Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[John Besley]

When I was on the SDR I made sure that even if we where only one train in operation I checked the staff AND showed the driver to confirm we were correct.

 

I well remember two occasions when a fireman accepted the staff and hung it up without looking at it, I took it up with him and asked him if he'd read 'Red for Danger' as I considered it compulsory reading if you wanted to work on a railway... he hadn't seen a copy and told me later it was a bit of an eye opener to him.

 

As I've said before I learnt while still at school from ex BR drivers in the early 70's how a railway functioned and why thing where done the way they were...

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by John Besley

[The Stationmaster]

Some strange things happen in the world of the railway.   A lot of it can't be hidden because proper checking of Train Register Books and regular sample cross-checking of them should reveal most such things but hthat needs proper, inteligent, supervision.

 

A good many years ago a Driver I knew explained to me that Electric Tokens,  being made of aluminium, had been know to burn without trace in the firebox of a steam engine.  The reason they got there was because the Druver had been given teh wrong one and had suddenly realised it so decided tp get rid of the evidence.

 

There was an incident on a WR single ;line crossing station in the late 1960s where. a DMU departed into the section in advance after the Driver had been given the token token for the section in rear which he had not long previously handed to a different member of platform staff at that station.  Fortunately, in some respects, the Signalman had obtained a token for the section in advance which had enabled him to clear the relevant signal but the tokens somehow became mixed up (almost certainly due to unauthorised t staff handling them).  Just as at Abermule the Driver didn't bother to look at the token he was given, and he was on a diesel so n convenient firebox.

 

The opposite extreme - which I've mentioned elsewhere on RMweb in the past, was what was probably a record distance for overcarrying a token when one evening a Driver forgot to stop at Chippenham to surrender the NSKT token for the section from Bradford Jcn to Thingley Jcn.  That Driver took that token all the way to Paddington.

 

So sometimes things were not quite as hunky-dory as some people would have us believe.  But of curse such things only make headlines when something unfortunate results.

[Mike_Walker]

40 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

The opposite extreme - which I've mentioned elsewhere on RMweb in the past, was what was probably a record distance for overcarrying a token when one evening a Driver forgot to stop at Chippenham to surrender the NSKT token for the section from Bradford Jcn to Thingley Jcn.  That Driver took that token all the way to Paddington.

I must remember that next time we c**k up the NSKT working replicated on Swindon Panel.  🙂

[St Enodoc]

11 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

There was an incident on a WR single ;line crossing station in the late 1960s where. a DMU departed into the section in advance after the Driver had been given the token token for the section in rear which he had not long previously handed to a different member of platform staff at that station.  Fortunately, in some respects, the Signalman had obtained a token for the section in advance which had enabled him to clear the relevant signal but the tokens somehow became mixed up (almost certainly due to unauthorised t staff handling them).  Just as at Abermule the Driver didn't bother to look at the token he was given, and he was on a diesel so n convenient firebox.

A good argument for having different types or styles of token/tablet/staff for adjacent sections.

[MrWolf]

This dropped into the news feed on my phone, it doesn't look good:

 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-12224383/Hornby-shares-hit-buffers-6m-loss.html

[JustinDean]

31 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

This dropped into the news feed on my phone, it doesn't look good:

 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-12224383/Hornby-shares-hit-buffers-6m-loss.html

The downturn in sales won’t be limited to Hornby given the current economic climate and I expect to see a lot more of the larger businesses announcing share drops. The question is can they pass through the storm…and it’s going to be some time till we see some recovery! The short term effect maybe less new models while they shift current stock which is locking away cash flow. 

 

Jay

[The Stationmaster]

55 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

This dropped into the news feed on my phone, it doesn't look good:

 

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-12224383/Hornby-shares-hit-buffers-6m-loss.html

Mentioned - with detail - in the relevant Hornby threads.  Roundly £16 million has been knocked off the stock market price (= share punters' valuation of the company) of Hornby's shares between 01 January this year and the market close on Friday, 23 June.  

 

The reasons for the market's reaction can be found in a couple of threads in the Hornby area of the forum but basically it's down to losses, and increased debt,  due in part to a poor management decision within the company towards the end of 2022.  But note in the past after dis like those the share price has recovered a bit but it has dropped over the six months.

 

If you want the lastest from Hornby's mouth rarther than what journos have to say then look here - warnings lots and lots of numbers: Aston on Clun works could probably rebuild a loco in the timr it will take to go through this lot -

 

https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/Hornby/news/rns/story/xel63jr

[JustinDean]

The short version being they invested too heavily in stock based on sales projections, then they didn’t meet the sales targets. 
People are spending less. I’ve seen this with my own business across the last 18 months. 
 

Jay

[NHY 581]

Bullet pointing the issues as I see them.....

 

TT120- Utter folly. A ridiculous diversion of finances, resources and production capacity. 

 

00-Impacted by above. New items allowed to slip back and back and back. 

 

The exception being the new Hornby Dublo range which are very pricey but demonstrate exactly how good Hornby can be. My observations on the new Flying Scotsman in BR green were ridiculed by Tony I'malwaysright who missed the point I was making in his zeal to communicate his disbelief that there are modellers who find A3s unattractive. (Me) The simple fact is it is probably the finest 00 steam loco that I have seen from Hornby. However, do we need six versions of the same bloody loco, priced at over £350 each ? 

 

And why re-release the great gathering A4s ? 

 

Pricing......Example-Hornby Class 50 diesel, even discounted, they are over £200. (RRP £223 ) Accurascale equivalent will be £169.00 and to a higher standard. Soundfitted versions from Accurascale at £259.95. 

 

 

If anyone wants to believe that the departure of SK is not linked to all or some of the above then please think again......

 

And that's just scratching the surface

 

Rob. 

 

[JustinDean]

1 minute ago, NHY 581 said:

Bullet pointing the issues as I see them.....

 

TT120- Utter folly. A ridiculous diversion of finances, resources and production capacity. 

 

00-Impacted by above. New items allowed to slip back and back and back. 

 

The exception being the new Hornby Dublo range which are very pricey but demonstrate exactly how good Hornby can be. My observations on the new Flying Scotsman in BR green were ridiculed by Tony I'malwaysright who missed the point I was making in his zeal to communicate his disbelief that there are modellers who find A3s unattractive. (Me) The simple fact is it is probably the finest 00 steam loco that I have seen from Hornby. However, do we need six versions of the same bloody loco, priced at over £350 each ? 

 

And why re-release the great gathering A4s ? 

 

Pricing......Example-Hornby Class 50 diesel, even discounted, they are over £200. (RRP £223 ) Accurascale equivalent will be £169.00 and to a higher standard. Soundfitted versions from Accurascale at £259.95. 

 

 

If anyone wants to believe that the departure of SK is not linked to all or some of the above then please think again......

 

And that's just scratching the surface

 

Rob. 

 

100% on the timing of SK leaving!!!

 

Jay

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, JustinDean said:

100% on the timing of SK leaving!!!

 

Jay

Interesting to see that people are catching up.  When the marketing goes wrong it's pretty obvious who will be placed at the front of the queue to leave the company car park.

Edited June 25, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[JustinDean]

34 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Interesting to see that people are catching up.  When the marketing goes wrong it's pretty obvious who will be placed at the front of the queue to leave the company car park.

Has the marketing gone wrong though? In the last 12 months Hornby have had their own TV series plus there’s been some hefty celebrity public endorsements of the hobby. 
My own opinion (I admit I don’t have evidence for this) is they’ve priced people out. Entry hobbyists are not going to pay £200+ per loco and the more seasoned are going to look to kits or the small manufacturers who are bringing out great products for a lower RRP

 

Jay

[Neal Ball]

17 minutes ago, JustinDean said:

Has the marketing gone wrong though? In the last 12 months Hornby have had their own TV series plus there’s been some hefty celebrity public endorsements of the hobby. 
My own opinion (I admit I don’t have evidence for this) is they’ve priced people out. Entry hobbyists are not going to pay £200+ per loco and the more seasoned are going to look to kits or the small manufacturers who are bringing out great products for a lower RRP

 

Jay

Probably why the Hornby plc accounts talk about an entry Level product across all the ranges.

[Neal Ball]

4 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Bullet pointing the issues as I see them.....

 

TT120- Utter folly. A ridiculous diversion of finances, resources and production capacity. 

 

00-Impacted by above. New items allowed to slip back and back and back. 

 

The exception being the new Hornby Dublo range which are very pricey but demonstrate exactly how good Hornby can be. My observations on the new Flying Scotsman in BR green were ridiculed by Tony I'malwaysright who missed the point I was making in his zeal to communicate his disbelief that there are modellers who find A3s unattractive. (Me) The simple fact is it is probably the finest 00 steam loco that I have seen from Hornby. However, do we need six versions of the same bloody loco, priced at over £350 each ? 

 

And why re-release the great gathering A4s ? 

 

Pricing......Example-Hornby Class 50 diesel, even discounted, they are over £200. (RRP £223 ) Accurascale equivalent will be £169.00 and to a higher standard. Soundfitted versions from Accurascale at £259.95. 

 

 

If anyone wants to believe that the departure of SK is not linked to all or some of the above then please think again......

 

And that's just scratching the surface

 

Rob. 

 

Add in Steam punk - a waste of the Basset Lowke name and anyone who seriously thought the Steampunk iteration would buy toy trains (they weren’t models), clearly needed to be fired. It only lasted a year, so clearly wasn’t a success.

 

The problem is after all of these issues, it’s going to take a while to turn the ship around…. Expect 2024 to be a lean year for new announcements….

[The Stationmaster]

27 minutes ago, JustinDean said:

Has the marketing gone wrong though? In the last 12 months Hornby have had their own TV series plus there’s been some hefty celebrity public endorsements of the hobby. 
My own opinion (I admit I don’t have evidence for this) is they’ve priced people out. Entry hobbyists are not going to pay £200+ per loco and the more seasoned are going to look to kits or the small manufacturers who are bringing out great products for a lower RRP

 

Jay

If somebpody spends the best part of £5 million of borrowed money purchasing stuff in to sell in the pre=Christmas quarter and nobody in the target market buys that stuff I would call that a major failure of marketing.  Why a failure of marketing ?   Simples - they didn't correctly understand the way the market would go changing due to a variety of factors.

Edited June 25, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[John Besley]

As has been pointed out the prices of new locos are way out of range... while I would love an original Westcountry I am not spending a fortune just to chop it about and turn it into a 10.1/4" model... I'll wait untill I find a second or third hand one and do it one piece at a time. 

 

At Hornbys prices how much would it cost to buy a half decent fleet for a North Cornwall / North Devon line... 🤔 

[Donw]

THe thing that gets me about Abermule is did no one think to themselves there ought to be a train due soon so why is this one leaving?

 

Don

 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Donw said:

THe thing that gets me about Abermule is did no one think to themselves there ought to be a train due soon so why is this one leaving?

 

Don

 

 

It seems as though as in the case of many accidents, not just on the railways, that everyone believed that the system was infallible and that someone else had taken care of everything.

A modern equivalent being the people who drive badly and expect that all the safety features in their car will stop them becoming another statistic.

[chuffinghell]

5 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

……A modern equivalent being the people who drive badly and expect that all the safety features in their car will stop them becoming another statistic.

My Nissan has collision detection, it makes a audible crunch sound if you hit something

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by chuffinghell

[MrWolf]

2 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

My Nissan has collision detection, it makes a crunch sound if you hit something

 

If our Triumph hits something it's more of a clang like the town hall clock striking one...

[chuffinghell]

My car does actually have collision detection but I’m not sure what it actually does and I’m not that keen to find out either.

 

Although I have noticed it bleeps if the 🤬 in front fails to use their indicators and suddenly brakes to make a turn….not sure how a bleep helps when you can physically see the pillock do it

 

Apparently….

 

 

….you can turn it off if you don’t like cyclists or pedestrians though 🤪

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by chuffinghell

[MrWolf]

On 25/06/2023 at 19:41, John Besley said:

As has been pointed out the prices of new locos are way out of range... while I would love an original Westcountry I am not spending a fortune just to chop it about and turn it into a 10.1/4" model... I'll wait untill I find a second or third hand one and do it one piece at a time. 

 

At Hornbys prices how much would it cost to buy a half decent fleet for a North Cornwall / North Devon line... 🤔 

 

Much as I wouldn't want to see Hornby go bust, I can't profess to be a regular customer, or even an irregular customer for that matter. Their products are simply beyond my modelling budget, as are the rest of the RTR manufacturers of locomotives and stock.

Model railways have always been an expensive hobby, though fortunately, I've always found ways of doing things that doesn't cost the earth.

[chuffinghell]

28 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Much as I wouldn't want to see Hornby go bust, I can't profess to be a regular customer, or even an irregular customer for that matter. Their products are simply beyond my modelling budget, as are the rest of the RTR manufacturers of locomotives and stock.

Model railways have always been an expensive hobby, though fortunately, I've always found ways of doing things that doesn't cost the earth.

I thought it was really sad news to be honest, especially after it looked like they’d turned a corner and started being profitable again

 

But you’re not wrong when it comes to pricing, especially when the market is so competitive

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by chuffinghell

[lezz01]

48 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

My car does actually have collision detection but I’m not sure what it actually does and I’m not that keen to find out either.

 

Although I have noticed it bleeps if the 🤬 in front fails to use their indicators and suddenly brakes to make a turn….not sure how a bleep helps when you can physically see the pillock do it

 

Apparently….

 

 

….you can turn it off if you don’t like cyclists or pedestrians though 🤪

 

 

My Pug 2008 has all the latest toy like that. The one I really don't like is lane control so I've turned that off.

Regards Lez.

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, lezz01 said:

My Pug 2008 has all the latest toy like that. The one I really don't like is lane control so I've turned that off.

Regards Lez.

Yup, I turned that off before even pulling out of the dealership showroom….what I actually mean is a I asked the salesman to turn it off in the settings for me and also asked him to drive it out of the showroom for me because I was too chicken s**t to get it through that door opening

 

 

🫣

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by chuffinghell