Ironroad

As a small gesture of my disapproval of their behaviour, I have unsubscribed from receiving promotional emails from Rails of Sheffield and notified them I will not be purchasing from them again.

And why would they? They would not have a whipping boy to take advantage of. Nostalgia, is not going to serve or save the hobby. May I draw parallel? When is the last time you stood in the local branch of your bank, is there even one in easy distance from your home? That situation is so bad that in Ireland legislation was introduced to ensure there is at least an ATM within 10km of a residence. The reality for the vast majority is if you have a bank account you also need a mobile phone to manage and transact your financial affairs ONLINE. By the way I personally consider the mobile phone requirement to be an outrageous imposition, but that's the world we now live in. I remember knowing all the staff at the bank and even having a bet with the porter at the door, on who would be League champions and European cup champions, No chance of that now. Even Fado Fado (long ago, long ago) we never really had a model shop that could serve all our needs- it NEVER existed, and we used mail order for all the bits and pieces the shop could not be reasonably expected to stock, nor is it reasonable to expect them to do it now. And a relationship between the cottage industries and the stores as you suggest is probably a non starter because there simply isn't enough margin in it for both of them and many of the items are so so niche they would not shift in an acceptable time frame for the retailer. We also forget that there was a time when a "train set" was the thing so many kids wanted from Santa. That day is gone too and with it a big chunk of revenue for the model shops. So they have had little choice other than to diversify and in many cases, in those that survive, 60% or more of their floor space is dedicated to other hobbies. They are no longer specialists and for the most part only carry stock that they know can be turned over fairly quickly. That doesn't help producers particularly in a market where the range of products is expanding and increasingly niche. As for the chat with the expert in the shop, well that is very nice but that too has been superseded by a plethora of people offering advise on YouTube and on forums like this. Now the quality of some of this may be varied but overall the sheer scale of information and advise that is available at our fingertips far outweighs the perspective of one individual in your local shop. Incidentally we still have exhibitions and magazines. Retailing has changed, and we pick and choose what we will go to a physical store for and what we will buy online based on price, the choice available, and whether there is a need to touch and feel a product. For the most part, for the vast majority, wherever we are, when it comes to model railway's, online is the only option for us. I also think there is a misconception that manufacturers are big powerful profitable operators with deep pockets with a moral obligation to the retail network. The reality is different, most of them are barely above the category of cottage industries themselves. Heljan had nine employees in Denmark. In the days of Triang and Hornby Dublo, we saw large scale runs of a fairly limited range of products which kept the per unit cost low and that supported a retail price that provided a margin for both producer and retailer. Despite this Hornby Dublo crashed. In today's world the choice of models available with incredible detail and features has increased exponentially but that means smaller production runs and with that in relative terms a significantly higher per unit cost. If these items are to sell, and that means we need to be able to afford them, applying a 60 year old business model is unrealistic. In reality buying direct from the producers is the way forward because it gives the producers a better measure of real demand and provides us with affordable pricing. One other thing; You criticise Accurascale on how this acquisition was or was not communicated to the trade. I have no insights to offer but do know that a transaction such as this is normally shrouded in absolute confidentiality and accordingly will only become public knowledge when a deal is done. Nothing could be said beforehand and what would it change for the retailers anyway? As I understand it, this was an acquisition of assets IE tooling & inventory plus in all probability a goodwill consideration for the name. Inventory ties up cash and it is understandable that Accurascale would want to liquidate that inventory as quickly as possible despite causing discomfort to the retailers, that's just commonsense business. Why, as you suggest, would Accurascale buy back stock from the shops at wholesale prices. the option is there for the retailers to sell at wholesale prices if they choose. You suggest Accurascale hasn't positioned the move positively- quote "by highlighting Accurascale’s reputation for quality, framing the change as a brand improvement rather than a disruption" On the contrary I think they have and in very explicit terms. In fact this acquisition is probably the best thing that could have happened for the continuance and improvement of the Heljan range of products and it would have been a shame had they been lost to us. I do take your point that clarification is needed on the status of all Heljan products already under warranty. In my opinion this change or shift in the model railway business world has already been gathering momentum for quite a while, and I think it will accelerate as other producers recognise it as a necessity for survival. Pioneers aren't always recognised. I

Now that you mention it, it may be more of a reality that you think. Did you know that the turntables marketed in the USA by the big distributor Walthers under their Cornerstone brand are actually made by none other than HELJAN !!!

All good if the retailers are playing fair, but I suspect they are not. The attached video contains information on the woeful state of Hornby's financial affairs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmcvfA-KjHY You'll note their in their last published accounts, they are owed £7m by their customers (the retailers) and of this £1.26m is considered to be bad debt!!!!!!!!! On top of that they are carrying inventory of £15m. Bottom line they had losses of $11m which equates to 20% of their sales £56m. They are also carrying debt of £17m, which is costing them interest of £2m annually. It is a very grim picture for them and without their financial backer they should have closed shop long ago. This makes the case for radical change in the business model. As an outsider I can only guess at what is going on. But here are scenarios; (1) Producer is releasing a new model. Retailer's account is in arrears. So does the producer refuse to supply that retailer with the new model and risk losing sales (with the knock on of carrying undesirable high level's of inventory) or bite the bullet and extend the retailer more at risk credit just to get the item on the shelves, a catch 22 for the manufacturer. (2) From a comment I seen elsewhere it may be that the retailers margin could be as high as 40% IE an item retailing at 100 costs the retailer 60. This allows the retailers some latitude to discount if they so choose. The smaller ones typically don't. But this is common practice on the part of the bigger retailers who may actually be negotiating volume discounts from the manufacturers and very often these larger retailers sell out within days of receiving desirable new releases and if they have 30 days credit they benefit from a very healthy positive cash flow that can be used for financial gain elsewhere. (3) But what if a new release doesn't sell out in the short term. Well I'm fairly certain that the retailers will baulk at accepting further offerings from the producer unless they receive some additional concessions that will cover the cost of further discounting stock that is already on their shelves this despite the fact they already have a healthy margin designed to cover the cost of carrying that stock. Or maybe they withhold payment to the producer for the stock that isn't moving briskly and use this tactic to blackmail producers into granting concessions. It seems to me that in the world of model railways the power resides with the retailers ( probably a handful) and it is they that brought Heljan to its knees. I believe that Heljan were about one tenth the size of Hornby in terms of sales and had no ability or means to deal with the situation they were in. I think the e-mail that Rails of Sheffield sent to their customer list this morning was obnoxious and hypocritical. I would ask what benefit they actually contribute. Rather than serving you they are profiting at the expense of the producers and putting the entire hobby at risk. If we want the hobby to survive we need to adapt and accept change.

Well they are or were responsible for the sale/distribution of Heljan spare parts and I don't think anything has been said as to whether this arrangement will continue (probably not), nor is it clear what support may exist for Heljan products sold/purchased pre-acquisition. I think AS have said that products purchased from this point on will be subject to the normal warranty offered by Heljan, not the AS lifetime warranty

Is that Cillian Murphy?

Fear Of Missing Out

Acetone?

In my experience Mark's have always been asleep at the wheel and need to wake up.

The word you were looking for is "Boreen"

Let's hope history is not repeating itself. Our first home built in 1972 had no chimney, and after the energy crisis in 1974 we received a government grant to install one. And a regulation was introduced to mandate chimneys in new builds so that in emergencies we would not be solely reliant on energy providers. Memories are short.

What happened to wit, oh dear

Thank you Paddy, you'll never be forgotten, rest in peace

So you will collect the 3 euro when pricing the orders. Note this duty applies regardless as to whether a product is normally exempt

Not sure we are on the same page. As I read it this isn't a VAT levy rather it's a customs tariff that will apply on all small parcels under 150 euro in value.

So in effect, to avoid a 3 euro tariff on an Accurascale order shipped from the UK, the order needs to exceed 150 euro in value (normally zero duty on toys). ???

Once upon a time this may have seemed reasonable, but this model was surpassed by a far superior version by Murphy Models and devalued accordingly. At best in good condition it maybe worth 85 euro.

I found it here and I'm thinking wouldn't an Irish version of this resource be fantastic. https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/railroadList.aspx?tid=5

Grey and Yellow was also used by the New York Ontario & Western in the years before its demise in 1957. Picture of an EMD NW2 Switcher, in grey and yellow livery of the NYO & W. https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1339446

Not sure if this fits; https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/legacy-locomotives/predecessor-line-rolling-stock-and-legacy-locomotives/clinchfield-800-legacy-locomotive/?mobileFormat=false

I questioned this with rails about a year ago and this is the response I received;- On Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 4:39 AM Rails of Sheffield <info@railsofsheffield.com> wrote:

Hi Fran, thank you for the elaboration. Just to clarify one point, I wasn't suggesting that you pause the Hunslet project, rather I was suggesting that despite the natural progression to a class 80 release. it might be a good idea to park that in favour of the AEC Railcar. All the best Tom

Firstly, the apples to apples comment was a response to BosKonay’s posting “ The Class 89 is a class of 1 and has sold better than the A class” I don’t know how this separate posting got tagged onto my response to John. But regardless I don’t think the comparison is fair as considering the scale and diversity of the British market I would expect even a class of one such as this would outsell even the most common Irish class on the Irish market. Beyond that, it is worth re reading your posting on Jan 21. The tone of this was quite dire and if I may I’ll quote a few extracts. “We can see a big slow down in purchases” “The sad reality is that there is likely to be less and less offerings in Irish outline as a result if the trend is a continuous one. “ “But if everyone is full up, then our output will likely severely restrict going forwards.” “With the NIR stuff, if you want to see an 80 Class in the future, the decision to tool one is entirely dependent on the sales of the Hunslets and these coaches.” So forgive me for reaching the conclusion that with all of the backlog coming to market this year clearing the decks), nothing on the agenda beyond this year, and the statements above, that we are at the end of the road. My reaction to this was to try and provide you with thoughts on what may be at the root of the slowdown in sales through the lens of a customer and while your colleague viewed this as “rude” I was somewhat heartened if not entirely reassured by some of the things you have said since. As for the slow sales of the rerun of the 141/181 class locos by another producer, it may be that while in the “sweetspot” this was overly ambitious in terms of the quantities produced. Many of us do purchase on the basis of as you put it “As we say, if it's what you want, grab it.” and I have 13 of these locos from the original run. I don’t think we are “full up”, I think the slowdown is more due to a few offerings that have limited interest, despite the beauty of the modelling. I have appended a table to put this in perspective. This is not intended to be a comprehensive listing; rather it is a list of items already offered or coming models, plus a mooted item and a couple of what I believe are highly desired items. The number in class and length of time in service can usually be used as a measure of marketability. So this list clearly demonstrates that there has been a very deliberate attempt to hit the “sweetspots” by that other producer and in general given the scarcity of these items they seem to have been successful launches. But by the same measurements I was surprised by IRMs announcements of the 800’s and the Hunslets. The 800 is iconic but a bit limited from a modeller's perspective (there was a lot of discussion on this forum as to what would be desirable) and I think collectors wishing to display them in glass cases are a bigger market. As for the Hunslets, they really only saw service for 10 years and were displaced in 1980 by the 111 class, a model of which was already available to haul the Mk 2 NIR liveried coaches you had already released. Not to forget models of 201 class nos. 208 & 209 were also available. But despite seeing these offerings as very very limited, knowing they will be of a very high standard and in the spirit of my continuous support for you I ordered one 800 and two Hunslets, but compare that to the nine Class A locos I purchased. I also have just a single 3 car ICR on order despite the fact that my period of interest is 1950 - 2000. Compare with an order for thirteen Park Royals. Again looking at the list, it would seem there is a reasonable case for a Class 80 release, (much more so than the Hunslets). However, even if the Hunslets and Blue & Crimson Coaches sell, it might be a good idea to park that for the time being and attempt to kick start sales a bit with something like the AEC railcars, even a drip feed of these. I would buy every version offered and at least six C Class locos. As always you have my support and respect for what you do. Thank you Tom Loco/Railcar No. in Class Service Period Notes Class 800 3 1939- 1962 Redundant after 1955 AEC Railcar 60 CIE, 20 GNRI 1950-1984 Last 8 years as Push Pulls A Class 60 1955-1995 C Class 34 1956 - 1986 6 with NIR until 1997 121 Class 15 1961 - 2008 141 Class 37 1962 - 2010 181 Class 12 1966 - 2009 101 Class Hunslet 3 1970-1999 Limited use beyond 1980 80 Class (Thumpers) 22 1975-2011 3 sets leased by IR '87-'90 071 Class 18 IR, 3 NIR 1977 - Present 201 Class 32 IE, 2 NIR 1994- Present

Hi Leslie, thank you, I don't think I'm too far behind you and wondered if my memory was playing tricks on me and gladly it wasn't. I remember travelling to Bray & Greystones on steam trains, to Belfast behind a Jeep. I also remember travelling in the first class compartment of an AEC Railcar where the drivers compartment was separated by a glass partition (the upholstery was green) and you had the drivers view of the route. Of course ultimately the daily drudge of commuting becomes a blur but it is impossible to forget the AEC Railcars in their final spartan state pushed and pulled by C class locos. While the class 80 on the other hand was really peripheral in the scheme of things south of the border.

Looks like platform 7, any idea when this picture was taken?