Looking at the Farish website today it is interesting to note that the RRP of the delayed A2 has now gone up to £159.95 from £149.95 before it has even been released.

I have been pretty tolerant and philosophical up to now about what have been perceived as "necessary" price rises but as we now head rapidly closer to a £200 price tag for a 4-6-2 type, I am now definitely revisiting what I will have.

For sure only one A2 will head my way now and that's assuming they don't go up in price again between now and release. If they do I may be out altogether. After all this model relies on the existing can-motor tender-drive and does not even have the selling point of a coreless motor loco drive to make accepting the cost a little more palatable.

To illustrate the point further, on the Hattons website they are taking pre-orders of the little J72 tank loco at £90 - yes, that's the Hattons discount price!! Generously they will allow people to cancel their orders if it turns out to be more...

I do fear that such additional price rises coupled with Bachmann's dubious retailer restriction of 15% discount from RRP (supposedly only for limited periods but I've yet to see any big player break rank and discount further) we are now approaching a tipping point where cost will stifle further growth in the scale...

Roy

With Farish being stuck with a 20% increase in wage costs each year for the next 4 years (the first increase was last year) due to Chinese legislation, I wonder how many more models may be 'delayed' for some reason..................like copping for this years increase?
Nah - surely I'm wrong....................aren't I?

I can see these manufacturers moving production from China to India over the next few years
I have already seen this happen with some manufacturers

Quote from: mjkerr on March 04, 2015, 09:23:31 PM
I can see these manufacturers moving production from China to India over the next few years
I have already seen this happen with some manufacturers

I suspect that could be pilau talk

Roy LS      I agree with what you have said about price increases. There will of course always be people who will pay what is being asked. It's the across the board willingness of people to pay ever increasing prices that remains to be seen.

As I said a couple of months back I think many will become more focussed and selective on what they buy in future. If this does happen then overall sales will surely decrease...only my opinion of course and I may be proved wrong, time will tell.

Don't send me death threats for what I'm about to say................... but am I alone in thinking that the advantages of N gauge are being rapidly destroyed by the manufacturers?   

It set me thinking when then other half remarked when I was looking at a Jubilee and Ivatt mogul in a certain retailers lately that would have set me back over £200, that I could have got the same ones but bigger (00) for nearly £60 less

Quote from: paulprice on March 04, 2015, 10:05:55 PM
Don't send me death threats for what I'm about to say................... but am I alone in thinking that the advantages of N gauge are being rapidly destroyed by the manufacturers?   

It set me thinking when then other half remarked when I was looking at a Jubilee and Ivatt mogul in a certain retailers lately that would have set me back over £200, that I could have got the same ones but bigger (00) for nearly £60 less

I don't think the manufacturers are destroying N Gauge, with high prices it sounds like expensive retailers!
All the best.

Quote from: Only Me on March 04, 2015, 10:18:59 PM
N gauge has never had a cost advantage over 00 unfortunately..

True, locos are generally on-par with their 00 counterparts(with some exceptions) due to the need to miniaturize effective driving mechanisms. Rolling stock is still somewhat cheaper as are scenic items.

The real advantage of N Gauge has always been its ability to squeeze a pint into a half-pint-pot when compared to 00.

Looking at the pictures of the Weedkiller Class 20's, they seem to be missing the extended range fuel tanks ?

Quote from: koyli55002 on March 05, 2015, 05:16:54 AMLooking at the pictures of the Weedkiller Class 20's, they seem to be missing the extended range fuel tanks ?

Water tank pack :
373-786 3 Pack TTA

http://www.bachmann.co.uk/details.php?id=338

I am very tempted by this, as it made a few appearances in Glasgow Queen Street in the 1980s / 1990s, plus all the items will be available to recreate the entire train

Quote from: mjkerr on March 05, 2015, 07:44:25 AM

Quote from: koyli55002 on March 05, 2015, 05:16:54 AMLooking at the pictures of the Weedkiller Class 20's, they seem to be missing the extended range fuel tanks ?

Water tank pack :
373-786 3 Pack TTA

http://www.bachmann.co.uk/details.php?id=338
No those tankers carrythe weedkiller, ther aren't fuel tanks... Koyli is referring to the additional fuel tanks on the locos...

Hello Koyli,

Photographs suggest that 20904 certainly ran in this livery without extended range tanks, so the proposed model is right, however it also seems that this loco ran most or all of the time partnered with 20901, not 20906.  20901 also does not have the tanks.

The extended range fuel tanks are rectangular "boxes" fitted above the solebar of the locomotive.

cheers

Ben A.

Hi Ben
Thanks for the info - personally, I'd have preferred the "Agrevo" train so I guess I'll have to drag the old Hurst Models kits out and get cracking !

Long range Fuel Tanks were fitted to :
20902
20903

Additional tanks also fitted to 20905 as far as I can ascertain from a bit more research