A campaign has started on You Tube to support local model shops

[Dawn Quest]

 

 

Which raises the question: what exactly is a “local model shop”?

If you live in certain parts of the North of England, your local shop might be a large retailer with a warehouse attached. If you’re like me, living on the east coast of England, your local shop might be run by a couple who split their space between model railways and craft items like yarn, fabric, and knitting needle

So what about me?

Do I shop at my local model shop? Yes. Do I buy from larger retailers? Yes. Do I buy at model railway shows? Yes. Do I buy directly from manufacturers? Yes. Do I use eBay or Temu? Yes. Would I buy second-hand instead of new? Yes.

Would I boycott a business because people on forums tell me to? No.

Would I boycott a business if they did something that directly and negatively affected me? Likely—but it depends on the situation.

 

I’d find it hard to share or review a product if I felt that the company’s practices weren’t transparent and didn’t represent good customer service

 

 

My personal thoughts:

 

 

Model railway shops—particularly smaller ones—need to explore additional revenue streams from independent manufacturers, such as cottage industries, and create more niche shopping experiences for their customers. 

 

Small, independent model railway manufacturers who currently sell only online: now is the time to consider wholesale opportunities with model shops and price your products accordingly.

Edited March 29 by Dawn Quest
spelling

[DJ Dangerous]

The whole “campaign” appears nothing more than an excuse for large retailers who undermine and destroy small retailers to say “poor us”, and for out-of-touch elitists to preach to others.

Since this is an Irish-based forum, dealing largely (but not exclusively) with Irish models, perhaps some context would help.

How many modellers in Ireland have access to a local model shop?

How many modellers in the UK have access to a local model shop?

How many modellers in mainland Europe have access to a local model shop?

What percentage of buyers do each of those three make up?

What are the objectives of the campaign?

Assuming that the reality of the situation is that Heljan would have disappeared WITHOUT the intervention of Accurascale, what would campaigners have done to save Heljan?

If Heljan had gone bankrupt, all of their contracts would have ceased to be enforceable, so buyers would have lost out on pre-ordered items either way.

Offering to buy back unsold stock doesn’t make sense. Let the retailers sell it at the prices they paid for it themselves. As can be seen from the new Heljan website, the stock is flying out at those prices.

Maybe investing time in selling unwanted stock at cost, instead of griping about it online, would be a better use of retailer’s time and energy.

Rails of Sheffield, one of the largest retailers in this case, are capable of sending multiple emails per day.

Not one has yet mentioned Heljan reductions. Why not?

Not one has listed retailers who have Heljan stock to clear? Why not?

This whole campaign seems like virtue-signalling by the holier-than-thous and I’m sick of their hypocrisy and mud-slinging already.

[NIRCLASS80]

It would have been interesting if one of the large box shifters had acquired Heljan would the same concerns been expressed by them!

The simple fact is people are purchasing more carefully. 
 

Put a Murphy Models 071 online at £159 direct sale or from the local model shop at £239 and I have a funny feeling who will sell out first!

[DJ Dangerous]

For context if anybody is reading this thread this evening, the OP has been heavily edited, with maybe 3/4 of the original text deleted.

[BosKonay]

39 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

For context if anybody is reading this thread this evening, the OP has been heavily edited, with maybe 3/4 of the original text deleted.

Indeed. quite the U Turn. Luckily we can see all the edits!

[DJ Dangerous]

2 minutes ago, BosKonay said:

Indeed. quite the U Turn. Luckily we can see all the edits!

And have the screenshots!

[Galteemore]

So the OP has revised and refined  their opinion, presumably  in the light of new evidence ? Such behaviour is to be encouraged I’d have thought - it’s a sign of intelligence and graciousness surely ?  Commentators in the media field would tell us that online communication is often characterised by people stubbornly clinging to simplistic analyses and not being persuadable! 

Edited March 29 by Galteemore

[DJ Dangerous]

Just now, Galteemore said:

So the OP has revised and refined  their opinion, presumably  in the light of new evidence ? Such behaviour is to be encouraged I’d have thought - it’s a sign of intelligence and graciousness surely ? 

Nah.

Saying that they had done so, rather than trying to hide their original comments and saying nothing, would be a sign of intelligence and graciousness.

Surely?

[Ironroad]

1 hour ago, NIRCLASS80 said:

It would have been interesting if one of the large box shifters had acquired Heljan would the same concerns been expressed by them!

And why would they? They would not have a whipping boy to take advantage of.

3 hours ago, Dawn Quest said:

There’s also a segment of the hobby often overlooked, those who don’t shop online, watch YouTube, or use social media. They rely on shops, magazines, and exhibitions. Move everything online, and they’re effectively excluded.

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 

 

[Georgeconna]

44 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

And have the screenshots!

thats your rewards gone lad!! LOL!

 

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, Georgeconna said:

thats your rewards gone lad!! LOL!

 

Ah crap, I never thought of that!

[Warbonnet]

 

32 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

So the OP has revised and refined  their opinion, presumably  in the light of new evidence ? Such behaviour is to be encouraged I’d have thought - it’s a sign of intelligence and graciousness surely ?  Commentators in the media field would tell us that online communication is often characterised by people stubbornly clinging to simplistic analyses and not being persuadable! 

Let’s see if the same post vomited across Facebook is also updated with these edits first. I have a feeling they won’t be, and haven’t been so far.

I don’t think the OP has read the room here. No problem, it happens.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who came to visit both the Accurascale and Heljan stand at Model Rail Scotland this weekend. It’s always great to see so many familiar faces from home, and thank you all for your congratulations and support at the news and as we push things further forwards. The calls for Irish O gauge were quite loud to say the least!

Cheers!

Fran

[Galteemore]

Thanks Fran

9 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

 

Let’s see if the same post vomited across Facebook is also updated with these edits first. I have a feeling they won’t be, and haven’t been so far.

I don’t think the OP has read the room here. No problem, it happens.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who came to visit both the Accurascale and Heljan stand at Model Rail Scotland this weekend. It’s always great to see so many familiar faces from home, and thank you all for your congratulations and support at the news and as we push things further forwards. The calls for Irish O gauge were quite loud to say the least!

Cheers!

Fran

thanks Fran - understood and no offence meant! I don’t tend to follow FB and there’s clearly depths here that a nuclear sub could operate in. On the subject of online politeness it has to be said  - as I have observed before - that you are a very notable exponent of dealing gently with fools! 

I’ll stick to posting what I know a little more about ….announcing my own new loco later this week. Although there’s only one and it won’t be sold anywhere - retail or direct! 

 

Edited March 30 by Galteemore

[Mayner]

A lot of the boxshifters pushback seems to be aimed at harnessing the sense of frustration/anger at the loss of the traditional English "High Street" /way of life with its 'locally owned shops", pubs and bank branch, which like a lot of British traditional manufacturing industry had long ceased to exist.

In a way calls to boycott Accurascale and direct sale by the manufacturers are not unlike the Luddites of the 18th Century trying to stop the Industrial Revolution by destroying the machines, with the added irony of a bunch of Irish enterpreneurs threatening the boxshifters livelyhood. 

Perhaps the certain British politicians potentially running on a platform of "Make British Model Railways Great again" imposing a 200% tarrif on Chinese imports and demanding that manufacturers/retailers re-patriate manufacture to the UK, it worked for Trump what could go wrong.

I suppose we could blame Heath's Conservative and Callaghan's Labour governments of the 70s for the whole mess, allowing Airfix and Mainline to outsource manufacture to Hong Kong during the 70s undermining British manufacture.

Edited March 30 by Mayner

[DJ Dangerous]

9 hours ago, Warbonnet said:

The calls for Irish O gauge were quite loud to say the least!

I like the sound of that!!!

[irishthump]

13 hours ago, Ironroad said:

 

Nostalgia, is not going to serve or save the hobby.

 

 

This is an important point.... which I will develop into a bit of a rant!

Model Railways IMHO has always suffered from its older demographic being reluctant to move forward and embrace technology. I mean look how long it's taken DCC to be as widely adapted as it is now. I think a big part of its more widespread acceptance is the likes of Accurascale offering premium light and sound on their locos. Fear of missing out has resulted in many diehards dragging themselves into the 21st century. My point is the hobby, or more specifically those in it, need to adapt as best it can under the circumstances, ALL retail is moving increasingly online and model railways won't be able to resist it for much longer. Also, we can deny it all we want but the hobby is in decline to a certain extent when it comes to the sheer numbers of hobbyists. 

[Broithe]

In my town, of 80,000, in England, we used to have a truly marvellous model shop - everything from Lego to R/C aircraft. It slowly faded from lack of actual purchases and went around 20 years ago. We have two things left - an almost secret wargaming shop that seems to do well enough to stay going, over 30 years now - and a specific railway-only shop, which ticks over nicely enough, it seems, although there's rarely anyone younger than me in it.

The railway shop is in premises that were a more general model shop before they moved in from the next town when that closed. I well remember the disappointment of seeing someone, who lived around 300 yards from that shop, buying an item on Amazon for delivery in a few days, when she could have walked there and got the identical item now and for the same price. It was in the window, as she walked past to her house. The shop closed about a year later...

[DJ Dangerous]

Surprised to see Jenny Kirk ranting and rambling so much:

 

 

Although, she did try worming her way out to some extent in a subsequent livestream, but just comes across as desperate to support her previous rant:

 

 

[Horsetan]

38 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Surprised to see Jenny Kirk ranting and rambling so much:

 

 

Although, she did try worming her way out to some extent in a subsequent livestream, but just comes across as desperate to support her previous rant:

 

 

Probably for DikTok likes

[Mayner]

3 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Probably for DikTok likes

Ranting on about something is a sure fire way to get votes/social media likes works for populist politicians so why not model railway influencers?  MMRGA (Make Model Railways Great Again)!  

Nothing remotely connected with the real world.

[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. 

[ttc0169]

23 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Surprised to see Jenny Kirk ranting and rambling so much:

 

 

Although, she did try worming her way out to some extent in a subsequent livestream, but just comes across as desperate to support her previous rant:

 

 

Gobshite. 

[Flying Snail]

Like  most people on this forum, I honestly struggle to see what Accurascale done wrong. They’ve been one of the most positive forces in the hobby in recent years - bringing innovation, investment, and high-quality models to market while still working with retailers. This feels far more like resistance to change from established players than any genuine concern for the health of the industry. Fran gave a very insightful update yesterday which I’d strongly encourage everyone to read: https://heljan.com/blogs/news/the-accurascale-take-over-of-heljan-common-queries-answered

I agree with @Ironroad that the stance taken by Rails of Sheffield is not on. To me it feels not only overblown, but somewhat hypocritical. They are one of the largest players in the market with considerable buying power, and their growth over the years has not exactly been to the benefit of smaller independent retailers. For them now to position themselves as defenders of the “industry” sits very uneasily. I can understand why GM might feel raw given their historic relationship with Heljan, but that still doesn’t justify the this campaign either. I’ve spent plenty with both over the years and likely still will, but I’ll certainly be making a much more conscious effort to support a broader mix of retailers going forward.

Closer to home, I was disappointed to see Marks Models share the ‘One Industry, One Message’ statement, but I’d hope that was more a reflection of the moment than a firmly held position. They and IRM/Accurascale are stalwarts of the hobby in Ireland, and I would hope that the relationship between the two is not impacted as things settle.

 

Edited April 4 by Flying Snail

[Tractionman]

21 minutes ago, ttc0169 said:

Gobshite. 

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

22 hours ago, Mayner said:

Ranting on about something is a sure fire way to get votes/social media likes works for populist politicians so why not model railway influencers?  MMRGA (Make Model Railways Great Again)!  

Nothing remotely connected with the real world.

That’s exactly it! The longer the live-stream went on and the more comments that popped up, the further detached from reality I felt.

There was one grounded guy in the comments section, like a voice of reason in a sea of madness, trying to anchor the discussion in reality, but he was overshadowed by the volume of odd comments.

[Mayner]

Media and political pushback against competitors is nothing new:

Back in the day Dinny Guiney in conjunction with the GSR ran excursions to Dublin and offered reduced train fares to customers shopping in his Talbot St and Clearys Department store resulting in media and no doubt political pushback from provincial retailers. 

I remember the media storm created by major Irish supermarket chains (Dunnes, H Williams, Quinnsworth, Superquinn) during the 1970s before Albert Gubay opened his 3 Guys low-cost grocery chain. Ironically in the end H Williams bought 3 Guys Irish stores immediately before going bankrupt itself.

There is an old saying that empty vessels make the most noise which appears to be particularly true of social media.

Personally I havent bought anything significant from Rails since MM introduced its origonal 141 Class models in 2007, but little bit by buying a Gaugemaster walkaround controller at approx 80% of the RRP from Peter's Spares last week rather than direct from Gaugemaster for the full RRP.  

[Darius43]

I tend to avoid the model railway “influencer” crowd on YouTube, preferring to concentrate on the fun of actually doing some modelling.  The more cynical side of me sees the YouTube outrage as a means to monetise the opportunity presented by recent events.

Cheers

Darius
 

Edited April 5 by Darius43

[Darius43]

My understanding from the information provided is that, without Accurascale’s intervention, Heljan would have most likely gone under.  

Furthermore, part of the reason for their predicament were the actions of large retailers demanding big discounts. 

What has happened is that the big retailers have been cut out of the loop and now only Heljan and the consumer benefit.  For some reason the big retailers are disgruntled. 

Quel surprise.

I had preorders for a couple of Heljan locos - one with Rails and one with Kernow.  Kernow were kind enough to inform me that my preorder with them was now defunct.  As yet not a peep from Rails. I’ve just re-ordered them from the new Heljan website - simples.

Cheers

Darius

Edited April 5 by Darius43

[mphoey]

At the end of the day accurascale has ensured hejin survives imagine if accurascale was around when lima went under it might still exist. Rails is annoyed that their profit margins are gone they dont do us any favours with their sales of second hand irish locos often at ebay prices.

At the end of the day its more models still available to buy and maybe accurascale might allow retailers to sell once the margins are right.

Plus remember hornby already does this with some of their products only directly available from their site

[Warbonnet]

On 3/4/2026 at 10:40 PM, DJ Dangerous said:

Surprised to see Jenny Kirk ranting and rambling so much:

 

 

Although, she did try worming her way out to some extent in a subsequent livestream, but just comes across as desperate to support her previous rant:

 

 

 

You should see mine and my colleagues inboxes from this individual from that weekend. Borderline harassment. 

I'll say no more!