Bangkok,  8th of August 2011

We do apologise for not keeping in touch with you but then there was little news to report. We have been very busy this year drastically reorganizing our production facilities.

We have been very busy this year drastically reorganizing our production facilities.

We have opened up in Taiwan a new production facility where the Castles are being produced as a trial run. Taiwan has cut out a niche for itself as being a technologically sophisticated environment where modern manufacturing processes ensure a better product and greater efficiency of production thereby cutting production costs. 
But above all the Taiwanese have developed a culture that is quality conscious, our prime concern. Of course Taiwan as a manufacturing base is much more expensive than Thailand or China but as we no longer have to support an expensive sales organisation the savings are passed on to the customer as is our custom.

We hope to move into new premises in January 2012. Built in 1905 in  the “Dutch Colonial Style” and still with its original metre gauge railway with some old steam locos surviving as garden ornaments - a fitting environment for vintage-style model train production!

Some of you have asked me what is new and why we do not come up with announcements of new products more often.

At the risk of being considered a little bit staid and out of date we prefer to promote only what we are sure of producing.

First the big Vans announcement :Mr Rob Horton of  Wessex Transfers and myself for Vintage Trains have entered into a joint-venture to manufacture vans together. The designs will be by Rob Horton whose late father Les Horton is well know to all. Les had at the time made many more designs for prototypical vans that will now see the light of day as well as his Hornby style Advans with real gold colour back ground tin printing as it used to be.

The van bodies will be the same as those previously made by us in series A with superb artwork by Ian Coleman (who is now designing wagons with a different wheelbase). The roof will have a variation in that the more modern vans will have a smooth roof instead of a planked one.

The materials will be shipped to Tasmania, Australia where Rob will do the tin printing and the assembly will be undertaken by members of the HRCAA
.As the print runs can be very  small, the number of different vans can be very large so there is enormous scope  for a wide range which will be issued in six to twelve designs every couple of months and will be produced in series as follows but not necessarily in this order :

In the last few days some of you have expressed a thirst for beer wagons and I am sure Rob will be most willing to comply..As usual our vans will be top of the range in quality, running properties and finish.

The range will be sold as singles rather than sets and released through Darstaed distributors or direct from Wessex Transfers in Tasmania at :
http://www.wessextransfers.com

The UK price is £39 per van which is £6 cheaper than the Darstaed series A Advans as the tooling is now amortised, so the savings will benefit the customer.
These prices are very keen indeed as the product is made in Australia which is manifoldly more expensive than China.Wessex Transfers and Vintage Trains are striving to offer the best and most affordable rolling stock ever made.

We will keep you updated on deliveries.

262 - batch 2 has started and the next week’s delivery will be NE wartime, LT, MET, NZR and LSWR followed by MR, LMS maroon, LNER green, GCR green, then SDJR and GER and finally SECR. A French version is being considered. We will keep the 262s on the menu for considerable time to come and when there are enough orders for a new batch we will produce them.

NC coaches will be completed with BR (S) Green and LMS period II (non-clerestory) and probably MR. Like the 262s we will keep them in our range for as long as possible; they will be produced in batches according to demand.

Jinty production is under way now.  There will be 25 different liveries on offer and we are still figuring out the livery of the 8 that went to France in WWII.

The 25 liveries can be viewed here

There will be a special offer valid until October 31st for black liveries only  (Numbers 6,8,10,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21 and 22). The retail price for black unlined will be £250 and lined £265.

For orders received from November 1st the prices will be resp. £265 and £280. The coloured ones will only be offered at a very reasonable £ 295, available AFTER X-Mas.

Tornado the tooling for the Tornado will be finished soon and will be the first project made in our new factory premises  in Taiwan. This too will be after X-Mas

More details to follow in due course.

Our website will be updated shortly.
Enjoy your trains !

Andries Grabowsky
Darstaed,
Vintage Trains

For any further enquiries please contact one of our advertised distributors or me at : info@darstaed.com