Are we over the Golden Age of N Gauge?

Started by Rabbitaway, March 27, 2018, 09:55:20 PM

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acko22

OK the nostalgia look back is scary considering some of them models are older than me!

I was thinking about this topic while at Warley this weekend, and I have to say I don't think we are seeing an end of anything more just an evolution.
Dapol have with the 68 upped their standards on new designed models, Revolution are going places others haven't dared venture yet and brought in new manufacturers such as Accurascale and Sonic Models. However Farish seem to have stepped off the gas a bit with N gauge, but they are having issues in China which could explain some of that.

After this weekend I was surprised by the number of people I spoke to who said that they were now moving over to N gauge as there was more to offer and the chances of getting some of the trains they want produced is more likely than has been in the past.

So while we aren't seeing the amount of announcements and the prices we have in the past, we are seeing more manufactures and if this weekend is anything to go by maybe more N gauge modellers which in turn could see more models appearing and a continued rise in standards.

The caveat to higher standards, is it's likely to be higher costs until we hit the point the market isn't willing to pay or there is enough of us modelling and actively purchasing to balance things out  so there is no need for increases.
Mechanical issues can be solved with a hammer and electrical problems can be solved with a screw driver. Beyond that it's verbal abuse which makes trains work!!

ScottishModeller

Hi all,

The Golden Age of N Gauge is still to be achieved.

When I look back at what was acceptable when I first moved on the N Gauge - I could cry.

Anyone who wants to see how far thing have developed, especially for British N Gauge, need only look at what was available for us.

When I sold off (or traded in) all my OO and HO stock to get into N Gauge I was shocked by how little there was available.

Lima BR Electric, Standard 4mt tank, German outline supposed to represent a Clayton, Plymouth shunter to represent a BR shunter, PECO Jubilee in LMS only.

But I was optimistic! I hoped that we would get some truly British items fairly quickly!

We did - Graham Farish GWR 9400 Pannier Tank and GER Holden Tank.

I took part in the Graham Farish 'Paint your Wagon' competition - submitted 23 entries in an effort to try and get what I wanted!

So - In real terms we can say that 'We never had it so good'

But certainly not say that 'The Golden Age' has passed.

All you have to do is look at what is coming in the near future from the manufacturers to see that the future is bright.

Thanks
Phil H
Thanks
Phil Holman

Buffin

The NGS say they had to abort their next proposed offering when a manufacturer announced it was going to produce the same model. Now they are rethinking.

More broadly, smaller dwellings surely = more preferences for N gauge. We have more manufacturers already. That tells you they think the best is yet to come.

Bob G

Which one was that then? I'm not aware of this recently.

nookfield

Quote from: Bob G on November 27, 2018, 09:05:17 PM
Which one was that then? I'm not aware of this recently.

Reported in the Chairman's update in the latest Newsletter (6/18). It doesn't say what the model was going to be.

Nthusiast

I hope the golden age is now as i've just started a new layout in N. I dabbled in British N in 2011 with a Farish 66 and a Dapol 67 both of which were so well detailed. Prices then were quite favourable and coming back to it I find that prices are miles higher. I'm planning to get as much quality second hand as possible to get things up and running.Having gone for continental N this time I'm very pleased with stuff from ebay and contikits.

Karhedron

Quote from: nookfield on November 27, 2018, 09:12:25 PM
Quote from: Bob G on November 27, 2018, 09:05:17 PM
Which one was that then? I'm not aware of this recently.

Reported in the Chairman's update in the latest Newsletter (6/18). It doesn't say what the model was going to be.

What has recently been announced by Farish and Dapol? I doubt it would be RevolutioN's 5600 as that seems to GWR-specific for the NGS and I doubt Ben and Mike would want that sort of conflict.
Quote from: ScottyStitch on September 29, 2015, 11:28:46 AM
Well, that's just not good enough. Some fount of all knowledge you are!  :no:  ;)

Bob G

Quote from: Karhedron on November 28, 2018, 09:18:37 AM
Quote from: nookfield on November 27, 2018, 09:12:25 PM
Quote from: Bob G on November 27, 2018, 09:05:17 PM
Which one was that then? I'm not aware of this recently.

Reported in the Chairman's update in the latest Newsletter (6/18). It doesn't say what the model was going to be.

What has recently been announced by Farish and Dapol? I doubt it would be RevolutioN's 5600 as that seems to GWR-specific for the NGS and I doubt Ben and Mike would want that sort of conflict.

I think it is some whoo-hoo secret model that we mere mortals are not supposed to know about yet.

If you remember, a similar thing happened when the NGS chose to do the Hawkesworth Full Brake. The NGS, in doing its due diligence, enquired of the main manufacturers if this was on their radar and Bachfar said they were planning a range of Hawkesworth coaches, so the NGS produced the Collett full brake instead. It was a pretty quick about face and many will have not fully understood the reasons why (or even noticed). In fact the NGS management team didnt say in public that Farish were doing a full set of Hawkesworth's, they only said a competing manufacturer already had plans for a Hawkesworth full brake, so they didnt spill the beans, as they have not done now :)

One of the joys of management is knowing what to say and when to say it. We are not entitled to know, and the note in the minutes would have been better left out, but we demanded fuller minutes so we could have more transparency :)  That does not mean the NGS management has to tell us everything they are doing, as some aspects are quite rightly commercial in confidence.

HTH
Bob

Ben A

Hello all,

Just to offer some clarity, though much of this is self evident if you think about it...

One lesson from the fiasco of the Hawksworth (entirely my fault, I hasten to add) is that we carry out more research before announcing.

When the NGS is considering new models it gets quotes from a variety of sources.  This can in turn lead to information being shared that may prompt a reassessment.

And of course the NGS needs to respect confidentiality of others as Bob has rightly pointed out.

We are anticipating that the next RTR project will be announced in Journal 2/19.

Incidentally, previous attempts to include the membership in the selection of projects have had a pitiful response rate, so have been abandoned in favour of the decision being made by the Committee.

Cheers

Ben A.
(NGS VP)




exmouthcraig

That seems the most logical way to go about it, and let's be honest the people in the best position to make the decision are the ones running the show.

We all voice our concerns about not getting the loco coach or wagon WE selfishly need or want BUT just because i want it doesn't mean 2000 others will.

This comes back to a lot of GW locos being produced, if we look at it properly a manufacturer needs to shift volume to make it pay. Being a SR Modeller we had Maunsell, Bulleid and Billington designing stock, some of which travelled the SR as a whole while some worked in particular areas. This in a manufacturing world isn't cost effective. GW built a few locomotives but a lot of them and they travelled the whole network.

The fact that the NGS produce RTR built by the biggest manufacturers is fantastic but surely their decisions are also made on sales volume.

Fingers crossed it's something I want but if not we can rest assured it will be a top quality model of which they should be congratulated on.  :sleep:

9C

The GWR locomotives may have "travelled the whole network" but that network was barely 1/6 of the UK's route mileage. Fowler 4P tanks could be seen from Thurso to Bournemouth for over 40 years (1923 - 1966), but when the major manufacturers grudgingly give us a LMS designed suburban tank its one whose working life was less than half that (Fairburn or Riddles). My own layout needs over a dozen tanks: Fowler 3P and 4P, Robinson C13 and Parker N5. None of them are available in any form in RTR, never mind in grouping liveries.

3D printing will be a great benefit to those of us with some motor skills, but not enough for scratch or kitbashing entire locomotives, who wish to body-swap onto appropriate chassis. The problem we may face is a shortage of separate chassis now that lines such as the old UK Farish spares have been discontinued. I understand that the chassis-only market is limited and retailers may be reluctant to hold and store such stock on the off-chance of an occasional sale, but surely the manufacturers could run some of their production without bodies and supply online.

Also the old Peco/Rivarossi 5XP came painted but with optional decals for alternate identities. Surely this approach would offer manufacturers a greater chance of repeat sales? I'd buy eight of the above Fowler tanks if I could number them differently, but only one (or maybe none) if I then had to worry about causing damage as I ham-fistedly started removing the supplied running number to substitute alternates. This choice would be even more worthwhile for coaches and wagons. Who wants a coal depot with 30 7-plank wagons all identically numbered 351270?

We could be entering a golden age, where the suburban and rural operations of the big two are no longer neglected in favour of their smaller rivals and the bland tin cans of later days, but it will be a return to a more distributed cottage-industry model with less emphasis on the bricks-and-mortar retailers. We need to catch 10 to 18 year olds before their (or their parents') early purchases have committed them to oversized scales and to promote mid-sized layouts that (in BNG) can represent more than a single-track branch terminus with one siding road.

<end of 2d-worth ramblings>
--
David.

Can offer endless tips on design and research, but will probably be asking for return favours concerning craft skills and superglue removal.

99% LMS, 1% GC/NS joint.

njee20

Must confess I don't understand your last paragraph whatsoever.

I'm not sure we lose huge numbers of potential teenage N gauge modellers because they take up OO instead. Indeed I'd suggest the bigger issue is simply getting anyone 10-18 to have an interest in model railways full stop. Not that I think that's actually an issue, as has been debated an nauseum.

Karhedron

Quote from: 9C on January 03, 2019, 01:08:07 PM
Also the old Peco/Rivarossi 5XP came painted but with optional decals for alternate identities. Surely this approach would offer manufacturers a greater chance of repeat sales?

Manufacturers have tried that on and off over the years (most recently Heljan in 00) but the results are consistently the same. Models supplied un-numbered (even with transfers) sell much more poorly than fully finished ones.

People who want to renumber their models are generally OK with removing existing numbers. The number of extra sales to people who want multiples are not enough to compensate for the loss of sales to people who want their models fully complete out of the box.
Quote from: ScottyStitch on September 29, 2015, 11:28:46 AM
Well, that's just not good enough. Some fount of all knowledge you are!  :no:  ;)

acko22

Your point about 10 - 18 year old has me perplexed! Especially when you say bland tin cans of later years!

If by tin cans you mean by tin cans, diesels and electrics then you are missing a huge group of people especially those 10 -18 year old who will want to model what they see / have seen operating, which is err those proposed tin cans!

Yes I will admit there is a distinct sway currently towards GWR steam engines, but hey doesn't that tell you more about the traditional GWR advertising? Many people that weren't around in GWR days and model the adverts they did in the 1930s of an idealistic south coast really have and still do work!

But back to the golden age, we cant really claim it until N gauge noticeable declines which it isn't if anything its on the ascendance, with more models, manufactures and opportunities appearing which will entice more people to the scale.
Granted we aren't seeing the stream of new models we did from Dapol and Farish and the low prices but thats a sign of the times it was untenable long term, so the market calming down long term is a positive step which ensure the longevity of the scale!
Mechanical issues can be solved with a hammer and electrical problems can be solved with a screw driver. Beyond that it's verbal abuse which makes trains work!!

exmouthcraig

I'm struggling to agree with your disappointment @9C, I get that no manufacturers build the locos you want but surely you knew this before you chose to model where you do???

We are SR Modellers, simply because my dad was from Kent, I've never seen a Bulleid locomotive run or any other SR steam locos for that matter, im disappointed i can't buy a fully detailed DCC ready W class tank, and GF don't build enough green Mk1 coaches or Bulleid coaches but we knew this 10 years ago when we chose to build this location.

We read all the time about the next model being built by
Graham Farish
Dapol (might never deliver but.........)
RevoloutioN
NGS
Even Sonic Rail ?????

We all selfishly want it to be something WE want but they commit their resources and presumably hard cash into these projects, lots of Modellers win and well lots of us loose too.

New models are relatively easy to renumber and I find Fox decals absolutely brilliant to deal with.

So I get the frustration but are we Railway Modellers or just train set players???

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