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Was the Hornby 3.5 inch live steam Rocket any good ?


brian777999
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Was the Hornby 3.5 inch live steam Rocket loco any good ? I had a second hand one many years ago but I could never get it to work properly. I suspect that there was some damage there somewhere. Does anybody regularly steam one on their garden layout ?

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There  were  problems  from  the  beginning, poor  running  qualities  etc  lack of  sufficient steam ,  controllability, etc.

 

The problem   was  it  was  produced down to a  price       I cant  remember  what the original price  was,  but a  reasonable 16mm/foot  live steam gas  fired  loco running  on  32mm or 45mm gauge  track would have  cost  around 4 times  more!

 

The other big snag  was the 3.5" track  gauge which  made  the  Rocket  more or less  a  stand  alone  product,  apart  from  the  coaches, there  was  nothing else reasonably available.

 

At the  time  of  the  Rockets  availability  I bought  quite  a  few  live  steam  locos, but never  considered  a  Rocket!!

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  • 2 years later...

There are devotees with lots of them and the coaches.

 

A few suppliers made replacement gas tanks.

 

The loco was geared 4:1 I think so the limited power was increased by the engine running at a higher speed than its leisurely progress might indicate.

 

Whilst it ran on 3.5" track (Gauge 4) it would be feasible to create a metal and wood running line using available track chairs and rail from ME suppliers, and cutting your own sleepers from decent hardwood.

 

It could have been a much better model but like OO live steam it did not really have the support or the interest to make it a valid and viable model.

 

Leaving those early adopters that bought into either system left with an expensive white elephant.

 

Shame really if the Rocket had been accompanied by other models of Rainhill Trials competitors it might have had a better representation.

 

Produced during the chaos of Hornby's financial crisis it was never going to get the extra development needed.

 

Shame really as it would have kick started a number of Garden railways just as the Big-Big system did in the late 60s.

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One of the members (I forget who) of the Somerset 0 Gauge Group brought one to a Sunday running session many years ago. I think it ran for all of 10 feet and then spent the rest of the afternoon being fruitlessly dismantled and fettled.

 

I always thought the gearing (in the wheel hubs IIRC) looked rather clever.

 

I believe that one of the problems involved the insulation between the small real boiler and large cosmetic boiler. Said insulation would get wet from careless boiler filling and would then soak up all the available heat from the burner, resulting in little or no steam.

 

It was an interesting venture but, as noted above, even if it ran OK there wasn't much you could actually do with it in the absence of any other equipment. Didn't Hornby eventually offer a Y-point so you could at least have more of a layout than just a circle or oval? Or is my memory playing tricks.

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I've have one it can be very fickle, very much like the manmod traction engines, it's not best outside so tends to be put down on the garage floor. I rarely use it now, but do for grandchildren visits get it out from time to time, I because of lack of time prefer the manmod as you don't need track.

 

One thing I notice if you use it from cold it works ok, but re use it from hot it can be a real pain

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A replacement gas tank is a must now as the plastic ones can fail setting fire to the tender which is hard to replace ;)

I had a steam one but the cranks whizzing round too fast for the wheels and short runtime meant I settled on a beat up static one I restored for display instead. I did consider motorising it but then I'd want a layout for it ;)

Edited by PaulRhB
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I had the 31/2 inch version, but PX it ages ago after I had a fire around the gas canister mentioned above.

 

I still have the OO Triang one, with carriages in its original box. Not run for years

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It was a bit gutless. I managed to run mine on a circle of track in a car port, but I doubt it would have handled the coaches as well. Pity, as the coaches were some of the best models Hornby have even made.

 

A Y-point was available and I'm sure that someone now makes a suitable cauldron wagon as a kit. 

 

Barmy product, but I'm glad they made it.

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A Y-point was available and I'm sure that someone now makes a suitable cauldron wagon as a kit. 

 

 

It's Modeltown who make the wagon kit. I don't have any first hand experience of the wagon kit but the have purchased some of their building kits which have been excellent quality

 

http://www.modeltown.co.uk/shopping/site/Product/coal-wagon-3-5-gauge-hcw-1452684

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A  Rocket  still exist  jus  a  few  doors  from  me  the  owner  is   an ex BR E engine  driver,  who  is  now  mainly  into 0 gauge in  his  lounge  ( lucky  man!)

 

His  Rocket  has  had  every  available  modification part   which was  available fitted , which  has  made  it able  to  perform on  an  oval of  track outdoors   but  the  performance  is  not  great.

 

It  goes  to  show  though  if   live  steam  is  seriously  desired  then  it   costs  there  is  really no getting  away  from  that  fact,  I  'did'  Garden Railwaying  from the   mid 70s  until  around 2014,  during  which  time  I   owned  around  12 live  steam  locos,  all were  expensive,  all but  2  were  excellent  performers  the  2  which  were  poor  came  from  manufacturers  who ceased  trading  years  ago,  the  other  manufacturers  still trade  to  this  day.

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I because of lack of time prefer the manmod as you don't need track.

I had a mamod (Google "manmod" and you get some 'interesting' results!  :O) as a kid. Could be fickle, as you say, but great fun when it worked.  :senile:

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  • 2 years later...

I bought a static one from the Signal Box at Orpington High Street more than 30 years ago (the shop closed many years ago!). I had plans to either make a bigger boiler or adapt an old Mamod boiler and use a meths burner or fit an electric motor. The gears were fitted to the driving wheels just like the working ones and it would need copper tubes going from the boiler to the cylinders. It currently resides in the loft. One day I must dig it out and have another go!

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