Lion: Liverpool & Manchester Railway

[What About The Bee]

Let the season begin!!

Hornby have advised us that Lion is "Expected Autumn 2022". A glance at the calendar shows that today is the first day of that season, 22 Sept 2022. There are only 90 days from the 22nd until the 1st day of Winter, 21 December. So I haven't long to wait now. I shall take Hornby at their word. If Hornby state a season, I should believe it! So I am very excited that Lion may be on my layout by Xmas!!

I've ordered both Lion R30232 and the Huskinson coach pack R40371, which is also "Expected Autumn 2022".  Additionally, the sheep wagons R60165 and horse wagons R60166, but those are expected in 2023.

What makes this most entertaining is that I have also ordered Rapido's Lion. Rapido have shown an engineering sample and have sworn to release Lion by the anniversary of a certain movie, 1 March 2023. There has been video of an undecorated Rapido model running on track, so Rapido are well along.

It will be quite interesting to see which model shows up first and further, which model best captures Lion's spirit. The winner in my little head to head shall retain the famous name Lion (LMR57), the loser will become Tiger (LMR58).

Of course, neither Lion nor Tiger, at issue, looked like the restored locomotive now in preservation. 

But its my railway and that is how it will be!

Cheers!

[RDS]

@What About The Bee

Moderator Note: It is not necessary to add extra line spacings. This Forum automatically adds an extra line space when you start a new line.

[Going Spare]

It is perhaps unwise to link meteorology too closely with model manufacturing - it is very easy to be disappointed by both forecasts.

[What About The Bee]

Thank you for the information.

I'm relatively new to modeling, but with a very long term armchair interest in the L&MR. So please do forgive my rather neophyte questions.

I am to understand that selecting the season of the year is too fine a granularity for predicting production? That Messrs Hornby, et al, cannot select which ¼ of a year they think it will be produced? A large part of customer satisfaction is simply managing expectations.

I would be very surprised if Rapido would miss the marketing opportunity of coincidence with the film anniversary. Do you think this is also purely wishful thinking?

Again, I am quite unfamiliar with the delivery reputation of these organizations. I like to think positively, that they say what they do, and do what they say.

In short, I am trying to manage my own expectations, and not flutter about like a deranged lunatic. A little guidance is most appreciated. Thanks again!

[81F]

Sadly I have learned to take these delivery times with a pinch of salt and it is not just Hornby. Bachmann was worse with about 2 years overdue (and that was pre-COVID!). Other per-orders I am still waiting for is the Kernow steam railmotor (must be at least five years. I waited longer than WW1 lasted for the HornbyWW1 commemorative ROD loco only to find the model shop I had ordered it from had been undersupplied so I never got it!

Thankfully it seems to have reappeared for pre-order on this site so I will hopefully get it.

However, you are right about managing customer expectation since I the next few locos I ordered after I had been let down were from other companies.

[What About The Bee]

Today is 27 September. 6 days into Fall of 2022.

I have just received an email from Hornby.

Lion is in stock!!! As promised. This is the way to manage customer expectations. Meet them!

Go Hornby!!!!

[96RAF]

You lot are total amateurs in the waiting game - Railmaster loco detection coming up for eight years and still no sign of it.

[ColinB]

Well 96RAF that is probably because it is never going to happen. I suspect the person that came up with the idea left or retired years ago.