to be a focus of theirs!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I think Simon did a lot of harm, I was talking to a very big retailer last year and he said he could get nothing out of him re demonstration layouts etc. However the new team had a display layout in his store within a week or two, and more recently I have seen a Scalextric track as well in the shop.
So, er, giving discounts to dealers, reducing their revenue and profit, is somehow going to increase profits? Not sure how that works. The way to increase profit is to REDUCE costs, and the quickest and easiest way to do that is direct sales, cut out the unnecessary additional costs and overheads that add no value for Hornby.
Another way to make profit is to actually sell the items!. They lost a lot of customers because of the way they treated their retailers. Also direct sales!. I have never bought a single item from Hornby direct because it is retail price. Why would I. Also does it look like it's working?.
You only have to watch that awful programme with them all flapping around. They were so clueless and watching them develop models was scary. Botch it, fix it that will do. "Let's get them in". Just terrible.
That bloody awful Railroad advert being a high point.
I can't wait for the Buckjumper to come out Sam, I'll be getting one of those for my layout for sure.
Cheers Jasper & Willow
I can't wait either - exciting that it's apparently going to be here this year!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Seems like Hornby needs to reassess what they are doing after treating their clients (retailers) and customers like rubbish over the last couple of years, the numbers aren't lying.
Yeah I think so - change is needed that's for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains well Lyndon left last year
The reality is profit is revenue less costs. As a customer I would be more than happy to have dealer overheads and the additional profit taken out of the selling price. I won't buy from dealers that cry about Hornby giving them a 'bad deal' when all it means is price increases for the end customer. Hornby are not a charity, and I don't see why I should spend my hard earned cash supporting dealers..
I am not sure exactly what the profit curve is, but one thing is for sure is that it takes a lot of sales volume to pay off all new tooling. Obviously TT is all new tooling, but I think the sales numbers are actually quite decent - after all, the total numbers cover everything Hornby sells, so it looks like a respectable percentage is from TT. As a consequence, it is only reasonable to assume the lack of large numbers of new tooled items is due to the capital outlay.
Bachmann's autumn winter announcement is showing live on TH-cam channel Saturday morning 9.30am
Yeah! Can't wait to learn more details :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Their Autumn announcement for 2024 is on Aug 7th
Hi Sam, from your french audience : the summer is miserable too, on the other side of the Channel...
Let's call this a perfect "indoor hobbies" summer :P
Oh its summer is it? With the weather I didn't realise! 😂😂😂😂
Apparently summer will be next Friday this year.
I'm glad another manufacturer is getting into British TT:120 scale! Glad they started with a piece of rolling stock that matches what Hornby has announced, but something Hornby has not made. Hopefully Hornby use their resources wisely and not make the same model.
I would like to see you review the Hornby TT HAA hopper and the Mk3 coaches that go with the HST.
One thing people need to remember is that out of all the manufacturers which exist is the fact that most ONLY produce rolling stock / Locos!
To create a ‘model railway’ you need track, buildings, trees, scenic materials etc - and none of the recent entrants to the industry make those things! In fact it’s only Hornby and Bachmann who can provide the entire model railway ecosystem so to speak and as such were Hornby to flounder it would leave a much grater hole than many seem think.
The cottage industry is growing day by day. You can get practically anything from this, not least as it is run by small private enterprises, they can produce such a lot cheaper. The quality also can be very good with 3D printing and laser cutting. It would be difficult for Hornby to compete with as their overheads will be enormous in comparison. A good example of a cottage industry is Sam Trains himself!
Also would take down Airfix, Corgi and Scalextric.
I agree. Manufacturers like Hornby is essential to the hobby. I don't think they will go away though, there will always be someone ready to take over. They have an extremely strong brand.
Yeah that’s true - but the likes of Accurascale only don’t make track and controllers because there’s no market for it…. It certainly wouldn’t be beyond their capabilities if that was to change. Scenics and buildings shouldn’t be a concern - they’re easily made at home, and again, should a gap in the market arise, it will be filled by others.
I can't see anybody else retailing a full train set for under £80. To be honest, I doubt we will see again a new tooled 0-4-0 released for below £100 by any other manufacturer. That's too expensive for a lot of people in these times. Hornby may move production to cheaper countries. Scalextric is now made in Vietnam and Airfix in India.
I realize it takes a lot of time / work to be able to produce videos this frequently, so thank you for the videos. You are one of my top 3 favorite channels.
Another nice watch. Looking at Hornby revenue and debts is kinda depressing, especially considering they have been in the hobby for over 100 years. I’m really hoping they don’t go out of business, because I think they make the best RTR Gresley Pacifics in 00. Also, you guys in England are getting rain? It’s more than 90 where I am right now! But other than that, good video as always Sam!
Yeah it is quite depressing - we see all these odd products and decisions and have to trust they know what they're doing... and then reports like this come out... not inspiring! Their LNER pacifics are indeed incredible, especially after their upgrades!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains thanks for replying!
Thank you so much for all the updates every month in the model railway industry! I'm from Canada and order my OO models from the UK and this helps me find out the information A LOT! Excited for the 57XX Pannier Tank and the Jones Goods in HR Yellow!
There wasn't that many steam locomotive announced this month Sam, let's just hope they'll be more next month.
Cheers Jasper & Willow
Nah not many - but quite a bit of progress on existing announcements!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great update as always Sam. This is rapidly becoming my favourite channel
Thank you so much - that's lovely to hear!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Fascinating Sam. The auto release coupling is of course an interesting notice. In the Märklin world the vintage solution was a pulse via the electromagnetic reverser (relay) to the coupler by the controller's reversing pulse (1960s, 70s, 80s). It worked but the rather bulky mechanics had to be hidden somehow. Today with electronics, it's much easier to implement the function in a discrete way via the decoder.
We'll have to read H's latest report. As far as we have understood is that H has always been financially inconstant. Debt isn't a problem as long as it being covered by a Capex which in the end generates revenue with a projection of earning back with a healthy profit plus net projected value of inflation. However, such are high risks taken, and if H doesn't come through, then we'll have to see what's next... It's up to Gary Channon (owner of Phoenix Asset Management) who has a great passion for the hobby but does see H as filling a niche market. Hopefully he has the patience. Cheerio.
It does look very interesting - and a surprisingly slim mechanism too which is good! This year showed a worsening in Hornby's fortunes - doesn't sound like good news to me :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains We just went over the report. The following section is key:
"Gross profit reduced by £1.9 million, to £25.0 million, for the year, albeit 76% of that difference, or £1.3 million, directly relates to tooling amortisation charges. Critical investments for the future in sales, insights, data & loyalty, digital marketing and development, contributed to an 11% increase in fixed costs."
They have scrapped tooling (wise?) made critical investments, strengthened digital marketing and development.
Asset managers have no problems with losses and debt as long as they are for covering calculated investments, which is the case. And... as long as they can report investments as costs..., in which case they depress net result to a deep negative so they don't have to pay taxes, lol. A default asset management trick ;) There are no other shareholders so they can use any artifice hahah.
The financial risk remains of course, but it's a good sign that Gary does invest in H.
Only the future will tell if all strategic choices are adequate. The H story continuous.
@@SamsTrains Well, we just went over the report. The following section is key:
"Gross profit reduced by £1.9 million, to £25.0 million, for the year, albeit 76% of that difference, or £1.3 million, directly relates to tooling amortisation charges. Critical investments for the future in sales, insights, data & loyalty, digital marketing and development, contributed to an 11% increase in fixed costs."
They have scrapped tooling (wise?) made critical investments, strengthened digital marketing and development. Asset principles have no problems with losses and debt as long as they are for covering calculated investments, which is the case. And... as long as they can report investments as costs..., in which case they depress net result to a deep negative so they don't have to pay taxes, lol. A default financial asset trick ;) H has no other shareholders so they can use any artifice hahah. The financial risk remains of course, but it's a good sign that Gary does invest in H. Only the future will tell if all strategic choices are adequate. The H story continuous.
Thanks for the update! Always look forward to these ^^ Jus to say Rapidos Metropolitan Railway E Class locos are now in stock! Looking forward to seeing your review of one Sam ;3
Can't wait for mine to arrive.. a very interesting prototype~
Absolutely - got mine on the way soon hopefully - I can't wait either! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
With Hornby not doing well financially, i wonder how long it will be before Mike Ashley (sports direct) buys more shares of Hornby 🤔 he already owns 10% of it. I work for GAME (owned by Sports Direct) and we're seeing an increase in Hornby products in our stores
Great vid Sam - really useful as always. As you say sad to hear of Hornbys position but in my opinion they've only brought it on themselves by continuing to produce overpriced and outdated junk (comparative to the likes of Cavalex, Revolution etc) - in my opinion had they cut some of this tat which didn't sell well such as beetles/coke stuff and steampunk, they could have saved their reputation and also their money!! There are many other things I think as well but I can't really go to detail on it here 😂 maybe though you could do a small video explaining what went wrong and how Hornby could change stuff and turn it around (like you did with TT?), that would be interesting.
Hornby models are not tat and just you wanting the hobby to fail.
@@LNER985Ughhhhhh
@@LNER985 🤣🤣🤣 I never said anything about that and to be fair mate a lot of their stuff is junk 🤣🤣
@@timbervalleyproductions You liberty said you don't want Hornby making models for getting people into the hobby.
@@LNER985 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
SAM - Thank You for the "Hornby Annual Report" review. It fills in more of the gaps.
Hi Sam. You know you love TT and a review of the new HAA Hoppers would be great. Got mine today and they’re cracking.
I’m still super hyped for the Accurascale S56, and the fact we now have prototype samples makes me all the more excited. I’ve got my eyes on the Locomotion Models No. 87 variant, so hopefully it won’t sell out on pre-order. I can’t wait to see your review on the model if you get it.
Very hard to make a comeback when you’ve given up so much to an increasing, and higher quality, group of competitors. I think it’s too late for Hornby. But it’ll be interesting to see what they do. Those numbers are very very bad. Thanks Sam, as always, for the frequent and always interesting content. 😊👍👍
It's interesting to see that Revolution have set a price despite the fact it's at CAD stage. This would suggest that the excuse for high prices being due to development costs etc isn't strictly true; as there must be further costs involved after CAD unless these have been estimated already?
I think Revolution have said on another TH-cam video that they have set the price the same as the N gauge release becuase they know how much that cost to get to market and are taking the risk that the TT version will sell as well as the N gauge version.
On the one hand the development work is done and the CAD drawings can be created from work already done on OO and N but next is cutting the metal tooling which is an enormous expense and is larger than for N gauge and then production costs which will be a couple of years further on in China price inflation over the N gauge version.
I can only wish that someone would have something similar to this in America's. Great video, Jersey Bill
Some interesting stuff.
Nothing to shout from the rooftops about, but I do like the look of those Backjumpers 🙂
Always a bit miffed when the GWR stuff seems to be in short supply...
Thanks James - yeah me too - fingers crossed those come out as good as they seem!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I hit 90 subscribers yesterday!
Wow well done you! So close to 100 now - the first 100 are the hardest!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I’ve just seen a pre-production model of the 08 up close and personal and all I can say is Wow!
I’m certainly getting one for a small Leicester based shunting layout that I’m planning. The slow speed running will be the clincher.
We've come a long way. My Tri-ang one had inside frames and crank-pins!
Dapols 2nd batch of GWR toplight coaches are shipping - TMC says about 4-6 weeks to be on the shelves. Dapol also mention in the release that they're working on corridor versions.
Dude that’s sick, I love gwr toplights and the corridor ones will work with my West Midlands layout! Thanks for sharing I didn’t know about the corridor ones!
Excellent - still waiting on the ones I ordered, fingers crossed!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
It is good for Hornby for other manufacturers to produce TT models, because it raises the chance of the scale being broadly accepted.
I love that we get a video at least every two days
Hey there Sam, are you planning to review the GNR Stirling Single locomotive model from Rapido UK after it is released?
Yes fingers crossed! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hornby will not disappear as such even though the finances don't look good. I find it interesting that Mike Ashley is lurking in the background and has 10% shares in Hornby already a sort of foot in the door just waiting for his chance. Ashley brought the Fraser Group.( Retail) after it went bankrupt for a rock bottom price he had shares in it already he owns a lot more than people realise often brought from creditors. I suspect Ashley is just waiting for Hornby to mess up and collapse then put a bid in to buy the brand cheap and then try to return the company back to profit then sell it. I doubt Ashley ( but you never know) is into model railways it just a means to an end to add to his wealth.
Thanks Sam, as always for an interesting digest. Like you I am both cross and sad with Hornby. I do wish them well with TT, but they've kinda lost it in 00. All my recent purchases and pre-orders for locomotives have been from the newish kids on the block. Most of my goods wagons are Rapido. I have a healthy fleet of GWR era 3 suburban & main line Collett coaches are of course Hornby, but most bought at distress-selling prices. Rapido, Accurascale and Dapol are the pathfinders I feel.
Nothing like a good old model railway news video
haha thank you! :D
The Buckjumpers look fantastic! I didn’t order one but I am tempted now… The Bachmann 08 is a bit of a disappointment in my opinion, the current one is fine, and if you REALLY want more detail there is the Hornby one, not looking forward to seeing the price on this one.
The Hornby announcements hardly were announcements in my opinion, so I’m kinda left wondering why Hornby bothered making two sets of announcements per year.
It’s cool to see another manufacturer entering TT (Revolution), and hopefully more manufacturers will start modelling in TT and we will see this scale grow!
They really do don't they! Yeah it's an odd choice isn't it? Hornby and Bachmann do seem quite risk averse these days... which is understandable don't get me wrong... but we don't seem to be getting many interesting never-seen-before prototypes these days, especially from Bachmann!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains that’s true, though do bear in mind that Bachmann have the Class 69 on the way, and it wasn’t that long ago that we got the 1P, Class 90, 812, Precedent, etc, and all their OO9 stuff has for obvious reasons never been done. Personally I think Bachmann have been retooling old models a bit much though, as the updated Class 37, 47, 24, 25, and now the 08 really weren’t needed, as there wasn’t really anything wrong with the older Bachmann models. Personally I’m hoping they announce the LSWR T3, LBSC Remembrance Class, LNER D40, or something like that!
A Palethorpes Sausage van was a regular pickup from their factory, just outside Stourbridge, on passenger as well as goods trains to South Wales, certainly during the fifties and sixties. Would like one in OO…
Enjoyed a warm & sunny Wednesday, on the east side of Eng-er-land.. seems like 2 more to come, so not panicking about filling my "green bin". Still to prepare the "Christmas fridge" tho', which is starting to bug me.
Thanks for the review. Much to ponder, which will help me through the daily chores. If ever I do build a modest layout, it must be a thing of true, slow crawling, smooth running beauty.🤓👍
haha yeah! After filming this the weather has been much nicer... I should complain more often! haha good stuff - all the best now!
Sam :)
The variations mistakes on Asbestos, depends on what stage of the loco's life is modelled? Vac pipes will have been added in preservation as could the different buffers.
Yeah possibly - though you'd think Asbestos would be more effective if it was modelled as people recognise her!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi mukka,
Same old, same old class 8 and 9s... Why doesn't a manufacturer make a real investment in a class 13 for a change... with a motor in each unit they would be awesome!
Maybe Accurascale would run with it.
Sam, what is your email? I want to write about the era one wagons but cannot find it on your site! 🤔
Cheers from Oz.
Gaz
That Bachmann 08 looks interesting. the last time I heard about a model having automatic tension locks, it was the Triang 08! I do hope with the 08 being a shunter, that Bachmann considered using buffer springs that aren't super strong. It would also have been nice if they made a fully sprung 08, as the 08 bounces around a lot (see the video 08 overtakes its own train). The Buckjumper looks nice, but the blue is missing a lot of depth, as the real GER blue has a strong, deep blue lustre to the finish that looks like it overlays the rest of the blue, almost like a metallic colour. For the price that dapol is selling that saddle tank at, it wouldn't be that much trouble for the modeller to add those small details, considering how good the rest of the model is. Thanks as always Sam!
Fascinating - did they try something similar with the Tri-ang 08? Interesting about the GER livery - thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Those era 1 wagons looked really good, even I was tempted even without a oo model railway anymore 😅
haha thank you so much! I'm doing more in the future if you change your mind ;)
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I always look forward to your news bulletins.
Bachmann playing safe with the 08, Sam?
I've got the GER livered Buckjumper on order. Can't wait to see / run it. Now I love up in former GER country, and often find myself at London Liverpool St. I couldn't resist it.
Good to see more manufactures making TT120 kit. Isn't one of Revolution's directors ex BBC reporter Ben Ando?
Hornby's new steam tech is very striking, but it still manages to make complete howlers. The company can't carry on with this financial performance. It's a shame. The hobby needs a strong Hornby.
In my opinion, two big new features that appeared are Bachmann's automatic uncouplers, and Hornby's incorporation of the smoke (water vapor) generators. I wonder if either of these features will remain exclusive, or if others will be able to provide similar. Imagine a Dapol loco with the smoke.
11:44 I really hope that this is not death by a thousand cuts for Hornby again.
To give the company the benefit of the doubt, perhaps there were unforeseen use of space issues after the destruction leaflet had gone to press
Hapless Holders of a corner of every modeller's heart, where's the customer care?
I'm super~annuated enough to remember the delight that is the annual catalogue coming with at least loose printed sheets. One the price list ~ _that's_how to do some extra maths ~ the other an addendum politely apologising for the mistake and showing the new way to get to San Jose, the end.
Well done sir for your _just_ the right side of obsequious, your gentlemanly and genuine good wishes.
I can imagine that that should silence everyone accusing you of bias.
The future of Binance: an exclusive interview with the CEO
Perhaps you're not yet aware, but Dapol have N Gauge rolling stock in their range, including a very scary closed van that I braved my terror to purchase: the dreaded GWR Gunpowder Van. I dare you to purchase one yourself, while screaming in your own terror, if you're brave enough. Also, I've put up a poll on my community tab page. I'd like to see which model railway gauge, out of the 5 listed, you like best. You can comment on your choice if you wish.
Dapol also have n gauge manors , including 7822
We have to remember that Hornby railways is just one of 14 brands they have on their website. If they are spreading development money and time across all of those brands then Hornby are not going to be doing as much new tooling as we all might like. The hope might be that if Hornby do start to feel they are spread too thin and they start to reduce the number of brands then Hornby itself might be one of the core brands that survives.
Airfix and Humbrol are back on the shelves in Hobbycraft. Hobbycraft had to drop those when the Hornby company told retailers it was all-or-nothing with their ranges.
Can you review Graham Farish's Class 150 or Accurascale's Mark 5a?
Hi Sam , just wondering what impact re-nationalisation of Railways will have for the modeller / collector .?? One livery , maybe others for freight , express , suburban , UK RAIL ( don't think they can go back to British Rail.) Not having all those different liveries to collect . I hope they choose an amazing new scheme .....maybe have a competition for modellers to decide ?? that could be interesting !
Got some interesting releases coming soon! Rapido’s metropolitan E locos are just coming into stock, the rerun of heljan tangos are due shortly (that shall be interesting to see), according to accurascales website, the class 31’s are in transit from the factory, the Graham farish lms 10000 are in stock, quite a few things coming.
Plus, n scale V2’s just got announced, literally within the last 24 hours.
Those Revolution Wagons look sharp, it would be nice to see them produced in 00 scale for more modern rolling stock to complement modern diesel locos.
Plz buy more blue Locomotives maybe the GER locomotives because they look beautiful
Absolutely - I'll be reviewing the Buckjumper when it comes out! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains maybe two
P.S. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you need a factory!! :) :) Really glad they’ve done so well but when the quality and design thoroughly beat the large manufacturers, it’s not surprising there was great interest. Well done Sam!
haha thank you very much! It's really what I love to do, and I'm already in production with the next model... something a little different but very interesting!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Are you reviewing the cavalex class 56? It’s very popular amongst modern modellers
Yeah I'd be up for that! Might grab one from the next batch!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam
I am interested in modelling British trams but there are no ready to run models available or track systems. Considering many of our cities now have tram systems I find this surprising. Also any layouts can be smaller with tighter curves.
There are several ready to run trams available (and kits) though I can't recall the makers as it's outside my main interest. I think there are/is a society so it might be useful to contact them.
I've been modelling British outline trams in OO for nearly 40 years. When I started, it was all kits - mostly white metal or plastic but there are now card ones as well - from a variety of sources. Unfortunately, many have ceased production and my board is at capacity , so I've not been looking for ready to run British. A lot of modellers use the chassis from the HO Bachmann PCC car or Bogie Brill. Most of my models use them, with a few Bec chassis or Tenshodo bogies. Track? I'd suggest a flexible length. A Bachman Bogie Brill will go round 9 inch radius without modification. The PCC chassis needs a bit of filing, and it's useful to have the powered bogie pushing to shorten the wheelbase. I use a standard N scale curve as a template for bending. The Tramway & Light Railway Society website may be worth a look. Thin card covers the sleepers. Regards, Pete
@@SeatedViper There was a place in Blackpool that sold rtr trams but perhaps that has ceased production?
@@hughoconnor9172 Yes, the Tower Models shop. I bought several plastic kits from them. The kits were "Hadfield's" originally, and were later "Blackpool Plastics". I've not seen any for some years. The last kits I bought were card ones, via the TLRS web site
I think one of the best new anointments to me is the succes of Sam's era 1 trains.😁
As for new model suggestions, I think it's best to consolidate Anthony Dawson, if somebody knows it, it must be him.
But please consider bringing the choice out of a complete kit you can assemble your self, it would make painting for those who want easier, that's my suggestion.
Hornby, the hate love relation we all have😂, they always seem to mis the train right at the end, like the black 9, super beautiful model and the they ruin the party with the coupling of a few pence between tender an loco…
Awesome video Sam's trains 🚆 😊
Thanks Brian!
@@SamsTrains you're welcome Sam's trains 🚆 😊
I really hope those class 08s come in black. Normally id rather not have plain black engines, as i find them rather boring, but i want me an accurate devious diesel, damnit!
Had a decent look at the Hornby annual report.
However, there major problem is a large stock of obsolete items which they are very reluctant to reduce. Considering the high profit margin these items have ( retail price) and also when manufactured. There's no logical reason not to discount even by saying 10 to 15 percent. After all if it's that obsolete, the accountancy depreciation must count for next to nothing.
There's no real break down of division figures either.
Mike Ashley awaits in the wings😢
Interesting that hornby went bankrupt many years ago and got bought by triang and then became hornby again to only face bankruptcy. I believe that though we may see them go again I am fearful that it will not be the last of them.
Yeah - things went badly in the past, the company that was Hornby is now long gone, as Tri-ang out competed them and then ended up owning them... I suppose history could repeat itself?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I do quite like Hornby and don’t want them to go bust, but they do need to try a bit harder and produce consistently good models.
Awesome video 😊
Thank you! :D
I'm in Germany to see my family, and there has been too much sun, and a lot of rain as well.
❤😊❤Cant wait to empty my entire savings to get a tiny 040😊❤😊
hahaha!
You'd be surprised what you can get on the secondhand market for £50
@@bennickss if you want to spend £50 on an 0-4-0, but not from the second hand market, thankfully you can get a poorly done replica of a Tri-ang 0-4-0 shunter for that amount of money!
@@bennickss 50 pounds for you is 70 usd for me
To be honest, even if the TT revenues were high this would only be good news if they weren't at the expense of their OO range. I don't have any data about that, so do you have any info on how OO revenues are going compared to pre-TT times?
Already prepaid for a Buckjumper, but was NOT aware of the dark blue BR engine. It’s got me wanting one, and I’m not seeing it on the usual sites…
A new 08 can be cool, but it’s gotta be reasonably priced, unlike Hornby’s 08s.
I’m glad your range is doing well, but I honestly thought you’d be sold out by now. Well, maybe you are now 😂
Glad people are loving the HLs, though the real-life Asbestos was intriguing to see. If people are turning their noses up at it, I may own one just yet 😉
I honestly expect Hornby to go after them. They gotta get that dollar/pound.
I’d honestly like to have the 43 HST, though I’m sad that they didn’t opt for the BR blue/yellow. A second option would’ve been good to see, I think.
Make no mistake, I want Hornby to improve, be the model railway kings we can expect them to be, but if they go out of business, I won’t be too sad about it. Time for new blood, all that business.
Thanks for the update, and catch ya next time.
dark blue BR is Accurascale Exclusive so only on website. Woof!
13:20 it's so frustrating that Hornby released that HST set in the Grand Central livery. It's literally only one of the three Liveries that would have been inaccurate, those bieng Grand Central, East Midlands Trains Revised and Rail Adventure. I'm sure a Cross Country, LNER, Scotrail, or even the original BR Intercity 125 livery would have gone down a treat. It's not like it's so cheap that the missing buffers can be overlooked with the excuse of "Railroad models are made cheaply at the sacrifice of detail" Because at 150 quid for the Powercar and dummy, it's not cheap for something that's essentially a kids toy.
To be honest you must buy those HSTs after a month. Because in TT what happened to you can be remembered 😅😅
On the state of Hornby’s decline it was to be expected because they were hoisted by their own petard. Other manufacturers who came onto the recently are better and cheaper including your 3D printed rolling stock.
Perhaps you should print a second batch of models for the mixed goods pack considering their popularity
The Ultramarine J67 looks a very tempting addition to any collection. These high definition models pose a threat to Hornby, since the smaller manufacturer is not carrying the excess baggage of all those staff at Margate! It has to be the case that the Wonderworks and all the rest of it are a drain on company profit! You made no mention of the Bachmann Kinesis system which you may care to review in a future video. I think this is a recycled version of their earlier Dynamis Ultima, but that has the drawback of requiring line of sight from the handset to the base station. This new system is wifi. The railcontroller software looks very similar to that supplied for use with Dynamis Ultima. But with that, you had to purchase an unlock key before you could use it. Kinesis will have Railcontroller included in the price, which is useful tor those with large layouts.
It is very tempting isn't it! Exactly - Accurascale are an image for the future - small staff, sensible overheads, industry leading models... I personally think Hornby trimming the fat is the only way forward for them... they're not the big company they once were!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Buckjumper is looking great.
Revolution trains models are very high quality - think Accurascale levels. Look at Hornby's price for the more basic container wagons! If they decide to compete then I think that's effectively the end of TT:120 since as you say they can't do it alone.
The Railroad Grand Central HST is a farce and all that's wrong with Hornby right now. They should have gone with the Inter7city version or even the Blue Pullman as they have been popular but may also appeal to younger modellers.
With Hornby finances obviously that is the company as a whole inc. Airfix / Corgie etc. There's so many open goals being missed with tooling being underutilised e.g. Dublo A3's and Merchant Navies/ Coronation coaches in anything but blue. They need to also seriously think about producing proper rakes e.g. they made R40020 and then none of the other coaches so they ended up in bargain bins whereas if they produced the full rake people might consider them. The quantities of items also seems to be much more finger in the air with plenty of stuff going into the bargain bins e.g. producing 3 scotrail 153 SKU's when at most someone needs 2 to model the west highlands!
Hi Sam, I’m a newbie to model train hobby. But I am thinking where to start. I was looking at Flying Scott model and Santa Fe on Amazon. Not sure which one to go for. Any advise you could give please. Many Thanks
Yes the hobby does need new blood coming into the TT.120 modeling side of things. The TT customers need more then just Hornby! PS Well done on your era 1 wagons, !
I hope that the Bachmann 08/09 includes tooling options for the class 10s (08s with different engines, so presumably a different exhaust) and 13 (presumably a club exclusive). An 08/9 would be nice, but that'd require more of a new body...
I look forward to the Buckjumpers, having the BR GER Blue version preordered. But, the next batch of 37s and the mk2Cs are first...
That'd be an awesome surprise - I wonder if they will do? Can't wait for the buckjumper!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hello Sam, I would like some advice, I am at the moment buying model trains second hand and am just now getting into oo scale. Any tips for buying?
Hornby need to reduce their pricing and update some of the tooling. They also need to add more locomotives like the 1P, J70, J11, J72, J27 etc because other brands are producing locomotives like these.
Maybe you can tell them how they can reduce their pricing, spend more money AND turn their loss into a profit? Less revenue + more costs = bigger losses.
A good video here Sam, the new 08 from bachmann is one I will definitely be getting, with any luck though I may look at the sound fitted deluxe version as their sound chips are some that I really like, my 158 and 37 are fitted with the standard bachmann chips and the sounds on those are very good.
Thanks David - yeah the sound fitted duluxe one does sound amazing - interested to learn more about them!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Christmas a while away!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the drokk man!!! I'm starting my Christmas shopping now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bachmann literally just announced an N gauge V2 today, what unfortunate timing.
Also Sam, will you start selling 3D printed locomotives on Etsy?
Great video as always!
I'm not sure Hornby is really responsible for the demise of Heljan's TT120 venture. The speed at which Hornby brought their TT120 products to market would imply they were months ahead of Heljan. Personally I think Heljan were hoping to hog and therefore milk the market, and chickened out when they saw they would have stiff competition.
With regard to your constant complaints about pricing, would it also be fair now to acknowledge in reviews that a company losing 7 million, 15% of revenue, is NOT in fact ripping their customers off? Putting people off by saying models are too expensive under these circumstances will eventually kill the hobby, especially if we lose manufacturers.
No, that's not quite right. The models Hornby were working on before their announcement were not the same as Heljan's - they just promised all of Heljan's offerings in future phases, and there's STILL no evidence that Hornby has started work on the class 31 or the J94 etc to this day, almost 2 years on.
And certainly not - I stand by the opinion that many Hornby products are a rip off in a vain attempt to turn a profit. Their continued failure to do so suggests this has not been successful! Why would the fact they lost 7 million mean some of the products I identified as a rip off are in fact not rip offs?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thanks for the update Sam, why don't these companies producing TT models not announce the intention just do it on release so Hornby can't compete.
Someone always has to be first. Heljan announced earlier than Hornby, but in terms of development and time to market, Hornby were in fact ahead. Heljan basically chickened out.
I have said it before and I will say it again - Hornby are set up as a mass market toy manufacturer - but the market is now a niche model one. Their overheads are far too high, which is why the likes of Dapol and Accurascale can keep their prices low for a better standard. I can personally see an insolvency coming sooner rather than later, with tooling and branding being sold to a new operator who can regroup under a much more modest cost base. And not be public. This is not a market for mainstream escalating return seeking investors
Those new 08/09 models from Bachmann UK look like they could be a new tooling for the Thomas and Friends range as im sure that Diesel mold is getting there in age.
Ahh interesting - I'd love to see a crazy-detailed Arry and Bert xD
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great video sam 👍 keep up the great work 👍
not having seen the numbers I'm assuming its for the Hornby group -- not just the railroad section. I wonder where the losses are acrued ? if it was railway did that include lima, rivarossi etc.etc. tney bought - I wonder which brands causing the losses. May be TT investments?
I enjoy your news sections. Kudos!
Id like to see you come up with a locomotive of your own design again. Something entirely fictional
I don't understand why new scales were introduced. What was wrong with the ones that were already in place.
Simon Kohler's ego demanded a legacy, perhaps?
Yeah - I can see why Hornby wanted it... a safe space away from the competition... but I'm not convinced there's enough of a market to support it in this country... but hoping to be proved wrong!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Awesome video today Sam lots of things to look forward to
As someone who lives in the US can I order from an online retailer over seas that charges in £ and pay the equivalent in USD? Love the vids.
I'm not too sure exactly how it works as I've only ever ordered from within the UK, but I know Rails does ship overseas, and others do too!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
your credit card issuer will automatically convert the price youve paid into dollars.
@@SamsTrains Thank you.
@@davidhall7811 Thank you for clarifying.
My Rapido Metropolitan arrives tomorrow
So exciting! I'm expecting mine soon too :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Already got mine - I hope Sam has got some superlatives left after his review of the Dapol Hawthorn Leslie. Steam fans have been spoiled recently, that's for sure. My credit card isn't happy, though.
I'm in for the class 08, hoping they will sell a basic model without their automated couplers. They seems to crank up the things to the higher level possible.
I'm in too for the Buckjumper, LNER black for me. As usual, Accurascale does the job at the highest level possible.
As I have already said, having someone else than Hornby manufacturing TT models is good for this scale. I'm more confident now to say that UK TT is taking off. I have also suggest to do some HAA MGR hoppers to increase the range available, Hornby get the idea, and right by the way.
Not received my Hawthorn Leslie, but I have paid the VAT this morning. My parcel will certainly be there this week, or next Monday...
Mid-year Hornby, not interested... I might buy a West County class from them, unfortunately, there is no SR version. I'm waiting for their reissue of the L1 in BR black period 4 for the end of the year. By the way, for their financial review, it's not reassuring. They have a broad margin of improvement, especially on quality control. Their botched Black 5 is the example of what not to do...
By the way, Dapol seems to be eating the wool on their back : they have announced two models originally made by Hornby : the 28xx (the Hornby one is pretty good, mine is fine), and the 14xx (a REAL model this one, not a sub standard toy from the 1960s). If I'll be them, I would strike with a BoB/West County class in OO, a class 35 Hymek (actual model botched by Heljan, Hornby does not manufactures their own anymore) and, to add insult to injury, a Britannia class if Accurascale don't have this idea before them. And, for good purpose, why not a class 14 to draw a finger up to Heljan ?
Yeah sounds like it - it's just the duluxe version that has the auto couplers. It is good to see another company doing some TT - hopefully it works well for them! All the best for the Hawthorn - hope you really enjoy it! Dapol are on fire at the moment - just love what they're doing!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
If you are making more era one rollingstock I may get some and get an era 1 locomotive
Sam what about you making an engine from the film called the titfield thunder bolt! , or would that be against copyright ! .
I think one loco was a 14XX and another was "LION".
Still waiting for my O gauge sound fitted J94 Austerity 'WARRINGTON' WD150 war department in green and the sound fitted British Railways Standard 3MT 2-6-2T. Do you have any news on these, please Sam?
Okay I get Hornby are having financial woes but then would it be too much to ask for another run of their Terriers? I would like a Stepney model of my own.
Or maybe the Pullman Observation car in the USA Tour livery? These are models they've done before recently so why it again? Would be great.
Right! A bit of a rant here. I've been looking at loads of videos of model railway layouts on TH-cam. It doesn't matter what scale I have been looking at but none apart from the odd O or Gauge 1 layouts have any passengers in their passenger cars. Some do have drivers and in the case of steam stokers in the locos but still no people in the trains. The whole point of railways in real life whether here in the UK or abroad is to carry goods and people yet all the layouts I've seen have no passengers. These train layouts must be running at a complete loss. I am building a Z Gauge Railway lay out and all my running passenger cars have people in them and all the locos have drivers and stokers where needed. If I can do it in Z Gauge I don't see why other people can't do it in other scales including N gauge. Some layouts are incredibly detailed and extremely accurate yet still have no passengers in the trains. Come on you lot. Stick some people in your passenger cars and make your layout even more complete and realistic!
I agree. Cost would be minimal. Annoys me that they waste money on flickering fireboxes but won't add crew! I would rather see crew than cab detail too, much more realistic.
@@eisenbau If the manufacturers do everything, what is the modeller left to do but programme the decoder. That's playing with trains, not railway modelling.
Very informative as usual Sam 😊🚂🚂🚂