Trustworth cost effective hornby mail order dealer

1247 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by John Webb, Mar 7, 2007

conemaster

Discussion Starter · Mar 6, 2007

i live on the other side of the world in New Zealand and have been cosidering buying one or more honrby live steam trains from the uk due to the massive price differnce.
i have been looking around and there seems to be a range of prices and wanting to know if anyone has had any experinces good or bad with the following

Hattons
Ontracks
Chuffers
Stockton Modeller

or if anyone can recomend any other that have sharp prices and good service etc would be much appricated

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ozwarrior

· #2 · Mar 6, 2007

I've dealt with Hattons and Ontracks. I also deal a fair bit with Rails of Sheffield. There's not much between them I'd say. Ontracks keep the VAT and charge GBP2.00 freight unless there's a large discrepancy. Hattons prices can vary quite a bit and they can stuff heaps of catalogues in the parcel (weight!). Rails run out of stock quickly. I lean most times to Rails as their prices are consistently lower but I am happy to deal with all three.

What part of Kiwiland are you from Cone?

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ozwarrior

· #3 · Mar 6, 2007

BTW welcome to the forum!

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neil_s_wood

· #4 · Mar 7, 2007 (Edited by Moderator)

Rails or Hattons are the best of the box shifters and I wouldn't bother with the rest unless there's something specific you're after.

Hattons tell you the weight so you can get an idea of the postage cost. It's best to keep any one parcel under 2kg as the postage costs get really high.

Welcome to the forum BTW

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conemaster

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 7, 2007

thanks for the replys, looks like the advice is to go for the more recognised stores rather than try and save a few bucks with the lesser known places

i am from Auckland, New Zealand, more north auckland for anyone who knows nz geography lol

im modeling prewar lner and have a hornby live steam malard at present but am looking at increasing the my collection of these
my layout is 3.2m x 2m L shaped with width being 1.2m, just starting to lay the track and have a large collection of Skaledale buildings. it will be wired for both hornby live steam and DCC. will be getting pics up once progress gets a little more along and i start lanscaping and get my train back from being serviced as i have not had much luck with things going right with my live steam but i still love it.

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neil_s_wood

· #6 · Mar 7, 2007

Look forward to seeing some pictures Conemaster

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pedromorgan

· #7 · Mar 7, 2007

i have used the old toy shop in southampton (they advertise in most mags) and i have never had any problems.

Peter

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dwilson9

· #8 · Mar 7, 2007

Hattons are the most consistent of the mail order dealers. If they haven't got it, they'll tell you. Rails of Sheffield OK but stock levels are erratic.

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John Webb

· #9 · Mar 7, 2007 (Edited by Moderator)

I got my Mallard set from Hattons and have ordered other items since - service does seem to be reliable.

Do have a look at the '0, G and Larger scales. Garden and Live Steam' forum. There is quite a bit about Hornby steam, mostly in the older threads, which you may find of use. I run a 'dual' layout with live steam and DC control being switchable between sections. Most important is to ensure complete electrical isolation between sections being used by different forms of power; second most important is to remember the live steam takes several amps of current and needs matching wires or you can lose control.
Regards,
John Webb

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