I was browsing the Hattons site last night, and saw this

http://www.ehattons.com/191478/Graham_Farish_371_466Z_HX01_Class_37_0_37027_Loch_Eil_in_BR_Large_Logo_Blue_Limited_Edition_for_The_Model_C/StockDetail.aspx

would fit in nicely with my other l/l 37s, but I don't run DCC.

so, I sent off a query as to whether this loco had a socket for a chip, or was it hard wired.
simple question, or so I thought 

had a reply this morning from one of the contact team, didn't know, but would pass to the technical department who would get back to me.

still waiting 

I know it's 'only' £100, not much to them but to me quite a large sum.
if they had bothered to get back to me I might well have bought it, but as they haven't I'll pass.

if it had a socket I'm sure I could have sourced a blanking plug on the forum, and passed the chip to someone who would have made use of it.

if hard wired, then a quick query here would no doubt have resulted in either an idiots guide to undo it, or the advice to leave well alone.

it may seem a minor gripe, but I would have thought that during the day someone could have whipped the body shell off and looked.

rant over.
alan

It looks like a modern 37 done for TMC with a six pin DCC chip fitted.
All you need do is fit a blanking plug and sell the chip to someone.
HTH
Bob

Quote from: Bob G on April 14, 2016, 07:19:49 PM
It looks like a modern 37 done for TMC with a six pin DCC chip fitted.
All you need do is fit a blanking plug and sell the chip to someone.
HTH
Bob

Hi Bob,
that was what I was hoping, pity Hattons couldn't be bothered to reply.
regards
alan

I've never had a problem with eHattons and I've bought loads of stuff from them and had many useful communications from them. Maybe you've just been unlucky.

I've asked similar technical questions and have gotten the quick initial response like you did, saying they would have to pass along my enquiry to someone else.  And they've always gotten back to me within one or two days.

I've always felt 48 hours to wait was reasonable but that is just my view of course.  I also thought that they kept their stock off-site at a warehouse, while the technical people were located at the shop?  I could see how that would cause a delay in responding.

As for the 100 quid, you are probably right that Hattons would not care if you bought it or not, since no doubt someone else will.

The TMC 37s apparently were incorrect in many ways and turned out to be a flop:
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/36954-tmc-farish-announcement-may-2011/

I seem to remember TMC had significantly discounted the last few to try to shift them but it still took them a while!  I considered buying one at the time but TMC wanted to charge me £20 to post it to California, which I felt was usurious and which is why TMC doesn't get my custom.  I ended up buying a pre-owned one from Hattons at another time.  It was priced higher than the TMC bargains but Hattons only charged me £3 to airmail it to me, so it ended up a wash.

Matt

Quote from: oreamnos on April 14, 2016, 09:46:32 PM
I thought that they kept their stock off-site at a warehouse, while the technical people were located at the shop?  I
Matt

I believe The new premises have stock and shop in the same building.

Also Hattons are not Amazon and so 24 hrs + reply doesn't seem unreasonable to me?

A quick Google showed that the model is DCC ready and will accept a 6 pin decoder, or a blanking plug to return it to DC. The chip is presumably the old Bachmann blue one that wouldn't run on DC but could be worth £10 to someone. ( and it's still on Hatton's web site...)

NIck R

UPDATE :

well, after the replies yesterday evening I took a chance and ordered 37 027, and she should be on the way soon.
I also message Hattons again, and asked if there was a problem whereby she would only run on DCC, or would she run on analogue with the chip replaced by a blanking plug.

received this when I checked my e-mails this morning :

"I am sorry to read that you have not received a reply to your previous email. The loco can not be ran on analogue due to an old style chip being in it. You can replace the chip and it will then work on analogue for you."

while I realise that it can take some time to answer technical queries, which can sometimes be involved, I was surprised that my original query could not be answered quickly.
anyway, all is well as thanks to the RMweb article, thanks for the link Matt, I was able to take the gamble and order it.

the only two remaining problems are :

1. can anyone let me have a spare blanking plug ?
2. can anyone make use of the chip that is at present in the loco ?

I'm guessing that Nick R [railwaygun] will prove to be right with his suggestion of it being an old Bachman blue chip.

so problem solve, hopefully, and Hattons have come through in the end.
my worry was that someone on DCC would snap her up before I got an answer.

regards
alan

Hi There

PM me your address and I'll send you a blanking chip.

Quote from: shandy on April 15, 2016, 09:22:29 AM
Hi There

PM me your address and I'll send you a blanking chip.

many thanks 

PM sent

alan

UPDATE : home found for chip as well 

If anyone else is still after 37027 TMC appear to still have them in stock (and slightly cheaper than Hattons!): http://www.themodelcentre.com/exclusive-n-locomotives/?sort=alphaasc

Cheers, Mike

Quote from: red_death on April 15, 2016, 10:47:23 AM
If anyone else is still after 37027 TMC appear to still have them in stock (and slightly cheaper than Hattons!): http://www.themodelcentre.com/exclusive-n-locomotives/?sort=alphaasc

Cheers, Mike

Gosh, they really were a big flop then - bigger than I had realized.   The ones TMC are still trying to flog have been sitting on its shelves now for almost 4 years!  New old stock indeed...

Matt

Quote from: oreamnos on April 18, 2016, 05:06:32 AMThe ones TMC are still trying to flog have been sitting on its shelves now for almost 4 years!  New old stock indeed...

They can be classed as new, as they are unopened, in original packaging, and covered by OE warranty

However, the model itself is inaccurate, hence why initial sales were poor
It was the nearest body that Farish had at the time to depict this loco

UPDATE :

Saturday morning brought an envelope from 'up north' containing two blanking plugs, many thanks again shandy, and then about 2.pm the doorbell went ant there was the postie with 37027.
Luckily Chris of Old Warren fame was over on Saturday evening, and he confirmed the chip as a Bachmann blue one.
this was removed and replaced with a blanking plug, and 37027 was ready to go.
I ran her yesterday and the only problem I noticed was that in one direction, the rear lights flickered when running forward at the headlight end, but the three headlights were constant, as were the rear lights on the other end of the loco. however after a bit of running this stopped, so I put it down to possibly a dirty pickup.

So now she is awaiting renumbering, and the chip is on it's way to a new home where hopefully it will be usefull for many years.

all in all a good final outcome.