Trainboy and company Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Hello. From what I know of, the Hornby Thomas the tank engine locomotives that were created were Thomas, James, Percy, Gordon, Henry, Oliver, Toby, Bill and Ben, Devious Diesel, Edward, 'Arry and Bert, Emily, Stepney, The Diesel and The Flying Scotsman (Incorporating a face). I have often wondered why Hornby never created the other engines, such as Donald and Douglas, Mavis, Boco, The narrow gauge engines, Fergus, Arthur and so on. What is the reason for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Hornby also have released Duck, Bear, Spencer, Murdoch and Dart. Don't think forget Hornby do not own Thomas & Friends, so for each item they release, Hornby have to spend millions to the owners, hence why they are expensive. Hence why in recent years, wagons have been released in packs, rather than being sold seperately. Also, Hornby have to get approval by the owners before they announce the product. Hornby have not released any locomotives that they have the toolings for. Hornby don't have the OO-9 Narrow Gauge, so can't release the Narrow Gauge Locomotives. Also, in recent years, the Thomas toolings have come from the RailRoad range, which have less detail and are less delicate. The owners would not allow Hornby to release very high detail locomotives from Hornby's standard range, to release a Thomas locomotive out of this. i don't think Hornby would try to do this. GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 That's amazing, Jacob, how you have so much commercial information about Hornby and Thomas.......do you sit in at their board meetings and get inside information?..........or are you just guessing?............ 😆...........HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 No, I have not sat in Hornby's board meetings and no, I am not guessing. Somebody from Hornby told me this about the Thomas license, at a model railway exhibition last year. I think it was at Warley. GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 17, 2018 Author Share Posted September 17, 2018 @GNR-Gordon-4Who are Bear and Dart? They must have been introduced in the CGI series as seen on television today because I don't remember them. I knew about the Hornby Murdoch and I forgot to mention him, but I had no idea Hornby made Spencer and Duck. Quite a few of those Hornby Thomas locomotives look like the real locomotives but repainted and with a face added. For instance, Spencer looks very much like the R099 Silver Fox, only given a face and repainted in several areas of the bodywork. Regards,Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Thats what they are Peter. They just adapt models of real locos. Duck was a repainted Hornby GWR pannier tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 Bear: Bear has never been seen in the TV series ever. He is from the original books, The Railway Series. He is a BR Class 35 "Hymek". Hornby didn't advise him as Bear through, The box label and the catalogues labelled him as Diesel D7101 Hymek. His original name was D7101, his running number. He came to the Island of Sodor on loan, from BR, along with D1999. Soon after his arrival, he was renamed Bear, because his engine makes growling noises, which makes him sound like a bear, hence him being renamed to Bear. Dart: Dart first came to the Island in Sodor in 2011, in the special, 'Day of the Diesels'. Dart is a Bagnall No. 3207 "Leys". He assists Den, in running the Vicarstown Dieselworks. Correct, they are, most are repaints. Duck was never painted. He is coloured plastic. Hornby released Spencer twice. Once in 2008 with R9257 Spencer which lasted until 2010 and being discontinued in 2011 and then he had re-release in 2012, as limited prduction run of 1,000 models only. This was R9749 Spencer (Limited Production). GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 R9097 Bear: GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 R9683 Dart:GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 @Walkingthedog, I own a 00 gauge GWR Pannier Tank in a much darker shade of green to that of Duck/Montague, but it is safe to say that he was based upon that particular loco. Most of the locomotives in the Thomas the tank engine range are basically repaints of these locos and with a face added to them. I am sure that the Hornby Murdoch model is exactly the same as the R3060 Tornado, only painted orange and given a face at the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 No it isn’t, Murdoch is a 2-10-0 so is a repaint of the Hornby 9F. Tornado is a 4-6-2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 @GNR-Gordon-4,I read the railway series as a young boy, but I don't remember those two engines at all. I suspect Hornby would have a hard time trying to make Fergus, seeing as though Hornby have never created an electric railway traction engine that runs on 00 gauge track as of yet. I think the only model railway traction engines I have seen are static ones that are on a plinth, but I don't think they were Hornby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new lad on block Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Hi Peter, photo of full Hornby Thomas range,they also produced clockwork variations of some of the characters.Thomas,Percy, Toby, Bill & Ben.The last three/media/tinymce_upload/7ca56a7fa6a5340959af558f8c890123.JPG are very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 @New lad on the block, Thank you. Hornby did make quite a few, but some other favourites like Boco and Mavis have unfortunately not been created. I believe the Hornby Bertie is battery powered, similar to that of the Tomica World Bertie. Regards. Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 18, 2018 Author Share Posted September 18, 2018 No it isn’t, Murdoch is a 2-10-0 so is a repaint of the Hornby 9F. Tornado is a 4-6-2. My apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 No need to apologise . I guess they made the locos they thought would sell. Thomas is a fairly limited market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new lad on block Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 Hi Peter, Yes you are right Bertie is battery powered.There are two versions, one made in UK and the other made in China.Very slight difference in the sticky label decoration on bus sides.Bertie was produced for the 'Great Race Set', two variations are available.Both very hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 @Peter Machin Well perhaps you didn't notice Bear or read the books he was in? Yes, Hornby Bertie was battery powered. I never bothered buying Bertie the Bus, as he is the only battery powered road vehicle Hornby released. If they release other's I would. I am going to get the Bachmann Trains' Bertie at some point. Hornby used the Class 9F to release Murdoch, becuase he was Class 9F in the TV series. I hope Murdoch returns at some point. 10 years ago in 2008 was the last time that Murdoch appeared in the TV series. Hornby won't be releasing anymore Thomas item's as the license is ending very soon. I do hope Hornby gets it back in a few years time. Even when Hornby had the license, I knew they would never release Fergus. Complicated character. I am not even expecting Bachmann to release Fergus. GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 R9097 Bear (Prototype image):GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 R9683 Dart (Prototype image): GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 R9684 Murdoch (Prototype image):GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 R9684 Murdoch:GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainboy and company Posted September 19, 2018 Author Share Posted September 19, 2018 GNR-Gordon-4, I would have purchased the Hornby Bertie the bus as an extra addition to my collection, but two things stopped me from doing so: • I thought it looked too toy-like to fit in alongside my scale models and in the railway itself. • I have no space on my layout to install a road system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 Don’t you think all Thomas products are toy like. They are supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWR-Gordon-4 Posted September 19, 2018 Share Posted September 19, 2018 Plus the Hornby Bertie is out of scale, but I suppose it needs to hold a motor and battery storage compartment, so it can't be small. The Thomas 0-4-0's and 0-6-0's are toylike, but not the bigger locomotives, WTD. GNR-Gordon-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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