Basingstoke

There are some interesting concepts expressed above. I wonder if somebody could clarify the following issues please? Is it fact, or just supposition, that "a model is only valid for production if pre-order sales exceed the break even cut-off number"?Whichever, are pre-orders placed with dealers taken into account, as well as pre-orders placed through the Hornby website?I have pre-ordered a couple of models from the 2022 range with my usual dealer. They were both originally scheduled for "Autumn 2022". On looking at the Hornby website, they have both now been shifted back to "Expected Autumn 2023", along with a lot of the 2022 range. Does this mean that those items have not yet hit their "break-even cut-off number"?Is it therefore in modellers' interests to place a pre-order, in order to get the item over the hurdle of qualifying for production, simply because not doing so may lead to the item at worst never being produced, and at best seriously delayed? I think these issues need to be clarified because if the pre-order process works imperfectly then the outcome may be (1) lots of dissatisfied customers, including people who lose interest because the delays are simply too long, and (2) Hornby cancelling perfectly viable projects. Not what anybody wants. Personally, I like the pre-order system, and the fact that it enables me to budget well in advance for major purchases. What I do not like at all is when the release is repeatedly shifted backwards, usually around the time that one was expecting to receive the item. As an example, about four years ago I placed a pre-order with a dealer for a locomotive produced by one of Hornby's rivals. It is still seemingly on their production schedule. However they have since released more than one livery variant of the same class of loco, one of them very recently, while the item I would like (which is by no means a shortlived or unpopular livery) has been repeatedly shifted down their production schedule. This is difficult to understand, and leads to a very great feeling of dissatisfaction. We have all been through a difficult couple of years, with Covid, and the consequences of chaos in the world's economy. Against this background, Hornby, to their credit, managed to release many of their 2021 range very promptly. When times are difficult it is even more important for manufacturers to keep in touch with their customers about issues such as this, and to do their utmost to stick to the original release schedule

Personally I have severe doubts about purple, particularly for steam locos. BR's early 50's express loco blue looked good on the right loco - for example the air-smoothed Merchant Navy, or the A4, but it certainly didn't suit the GW Kings. Hornby very rarely seem to produce the rebuilt West Country/Battle of Britain - the most recent seemingly being the R3618 several years ago. I hope very much that there will be a BR Green Era 5 version in the very near future. Maybe to coincide with Taw Valley returning to BR Green? Obviously, going purple has been a very good publicity stunt for the SVR, and for Hornby, but I do wonder where it will lead. I wouldn't want to see preserved railways painting locos in weird liveries on the slightest pretext. As a one-off, okay - it's a bit of fun, albeit an expensive one. Maybe for a future Jubilee in 5 or 10 years' time, but do it too often, and nobody will take much notice. Maybe it has sold to collectors of royal memorabilia, but will it lead to large numbers of new railway enthusiasts? Some folk have suggested doing a purple loco "on the cheap" by getting a second hand model and repainting it. However, the asking price for such models on a well-known website is high, and they don't come up that often. (Which in itself makes one think that Hornby may be missing a market for BR Green rebuilt light pacifics!) And it's not as easy a task as it might appear - Hornby Magazine have actually just done it, in the latest issue.

This is a real concern, and so is the availability of other spares. At the moment I have a couple of West Countries (Spamcans) in need of a valve gear set, which seems to be very difficult to locate. It would be helpful to have a readily available supply of spares for the main moving parts of all locos, because they will inevitably wear out, however careful you are. LCDR mentions Comet chassis, and available motors. Comet products are great, but by the time you've bought chassis kit, set of wheels, motor and gearbox, you will have a very expensive replacement chassis. It will be beautifully engineered, but expensive. And of course the time and skill to build it will be required. The most widely used motor was the Mashima, but Mashima ceased trading a couple of years ago. You can still obtain some sizes, but the most popular have sold out. I believe that Mashima and Hanzono offered replacement brushes - they are tiny rods of carbon, so very difficult for ageing eyes. Not at all like a good solid Dublo brush! I'm surprised that nobody wanted to acquire the Mashima assets/rights, and continue production, so there will be a bit of a vacuum for kitbuilders. I suppose that it is just another way in which model railways reflect real railways. With the rising cost of overhaul, many preserved locos have been temporarily or permanently retired from use, and there are cases of parts being taken from one loco to keep another running!

Very confusing! Most people, not unreasonably, would say that "Winter 2022" means the period approximately December 2022 to February 2023, including the Winter Solstice around 21 December 2022. However, someone at Hornby thinks that it refers to the period December 2021 to February 2022! The confusion could easily be solved by using the terminology "Winter 2021/22" and "Winter 2022/23", and I hope that Hornby will actually consider doing this.

I believe (from memory) that MN35024 was announced in January 2018, and was delivered in April 2021, so 3 years and 3 months. Maybe it would have arrived sooner if there had been no Covid pandemic. It has been a long time to wait, but I am glad it has eventually arrived, because it is an important and essential livery variation, for anyone with an interest in the early 50's. I am very pleased with the model. But it has been disappointing along the way when promised delivery dates were passed, and it was then re-scheduled several times. However, Hornby eventually got there, so many thanks to them! I am slightly more disturbed by the fact that, based on what I have been told, Hornby have cancelled or drastically reduced dealer allocations of several of the 2021 range. In turn dealers have been forced to cancel pre-orders which they have received. When this happens three months or more after the product announcement, it is difficult to make alternative arrangements, when all dealers are presumably being affected in the same way. The pre-order system is basically a good idea, and if it functions well, then it benefits all parties - Hornby, their dealers, and end-users. What has happened this year has led to great disappointment, and ideally maybe the answer is to increase production runs in order to satisfy demand. This did happen at least once before, with Hornby's R3115 (34001 Exeter), about 10 years ago, although it took about 2 years to fit the additional production (of a slightly different model) into the schedule, if I remember rightly. With the increasing sophistication of supply chains, and manufacturing processes, one speculates that this process should be easier nowadays, particularly if the volume of pre-orders can be used as a guide to what the production run ought to be. Result - happy customers, happy dealers, and happy Hornby, maximising their sales. One last thought re pricing. Paying RRP - fair enough. The bigger danger is probably that if demand exceeds supply, then in the short term prices will probably go into orbit in the "pre-owned" market. Are we enthusiasts, or speculators?