02-18-2016, 09:21 PM
Interesting thread. I’ve been following this online. I’m a British railway modeller who models in both British 00 and N and have several Hornby locos & rolling stock from the 1960s as well as ones made recently. Here are a few of my comments:
— OO is fairly similar to HO. It’s 4mm:1 foot (rather than HO’s 3.5mm). It’s quite comparable to HO… For example, N or O are obviously different from HO but — on the surface — a casual observer could easily think HO & OO were the same scale.
— Hornby products are generally excellent quality and I think offer better value compared to most North American HO suppliers. For example, you could easily buy a finely detailed OO model of a pacific steam loco around $200.00, even less (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://modelrailwayimports.com/products.php?CID=1&BID=8">http://modelrailwayimports.com/products.php?CID=1&BID=8</a><!-- m -->), whereas the North American HO steam models that I’ve seen in hobby shops here in Canada range from $300–$500 or higher.
— in recent years, Hornby has taken over several other modelling companies, such as Humbrol Paint and Rivarossi. So it may not be the Hornby model train brand itself that’s in trouble, it could be caused by slumping sales in the other areas.
— the financial problems may be due to mismanagement caused by the Hornby company, rather than slumping sales in the industry.
— although the usual aging demographics may be influencing the slow sales, I think the hobby is much stronger and more vibrant in the UK than it is in North America. I know there are at least 4 strong monthly British model railway magazines, thick with articles and ads.
— Hornby has already moved most or all of its manufacturing to China since the early-2000s, and shipment/delivery delays have contributed to Hornby’s problems (so overseas manufacturing is part of the problem, not a solution).
— I also read that Hornby had strong sales late last year (when you’d expect them to be high) and have understandably slumped early this year, which is common. Maybe part of the problem is the way statistics are used. Mark Twain once made a sarcastic comment about how statistics can be used to distort truth.
Rob
— OO is fairly similar to HO. It’s 4mm:1 foot (rather than HO’s 3.5mm). It’s quite comparable to HO… For example, N or O are obviously different from HO but — on the surface — a casual observer could easily think HO & OO were the same scale.
— Hornby products are generally excellent quality and I think offer better value compared to most North American HO suppliers. For example, you could easily buy a finely detailed OO model of a pacific steam loco around $200.00, even less (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://modelrailwayimports.com/products.php?CID=1&BID=8">http://modelrailwayimports.com/products.php?CID=1&BID=8</a><!-- m -->), whereas the North American HO steam models that I’ve seen in hobby shops here in Canada range from $300–$500 or higher.
— in recent years, Hornby has taken over several other modelling companies, such as Humbrol Paint and Rivarossi. So it may not be the Hornby model train brand itself that’s in trouble, it could be caused by slumping sales in the other areas.
— the financial problems may be due to mismanagement caused by the Hornby company, rather than slumping sales in the industry.
— although the usual aging demographics may be influencing the slow sales, I think the hobby is much stronger and more vibrant in the UK than it is in North America. I know there are at least 4 strong monthly British model railway magazines, thick with articles and ads.
— Hornby has already moved most or all of its manufacturing to China since the early-2000s, and shipment/delivery delays have contributed to Hornby’s problems (so overseas manufacturing is part of the problem, not a solution).
— I also read that Hornby had strong sales late last year (when you’d expect them to be high) and have understandably slumped early this year, which is common. Maybe part of the problem is the way statistics are used. Mark Twain once made a sarcastic comment about how statistics can be used to distort truth.
Rob
Rob
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