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

Eastsidepilot

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
The influences behind any ones modelling interests is an interesting one, I put mine down to my Father who was mainly aero modeller and I must have been influenced by that which was mainly WW2 aircraft. The railway side of things came a little later but basically from the same era.
So what influences todays youngsters that do take up model making I'd be interested to know ?
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
76043 said:
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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Yes. From early man carving miniature versions of the animals he saw and hunted to old sailors making ships in bottles. I’m sure the desire to make miniature this and thats has always been strong in some of us.
 
G

Genghis

Western Thunderer
I too have heard that the DJH model loco business is up for sale and ranges are not being restocked when sold out. Given the very large castings that the loco kits use, I don't think this is something that could be taken on by most of the current suppliers.

Get them while you can.

Today's Telegraph has an article about the death of models railways as a hobby. It refers to the loss of the Warley show and closure of Hattons as evidence in support.

David
 
John Ross

John Ross

Western Thunderer
Genghis said:
I too have heard that the DJH model loco business is up for sale and ranges are not being restocked when sold out. Given the very large castings that the loco kits use, I don't think this is something that could be taken on by most of the current suppliers.

Get them while you can.

Today's Telegraph has an article about the death of models railways as a hobby. It refers to the loss of the Warley show and closure of Hattons as evidence in support.

David
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With all that is going on in the world, surprised that the Telegraph is attempting to make a story out of these two events. Perhaps they should send a reporter up to Glasgow for the three day ModelRail Scotland show in February. Our hobby not dead, just undergoing a few minor changes.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Not only demographic changes. Scroll back to say 2010.

Since then the forums on which we discuss our hobby have become commonplace, (Facebook dates from 2006)
CNC laser was in its infancy, certainly not metal, and definitely not at home
Home workshop CNC machining was possible, but hyper expensive.
3D printing was high tech pro only,
RTR 0 gauge was only old Lima and Big Big.
Templot was only 30 years old.

we’ve come a very long way, mainly through the all-pervasive use of computers, and China making stuff cheap.
 
F

Fitzroy

Active Member
I think the UK was a little slow in picking up some of those technology areas, possibly due to a different light industry demographic and market pull (and much lower takeup of internet than other places). On the other hand brass etching was way more prevalent than in other places. Lasercutting in metal here in Australia was around since the early eighties, jaggy and not unlike plasma cutting now, but I found it got good enough to cut 7mm scale thin steel parts from the mid nineties onwards. Likewise home CNC conversions via Sherline have been viable from the early 2000's. Good 3D printing has hit everywhere at once I think at the same time and impact. I'm still waiting for good cheap metal cutting laser on a home desktop machine- how long will that be????
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
adrian said:
Luckily BAE Systems still operated one from Warton up to 1989/90 as a chase aircraft so I managed to witness a few flights when I started work there in 1989
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Yes indeed - 3 at one point. I remember sitting along the viewing area at RAF Brawdy late one Friday Afternoon and seeing something arriving quite fast and thinking 'it cannot be!' It was one of the Lightnings from Warton doing a high speed low pass along the runway. About an hour earlier a Sea Vixen from Llanbedr had done the same!
 
D

djparkins

Western Thunderer
John Ross said:
With all that is going on in the world, surprised that the Telegraph is attempting to make a story out of these two events. Perhaps they should send a reporter up to Glasgow for the three day ModelRail Scotland show in February. Our hobby not dead, just undergoing a few minor changes.
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I recall as a kid [possibly 1964], my father coming home with an Airfix - not Scalectric - Racing Car Set one afternoon and telling me he'd heard this was the future, and model railways were dead! We set it up and had some fun. I had the green Vanwall, and he the yellow Porsche and he beat me every time. Then it was in the papers about how this would take over from model railways.

Well that didn't happen! And many have been the predictions since about the end of model railways as a Hobby. It just changes. Interesting too that Airfix have long ceased making racing car sets but are now the jewel in the crown of the Hornby empire!

As regards Genghis's post about DJH - I fully agree. Any future owner would surely have to convert the running plates to etch, and go to resin for the boiler, smoke & fire boxes. But I suspect the asking price for the range would be far too high to be a viable proposition for anyone interested in taking it on.
 
Roger Pound

Roger Pound

Western Thunderer
Many years ago, I took my ATC Detached Flight to an Annual Camp at RAF Leconfield. It was when 60MU were looking after Lightnings at that unit, and I had whilst there the privilege of being shown round these amazing aircraft in various states of overhaul and refurbishment. Very educational and a real experience!

Roger
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
There was a 12” to the foot scale kit of one at a museum at the airfield at Newquay / RAF St Mawgan

If it’s still going, it’s worth a visit, they’ve got a Harrier too, which you were allowed to get in.
You don’t so much “get in” as “put it on” a bit like an old leather jacket. It’s snug.

Bloodhound was there, I think they’ve moved it now, but I lost track of what they’re doing with that.
 
Stoke5D

Stoke5D

Western Thunderer
Genghis said:
I
Today's Telegraph has an article about the death of models railways as a hobby. It refers to the loss of the Warley show and closure of Hattons as evidence in support.

David
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I read that article but it's just another version of "reports of the death of the model railway hobby are greatly exaggerated" to paraphrase. As someone who has come back to the hobby after thirty plus years, I'm amazed at the quality and range of what is available in 7mm, RTR as well as Kits of course. It's a golden age IMHO.

Andrew
 
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76043

76043

Western Thunderer
I agree, a journo's obviously been told to go out and find a story about something that will make the readers think the handcart is on its way to hell, to cheer up the readership that they are correct, it is on it's way. Shoddy work as usual.

The Telegraph URL for this article includes the following: :text=The company is being wound,demographics and supply chain disruption

So anyone searching for doom and gloom on the telegraph website will be happily directed to this article.
Tony
 
Jordan

Jordan

Mid-Western Thunderer
Stoke5D said:
just another version of "reports of the death of the model railway hobby are greatly exaggerated" to paraphrase.
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As far as I can tell, the imminent death of model railways has been confidently predicted since before I was born (1967) :rolleyes:

Maybe there's been quite a long period of relative stability in the hobby in the last 3 decades, despite the attrition of local model shops? So the closure of Hattons is a shock to many, but it's not the first time a prominent box-shifter has closed, is it - back when I was starting in the hobby one of the biggest advertisers in RM was Railmail of Watford. The 'Big' exhibition was at Central Hall in London (I never went there). Both now long gone, but the hobby continues....
 
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