Models are way too expensive even discounted, How can Bachmann justify £500 for a 4-cep EMU they were about £89 when they were first released, they blamed Chinese wage costs at the time, it’s the same old tooling, I’m not talking about the latest releases of refurbished 4-cep models.
~£50 for a Railroad Smokey Joe-type 0-4-0 loco? What on earth are Hornby thinking? Worth ~£20 at best, which is what they could be picked up for all over the place just a few years back. Very few youngsters/beginners on a budget are going to fork out this kind of money for a crude toy from 40-odd years ago.
Fully agree. Can afford the prices but really can bring myself to pay them. Thinking of other expensive pastimes, the cost of my skiing gear has not gone up anything close to this.
There’s a bachmann trainset which slips my mind now as to its name £729 rrp over £500 in most places and whilst it’s digital you don’t event get points and a siding just a bloody oval. The Hornby 2024 releases came today and the prices of some of it is worse than ever! I had a shock and I was expecting some prices to go up but Jesus Christ on a bike £100 for 3 bloody shell tankers. You could find a meth habit easier 🤣
This is genuinely sad news for the hobby. I met some of their staff at Warley last year they were a great bunch of lads. I hope they are able to find new work and wish them all the best
Half the problem with model railways is the fact that most (not all) want an empire and want it in a month! You can have alot of fun with 5-8ft of board a few second hand locos, coaches and wagons. Maybe more TH-camrs etc need to be making layouts that are small, instead of showing constant huge layouts and people thinking that is what is required to enjoy the hobby (not pointing fingers at yourself). If you look around you can get locos for £70-100 (which I know to some is alot, but is better than £200-£300 for the new all singing, all dancing, and can get even cheaper some places), wagons for £5-10. Coaches for me seem to be more expensive than they should be! I used to do motorsport as a hobby before model railways, and in comparison this hobby is one that can be enjoyed all the time, and doesnt require thousands and thousands to get enjoyment.
It is sad to see them go like this, but I'm afraid lots of model shops are ceasing trading and closing their doors for good. However I think the hobby is killing itself with price hikes for models that use really old moulding. How on earth do they think they will attract younger people into this hobby if they can't even afford a starter set? Anyone interested in taking up the hobby is discouraged from it due to the prices of stock, they may buy the bare minimum, which is a starter set but after if they want to expand their collection it's £100-£200 per loco, £60 per coach, £20 per wagon etc. Many people who will buy a starter set won't go further after that and will stick to running it on the Kitchen table or bedroom floor at Christmas time. I do think the hobby has a demographic issue, mostly old retired men with healthy pensions or millionaire record producers like Pete Waterman. These people can afford the higher quality models because they have paid off their mortgages and not having to support their families meaning they have more disposable income to dedicate to the hobby. This is quite alienating because the manufacturers tailor their prices to this market and don't seem to care that younger people who wish to come into the hobby can't because of stuff being unaffordable to them. If the hobby is to survive it needs to make items more affordable to everybody; young, old, retired or still working.
Yes the hobby can be expensive but if you can build scratch built models house’s then you can save on cost at the moment I am doing courses at Coppull Libary show the Adults to do it Bill
@@billmoore1936 Buildings and scenery are the easiest to scratch build, compared to wagons, coaches and locomotives unless you buy the kits. Buying kits I suppose is quite fun because you can paint it to however you want, but as long as one is content with the fact that your paint job won't be anywhere near as good in comparison factory produced Hornby models.
@sMansGuitars regarding model railways if you can what I call scratch built models and you can make yourself then that’s cheaper then buying a kit and there’s more fun in it Bill
Supply chain disruption doesn't stop Currys delivering a Chinese made washing machine or fridge freezer for less than Hattons and the rest charge for an often badly finished, 120 gram plastic loco fitted with an 80 pence motor. The industries answer; charge the rapidly diminishing customer base (that can't afford the models) way above inflation every year, that will fix the problem! Inevitable.
I was a regular customer of Hattons for the past 7 or so years, and always found their service very good. However..., the loss of Bachmann models, and no DCC fitting service since Covid interrupted the world, has not helped. The cost of living has gone up considerably in recent times, not only in the UK, but in most countries. Their closing down comes as quite a shock and a blow to some of us modellers outside the UK.
You are absolutely right about how the costs are too high. But here’s my take on it. Prices are so high because of the amount of detail that is demanded from these models now. Gone are the days of buying Hornby UK-made ‘train set’ models and making modifications and adding detail ourselves. Now the hobby has joined the rest of society in terms of expecting perfection straight out of the box. By the way I’m not accusing you yourself of this, I’m just making a generalisation but I think it’s a fair one to make; this is the general direction of travel within the hobby and as I say it’s a reflection on wider society. I think we also forget that if these models were made in the UK they would be at least double the price - and then the hobby really would be finished.
People are buggers aren't they? They demand perfect, highly-detailed and good quality stuff and then moan that they are too pricey. This isn't just limited to model trains by the way.
Really enjoying your channel. I think this is the first shakeout not the last in the hobby driven by the endless search for more detailed and specific models, driving up model costs exponentially. Luckily I could afford to buy the latest stuff at the latest prices, but I don’t. I started in the 1990s when Hornby top link in the brown box rivalled Lima in the blue box for which one could run the worse! When production moved to China, there was a spectacular improvement in detail and quality of running. Anything made 2005 to 2015 normally runs great has great detail and at normal viewing distance is indistinguishable from the current super detail stuff. The actual market for, and margins to be made on for example Hornby’s 900 variations of class 5 must be peanuts for them and the retailers. I used Hattons in the uk and internationally for many years. They are a great company but if they fail others will too. Then the you tube reviewers pushing for endless extra details will rue the day…..sad for Hattons and us all.
I used to go to Hattons a lot when I visted Liverpool and they never should have moved from their wonderful store in Allerton to that awful, soulless and retail/browsing unfriendly industial unit in that area off the motorway.
When they first moved to the awful industrial estate I was talking to the lads there and they said it was because of mail order dominated their business model now, and they needed a warehouse more than a shop. All the glass cabinets around the walls filled with high end stuff and a small oval of track on the counter for testing. No acessories shopping experience. So stale and just puts anyone off the hobby from getting involved. Not even dioramas or demo layouts to inspire folks. Just 'STOCK'. Argos Model Trains felt like.
Its not at the bottom yet but its not far off. Until prices come right down and kids get sick of playing vid games this once grt hobby is pretty well dead. Ive just retired and just got started full of enthusiasm but a month in all I seem to do is look at the prices and spend hrs scouring the net for used......What a mess.
I have just got back into the hobby, I remember 25 years ago when shops began closing, they were the small modelling shops and people like Hattons were partly the issue. Like you I am sad to see the company name disappear, and to some extent it is a shock, especially as we’d come to regard Hattons as a household name within the model railway business. I am finding the cost of model railways extremely high, considering I had a lot of stock and kits, I’ve still spent £800+ on building my 7ft x 2.5ft shunting layout, okay, I spent money on luxury item but even still that leaves £550 above what I would have thought I’d need to spend. Personally, I think the modellers have caused part of this issue, the need for details built into the models is amazing these days, as is the fact that certain models are being released at such a high premium, even 40 year old models! Hattons certainly don’t need a shop, a warehouse would have suited them better and only sold online, which is where most of the business would lay Wishing the staff all the best
For me, the whole industry needs to stop being so short sighted and focused on those with a heathy retirement wallet and music producers! Its far too expensive. Your telling me that wooden or plastic building kits cost over £20 to make??? And locos £200!?? As a newb to the hobby i can tell you prices are the only thing making me wish i hadnt have started. 2nd hand pricing is ridiculous after only 2 years of me starting, and thats driven up due to increased demand where noones paying the new prices. Heres a thought, maybe bring the manufacturing back to the uk to remove the shipping costs and delays? 😂 😂 Wasnt the whole purpose of sending production to china to reduce costs afterall?
See here’s the point and I agree I have said multiple time for years that it’s too expensive for what it is and I’m met with “big used then” Now that statement is all well and good but if nobody buys new then where’s the second hand market going to come from? That’s right it won’t and this second hand prices get ridiculous as you rightly say. But I still get this comment made over and over. The other day I looked at a van in 00 gauge £52 There’s no way in hell it needed to be that price. Oxford rail are usually a good price and very well done without compromising and always work in my experience. Like you say £20 for a plastic signal box and £200 for a loco that doesn’t look cack. Yes it’s expensive to do business now it really is as I speak from experience but there will be no business to have at this rate.
@@Steves00gauge most younger gen will no doubt be playing on trainsim world on their playstation, £50 game and they don't need to do anything else do they, and as I said when I look at the money I've spent in 2 years I can see why... Don't need to learn electrics, don't need to build scenics...don't need hours to build the layout etc.
There is a small minority of very loud, very mouthy grumpy old men who DEMAND more detail, more accuracy on every new release and absolutely scream murder if the manufacturer doesn't satisfy their demands. You end up with a model with stupid features you can't see that are super delicate and cost the wrong side of 200 quid and will break so easily they can't be handled unless you do so very delicately. No kid whats that, no sane person whats this. The hobby will implode dramatically soon I believe. Looks like Hattons can see this as they're not insolvent, but if they carry on regardless they will be.
I'm a Belgian customer only collecting British rolling stock, I'am not attached to a particular shop. Like most people, one tends to go where you get the best deals, and in the past Hattons was one of these shops that often could provide very good deals. Alwijs sad to see a trader disappear, and very sad there is no one to take the buisnes and the name over, as this is a well known top brand on its own. Hattons was not only a shop, they where able to for fill the wishes, dreams and needs of so many collectors, but they where also able commissioning exclusive products to fill in gaps that producers wouldn't go to , the genesis range for instance, is a very good example. And there are only a hand full of traders that want to make that effort, that makes it a very big lost for the hobby A very sad announcement, indeed..
Model rail is not what it was . I can see from the dealers near me ( within 30 k ) their stock is dropping as if they were cutting back. Nice to hear you are from Glamorgan , my uncle was a manager at Port Talbot steel. I left Barry when I was 2. Happy New Year from Western Australia.
FYI, Hattons paid me today for some used kit shipped to them over the holiday period. Sad for all (especially the staff) but at least they are playing fair with customers - classy to the end. Will be much missed.
I always turned to Hatton's for any purchases from here in the EU. I don't know if any other retailers are VAT registered in France but Hatton's were and it made ordering much easier. I have to say, I turned my attention more to Continental modelling after Brexit, interesting they list it as one of the reasons for their closure... For one, I'm sorry to see them go. Good luck to all the friendly staff in finding new jobs.
For those near Wigan, there is a good model shop in Ashton in Makerfield, >>Unit 21 Greensway Shopping Centre, 34 Gerard St, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan WN4 9AE with plenty of free parking
its a sad day indeed. Here in Australia we don't have a lot of model train shops left as there once was and the range just isn't there. Hell we don't have train shows that often and due to costs of running the event.
And some of the train shows in Oz are just not worth the time to attend. Much prefer to read Hornby magazine. Speaking if which, their ad revenue lose will hurt.
I was going to make a video on this but I didn’t want to seem like I was just doing it for the sake of it and as I’ve never been by view wouldn’t of been a true representative of people who had. However the pattern is clear. I have a video along the lines I’ve made but I think before I release it I better put up something more upbeat haha 😂 before this channel turns into all doom and gloom 🤢
@@Steves00gauge I understand, but I thought I'd mention it along with Hatton's closure just to highlight the downward direction our hobby is taking. However Warley MRC will be hosting open days at their meeting place near Smethwick, West Midlands keeping it local like most exhibitions.
@AgenoriaModelTrains it does get mentioned in my new video. I think many will agree with what I say but as with anything there will be the people with endless deep pockets getting angry at me again 😂
It's worth all of you modellers to know the truth about Hattons. As a current employee of many years I can say the true reason for the closure is because the current CEO of the company has blew the company money up the spout on personal endeavours and doomed to fail company changes. He has continued to blamed the market saying that the company has been dying for a few years because of the core client base has died off. Despite smaller companies still thriving such as Rails of Sheffield and equally big names like hornby and Peco, Hattons has fell because of these internal issues with the CEO. Over the years he has used his ego and money to purchased more and more shares of the company. It's also worh noting he was also dismissive of any ideas on saving the company and was more interested in closing so he can retain the the money. He was (although on this i am note 100% sure myself so take this bit with a pinchof salt) in debt years ago and has use the company money to pay it off and is now walking away with a lovely few million in he pocket.
As one person commented on these TV programmes " Moddle trains is a hobby for million haire popstars " and frankly I modle european HO and its pricey but quolity and the are hobby ranges also the plenty of modern stuff .. new prototypes are out as a modle with in two years ....most railway clubes seam full of old rich guys too .
As things are this hobby is not sustainable, as simple and as complicated as that. Prices absurdly high, bespoke finescale models which are damaged and/or faulty straight out of the box due to poor or none-existant quality control, greedy manufacturers manipulating the market to cut out the retailers and sell direct etc. etc. etc. No incentive for youngsters to get into model railways and the comfortably off retirees that sustain things are dwindling in number. Obvious really. We need simpler and more affordable models that actually work rather than unecessary detail that breaks within a week and gimmicky 'special features' used to justify the joke prices. Between them the likes of Hornby and Bachmann are destroying the hobby and there will be more casualties soon, of that I am certain.
totally agree, me personally got back into the hobby 4 years ago, bought all the wood etc for baseboard, cost me about £500, nowadays 4 years later would be near on 2 grand, i use to buy 10 loco's a year and lots of rolling stock, ive bought nothing in the last year and a half purely for the reasons you mention, im a single guy 50 odd years old no depenedants, and self employed, never struggled for work even in the hide under the bed lockdown but i just aint got any money left after bills and food, its just the tip of the iceburg i fear with many many more buisnesses going t#ts up, the alarm bells for me went off when the pubs started closing and turning into mosques and tesco's at the rate of 5 a week years ago, im gonna vote for a piece of cheese in the next election.
Hey Steve, new sub.. been enjoying your content.. Got a question, Over the years while my son was growing up I bought him quite a few train sets but the Xbox finally put an end to that part of his life... Anyway he is 25 this month and has been traveling regualry on the Glasgow to London train and mentioned the other day about the sets we used to play with. So my question. Would you know of a relatively modern train set I could buy him? possibly with modern engines, Virgin etc... Regards GN
Welcome along. In n gauge these some cracking choices for new age sets. In 00 gauge not so much. I have a review coming up for an n gauge Gwr Paddington set.
Of course, as it’s being closed down out of choice and not being made insolvent or going into receivership it will continue to process and compete orders which is great news 🥳
That’s how Adsense works. Needs to be monetised to get Adsense thus making your statement of milking for Adsense inaccurate here. But I’m sure you can go around typing that on any channel covering any big news I’m honoured you came here. 🤓
Models are way too expensive even discounted, How can Bachmann justify £500 for a 4-cep EMU they were about £89 when they were first released, they blamed Chinese wage costs at the time, it’s the same old tooling, I’m not talking about the latest releases of refurbished 4-cep models.
~£50 for a Railroad Smokey Joe-type 0-4-0 loco? What on earth are Hornby thinking? Worth ~£20 at best, which is what they could be picked up for all over the place just a few years back. Very few youngsters/beginners on a budget are going to fork out this kind of money for a crude toy from 40-odd years ago.
Fully agree. Can afford the prices but really can bring myself to pay them. Thinking of other expensive pastimes, the cost of my skiing gear has not gone up anything close to this.
… can’t ….
There’s a bachmann trainset which slips my mind now as to its name £729 rrp over £500 in most places and whilst it’s digital you don’t event get points and a siding just a bloody oval.
The Hornby 2024 releases came today and the prices of some of it is worse than ever! I had a shock and I was expecting some prices to go up but Jesus Christ on a bike £100 for 3 bloody shell tankers.
You could find a meth habit easier 🤣
This is genuinely sad news for the hobby. I met some of their staff at Warley last year they were a great bunch of lads. I hope they are able to find new work and wish them all the best
Absolutely. As I said in the video I wish them all the best and to anyone else who’s been made redundant during these trying times 😢
Half the problem with model railways is the fact that most (not all) want an empire and want it in a month! You can have alot of fun with 5-8ft of board a few second hand locos, coaches and wagons. Maybe more TH-camrs etc need to be making layouts that are small, instead of showing constant huge layouts and people thinking that is what is required to enjoy the hobby (not pointing fingers at yourself).
If you look around you can get locos for £70-100 (which I know to some is alot, but is better than £200-£300 for the new all singing, all dancing, and can get even cheaper some places), wagons for £5-10. Coaches for me seem to be more expensive than they should be!
I used to do motorsport as a hobby before model railways, and in comparison this hobby is one that can be enjoyed all the time, and doesnt require thousands and thousands to get enjoyment.
It is sad to see them go like this, but I'm afraid lots of model shops are ceasing trading and closing their doors for good. However I think the hobby is killing itself with price hikes for models that use really old moulding. How on earth do they think they will attract younger people into this hobby if they can't even afford a starter set? Anyone interested in taking up the hobby is discouraged from it due to the prices of stock, they may buy the bare minimum, which is a starter set but after if they want to expand their collection it's £100-£200 per loco, £60 per coach, £20 per wagon etc. Many people who will buy a starter set won't go further after that and will stick to running it on the Kitchen table or bedroom floor at Christmas time.
I do think the hobby has a demographic issue, mostly old retired men with healthy pensions or millionaire record producers like Pete Waterman. These people can afford the higher quality models because they have paid off their mortgages and not having to support their families meaning they have more disposable income to dedicate to the hobby. This is quite alienating because the manufacturers tailor their prices to this market and don't seem to care that younger people who wish to come into the hobby can't because of stuff being unaffordable to them. If the hobby is to survive it needs to make items more affordable to everybody; young, old, retired or still working.
Exactly
Yes the hobby can be expensive but if you can build scratch built models house’s then you can save on cost at the moment I am doing courses at Coppull Libary show the Adults to do it Bill
@@billmoore1936 Buildings and scenery are the easiest to scratch build, compared to wagons, coaches and locomotives unless you buy the kits. Buying kits I suppose is quite fun because you can paint it to however you want, but as long as one is content with the fact that your paint job won't be anywhere near as good in comparison factory produced Hornby models.
@@AgenoriaModelTrains yes I really enjoy doing all this bill
@sMansGuitars regarding model railways if you can what I call scratch built models and you can make yourself then that’s cheaper then buying a kit and there’s more fun in it Bill
Supply chain disruption doesn't stop Currys delivering a Chinese made washing machine or fridge freezer for less than Hattons and the rest charge for an often badly finished, 120 gram plastic loco fitted with an 80 pence motor. The industries answer; charge the rapidly diminishing customer base (that can't afford the models) way above inflation every year, that will fix the problem! Inevitable.
I was a regular customer of Hattons for the past 7 or so years, and always found their service very good. However..., the loss of Bachmann models, and no DCC fitting service since Covid interrupted the world, has not helped. The cost of living has gone up considerably in recent times, not only in the UK, but in most countries. Their closing down comes as quite a shock and a blow to some of us modellers outside the UK.
You are absolutely right about how the costs are too high. But here’s my take on it. Prices are so high because of the amount of detail that is demanded from these models now. Gone are the days of buying Hornby UK-made ‘train set’ models and making modifications and adding detail ourselves. Now the hobby has joined the rest of society in terms of expecting perfection straight out of the box. By the way I’m not accusing you yourself of this, I’m just making a generalisation but I think it’s a fair one to make; this is the general direction of travel within the hobby and as I say it’s a reflection on wider society. I think we also forget that if these models were made in the UK they would be at least double the price - and then the hobby really would be finished.
I’m from Swansea as well by the way, I used to pick up my Rails parcels from the Argos you were on about.
People are buggers aren't they? They demand perfect, highly-detailed and good quality stuff and then moan that they are too pricey. This isn't just limited to model trains by the way.
Really enjoying your channel. I think this is the first shakeout not the last in the hobby driven by the endless search for more detailed and specific models, driving up model costs exponentially. Luckily I could afford to buy the latest stuff at the latest prices, but I don’t. I started in the 1990s when Hornby top link in the brown box rivalled Lima in the blue box for which one could run the worse! When production moved to China, there was a spectacular improvement in detail and quality of running. Anything made 2005 to 2015 normally runs great has great detail and at normal viewing distance is indistinguishable from the current super detail stuff. The actual market for, and margins to be made on for example Hornby’s 900 variations of class 5 must be peanuts for them and the retailers. I used Hattons in the uk and internationally for many years. They are a great company but if they fail others will too. Then the you tube reviewers pushing for endless extra details will rue the day…..sad for Hattons and us all.
You are right; "the hobby has got very expensive". So has everything. Ive had really good service from them. I wish the staff well.
I used to go to Hattons a lot when I visted Liverpool and they never should have moved from their wonderful store in Allerton to that awful, soulless and retail/browsing unfriendly industial unit in that area off the motorway.
When they first moved to the awful industrial estate I was talking to the lads there and they said it was because of mail order dominated their business model now, and they needed a warehouse more than a shop. All the glass cabinets around the walls filled with high end stuff and a small oval of track on the counter for testing. No acessories shopping experience. So stale and just puts anyone off the hobby from getting involved. Not even dioramas or demo layouts to inspire folks. Just 'STOCK'. Argos Model Trains felt like.
Its not at the bottom yet but its not far off. Until prices come right down and kids get sick of playing vid games this once grt hobby is pretty well dead. Ive just retired and just got started full of enthusiasm but a month in all I seem to do is look at the prices and spend hrs scouring the net for used......What a mess.
Absolutely.
perfectly said.
I have just got back into the hobby, I remember 25 years ago when shops began closing, they were the small modelling shops and people like Hattons were partly the issue. Like you I am sad to see the company name disappear, and to some extent it is a shock, especially as we’d come to regard Hattons as a household name within the model railway business.
I am finding the cost of model railways extremely high, considering I had a lot of stock and kits, I’ve still spent £800+ on building my 7ft x 2.5ft shunting layout, okay, I spent money on luxury item but even still that leaves £550 above what I would have thought I’d need to spend.
Personally, I think the modellers have caused part of this issue, the need for details built into the models is amazing these days, as is the fact that certain models are being released at such a high premium, even 40 year old models!
Hattons certainly don’t need a shop, a warehouse would have suited them better and only sold online, which is where most of the business would lay
Wishing the staff all the best
For me, the whole industry needs to stop being so short sighted and focused on those with a heathy retirement wallet and music producers! Its far too expensive. Your telling me that wooden or plastic building kits cost over £20 to make??? And locos £200!?? As a newb to the hobby i can tell you prices are the only thing making me wish i hadnt have started. 2nd hand pricing is ridiculous after only 2 years of me starting, and thats driven up due to increased demand where noones paying the new prices. Heres a thought, maybe bring the manufacturing back to the uk to remove the shipping costs and delays? 😂 😂 Wasnt the whole purpose of sending production to china to reduce costs afterall?
See here’s the point and I agree
I have said multiple time for years that it’s too expensive for what it is and I’m met with “big used then”
Now that statement is all well and good but if nobody buys new then where’s the second hand market going to come from? That’s right it won’t and this second hand prices get ridiculous as you rightly say.
But I still get this comment made over and over.
The other day I looked at a van in 00 gauge £52
There’s no way in hell it needed to be that price.
Oxford rail are usually a good price and very well done without compromising and always work in my experience.
Like you say £20 for a plastic signal box and £200 for a loco that doesn’t look cack.
Yes it’s expensive to do business now it really is as I speak from experience but there will be no business to have at this rate.
@@Steves00gauge most younger gen will no doubt be playing on trainsim world on their playstation, £50 game and they don't need to do anything else do they, and as I said when I look at the money I've spent in 2 years I can see why... Don't need to learn electrics, don't need to build scenics...don't need hours to build the layout etc.
@A_Random_Pea and I’m sure if you preorder a new version of the game that’s it won’t take 3 years to get it 🤣
Brexit has been a contributing factor,not surprising.
There is a small minority of very loud, very mouthy grumpy old men who DEMAND more detail, more accuracy on every new release and absolutely scream murder if the manufacturer doesn't satisfy their demands. You end up with a model with stupid features you can't see that are super delicate and cost the wrong side of 200 quid and will break so easily they can't be handled unless you do so very delicately. No kid whats that, no sane person whats this. The hobby will implode dramatically soon I believe. Looks like Hattons can see this as they're not insolvent, but if they carry on regardless they will be.
I'm a Belgian customer only collecting British rolling stock, I'am not attached to a particular shop.
Like most people, one tends to go where you get the best deals, and in the past Hattons was one of these shops that often could provide very good deals.
Alwijs sad to see a trader disappear, and very sad there is no one to take the buisnes and the name over, as this is a well known top brand on its own.
Hattons was not only a shop, they where able to for fill the wishes, dreams and needs of so many collectors, but they where also able commissioning exclusive products to fill in gaps that producers wouldn't go to , the genesis range for instance, is a very good example.
And there are only a hand full of traders that want to make that effort, that makes it a very big lost for the hobby
A very sad announcement, indeed..
Model rail is not what it was . I can see from the dealers near me ( within 30 k ) their stock is dropping as if they were cutting back.
Nice to hear you are from Glamorgan , my uncle was a manager at Port Talbot steel.
I left Barry when I was 2.
Happy New Year from Western Australia.
FYI, Hattons paid me today for some used kit shipped to them over the holiday period. Sad for all (especially the staff) but at least they are playing fair with customers - classy to the end. Will be much missed.
I always turned to Hatton's for any purchases from here in the EU. I don't know if any other retailers are VAT registered in France but Hatton's were and it made ordering much easier. I have to say, I turned my attention more to Continental modelling after Brexit, interesting they list it as one of the reasons for their closure...
For one, I'm sorry to see them go. Good luck to all the friendly staff in finding new jobs.
Was trying to buy a load of track and bits but it went within an hour 😂 shows that when things are priced much more reasonably they fly off the shelf
I had some Kato n gauge packs and some 00 gauge wagons but I blinked and they were gone.
@@Steves00gauge yeh I feel your pain, it's basically been bought up by loads of folks to sell on their eBay shops at RRP sadly :(
For those near Wigan, there is a good model shop in Ashton in Makerfield, >>Unit 21 Greensway Shopping Centre, 34 Gerard St, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan WN4 9AE with plenty of free parking
its a sad day indeed. Here in Australia we don't have a lot of model train shops left as there once was and the range just isn't there. Hell we don't have train shows that often and due to costs of running the event.
And some of the train shows in Oz are just not worth the time to attend.
Much prefer to read Hornby magazine. Speaking if which, their ad revenue lose will hurt.
Very well said your thoughts on the matter echo mine very sad to see happen though
As well as Hattons, most recently Warley National Model Railway exhibition has also been cancelled indefinitely. What are your thoughts on this?
I was going to make a video on this but I didn’t want to seem like I was just doing it for the sake of it and as I’ve never been by view wouldn’t of been a true representative of people who had.
However the pattern is clear.
I have a video along the lines I’ve made but I think before I release it I better put up something more upbeat haha 😂 before this channel turns into all doom and gloom 🤢
@@Steves00gauge I understand, but I thought I'd mention it along with Hatton's closure just to highlight the downward direction our hobby is taking. However Warley MRC will be hosting open days at their meeting place near Smethwick, West Midlands keeping it local like most exhibitions.
@AgenoriaModelTrains it does get mentioned in my new video. I think many will agree with what I say but as with anything there will be the people with endless deep pockets getting angry at me again 😂
It's Sad That Hattons Has Been Closed.
Well It's Unfortunate but at least There's Rails Of Sheffield But Even Then Hattons Was Always There For Us.
It's worth all of you modellers to know the truth about Hattons. As a current employee of many years I can say the true reason for the closure is because the current CEO of the company has blew the company money up the spout on personal endeavours and doomed to fail company changes.
He has continued to blamed the market saying that the company has been dying for a few years because of the core client base has died off. Despite smaller companies still thriving such as Rails of Sheffield and equally big names like hornby and Peco, Hattons has fell because of these internal issues with the CEO. Over the years he has used his ego and money to purchased more and more shares of the company.
It's also worh noting he was also dismissive of any ideas on saving the company and was more interested in closing so he can retain the the money. He was (although on this i am note 100% sure myself so take this bit with a pinchof salt) in debt years ago and has use the company money to pay it off and is now walking away with a lovely few million in he pocket.
As one person commented on these TV programmes " Moddle trains is a hobby for million haire popstars " and frankly I modle european HO and its pricey but quolity and the are hobby ranges also the plenty of modern stuff .. new prototypes are out as a modle with in two years ....most railway clubes seam full of old rich guys too .
As things are this hobby is not sustainable, as simple and as complicated as that. Prices absurdly high, bespoke finescale models which are damaged and/or faulty straight out of the box due to poor or none-existant quality control, greedy manufacturers manipulating the market to cut out the retailers and sell direct etc. etc. etc. No incentive for youngsters to get into model railways and the comfortably off retirees that sustain things are dwindling in number. Obvious really. We need simpler and more affordable models that actually work rather than unecessary detail that breaks within a week and gimmicky 'special features' used to justify the joke prices. Between them the likes of Hornby and Bachmann are destroying the hobby and there will be more casualties soon, of that I am certain.
totally agree, me personally got back into the hobby 4 years ago, bought all the wood etc for baseboard, cost me about £500, nowadays 4 years later would be near on 2 grand, i use to buy 10 loco's a year and lots of rolling stock, ive bought nothing in the last year and a half purely for the reasons you mention, im a single guy 50 odd years old no depenedants, and self employed, never struggled for work even in the hide under the bed lockdown but i just aint got any money left after bills and food, its just the tip of the iceburg i fear with many many more buisnesses going t#ts up, the alarm bells for me went off when the pubs started closing and turning into mosques and tesco's at the rate of 5 a week years ago, im gonna vote for a piece of cheese in the next election.
Hey Steve, new sub.. been enjoying your content.. Got a question, Over the years while my son was growing up I bought him quite a few train sets but the Xbox finally put an end to that part of his life... Anyway he is 25 this month and has been traveling regualry on the Glasgow to London train and mentioned the other day about the sets we used to play with. So my question. Would you know of a relatively modern train set I could buy him? possibly with modern engines, Virgin etc... Regards GN
Welcome along. In n gauge these some cracking choices for new age sets. In 00 gauge not so much.
I have a review coming up for an n gauge Gwr Paddington set.
It truly is a sad day 😞
But I have ordered some stuff so I will still get my stuff Bill
Of course, as it’s being closed down out of choice and not being made insolvent or going into receivership it will continue to process and compete orders which is great news 🥳
Well I always had good service out of them and very help full Bill
@billmoore1936 absolutely
I always had a good experience
Looks like every man and his dog are milking this. More adsense.
Channel isn’t monetised ☺️ good day sir
@@Steves00gauge Never said it was madam.
That’s how Adsense works. Needs to be monetised to get Adsense thus making your statement of milking for Adsense inaccurate here. But I’m sure you can go around typing that on any channel covering any big news I’m honoured you came here. 🤓