Hornby TT 120 new range.

[Chuck E]

This caught me quite by surprise. A brand new range of Locos etc.

https://uk.hornby.com/hornbytt120

I have been collecting Tri-ang TT3 for some time. This is considerably more expensive. Nice to see it, though.

[Chuck E]

This is the old Tri-ang TT3 system. The new Hornby is absolutely beautiful.



More here . . . . . . https://www.flickr.com/photos/23594891@ ... 0302816182

[JohnRatzenberger]

Quite a lot going on in a small space. One issue with layout just above is that the left side loop appears one-way with no way to get back onto the lower level - must be something I cannot see.

[Ratch]

It's a typical toy train layout, John. Nothing like real railway practice

[JohnRatzenberger]

I understand - I’d want mine to all that

[Chuck E]

There appear to be some issues with Hornby's approach to the new range. Various videos on YouTube.

The 3mm Club, though using the same 12mm track gauge aren't happy that the scale is now 120th. This gives the correct wheel spacing to the track gauge, unlike the old TT3 that followed the old 00/HO style, where the tracks were too narrow. The rolling stock being OO gauge ( 1/76th) and the track being HO, or 1/87th. The same issue where we modelers talked about where vehicles were 1/76th and 1/72nd, or 1/32nd and 1/35th.

Shop owners who have stocked Hornby for decades cannot add this range to their stocks, so they feel left out in the cold, while customers are going straight to Hornby Hobbies. We'll have to see how this turns out. We can't keep losing hobby stores, and many sell all the ranges.

There are some very good deals at the moment, so if you like the idea, now is your chance to get into the scale. Prices are better than the OO ranges, but they are still not cheap, even with 20-25% discounts. I will possibly get in on the ground floor of this, with a small, boxed layout that will fit a shelf. As I mentioned before, the detail is superb. Fitting the Digital equipment will be a challenge, but Hornby are very much up to the task.

If you are interested, even slightly, now is the time to join the club. It's free for a year, as long as you sign up before the end of January. Getting in quick will bring you some nice discounts, a catalogue, magazines and extras. Well worth having. The Flying Scotsman set, with loco, 3 coaches, track and controller are available now, for under £200 if using your discount. Track sets are also available. Expect to see a huge advertising campaign soon, if not already going.

I'm unsure how the huge investment in this completely new range will affect other brands under the Hornby Hobbies Label. Hopefully, we will still be seeing some nice, 'Must Have' kits in the January releases notice.

[Ratch]

Hornby have made a conscious decision to only sell this range on line. They feel they can offer this rage at reduced pricing compared to what bricks and mortar shops would charge, and by selling this range exclusively on line they are not undercutting those shops. In this way, the modeller gets the best deal and Hornby can establish the range through enhanced sales.
The scale question will always be contentious. This seems more akin to opting for P4 as opposed to HO/00.

[iggie]

It seems that some are disputing the scale if this new range at the same time acknowledging the existence of a scale referred to as HO/OO
The decision to sell exclusively online is brave, but as Ratch points out it will enable Hornby to retain all the proceeds, albeit with all the logistic costs, advertising etc so not perhaps as profitable as might be expected...
In an era of increasingly small housing/living space I can see this being attractive for those looking for a traditional train set but who might not have space for the more common HO/OO sets and who don't want the relative complexity and fragility of N gauge.
I am resisting getting back into model railways...

[Chuck E]

It's a brave move for any company. When you think of all the new tools and circuits required just to get this off the ground. I'm very impressed that anyone has the capital for such a huge venture. I agree with all the comments on space saving.

From what I've seen, the quality is excellent, looking even sharper than most older OO Gauge models. I can only wish them well. Hornby have certainly raised the bar. If I was starting from scratch to build a permanent layout, I may well have gone for this scale.

[Kevan Bailey]

I found out about this whole TT120 thing when I was looking at Mallard models on Ye Olde Webbe. I love that locomotive and we don't live very far from Stoke Bank. There was a little beauty in this new range that I knew nothing about, but, in true Hornby style, Available Later. I spent a whole three weeks resisting it then gave in and ordered the Scotsman set on the assumption that it would arrive at the end of January. This was last Wednesday. It arrived at the Bailey Compound on Christmas Eve, Saturday morning, no. 529 out of the initial batch of 828. I got it with a 15% discount for joining the Hornby 120 club, so it was just a smidge under £200. This is actually less than the price of a locomotive and three coaches, never mind the bigged-up track pack and transformer also included. Bargain, honestly.

It's a thing of beauty and a joy forever. I've done trains since I was five, every gauge except TT, and I'm big into G scale at present, but these little Hornby things are beautiful, if a bit fragile. It says Not suitable for under-14s on the box but I'm sure it's a misprint, should be under-41s. They run smoothly over the pointwork, unlike N, and the detail is cracking. I can feel a layout coming on, especially since Brian Taylor's printable OO architectural models are scalable down and not too tricky to assemble if you miss a few bits off.

I'm absolutely certain that the Department of Work and Pensions will be delighted to know that this is what I'm blowing my whatever-it-is a month on.

Season's Greetings to one and all.

Van

[Chuck E]

Good to hear your reply, Kevan. I'm still pondering.

I have some Scalescenes Downloads that can be reduced to TT Scale, so I'm part of the way there.

Additionally, I have a lot of Metcalfe and Superquick card buildings that can be scanned, reduced and printed onto textured paper for overlaying on stout card.

[Kevan Bailey]

Me and you, then, Chuck!

Scalescenes models are great, they seem to come out really well in TT. I've spent the last few days experimenting with various construction methods and the one that seems to work best, for me at any rate, is to print the .pdf onto an A4 label then stick it onto the appropriate thickness of board. 1500 micron seems to be the heaviest you need for this scale.

If anyone feels like having a go at card modelling, both Scalescenes and Smart Models offer very decent freebies in 00 and N.

Incidentally, could anyone recommend a railway modelling forum that matches the wit and wisdom of this one?