A Roundup of our First Year in a Small World
A Roundup of our First Year in a Small World
Welcome to a special edition of Train Terminal, where we review our first year of Hornby TT:120. Let's delve into the history of our version of the internationally recognised ‘TT’ scale as we roll down the track towards our first anniversary.
On 10 October 2022, we launched our version of a tabletop (‘TT’) gauge using the international scale of 1:120 and a new range of products to match. Nothing like this had happened at Hornby for over 50 years.
The new range announcement took place at midday following a series of hints that something ‘big’ was happening. The news broke with an impressive launch video and the first TT Talk podcast featuring Simon Kohler (Introducing Hornby TT:120! - YouTube). In this video, he explained the rationale for the new Hornby TT:120 scale and gave a flavour of what was to come.
The 'TT' roll out
There were four phases to the launch of the Hornby TT:120 range. Phases one and two included The Scotsman and The Easterner train sets. There were individual steam locomotives like the Class A4 ‘Flying Scotsman’ and a Class 08 diesel shunter. And a selection of rolling stock, including BR Mk1 coaches, Pullman cars, and seven plank wagons.
Phases three and four included individual steam locomotives such as the Class 9F ‘Evening Star’ and Castle Class ‘Tintagel Castle’ and diesel-electric locomotives such as the Class 60 ‘Boar of Badenoch’. The rolling stock selection featured LNER Gresley, GWR and BR Collet coaches, and a BR VGA Van.
But first, let’s rewind to the beginning of the development process. It all started with Simon Kohler, our former marketing and product development director, and a gap in the UK model railway market for a ‘TT’ scale that would suit smaller homes. We welcomed a new CEO in 2017 who understood Simon's vision, and development began. Hornby TT:120 was launched five years later to much excitement.
Understandably, there was a lot of buzz around the new range. Model railway enthusiasts wanted to get their hands on the products as soon as possible. The Easterner Train Set and The Scotsman Train Sets were the first releases in 2022 and arrived just in time for a fun-filled Christmas. Both sets contained a starter oval of track and a siding and could be expanded with track extension packs. A special feature of The Scotsman Train Set was working lights in the rake of coaches for a realistic effect. These train sets were an excellent introduction to the tabletop world and allowed beginners to experiment with their layouts.
We then created a selection of tracks and buildings so enthusiasts could enhance their layouts. The buildings were inspired by the picturesque Settle to Carlisle line, with Settle & Carlisle Dent Station and Settle & Carlisle Signal Box. We pre-formed and decorated each building so customers could save time waiting for glue to dry while constructing their layouts.
The highly anticipated Class A1 ‘Flying Scotsman’ was one of the first solo locomotive models to arrive in the country. This was soon followed by the Class A3 ‘Night Hawk’, Class A4 ‘Mallard’, Class A4 ‘Silver King’, and the Class A4 ‘Falcon’.
The 12T Tank Wagons and Brake Vans arrived in spring, giving people more choice of rolling stock. Our wagons emulated the prototypical wagons that would most commonly haul hazardous liquid chemicals, as it was the main way of transporting these during the early years of Britain’s railways. Our brake vans are the perfect end wagon for your rolling stock, replicating the prototypical brake van that was used for slowing and stopping the train.
Next, we released track packs and the extremely popular Class 08 models. To our delight, people started to send us images of their layouts and dioramas.
We created Hornby TT:120 bundles to provide enthusiasts with everything they'd need to get started or for those unable to reserve temporarily out-of-stock sets. For example, The ‘Silver King’ Bundle BUNDLEH21 TT:120 Layout Project 1 (hornby.com) is comprised of the Class A4 ‘Silver King’ locomotive model, a Pullman kitchen coach, two Mk1 coaches, an oval of track and a siding.
Our next releases were the sound-fitted (TXS) models of the Class A1 and Class A3 locomotives, including the ‘Flying Scotsman’, ‘Night Hawk’ and ‘Trigo’. We pre-fitted each model with an HM7000 decoder to streamline control, enhance operation, and offer a bank of realistic sounds and effects controlled via an app using Bluetooth® technology. This gave customers more control over layouts, and we added new features to match.
A moment for reflection
As we approach our first anniversary, it is time to reflect on an eventful year. Our venture into detailed models in a ‘TT’ format has been a success. Enthusiasts have clamoured for a ‘TT’ scale ever since the Tri-ang Railways ‘TT’ range ceased production. We met this demand with a sizeable selection of locomotives, rolling stock, tracks, buildings, and accessories, and we've got a lot more to come. We believe Hornby TT:120 will become a mainstream UK-based gauge and continue to provide joy as model railway fans create miniature worlds and dioramas on their layouts.
Our Brand Manager, Sarah Goodman, explains the success of our range: “Being part of the launch of Hornby TT:120 has been a huge privilege. Simon and the Development Team had been working in secret on Hornby TT:120, and to be involved in the launch and announcement of the range was exciting.
"Following the launch, the feedback we received from reviews, letters, emails, and forums was very positive. As you can imagine, it took a lot of time, effort, and resources to bring a new range to the public, so receiving praise from people expressing sheer joy at having a layout that can fit into smaller spaces and be easily stored, is very much appreciated by all the team.
"The future of Hornby TT:120 is bright, and demand for the range is huge. Here’s to the next year!”
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Happy Modelling!
The Train Terminal Team
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