Hattons is closing down

[DJ Dangerous]

5 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said:

Dodgy doings at Dugort

Dodgy doings or dodgy dongs?

[jhb171achill]

3 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Too much information there JB!  Each to their own I guess.........

Aaaarrrrrggghhh 

Corrected!!!

[DJ Dangerous]

33 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Aaaarrrrrggghhh 

Corrected!!!

 

Noooope!

That goes on your permanent record!

 

 

[Keano30]

22 hours ago, Flying Snail said:

Some sad news announced today by Hattons

https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail?id=1498

I for one will miss them - they really did a lot to try to support Irish customers post Brexit and I thought their trunk was a great service!

Totally agree, I have ordered lots from them over the years and even today I placed my last order for some bits and pieces. I was chatting to them on whattsapp and they said to me it will be a gradual close down. 

[jhb171achill]

Seems one of their staff defrauded them of 70 grand to pay for his drug habit……! Was in Liverpool newspaper. That can’t have helped them…..!

[Broithe]

33 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Seems one of their staff defrauded them of 70 grand to pay for his drug habit……! Was in Liverpool newspaper. That can’t have helped them…..!

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/model-railway-shop-manager-stole-22425050

[BosKonay]

To be fair to hattons they’re shutting down with great care and respect and everyone looked after. More than can be said of many companies when they get into trouble or see it coming. 

 

[Patrick Davey]

Heartbreaking for everyone at Hatton's if this is the direct cause of the demise.  Heartbreaking all over.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

That article is a few years old 

[BosKonay]

Just now, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

That article is a few years old 

Quite. Hattons did £11m last year. Something like that newspaper report wouldn’t cause any concern. 

[murphaph]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h3yp1m?fbclid=IwAR3Sje7mkS0JA6bYtREVVNo4hGTXXNrcwnYkmb74FWtccGIMUE7S0Hhp6LM

 

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

That article is a few years old 

Ah - thought it was recent.

[Colin R]

On 8/1/2024 at 5:14 PM, Galteemore said:

The CIE coaches will be produced btw - the company is not insolvent and is closing down in an orderly way.

Hi I have been trying to contact Hatton's regarding the CIE coaches to confirm my pre-order, but as others have also tried but have got no were I was just wondering what the latest is on these coaches, it may well be that I have missed out on them.

Regards

 

Colin Rainsbury

[BosKonay]

Just now, Colin R said:

Hi I have been trying to contact Hatton's regarding the CIE coaches to confirm my pre-order, but as others have also tried but have got no were I was just wondering what the latest is on these coaches, it may well be that I have missed out on them.

Regards

 

Colin Rainsbury

The forthcoming batch of Genesis coaches (including the irish ones) are underway at the factory and will be delivered. You should be able to log into the hattons website still and check your preorders. Exactly how or who delivers them is subject to change but they will come. 

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

12 minutes ago, Colin R said:

Hi I have been trying to contact Hatton's regarding the CIE coaches to confirm my pre-order, but as others have also tried but have got no were I was just wondering what the latest is on these coaches, it may well be that I have missed out on them.

Regards

 

Colin Rainsbury

Hi Colin, the website is under pressure with the closing down sale and all the pre-order queries, it took me ages to place an order today, I think it will be busy for the week.

[Bob229]

3 hours ago, Gabhal Luimnigh said:

Hi Colin, the website is under pressure with the closing down sale and all the pre-order queries, it took me ages to place an order today, I think it will be busy for the week.

A lot of items sold in a few hours had a look on website checked later and they were gone

[jhb171achill]

Me too. When the announcement was made their second-hand section and closing sale sections were full of good stuff at good prices. Going to have a look now (if i can) to see what's left - was after some scenic stuff.

I wish them well.

 

[DJ Dangerous]

7 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Me too. When the announcement was made their second-hand section and closing sale sections were full of good stuff at good prices. Going to have a look now (if i can) to see what's left - was after some scenic stuff.

I wish them well.

 

 

The good stuff was disappearing by the minute. I was looking at great stuff, at great prices, but out of my price-range, and every category was getting thinner and thinner and thinner.

I did manage to pick up a few O Gauge wagons, cars, and a bundle of track, but the coaches were not in liveries that interested me. Almost got a blue / grey Mk1 but somebody beat me to it while it was in my basket!

 

On 9/1/2024 at 8:28 PM, BosKonay said:

The forthcoming batch of Genesis coaches (including the irish ones) are underway at the factory and will be delivered. You should be able to log into the hattons website still and check your preorders. Exactly how or who delivers them is subject to change but they will come. 

 

Is that a subtle hint that "somebody" might be taking over the tooling for the Genesis range???

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Is that a subtle hint that "somebody" might be taking over the tooling for the Genesis range???

Hornby were doing their own six-wheelers, of much the same design; in fact, one of the hattons folks suggested to me that hornby had "stolen their idea". I'm not going to get into that discussion, but has anyone here ever seen a Hornby one and a Genesis one close up, together? I wonder what differences there are - visually, on websites, it seems little or nothing.

Thus, might there be some mileage in the two - rivals though they were in regard not only to six-wheel carriages, but other things too - combining forces on this one?

It seems to me that should there be any merit in the above, Hornby would be a logical successor. No point in an Irish manufacturer taking this up, as the design of these coaches is not Irish - it just happens that their generic design closely resembles GSWR vehicles of the same type, many of which lasted well into CIE times.

(As an aside, the equivalent vehicles on other Irish rauilways, e.g. BCDR, BNCR, GNR(I), MGWR, WLWR*, CBSCR & DSER were of entirely different designs, unlike any British vehicle).

(*  The WLWR six-wheelers were reasonably close to the bow-ended GWR and some (English) Midland Railway stock, but kits of those are generally 4-wheel long wheelbase, a style of passenger vehicle which we didn't have here).

Edited January 10 by jhb171achill

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, jhb171achill said:

Hornby were doing their own six-wheelers, of much the same design; in fact, one of the hattons folks suggested to me that hornby had "stolen their idea". I'm not going to get into that discussion, but has anyone here ever seen a Hornby one and a Genesis one close up, together? I wonder what differences there are - visually, on websites, it seems little or nothing.

Thus, might there be some mileage in the two - rivals though they were in regard not only to six-wheel carriages, but other things too - combining forces on this one?

It seems to me that should there be any merit in the above, Hornby would be a logical successor.

 

I posted comparison pics and comments in the Genesis thread, I think.

[jhb171achill]

Wow! Just had a look at their "rummage sale" - there's pretty much nothing left of use. When i looked last night, still a good bit of stuff but couldn't order because the site was overloaded............... such is life.

[Mayner]

1 hour ago, jhb171achill said:

Hornby were doing their own six-wheelers, of much the same design; in fact, one of the hattons folks suggested to me that hornby had "stolen their idea". I

Thus, might there be some mileage in the two - rivals though they were in regard not only to six-wheel carriages, but other things too - combining forces on this one?

It seems to me that should there be any merit in the above, Hornby would be a logical successor. No point in an Irish manufacturer taking this up.

Its just about possible IRM or Accurascale are the contract manufacturer for the Hattons 6-wheelers, Accurascale took on the Hattons Class 66 tooling in 2022 upgraded the model and incorporated it into the Accrascale range.

Stephen's recent posts indicate that IRM have insider information on the state of manufacture of the Hattons coaches.

If an Irish manufacturer controls the Hattons 6-w tooling their is every point in retaining and using the toolings and adding to the bottom line potentially cross-subsidising the manufacture of marginally profitable or loss making Irish models.

 

Edited January 11 by Mayner

[Moxy]

On 9/1/2024 at 7:40 AM, David Holman said:

 As a builder, rather than a buyer of rtr, the loss of folk selling components is just as worrying. Maplin was the easy go to for electrical bits and pieces, while the gap left by Eileen's still hasn't been filled. As for getting hold of fine metal strip, it is becoming almost impossible without going on line.

 

Cambrian Model Rail bought a lot of Eileen's metal stock from the liquidators and have started to sell it. 

https://www.cambrianmodelrail.co.uk/store/Brass-Micro-section-c151558586

 

 

Edited January 11 by Moxy
remove duplicate entries

[Galteemore]

I was in Cheltenham Model Centre a few weeks ago and they had bought some of the EE stock but not catalogued yet. 

[Georgeconna]

10 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

Wow! Just had a look at their "rummage sale" - there's pretty much nothing left of use. When i looked last night, still a good bit of stuff but couldn't order because the site was overloaded............... such is life.

Was not much to start with TBH

Tempted with a Dapol B4 O gauge with sound but left it off.  Vanished now.

[Noel]

I'm still recovering from the retirement and closure of W J Owens in Bray years ago. (Model Rail, Cameras, Airfix, Humbrol, RC Model Air, Balsa, etc) once the best hobby shop on the island and an aladdins treasure cave. Mail order just is not the same as a pilgrimage visit to 41 main street bray and the expert Willie Owens son of the founder. Modellers of all types drove from the four corners of Ireland for modelling supplies. In the 70s he also did mail order to clubs for supplies of balsa, tools, glue, etc.

[Broithe]

It is nice that they are able to provide a systematic run-down, this is very rarely the case.

I remember the worldwide shock when Mr Mashima decided that retirement loomed in the future and his efforts to lessen the problems for his customers.

[Bob49]

As a manufacturer of 7mm loco kits that date is etched on my brain. All my loco kits were designed round some of his smaller motors and over night I didn't have kits to sell I had scrap parts as noone will buy a £250 loco kit that you can't fit a motor in. These days I would be in a similar situation if the likes of slaters or Gibsons throw in the towel. 

It isn't nice that they have had to close, especially for the staff. However they are not actually making anything so they will be replaced. If other retailers started dropping them it might be the starting of something to worry about.

[Galteemore]

Yes. It’s happened before - W and H, Beatties, Victors, Modelzone…still a sad loss though. Always liked the old school paper parcels. 

[Flying Snail]

On 8/1/2024 at 9:32 PM, Flying Snail said:

Hattons have provided links to the manufacturers as well as to directing people with pre-orders to retailers like Rails of Sheffield.  As I'm based in the Republic, I'm still a bit unsure of whats the best options for me so I'll be keeping an eye out for advice from  manufacturers and those other retailers.

Speaking of alternatives to Hattons, does anyone on here and based in the Republic use Rails? Have you had any problems with deliveries to the Republic? 

[BosKonay]

32 minutes ago, Flying Snail said:

Speaking of alternatives to Hattons, does anyone on here and based in the Republic use Rails? Have you had any problems with deliveries to the Republic? 

Shop local  

If you can’t find what you need then Rails shopping to ireland works fine. They don’t charge VAT and you pay an post on arrival in the usual way these days. 

[Georgeconna]

Ordered a Class 20 which was delivered and SR Booster from Rails on the way, I just Pay VAT on arrival and €3.50 to the PO. Simple no messing.

[Flying Snail]

1 hour ago, BosKonay said:

Shop local  

If you can’t find what you need then Rails shopping to ireland works fine. They don’t charge VAT and you pay an post on arrival in the usual way these days. 

Absolutely - I always shop local when I can!

[Colin R]

I can't see anyone riding over the hill to buy the Hatton coaches tooling, which may be the biggest loss, I just hope someone somewhere is burning the midnight oil to try and do a deal for them. It looks like I made a mistake and only put mine down on the wish list and not as a firm pre-order.

I will have to wait to see if I can buy any of these coaches on the second hand market at some point.

The other alternative is to ask someone with a 3D printer to knock up some different versions at some point in the future.       

[Ironroad]

9 hours ago, BosKonay said:

Shop local  

If you can’t find what you need then Rails shopping to ireland works fine. They don’t charge VAT and you pay an post on arrival in the usual way these days. 

A word of caution if ordering MM MK2D coaches from Rails of Sheffield. The descriptions and the pictures on their website don't match properly, in some instances they are showing pictures of these coaches in Supertrain livery. It's a pity that MM did not update their website to ensure no confusion on what is being released.