Troublesome Trucks 3 and 4

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Bachmann Trains (USA) have released five Troublesome Trucks in their Thomas & Friends HO/OO Gauge range, but why can't Hornby release more Troublesome Trucks?

 

All Hornby have released, is R9053 Troublesome Truck 1 and R9054 Troublesome Truck 2, back in 2002 and these where disontinued in 2014, with the other few items that where left behind in production, with about 80% of the range being in discontinued in 2011.

 

Then, with the 2015 relaunch of the range, Hornby released R9294 Troublesome Trucks, which are more or less R9053 Troublesome Truck 1 and R9054 Troublesome Truck 2, boxed up togteher in a double pack, with the same faces, but in a lighter grey livery, which before had a dark grey livery.

 

But why can't Hornby release a second double pack, of Troublesome Trucks, containing Troublesome Trucks 3 and 4? Surely more Troublesome Trucks would be welcomed to the range, using a van and/or a tanker? In the TV series, we've seen all sorts of wagon's used as Troublesome Trucks, not just grey 7 Plank Open Wagon's.

 

Please share your thoughs below on Hornby releasing more Troublesome Trucks. More of them, would really benfit the range and choice of wagons available, seeing that the x3 differnet triple wagon packs have been discontinued! Like I just said, plaase share your thoughs below. Thank you. 😀

[Shadow.Monk]

My thoughts on TT 1 and 2 are that they are rubbish models. The only saving grace are the faces. I am going for a rake of about 10 open wagons (S1 Trouble some trucks) instead as they are better proportioned.

 

I think Hornby should stick TT 1 and 2 faces on open wagon (r107) and closed van (r108) instead.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

The Hornby Troublesome Trucks are rubbish. They are to long and to tall. Hornby have used their RailRoad 8 Plank LWB Open Wagon's, to create their Troublesome Trucks 1 and 2. They would have been better if Hornby made them, using the 7 Plank Open Wagon, the same truck that Hornby used for the Sodor Scrap Co. Wagon, the Red Open Wagon, the Light Blue Open Wagon and the Series 1-style Troublesome Truck (Open Wagon), found in R9300 Triple Wagon Pack A.

 

The problem is though, is that I like Hornby's Series 1-style Troublesome Trucks, but they were only seen with faces like this, in the first series of the TV series. It is still good and much better to own Hornby's Troublesome Trucks 1 and 2, as these look so much more, like what you see in the TV series today, despite the model being childish and out of scale. I do hope one day that Hornby add the same faces to the 7 Plank Open Wagon, as well create new Troublesome Trucks, using Closed Van's and/or Ventilated Van's and Tanker's.

[RDS]

My Hornby trucks (Grand Childrens actually) seem to have 6 planks - apologies if these are not the ones quoted in the thread title.

 

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[NWR-Gordon-4]

RDS, what you have there, are Series 1-style Troublesome Trucks. The product numbers are R107, which Hornby made that product from 1985 until 2014, as a 6 Plank Open Wagon. However, in Series 1 of the TV series, they are only 7 Plank Open Wagon's, so Hornby made a mistake producing them as 6 Plank Open Wagon's. The only way to get a Hornby Series 1-style Troublesome Truck as a 7 Plank Wagon is to buy the R9300 Triple Wagon Pack A, which comes with Sodor Scrap Co. Wagon and a Brake Van.

 

There is no need to be sorry for opting that image RDS. It is still a Troublesome Truck, despite we were talking about 7 Plank Open Wagon's. Nevertheless though, R107 Open Wagon is a 6 Plank Open Wagon Series 1-style Troublesome Truck!  😀

[Shadow.Monk]

Hopefully Hornby will re-release Seaon 1 Troublesome Trucks as a 7 plank wagon as a individual item, I didn't want to buy several Triple Pack A sets just for the open wagon. The original R107 trucks are hard to come by, even though there are a few still on Ebay.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I can't see anymore individual wagons getting made. Several Wagon Trole Packs got released in 2005, but everything inside if them you could still buy individually, apart from the two Circus Vans packs. Three more triple packs got produced in 2012 and this trend continued with the relaunch in 2015.

 

I suggest you buy R9300 Triple Wagon Pack A. There still a few around, but are getting harder to find. The certainty of these coming back on there own seems slim, considering the amount of triple packs that have been released in the past. You could always resell the Sodor Scrap Co. Wagon's and the Brake Van's, if these are putting you off from buy this triple pack.

[Shadow.Monk]

It would be a shame to not have these packs released again, or have them individually, as a goods train needs a brake van!

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Yes, freight trains do need a freight train. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but apart from the Percy & The Mail Train Set, the only wagons you can get are the Troublesome Trucks double pack, which is very poor to be honest with you. Not much left in the range to buy, considering that the three triple packs were discontinued, after one batch of each made.

[Shadow.Monk]

Not sure why Old Slow Coach was discontinued either. The range should at least have a seperate brake van available.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I don't understand why Old Slow Coach has been discontinued again, either, but because only one batch of the second version of Old Slow Coach R9302 was made and they all sold very quickly, eBay prices are still sky high for both versions. I believe there will be more the original 2005 Old Slow Coaches around (R9201). This was in production for much longer than the 2015 release.

 

Again, I would love to see wagons be sold seperately. This way is more versitle for the consumer, that they can 'pick and choose' of what they want, so to speak. You know, the sort of thing "I want one Brake Van and 6 Sodor Scrap Co. Wagon's, etc. What I am trying to say that the items being sold seperatley, means you can buy what you like and buy in the quantities you like.

[Howbi]

I guess it's a diminishing market these days for toys like Thomas the Tank etc, children are more into mobile phones, iPads and Xbox games and apps at younger & younger ages.........radio control models like quadcopters are getting more affordable and popular right across the age range..........it's probably not at all profitable for Hornby to make any Thomas rolling stock available seperately..........the sets seem quite expensive for what's in them.......... 😀...........HB

[NWR-Gordon-4]

That could be the reason why since 2012, we have not seen any new wagons sold sepertely. Another reason thst could factor the case that Hornby are not selling any Thomas wagons on there own, could be to do licensing costs, with the owner of Thomas & Friends, HiT Entertainment. I would not be suprised if the cost for Hornby to keep the license is going up for them, so Hornby selling a wagon boxed on it's own won't make much of a profit. A way to get around that is to up the price to a price that is more than £10.00, but brings another problem that  ot many people will pay that for a wagon. i wouldn't want to, anyway. So I guess Hornby are starting to realise this, by selling their wagons through triple packs only, that costs £25.00 maximum, which are reasonably priced for the consumer and will bring profit to Hornby as well as paying the licenser to having a Thomas & Friends range.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

Old Slow Coach was retired because no-one knows who it is these days. It was in one episode of series 5 and never since. Despite being a good model, I'm afraid the Thomas and Friends fans of today have no clue. I am a massive fan of the Railway Series and TV series 1-5, but I'm not fond of the modern stuff. I have these two trucks and, in my opinion, they're a bit too long. They're alright though. As they say however, "Trucks will be trucks!"  😆

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Old Slow Coach was retired because no-one knows who it is these days. It was in one episode of series 5 and never since. Despite being a good model, I'm afraid the Thomas and Friends fans of today have no clue. I am a massive fan of the Railway Series and TV series 1-5, but I'm not fond of the modern stuff. I have these two trucks and, in my opinion, they're a bit too long. They're alright though. As they say however, "Trucks will be trucks!"  😆

 

I would like to think and hope that baby children of today have seen every series of Thomas & Friends and know who Old Slow Coach is, GWR & LNER fan 4472. All episodes from the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's and the 2010's are on YouTube and on DVD to buy. It would be the same story with S.C. Ruffey too, only making one appearnce in an episode in Series 4.

 

I was born in 1996, but four series of the TV series had been made before I was born. I still watched these episodes when I was a wee wee tot and I still do now. I guess there kids who only want to the CGI generation of Thomas, but that is up to them. What I beelive though, is that you are not a true and proper Thomas fan, if you haven't watch all epsisodes and films made and if you don't all characters that have ever appeared.

 

I love your name by the way, mate! 😆

[RDS]

... what you have there, are Series 1-style Troublesome Trucks ...

 

Thanks for that Jacob.  

You appear to be our Forum Expert on the Thomas the Tank Engine Series and Models.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Thank you RDS. 😆

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

 

Thank you and well said - my thoughts exactly. I however, have not seen every single episode of the CGI series but am still a true Thomas and Railway Series fan. S.C.Ruffey did appear in the book, but Old Slow Coach didn't, but there we go.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

Duplicate post.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

 @GWR & LNER fan 4472

 

Thank you and well said - my thoughts exactly. I however, have not seen every single episode of the CGI series but am still a true Thomas and Railway Series fan. S.C.Ruffey did appear in the book, but Old Slow Coach didn't, but there we go.

 

S.C. Ruffey did appear in The Railway Series, but I was just taking about the TV series, GWR & LNER fan 4472. That all of what baby children see of Thomas these days, mostly.

[Slornie]

Assorted thoughts following on from the points discussed above:

 

I don't think Hornby need to release a "Troublesome Truck #3" or "'#4" like Bachmann, in fact I feel producing and labelling them like that it really just a gimmick on Bachmann's part.  I do, however, agree that the Hornby Thomas range benefits from having a few standard items of freight rolling stock alongside the coaches.  The unfaced vent vans, cattle trucks and tankers work well both as individual items and packaged together as multiples, as do the brake vans.

 

But then looking at it the other way to a certain extent you could argue that for anyone wanting to extend their layout beyond the characters (locomotives) and certain other recognisable rolling stock it's easy enough to just buy non-Thomas trucks, wagons and brake vans from Hornby's Railroad range.  The packaging is different, but once it's on the layout who's to know or care?

 

Back on Thomas branded rolling stock though I do wish Hornby would stop issuing Scruffey as part of those multi-packs when as a named character you only ever need one.  For example although I have acquired several of the cattle wagon and vent van sets, I only bought one R9706 (despite wanting more brake vans to go with the other wagons).  Other examples of this particular complaint include R9091 and 9301.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Well a Troublesome Truck 3 and 4 doesn't have to be exactly the same as Bachmann's Troublesome Truck #3 and #4, Slornie. All I am saying that they could easily expand there range. They could just produce to more of these Grey 8 Plank LWB Open Wagon's and add new faces them, which will expand the choices of Troublesome Trucks, that one can buy.

 

Yes, the range does need seperate sold itmes. You can get multiple of a wagon, without being forced to have mulitiples of another, if you don't want that. It could ahve soemthing to with licensing fees other, hence noting being sold under £10.00 and £20.00, by RRP's.

 

You could add RailRoad wagons, to your Thomas collection, however, most RailRoad wagons have somesort of livery on them or running number, which isn't a relalistic for a Thomas collection. I have noticed though, that some previous train sets contains open wagon's in plain colours with no logo's and running numbers, which matches Thomas rolling stock very well. I have bought some of them and they look good with my Thomas collection.

 

I agree with you about S.C. Ruffey. He needs tobe sold seperately. If you wanted to buy R9301 Triple Wagon Pack B, which has been discontinued and you don't own a S.C. Ruffey, then it's worth buying. The trouble is though, that you can't another of these packs, if you wqnt more that one of the Red Open Wagon and the Light Blue Open Wagon. Having more than one S.C. Ruffey would be like having ore than one Gordon (Excluding buying different year releases with changes to each one). This sort of thing tells me that Hornby do not know much about Thomas, especially as they keep doing it.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

The sort of person to worry about duplicates of S.C.Ruffey is the sort of person who knows that it matters. Most people who would buy this for their children would only buy on of those packs anyway. What you could do is either paint over it in different colours or you could sell it on, but still keep the other wagons in the pack.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Yes, you could sell the extra S.C. Ruffey's, but that's not the point. You probably won't get a lot of money back and it would ncie of the triple pack came with a wagon that you can have more than one of.

[Slornie]

You could add RailRoad wagons, to your Thomas collection, however, most RailRoad wagons have somesort of livery on them or running number, which isn't a relalistic for a Thomas collection. I have noticed though, that some previous train sets contains open wagon's in plain colours with no logo's and running numbers, which matches Thomas rolling stock very well. I have bought some of them and they look good with my Thomas collection.

 

We were just talking about Scruffey, a private owner wagon with associated livery, so I don't really see how having other private owner wagons with liveries or running numbers wouldn't be suited to a Thomas layout.