First ScotRail 156

QUOTE (ayrshirerail @ 6 Jun 2008, 04:47) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Just purchased the new Hornby First ScotRail 156. Would you believe the destination shown on both ends is Norwich.
C'mon Hornby get you act together. Its a small detail but was it to much to ask for an appriopriate Scottish destination?

How is the destination applied - from the inside or printed on the outside? It may be possible to replace it with a home printed one on fine grade paper or even waterslide transfer paper.

Even so, it is a ridiculous mistake to make. Or is Scotland extending its borders surreptitiously southwards??

QUOTE (SRman @ 6 Jun 2008, 13:00) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>is Scotland extending its borders surreptitiously southwards??

Now let's not go there...............

My only thought was I wouldn't fancy that journey in a 156!

Regards

Sadly I didn't make it to Burton at the weekend, after a fairly heavy week at work , so all I've seen is other folks photos and have no photos of my own. Rail Express seem to have taken some , and whatever yr views on REx I think its not contrary to general house rules to hotlink them here - though I've no idea if the photographer or Rail Express would object to me hotlinking. Furthermore as this is the HM section, I'm not sure how well mention of another publication of a rather different ethos sits either .

For what it's worth:

153

HST power car

150/2

If the moderators feel it is more appropriate to move this to some other area of the forum , please do so

There were also test shots of some modern wagons on display it seems - KIA (VTG telescoptic hood) and Grampus from Dapol, BDA and N gauge BRA/BYA from Bachmann, and Hornby's forthcoming engineers wagons - Tope, Clam and Rudd

Clearly with the 156 you're going to have to fit a decoder, locate the correct CV and change the destination blind digitally... Maybe, one day......

60134

My point was the very highly selective choice of subjects for discussion . 2 new DMU models plus a state of the art HST are seen in the flesh - and the only discussion going on about 4mm British outline is nitpicking about a pretty minor and readily fixable detail on one version of one existing model, as part of a campaign against Hornby...

Internet "manufacturer-bashing" and attacks on magazines for their failure to join the attack has had some pretty unpleasant side-effects over recent years, and experience suggests strongly that it's counter productive. Presenting British outline modelling purely in terms of negative detail issues and disregarding all positive developments isn't a constructive approach either

If we are going to talk about 2nd generation DMUs theres some very positive major news out there, and as its in this months HM , perhaps we can look forward to the goodies we're about to get? Certainly I'm looking forward to acquiring several of what promises to be a very nice model of the 153, and a widely used single car DMU could be very useful for a lot of people .

I appreciate they aren't used in Scotland or in 3rd rail territory but elsewhere they're common enough.

(I'm also not quite clear why this is in the Hornby Mag forum when there is no direct connection between the magazine and Hornby. At least the 153 ,150 and HST are in HM....)

Surely, people will discuss what they wish to discuss

If a member does not wish to discuss "A" then he does not have to. At the same time if the member would prefer to discuss"B" then he is free to start a discussion on his (or hers) preferred subject.

QUOTE (Ravenser @ 12 Jun 2008, 09:16) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My point was the very highly selective choice of subjects for discussion . 2 new DMU models plus a state of the art HST are seen in the flesh - and the only discussion going on about 4mm British outline is nitpicking about a pretty minor and readily fixable detail on one version of one existing model, as part of a campaign against Hornby...

Internet "manufacturer-bashing" and attacks on magazines for their failure to join the attack has had some pretty unpleasant side-effects over recent years, and experience suggests strongly that it's counter productive. Presenting British outline modelling purely in terms of negative detail issues and disregarding all positive developments isn't a constructive approach either

If we are going to talk about 2nd generation DMUs theres some very positive major news out there, and as its in this months HM , perhaps we can look forward to the goodies we're about to get? Certainly I'm looking forward to acquiring several of what promises to be a very nice model of the 153, and a widely used single car DMU could be very useful for a lot of people .

I appreciate they aren't used in Scotland or in 3rd rail territory but elsewhere they're common enough.

(I'm also not quite clear why this is in the Hornby Mag forum when there is no direct connection between the magazine and Hornby. At least the 153 ,150 and HST are in HM....)

Members on this forum are free to discuss anything that matters to them and if they are not happy after spending £65, as I would be to then they should put that on this forum. If I was ayrshirerail I would find your comments offensive and also it might put me of posting again.

Firstly , I hadn't spotted that it was ayrshirerail's first posting . I notice that he hasn't posted again ,either in this topic or any other topic , in the last 7 days , and since I only made a first comment 2 days ago , I'm not sure that can be laid at my door . His profile is blank but that need not be taken negatively. I admit I noticed this thread because on another forum someone had started two seperate threads in seperate areas of the forum on the same subject - hence my reaction that there was a bit of a campaign going on about this.

Nor was my reaction necessarily directed at ayrshirerail as opposed to orther comments in the thread

QUOTE I believe! Hmmm yes its a bit far from Alloa isn't it! Is the rest of the livery OK as they got the colour of roof wrong on SPT one . Just put me off, especially at a price of £65 you would get incorrect livery and that terrible engine block. For comparison you can get a brand new Bachmann 108 with directional and interior lighting for much the same price!

Russell

I know rb277170 has quite strong views on Hornby and their prices and has referred to the shade of grey on the roof of the SPT 156 on quite a few previous occasions. On the other hand my 156 , in Central, is fine and the livery is accurate

But is £65 - or £61 - an outrageous price when a Fieschmann 2 car DMU is currently selling for £229 from Hattons :
HO DMU - Hattons listing

That's nearly 4 times as much. Maybe that Bachmann 108 is actually a stunning bargin - Hattons are selling the green ones for £62 and NSE liveried ones for £60. I really don't think a 2 car DMU for under £50 - as rb277170 seems to be calling for - is a realistic demand. There have been enough comments on here in the past about how British outline models are far too cheap and suggestions that prices of £175-£200/loco are inevitable if a model is to be any good. I don't necessarily agree with that view, but international comparisons suggest £62 for a DMU is actually quite a bargin

Now - "that terrible engine block" . Almost all the DMUs Hornby currently make were tooled up by someone else - Lima in Vicenza , mainly, the 156 being one of them, but also Dapol (155) : the only DMU with out the dreaded underframe "black box" is the Pacer - the only one actually tooled by Hornby (Yes I know their old 110 had a black box as well, but they were certainly no worse than others of that era) . Photos of the forthcoming 153 show a very highly detailed underframe - if comparisons are being drawn between Hornby models and the Bachmann 108, the 153 is surely the appropriate comparison , and that is also to have directional lighting etc

I wouldn't deny that the Bachmann 108 is a significantly better model than the ex Lima 156 , although that was generally reckoned one of Lima's best efforts. We've moved forward a long way from the days of £25 diesels in self coloured plastic from Italy, and the 153 (a 155 derivative) will be a vast advance on the old ex Dapol 155

But - Hornby bought the Rivarossi group's tooling for the Continental and US outline models . In fact initially they were not going to reintroduce any of the British Lima stuff. Are we better off to have the 156 as it is, at the price it is - or would we prefer it if they had sent the moulds for scrap and devoted the production slots to making more Jouef and sidestepping the credit crunch , leaving us with no 156 at all? Anyone got a price for that new SNCF railcar they're bringing out in the Jouef range this year?

As it happens , as well as featuring presence from Hornby, Bachmann and Dapol , and the unveiling of these new models in preproduction form . DEMU Showcase at Burton featured a number of high profile Scottish based layouts - Drem in N , Culreoch in EM (which has been on the circuit for just over a year) and Auichinwraith , making its first appearance and featuring some Scotrail/Strathclyde EMUs . Sadly I wasn't able to get there and see them myself - though other members may have done - but I suspect they would be of interest to members with Scottish interests

I've read elsewhere that Modelmasters offer a pack of transfers for Scottish DMU destination indicators ( sheet 4347) : this features a wide range of places in Scotland and should be suitable both for the 156 and for anything else you may wish to personalise with destinations appropriate to your own layout

They also offer convenient small packs of transfers for specific ready to run wagons or Parkside kits , with just enough for 2-4 vehicles of the relevant type , for about £1.50 a pack : a very economical solution if you want transfers for a specific model and don't want to spend money on a large general sheet, most of which you know you'll never use

The Hattons site shows 156s in One and First Scotrail available now, and the Northern Settle & Carlisle advert livery still awaited . Last year's Central and Northern 156s are still available marked down to £61 , while there are a handful of the 156s in Strathclyde PTE and market forces have kicked in on the pricing - evidently the things have sold , despite the doubts expressed

The MetroCammell in Scotrail is still awaited

The Central units may be worth considering for some people- I believe some of Central's units have ended up with other operators in the reshuffle of rolloing stock following the Cross Country/Central/MML franchise changes, and I've a very hazy recollection of seeing a Central unit in the North bays at Leeds over Easter

I supported my local model shop until his closure because of health problems last year, and he gave me some good prices. Now I'm over 15 miles from a model shop I find myself paying more attention to the boxshifters for purely practical reasons