End of an era - Hattons Closing down.....

simond

simond

Western Thunderer
well, a bit maybe - but perhaps a reflection on the way in which traditional distribution chains have evolved - when I was a kid, the local Cadbury's factory in Moreton had railway sidings, and I'm sure a significant proportion of their goods in and out were rail-transported - but by my teens, that had gone, and I'm pretty sure rail service to factories is now limited to heavy industry and cars.

I guess our traditional model shops may go the same way, as "online" is cheaper and simpler for the suppliers - and, as I noted earlier, if the middleman is offering no benefit, the manufacturers can no longer afford him.

Let us hope that the manufacturers on whom we depend are taking @djparkins more positive view on their business!

atb
Simon
 
Compton castle

Compton castle

Western Thunderer
And to add to that, I’ve heard ( not confirmed ) DJH are also closing up shop, whether that’s all or part I don’t know.
Warley club are taking a vote to suspend their annual show at the NEC and Paignton model shop is closing.
Of course some of these are retiring plans ( Paignton ) and the age of the organisers ( Warley ) so not necessarily doom and gloom but it does feel like the hobby is changing which in fairness it usually does.
Retail is different from 20 years ago with online sales being the dominant sector now.
 
Tim Hale

Tim Hale

Western Thunderer
My peculiar interest in continental outline maybe is a precursor to the state of the domestic market. Thirty plus years ago there was just two or three shops that specialised in non-domestic outline, these all closed twenty years ago and sales then moved to mail-order (pre-internet). Currently, there is just one reseller of continental-only outline who has a website and he is not getting any younger. My purchasing has remained with him but otherwise has shifted to eBay (if desperate) but for all new items to MSL or MU in Germany even there the market has changed completely. Where we once lived there was three model railway retailers in the city and almost every smaller town had an outlet, now only Nurnberg 45 kms distant offers one or two dedicated model railway retailers and this in the city that was the birthplace of model railways. There is an impact, choice both in outlets and products has exponentially declined despite the resurgence of one-man industries, possibly due to their transient nature and I can no longer rely on obtaining certain items.

I am not optimistic, there is not an inexhaustible supply of those interested in model railways due both to simple demographics and the shift in manufacturing priorities that no longer cater for everyone.

Tim
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
John K said:
That rumour has ben around for a while.
It is worth noting that DJH are currently having a Sale.
I suggest that if you want a DJH product now is the time to get it.
John K
Click to expand...
I agree. There is as far as l can see no provision on the site for registering an interest in a currently out of stock item. It simply says ‘sold out’. I managed to procure two of the three kits l was after - a Jubilee and an A.2/3 pacific. I slept on the B1 and by yesterday it had gone from their site. I seemed to have got in on the last day they were offering a Loco10 discount code which effectively gave me 35 percent off the current prices. The B1 was less of a problem anyway, as eventually there should be the superior Finney 7 one available.

But as l referred to in a previous post, this is not a sustainable business model if you are intending to carry on, so…

As regards Tim’s post and his lack of optimism - l agree largely, but l was talking about my own business that draws on many other parts of the modelling hobby. Railways are just a small percentage of our sales.

The age profile of jet aircraft modellers as an example, seems to be somewhat lower than for model railways. Tornado or Lightning = cool! I cannot see this changing as long as the focus is so strongly on steam.

So in that sense l do agree - if l were 40 and not 70 and dependant on model railways alone, I’d be worried!

But a large red kite has just flown over low and I’m a happy man. My needs are simple!
 
Roger Pound

Roger Pound

Western Thunderer
djparkins said:
As regards Tim’s post and his lack of optimism - l agree largely, but l was talking about my own business that draws on many other parts of the modelling hobby. Railways are just a small percentage of our sales.

The age profile of jet aircraft modellers as an example, seems to be somewhat lower than for model railways. Tornado or Lightning = cool! I cannot see this changing as long as the focus is so strongly on steam.

So in that sense l do agree - if l were 40 and not 70 and dependant on model railways alone, I’d be worried!
Click to expand...
I agree that the present modelling generation does tend to cling to steam, or steam and early diesel. For myself, I like to reflect, in my own small way, times past and am currently planning a late thirties/early forties DR layout. Having arrived on this planet in that period may have some bearing on the matter - I cannot escape the fact they were my formative years and having reached the ripe old age of well past 86 I reckon I'd better crack on with it. Recent health failings do also tend to give one a sense of urgency.

My point is that I just wonder if the current and upcoming generation of railway modellers will also tend to base their modelling on the more distant past? I am sure, generally speaking, that jet aircraft modellers are not just building models of current aircraft. Having watched one leading kit manufacturer's '1924 releases' show on you-tube, the content was very biased towards WW2 models with modest numbers of items for both prior and more recent times to the WW2 period.

Mr Parkins does appear to have weighed the market up under the present circumstances and diversity of products is strongly likely to remain a rewarding venture. There does seem to be a strong foreboding of a further steady downturn in the railway hobby as manufacturers find more long term and profitable paths, which will see the closure of retail outlets for want of material to market. The Hatton's closure could just be another step along the way.

Roger
 
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djparkins

Western Thunderer
Roger Pound said:
I agree that the present modelling generation does tend to cling to steam, or steam and early diesel. For myself, I like to reflect, in my own small way, times past and am currently planning a late thirties/early forties DR layout. Having arrived on this planet in that period may have some bearing on the matter - I cannot escape the fact they were my formative years and having reached the ripe old age of well past 86 I reckon I'd better crack on with it. Recent health failings do also tend to give one a sense of urgency.

My point is that I just wonder if the current and upcoming generation of railway modellers will also tend to base their modelling on the more distant past? I am sure, generally speaking, that jet aircraft modellers are not just building models of current aircraft. Having watched one leading kit manufacturer's '1924 releases' show on you-tube, the content was very biased towards WW2 models with modest numbers of items for both prior and more recent times to the WW2 period.

Mr Parker does appear to have weighed the market up under the present circumstances and diversity of products is strongly likely to remain a rewarding venture. There does seem to be a strong foreboding of a further steady downturn in the railway hobby as manufacturers find more long term and profitable paths, which will see the closure of retail outlets for want of material to market. The Hatton's closure could just be another step along the way.

Roger
Click to expand...
Sorry, I’m confused. Who is Mr Parker - could you tell me which number post you are referring to? I cannot see it.
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
djparkins said:
The age profile of jet aircraft modellers as an example, seems to be somewhat lower than for model railways. Tornado or Lightning = cool!
Click to expand...
Interesting. So they presumably model 1960s - same as many railway modellers who "cling" to steam. I find an increasing number of railway modellers go for the era 150 and more years ago and I guess aircraft modellers can't do that!

Mike
 
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
I was born in the 70's but like BR in the 50's. Lots of variety it seems in terms of steam and diesel. But I also like the fact that I can have black panniers, prairies, N5's, J50's 08's without stripes and the like. No pesky lining or wasp stripes to worry about. Keep it simple.
Tony
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
Mike W said:
Interesting. So they presumably model 1960s - same as many railway modellers who "cling" to steam. I find an increasing number of railway modellers go for the era 150 and more years ago and I guess aircraft modellers can't do that!

Mike
Click to expand...
There is another Lightning! The Lightning ll - and even the original lightings went on to 1988
 
WM183

WM183

Western Thunderer
I have decided to model pre-WWI in both US and British outline. It's a good thing I like scratchbuilding!

In spite of the doom and gloom, RTR manufacturers like Dapol sure seem to be doing well, and model trains seem well supported in N, HO/oo, and the various 0 scales. I'm pretty optimistic.
 
oldravendale

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Roger Pound said:
I agree that the present modelling generation does tend to cling to steam, or steam and early diesel. For myself, I like to reflect, in my own small way, times past and am currently planning a late thirties/early forties DR layout. Having arrived on this planet in that period may have some bearing on the matter - I cannot escape the fact they were my formative years and having reached the ripe old age of well past 86 I reckon I'd better crack on with it. Recent health failings do also tend to give one a sense of urgency.

My point is that I just wonder if the current and upcoming generation of railway modellers will also tend to base their modelling on the more distant past? I am sure, generally speaking, that jet aircraft modellers are not just building models of current aircraft. Having watched one leading kit manufacturer's '1924 releases' show on you-tube, the content was very biased towards WW2 models with modest numbers of items for both prior and more recent times to the WW2 period.

Mr Parker does appear to have weighed the market up under the present circumstances and diversity of products is strongly likely to remain a rewarding venture. There does seem to be a strong foreboding of a further steady downturn in the railway hobby as manufacturers find more long term and profitable paths, which will see the closure of retail outlets for want of material to market. The Hatton's closure could just be another step along the way.

Roger
Click to expand...
It is nonetheless true that we had nothing like the distractions of todays youth. We were brought up on Airfix kits and started to learn our skills with them. Then, when we were at secondary school most had a metalwork and woodwork shop and probably taught technical drawing and home economics too. Even my grammar school had workshops. It's a rare and enlightened school nowadays that has any practical teaching which is, I suggest, why skilled bricklayers and plumbers are in such high demand.

It seems to me that on line games and chat lines are the most absorbing for the kids of today and sadly most of them (unless they have a father/grandfather so inclined) have never realised the satisfaction of making something with their own hands. They won't be the modellers of the future as we know model making but they may well develop an interest in the electronics and technical aspects and that may be the way we should propose to new entrants to the hobby. This is, of course, type casting and in todays world that is far from acceptable but we may need to propose new ways of modelling to future participants.

Brian
 
robertm

robertm

Active Member
djparkins said:
There is another Lightning! The Lightning ll - and even the original lightings went on to 1988
Click to expand...
Pedant cap on now but there is also the Heinkel He70 Blitz(Lightning) and Lockheed’s superb P38 predating English Electric’s masterpiece. I was pencilled in for the latter but ended up on the Canberra, perhaps why I am here to write this.
Bob
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
oldravendale said:
It is nonetheless true that we had nothing like the distractions of todays youth. We were brought up on Airfix kits and started to learn our skills with them. Then, when we were at secondary school most had a metalwork and woodwork shop and probably taught technical drawing and home economics too. Even my grammar school had workshops. It's a rare and enlightened school nowadays that has any practical teaching which is, I suggest, why skilled bricklayers and plumbers are in such high demand.

It seems to me that on line games and chat lines are the most absorbing for the kids of today and sadly most of them (unless they have a father/grandfather so inclined) have never realised the satisfaction of making something with their own hands. They won't be the modellers of the future as we know model making but they may well develop an interest in the electronics and technical aspects and that may be the way we should propose to new entrants to the hobby. This is, of course, type casting and in todays world that is far from acceptable but we may need to propose new ways of modelling to future participants.

Brian
Click to expand...
Or maybe the world just changes. My two stepsons who are both now in their 40s had models around them for all of their formative years. No interest whatsoever in trains. Some in aircraft. One tried his hand at an F-104 Starfighter kit and gave up after an hour!

But he loved gaming and (still does at 44) and has played on line and beaten several noted Japanese players. So l guess l was every bit as proud of him for that!
 
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76043

76043

Western Thunderer
I think they'll always be "makers", for those if us that make and for those that will come along after us, making something will continue. Maybe it's what we might call being a human, the desire to make something.
Tony
 
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