My return to UK modelling scene a few years back was inspired by the popular belief that the hobby over here was about to emerge from the dark ages. It was widely reported that various manufacturers had plans for a better breed of product, so I figured that it was going to be worth a look and bought samples of the Bachmann N Class Mogul and their re-vamped Warship. Encouraged by the much improved running qualities of these compared to the pancake-motored toys of yesteryear, I was further tempted by announcements of future products and took the plunge. Unfortunately my optimism has since proved to be somewhat unfounded.
Bachmann's diesel locomotives have incorporated more and more basic errors with each successive release and, despite having a useful chassis, aren't a lot of good if you want a replica of the prototype rather than a basic toy. Their latest round of releases seems to be consistent with their position in the US market, so I think I can safely assume that's the niche they intend to occupy. Unfortunately, while the US has a goodly number of other manufacturers catering for the adult market, the UK consumer has no such choice. So far Heljan have stepped into the breach with the flawed but encouraging Class 47 and the markedly better Hymek. Hornby have also recently made their debut with the Class 50, again an encouraging first step but still lagging behind 6 year old US products from the same factory. A couple of nice products, but a Hymek and a Hoover doesn't really provide the basis on which I can build a layout, and as neither company has been particularly prolific as yet I don't think holding my breath is a wise course...
I've played around with various spreadsheets over the last few years, in order to try and get a realistic handle on what I can achieve in the next 10 years or so. I've put various projects into categories, from "1 modelling evening" (couplings, decoder & misc tweeks, but essentially RTR) right through to the other end of the scale where you're virtually rebuilding a product of unmerchandable quality from the ground up, 1980s style. My problem is that I assumed far too much would fall into that new-wave-out-of-the-box category that I hallucinated, and as it has become apparent that most stuff needs the same body rebuilds that the old stuff did (although you do get a working chassis thrown in) the timescales have slipped by about 20 years and that's without even factoring in building the layout itself - the bit I'm really interested in.
So I'm returning to American modelling, where products are both cheaper and vastly superior to the current crop of UK releases. I'm convinced that quality UK products will come, if only because the terminally stupid defeatists bleating on about accepting whatever you're given represent the static, existing market. A manufacturer looking for increased sales will obviously have to look beyond this to the lucrative and more discerning sector that currently throws money at American and European concerns. Unfortunately I've got a layout to build now, not in 5 years time, so American it is. I'll be doing substantial alterations over the Christmas period - unsolicited e-mails seeking to buy my UK stock will be deleted!