Bulleidboy100

S15 and Black 5 being added today.

I've been running a Hornby 9F Evening Star with the HM7000 21pin decoder for a few weeks and it performs very well - with the 9F sound profile. I have a very basic set-up - Hornby Elite hard wired to the bus cable, as my layout is an end-to-end, a lot of my running has taken place on the rolling road - this allows continuous running for an hour or so. I have still to fine tune the loco, but it runs well, the sounds are good, better than TTS, and the various functions are easy to operate. I can switch to DCC and use the Elite by just pushing (well sliding) a button. I have the sound level at about 25 - the slow running is impressive. One aspect I really like, especially with my layout, is the coupling movement, you can set your loco to move back and forth, by less than an inch, which when using undertrack magnets and Kadees is brilliant. I'm not one for playing with CV's , so there is still a steep learning curve with that. Like probably very many, I will not use the App to run trains all the time - I am happy with my Elite (v1.45), but to be able to download sounds and change them, should the need arise is such an easy thing to do. I would add that I use an Apple iphone IOS 16.3.1 I am awaiting the arrival of an 8pin TXS decoder to fit to a Hornby Merchant Navy Class, and download the appropriate sound profile.

The first aircraft I ever flew in - G-AKRS - back in the mid fifties. An open day at Hucknall, Notts. I think my aunt paid ten shillings for each of the family to go for a quick flight over Nottingham.

I have just taken the body off of a late model rebuilt Merchant Navy Class with a similar tender to Colin's West Country Class, and I note the PCB has countersunk holes and is mounted using countersunk screws! May be the assembler just uses whatever screws come to hand? There should be no trouble fitting an 8pin TXS decoder to this loco.

Once Hornby have finished developing the Android connection, I would have thought that most users would be capable of downloading the sounds themselves, without the need for retailer intervention.

As has already been said, the default sound is purely to make a steam sound when your decoder is first assigned to a loco (steam or diesel), You then have to down load the appropriate sound. The HM7000 sounds are superior to TTS - the Britannia chime whistle is superb. Hopefully you will only have to wait a few days before the App is live.

The Hornby speakers are 8 ohms

The list will be available at launch, and is being added to regularly - hopefully not long to wait.

No Class 40 at this time.

No Class 20 at this time - many more to follow in due course.

It's A1/A3. If you wish to load sound into an A1 or A3 you download that profile - do not use the default sound - it is purely for test purposes. This should save everyone complaining that it's not an accurate representation.

A small piece of BlueTac or double-sided tape should suffice.

I gave 92220 Evening Star a run today, and close-coupled the tender - usually done for display purposes. I was pleased to find the loco would run the full length of the layout, without any problems as such - in reverse the part of the rear coupling that hangs down caught on a point frog and stopped the loco dead in its tracks! Kadees will be fitted very soon. I should have added that as of today (21/3/2023) the loco is under full HM7000 control from my iPhone.

Sources say Hornby not happy about it. I read that SK said they had been sent out to "influencers" - what's the point without the App.

Seeing it is not available to buy - where did he get it? He was asked in the comments, but would not say!

I have some of those plastic grids, but removed them, as the heron pulled them out of the way! I currently have green garden mesh, cut roughly to pond shape, which rests on top of the low fencing surrounding the pond and supported by green garden canes. It keeps the heron out - I watched him walk all around the pond looking for a way in - he/she gave up and has not been back for a while. The fencing around the edge is low enough to stop the heron putting its head through, but does allow small birds to fly in and drink. I did as has been suggested above, throw in a small handful of pellets today and they all went. I'm sure the fish have grown over the winter. As I have said before, there are far too many fish in the pond - I only bought six originally - and they keep doing there own thing!!

Good morning. Have any of you started feeding your fish in the outside ponds yet? In my pond (puddle) all of the fish are up at the surface every morning. I have resisted the temptation to throw in a handful of pellets. The weather temperature is now in double figures but I appreciate that can change overnight.

They do look awfully authentic! I'm not buying.

Latest addition to the collection/layout.

According to the Hornby 2023 Catalogue the Deltic DP1 with sound is limited to 500 models, interestingly there is no mention, in the catalogue, of a DCC Ready version. I assume the catalogue is printed some time before the January announcements?

He did appear to be operating the loco from his ipad?

It was 35026 - and is due out(?) in the Spring 2023. It also appeared to be fitted with one of the new, yet to be released decoders.

Interestingly there is an article in the latest The Collector magazine, where Beatties (who bought the Bassett-Lowke shops) ordered from Hornby 3000 yellow (5 plank) wagons with the address of four Beatties shops printed on the wagons. These were to be given away, free, to anyone buying a Hornby train set. The cost £0.15p per wagon. This was in 1973 - are there any still out there??

I am/was a collector before I had a small layout (10' x 7'). I have ordered the "sound" Deltic mainly as I used to see it very regularly in my spotting days (mid/late fifties) when it was operating out of Kings X. Will I run it, probably not - may be to show the grandchildren (just once!). I have a number of models that have not seen the light of day. One of the problems, was that when working, I was a five minute walk from ModelZones flagship shop in Holborn, London. They used to have some tremendous sales - so the cupboard started filling up! Each to their own.

It's on the same page in the Hornby shop as the non-sound version, but no image as yet.