Rhydgaled

I'm (still) new to respraying models, years after stripping the paint off my first loco body shell (if I recall correctly a combination of IPA (which worked wonders on the decals but wouldn't shift the paint) and Phoenix Superstrip (not really much better but somehow I did get rid of the paint eventually, but I'm not sure if the body may be slightly warped now)). Grey primer applied outdoors using a rattle can, and that has how the bodyshell has stayed because the colours for the top coat only seem to be available in enamel with warnings about lead-based paint on the side of the tin. By the way this is a Hornby Railroad HST powercar (was in BR blue & grey and target livery is GWT green and ivory). Since I'm stalled on the HST, I've been trying to practice airbrushing on a Peco/Parkside wagon kit and the interior moulding from some cheap pre-owned coaches. Having some trouble with the airbrush (probably just down to my inexperience) on these so probably a good thing I've not been able to try the HST powercar.

So, have the running issues with the PWMs been repeated with the class 11s; or are these latest models good, reliable, runners?

I think they only have done one run (just a single running number) of the later Regional Railways livery too, and that used the original tooling with all the windows in one car blacked out to hide the motor. Would like to see one with a retooled chassis to hide the motor under the floor, allowing a full interior in both cars and all the windows to be clear glazing, but fear it should have been done a good few years ago - a retooling now is likely to be unaffordable.

The orange ones had Heart Of Wales line branding. I'm not 100% sure but I think the red, black and orange units actually existed before Wessex Trains (ie. those are 'Wales & West' liveries rather than 'Wessex Trains') although I've never actually seen either TOC name actually written on the units. The only TOC logo I can remember noticing on any of them is the Arriva one that ATW put on the orange units they inherited. Again I'm not sure, but I think there were only two of the blue units (one with St Ives Bay branding as you say, but the other branded 'Looe Valley Explorer') and these were actually done by Wessex Trains.

Err; Britain has quite a few 125mph capable locos actually (although none which are available for starting a new long-term operation) and only one of them (89001) is Co-Co. The 91s and 43s are of course Bo-Bo machines.

Not sure if this is a recent update or has been there for a while but Hornby now seem to have photos of actual models (rather than just side-on Photoshop graphics) on their website for both the EWS 'business train' train pack (with 67) and coach pack. Can those who are familiar with these things please let me know whether the coaches are the ones with fictional solebars (mark 2e?) or the more-accurate models (mark 2d/2f?)?

Chunky they may be but only the coach with the motor has short axles. The two unpowered coaches have longer axles with a point at the end which pokes into the bogie frame almost like on a normal Hornby coach. I say almost because on the Railroad Plus 110 the bogie frame actually has a slot in it so there is less/no need to push the bogie frames out sideways to remove the axle (can't remember the exact arrangement). I think all the wheels are metal though on all three coaches (the one I have is the green 3-car set) and they tend to derail in the same place on my temporary layout that the old Hornby Collett bow-enders (the ones that are now in the Railroad range though mine are all pre-Railroad) did when fitted with new Hornby metal wheels (but the older plastic wheels on those coaches seem fine so I suspect it is the track at fault). The motor on mine made an odd noise occasionally when running it on the track, but only in one direction. I later tried to get the body off to see if the motor needed some lubricant but couldn't get it off and couldn't reproduce the noise on my workbench so have given up for now. Isn't there something about printing details as well? Eg. no data panels, electrification warning flashes etc. on a Railroad model (and the Railroad version of Flying Scotsman in LNER green which looked very wrong to me with the lettering done in one colour without the signature drop shadows etc.). My Railroad Plus 110 has electrification warning flashes, C1 painted on the inner end of vehicles, no smoking and first stickers on the glazing etc. Don't Railroad coaches normally also have plastic wheels? Pretty sure my 110 has metal ones throughout. Only the motor car has pickups of course, since the trailers are only coupled with a tension lock. But yes, all eight wheels on the motor car seem to have pickups even though two of those wheels have traction tyres.

I've just dug up the original announcement of the order book opening for the 4mm models (https://revolutiontrains.com/class-175-and-180-in-oo-4mm-available-to-pre-order-now/) to confirm my recollection and I think I was right. Ie. they didn't have an EOI For 2mm but sales of the FNW livery weren't as good as expected so they thought they would check interest in OO with an EOI before committing to production.

If I recall correctly the class 166 and 165 units also have slightly wider bodies than most other 23m vehicles. Something to do with the Thames valley routes BR built them for having a slightly more generous loading gauge (ex-broad gauge perhaps?)

Hornby have done a ROG Railroad plus 47 in a similar livery also (R30046, loco number 47 812) as well as the Wales & West / Wessex Devon & Cornwall class 153 (with a colour photo on the side) the Model Rail exclusive Battle Of Britain 91 110 (sadly this was the old tooling and they have apparently botched the livery on the new tool versions of 91 110 and 91 111). The only one of those models I've seen in the flesh is the 153 (I own one and think the livery application is great) - I was considering 47 812 but decided to get a Dapol DRS class 68 body instead which has a similarly complex livery.

Are these DEFINITELY the diagrams represented by the relevant models; because I think I have seen the Bachmann one referred to with two diagram numbers separated by a slash (eg. A38/A43 although I cannot remember the exact numbers given) before now and the Hornby/Airfix one I think I've seen variously described as an A30, A27 and A28? With the Hornby one, is it the case that the model is of one of those types but the low-fi nature of the model (lack of flush glazing) makes it look similar to a different diagram? If I understand correctly, none of the above releases feature the late 1940s GREAT <> WESTERN chocolate & cream livery. Is this something that is likely to appear in future runs or did the diagram N trailers never carry this livery? Ah yes, I stand corrected. It's hard to see with the wheels being somewhat blackened, but I see it now - the tyre does indeed seem to be there. Has it actually been retooled twice this century? I described this model as Hornby's latest 14xx, but have no idea whether this is a modified tooling compared to their last run or whether it is simply another production run - possibly in a livery they haven't done so far since the tooling was last tweaked. I think the description says the couplings are in "non-NEM pockets" - since things like the Limby HST have had NEM pockets added when Hornby have tweaked the tooling recently it sounds like the 14xx hasn't even had a minor tooling update for a while. I'm not bothered by things like moulded handrails - I prefer not paying more for something more fragile that I'm more likely to break - so am quite partial to the better Railroad models (like the Limby HST) but I do want reliable running. Traction tyres on an 0-4-2 sounds like a recipe for poor running, so I'm out as far as the Hornby 14xx is concerned. Shame as the closest thing I have to a loco which was auto-fitted in reality is probably my Bachmann 45xx (number 4557, so not part of the 4575 subclass that contained a few auto-fitted examples, but was there any difference beyond the larger water tanks?)

Hornby now have photos of their latest 14xx on the website https://uk.Hornby.com/products/railroad-plus-gwr-14xx-0-4-2-1401-era-3-r30319 - I'm not sure but as far as I can tell there are no traction tyres so that's another thing Hornby may have changed. Can anyone confirm this (I guess it's too early to also ask whether it's now a decent runner although the shade of green looks a little on the desaturated/olive side)?

As an analogue user (OO gauge) I agree - the cost of chips is one of the reasons I haven't switched to DCC so I'd rather not be paying for components I can't make full use of, like lights and speakers, to be pre-fitted in my models. The Hornby 153 and Bachmann (old tool) 158s aren't too bad with just directional head and tail lights but the EFE class 143 with interior and destination blind lighting up just looked wrong to me and was a factor in my decision to return mine (along with the fragile coupling between the two vehicles - there was no way that was going to give me years of good service to justify the expense of the model - had it been half the price I may have kept it.) The Pacer did have some little switches accessible on the underside without taking it apart, which I'd say is the way to go if lights have to be fitted on DCC-ready models, but unlike the EFE Pacer the switch needs to turn off ALL the lights (if I recall correctly some of them continued to light up when the power was on even with the switch in the off position). If I'd kept it I'd probably have had to take it apart and physically disconnect the lights I really didn't want (interior and destination blind). Really annoying as I've wanted a Valley lines 143 for ages - now waiting and hoping spares will appear at reasonable prices to allow me to assemble one without lights at a lower price, possibly with the Realtrack chassis if the coupling on that is more robust.

It does load for me, eventually, but there is a message about only despatching orders on Fridays due to stock-take which seems to have been there for ages now.

Why exactly did the old Dapol wheels lead to poor running - in what way was the profile of them wrong? Well, let’s hope the new machine improves the situation, then, Mike; give them a chance! Nobody’s saying that the new lathe will be turning out wheels of the previous dire quality. Well, looking at the pictures,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Mike. As should be clear from the question above, I don't know what I'm looking for with regard to 'poor profile' but to my untrained eye the big pile of unasembled silvery parts do look a bit odd (eg. possibily some very deep flanges in the left-hand pic showing 3-hole wheels). However the final shots of the assembled, blackened, wheelsets don't look obviously wrong to me. If they are wrong, what is wrong about them? Assuming there was a problem with the profile before but the new lathe has resolved them, the next question is how do we tell, if purchasing packs of spare wheels, which are the good ones?