Hornby have today announced part of their forthcoming range for 2024, as yet another year of catch up, so nothing really to report for SR / BR(s) modellers and just 80 new items in total announced. However Hornby advise they are moving away from the single January announcement and there are two further announcements to come during the year (mid year and Autumn) including new tooled items and a separate TT-120 update due in April.
The 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway taking centre stage featured on the artwork catalogue cover and a new tooling model R30346 S&DR, 0-4-0, Locomotion No. 1 – Era 1 due October 2024.
The Triang 70th Anniversary is also marked with R30337 Hornby 70th: Westwood, BR Jinty Rovex Scale Models Limited 1954 – 2024 – Limited Edition and collection of liveries on a ‘Connie’ style 0-4-0T.
The only new liveries, potentially of interest, to some Isle of Wight modellers are the three generic 4 wheel coaches in Isle of Wight Central Railway livery, due July 24:
- R40414 IoW CR, 4 Wheel Coach (4 Door), 1st Class
- R40415 IoW CR, 4 Wheel Coach (5 Door), 3rd Class
- R40416 IoW CR, 4 Wheel Coach, Brake Third
The coaches will compliment a R30356 IWCR, Class A1, 0-6-0T, No. 10 ‘Terrier’ that will be sold as a Hornby Web Exclusive [Edit: The livery should be crimson red not blue with this style lettering, I have spoken with Hornby and they are correcting].
I do however have an update on previously announced and awaited SR/BR(s) models as follows:
- R30106 Southern Class 423 4-VEP EMU Train Pack. Due this month
- R30107 South West Trains Class 423 4-VEP EMU Train Pack. Due this month
- R30273 SR, N15 ‘King Arthur Class’, 4-6-0, 741 ‘Joyous Gard’: Big Four Centenary Collection Limited Edition. Due Feb-24
- R3862 – SR 4-6-0 Lord Nelson Class No. 864 ‘Sir Martin Frobisher’ SR Malachite Green as she ran between February 1947 and May 1948. Announced 2020 is now due March 2024
- R30140 – BR M7 Class 0-4-4T 30244 in British Railways (Gills Sans) malachite green livery as carried between September 1948 and January 1952 and allocated to Nine Elms. Announced 2022 is now due April 2024
- R3763 – SR 0-4-4t H Class No. 1552 SR black, with non shaded lettering but shaded number as per reference picture that Hornby have based the model on taken at Nine Elms on 29/8/1948. Announced 2020 is now due April 2024
- R3860 BR Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 35012 ‘United States Lines’ – in malachite green with wedge shaped cab, Gills Sans BR numerals as carried between March 1949 and January 1951. Announced 2023 is now due April 2024.
- R3733 – BR 4-6-0 ‘Robert Blake’ No. 30855 Maunsell Lord Nelson Class in BR Brunswick Green with late emblem, Lemaitre chimney, smoke deflectors and high sided tender. Representing the condition she ran between August 1958 and withdrawal in October 1961. Announced in 2019 is now due April 2024.
- R3731 BR 0-4-0T No. 31177 H Class in BR lined black with early crest, pull push fitted. Announced 2019 is now due July 2024
Note: for those waiting for the previously announced GWR Bogie Bolster ‘Macaw B’ / BR Bogie Bolster ‘C’ these models appear to have been cancelled.
The ‘full’ Hornby 2024 range can be found on the Hornby website here of the RMweb forum here. You can view and pre-order items from retailers such as Kernow Model Rail Centre here…
Hattons Closure
The Hornby news is probably being overshadowed slightly today still by the, surprise to many but not in all circles, announcement yesterday that the retailer Hattons is to close with a thankfully orderly winding down of the business. This is due to many different factors and unsustainable practices, and not solely, as being un-substantially spouted by many, on social media channels as being due to the “rising costs of models”.
I am deeply sorry for my many friends within Hattons, including Richard (who as MD has had to make the toughest of decisions and actions), Dave and Jack, that are directly affected by this closure and I of course hope that they are able to find alternative employment as quickly as possible.
Rest assumed, however, the model railway industry is not a ‘house of cards’ and most retailers, ideally with traditional welcoming model shops that also have an effective online service are doing ok!
Thank you for the update Graham – it is much appreciated!
Like the many other model shops who have chosen to close in an orderly manner (lost three local model shops this way) Hatton’s demise is a loss.
Regarding the proposed ‘P’ class versions, Hatton’s website states “P Class reruns are currently under review. Once a decision has been made we will be sure to communicate this to customers.”
£295 OO Gauge models are an “unsubstantial” reason for retailers iexperiencing difficulties in your view? Hello?
Whilst rising costs are an issue for some, the products are still selling! I didn’t say the costs were unsubstantial I said that being the sole reason for Hattons closure was unsubstantiated!
That’s right, but let us not forget they haven’t been a Bachmann retailer for some years which has undermined their once dominant position in the market. At the time this occurred I had circa £600 of Bachmann pre orders cancelled which were then bought elsewhere. Obviously I wasn’t alone. Ceasing to be a one stop shop can have quite a lot of fall out, and this is part of what I think you are seeing.
There will be much chatter about why Hattons is closing. According to their website the private limited company is owned by Richard Davies 79% and Christine Hatton 21%. When a director(s) decide the time is right to leave the business or retire or whatever, they may wish to cash in their asset which somebody else has to buy for it to have any value. And closing while profitable avoids any lingering debts.
All privately owned businesses face this dilemma at some point.
In time it was inevitable that Hattons would close (in the absence of a buyer.) Other established businesses will welcome the stock and customer ‘book’ but they don’t want staff, premises or name.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the moulds they own. Somebody will want them I’m sure.
Life goes on.
Part 2 Hornby
I’ve never understood Hornby’s strategy apart from the overall corporate objective of delivering a profit.
They advertise simple (I despise the term ‘entry level’) gimmicky train sets in Railway Modeller while producing quite refined and specialized items – BR 2MT say – at the same time. Presumably there is demand for things like Coca-Cola 0-4-0s but do these lead on to a long hobby?
The gimmicks may be collectible I suppose as may be the Dublo and now Triang ranges. But will they be worth much in 50 years I wonder.
I think it would be fascinating to know what their market research reveals that results in such a hotch potch.
It’s basic market segmentation and Hornby work in more segments of the hobby than any other manufacturer, they are still the go to for the entrants of all ages into the hobby, via junior ranges, railroad etc. as well as the collectors market, and the more experienced modellers.
Also the licenced products such as The Beatles / Coca Cola are a different segment to the majority of modellers such as you and me but have a large collectors markets that are not actually railway modellers at all and hard to believe for most of us they do sell well hence them continuing to produce them year on year.
My 8 year old, for instance, loves the Coca-Cola stuff. It is more meaningful to him than a 1920’a 8 plank wagon, although he’ll mix things up. But it got him building card buildings, scenery etc. which, I can live in hope, will transition into something else. So do I like the CC stuff? Not at all, but I want a pretty little Southern c1938 set up! He wants to run trains.
Anyway, sad about Hatton’s. They have always done me well being outside the UK and the trunk service was clever. I hope the Genesis, P etc. moulds get picked up by someone. Sounds like RoS may…but plenty of other players who specialise in that space also out there.
Re Hornby’s R30106 4VEP in Southern livery, the advance images show a vertical yellow stripe to the upper right side of each door, which is surely incorrect. However, I recall that, before being fully phased out, Southern slam door trains (and probably others) had a full height vertical relective yellow strip applied to the inner edge of each door, which was visible only when the doors were opened. This enabled the guard and station staff to check that all the doors were properly shut being giving ‘right away’.
From what I can see via a quick image search the vertical yellow stripe, at some stages whilst in the Southern livery, was visible when the doors were closed.
Yes, I stand corrected Graham. So they were probably there last time I travelled on a Southern 4VEP and I didn’t notice them.