Hornby announce Class 800 IEP

[SteveC32]

Just now, royaloak said:

But then people will complain the numbers are wrong for a 9 coach, if they release a 5 coach with the numbers for a 9 coach people will complain the numbers are wrong for the 5 coach they thought they were buying, I dont think Hornby will win this one.

 

I would like a 9 car as well.

 

You’re right, there will be some rivet counters who’ll moan about that (but they could renumber theirs)

[Revolution Mike B]

On 11/02/2019 at 20:45, SteveC32 said:

 

You’re right, there will be some rivet counters who’ll moan about that (but they could renumber theirs)

 

I'll moan...they should be right....oh hang on, I'm sure my Inter City 125, HST, Glorified Unit has 4 coach Bs for TSOs...

 

A nine car would look fine and dandy on my layout to compliment the 5 car.......maybe I should change my signature to 'you can never have too many IETs'? .....er..... NO FECKING CHANCE!!

Edited February 18, 2019 by scoobyra

[43055]

On 09/02/2019 at 18:02, Connor43002 said:

What do we think the likelihood is of Hornby doing a Class 802 in GWR livery?

 

Just curious as I model Cornwall and currently have 800003 on pre-order. I would be tempted to cancel my pre-order of 800003 if Hornby were to announce a GWR class 802 as it is more prototypical to my region.

 

Though 802s are designed for the south west the 800's are no stranger to the area as well but it's up to you.

 

On 11/02/2019 at 20:39, SteveC32 said:

 

Hornby are aware of the demand for a 9 car IET. My money is on it being provided in the same way as the Pendolino’s were, additional carriage packs to make a 5 car a 9 car (for the cost reasons quoted earlier in this topic).

That would probably be the best way to do it if people want to extend there 800s. My layout won't take a full 9 car but a 7 car would be good with a extra first class and standard class coach. (I know the 9 car sets don't have a composite coach). 

 

3 hours ago, scoobyra said:

 

 

[Connor43002]

On 18/02/2019 at 15:23, 43055 said:

Though 802s are designed for the south west the 800's are no stranger to the area as well but it's up to you.

For the first few months of IET introduction in the South West we had regular 5 car 800s but since more 802s have been introduced we dont get 800s any more (apart from the occasional 800/3 due to the lack of 802/1s)

[sc2016]

On 09/02/2019 at 18:02, Connor43002 said:

What do we think the likelihood is of Hornby doing a Class 802 in GWR livery?

 

Just curious as I model Cornwall and currently have 800003 on pre-order. I would be tempted to cancel my pre-order of 800003 if Hornby were to announce a GWR class 802 as it is more prototypical to my region.

 

 

I cannot guarantee it as i don't work for Hornby but i wouldn't be surprised to see that they announce a Class 802 in the future as majority of it is similar to the Class 800. Also there will be more than one livery carried on the 802s when they are finished and introduced into service including GWR, Transpennine Express and Hull Trains. 

 

Another thing is that 800003 was one of the first IETs to visit Cornwall in 2017 along with 800004 on the same day. Making 800003 the second to visit Penzance and the first IET to leave Cornwall.

 

Samuel.

Edited March 7, 2019 by sc2016

[phil-b259]

On 11/02/2019 at 20:45, SteveC32 said:

 

You’re right, there will be some rivet counters who’ll moan about that (but they could renumber theirs)

 

We have been through this before - there are significant physical differences between the 5 car and 9 car versions so a simple renumber (even if combined with a respray where necessary ) simply won't suffice if you want to have anything like the real thing.

 

Simply adding extra vehicles to a 5 car train pack to make a 9 car rake is no different to sticking a couple of of Mk1 suburban loco hauled stick inside your 2 EPB and calling it a 4 EPB - no amount of renumbering will disguise the fact that result beers only a superficial appearance to a 4EPB.

 

Hornby designed their 5 car 800 series models to be a finely detailed and accurate representation of the real thing - why go and make a half baked 9 car version just to satisfy a minority segment of the market?

 

People should also note that making the extra Pendalio vehicles to make up 9 car sets was greatly facilitated by the fact that the real things were ALL 9 cars from the start anyway! As such the basic 'Train pack vehicles' already were of the correct type and had the correct livery details so the extra cars required for a full rake could easily be made and be 100% accurate.

 

To repeat the exercise with the 800s requires Hornby to tool up / undertake a livery redesign so that they can offer a totally non prototypical 4 / 5 car unit - to which the 'extra' vehicles may be inserted. Not impossible by any means - but not necessarily a good use of time / resources at this particular time - particularly as out on the real railway, you do regulalry get two 5 car units running together which can easily be replicated* with the currently offered train packs.

 

* Assuming there is some form of coupling which can be fitted to the nose of the units.

[ruggedpeak]

Azumas in service from 15th May

 

https://www.lner.co.uk/tickets-savings/the-best-way-to-travel/azuma-is-coming/

 

 

[TFR]

I see (from my impatient browse of the Hornby website this morning) that the LNER 'Azuma' release has now slipped all the way to December 2019 - the new GWR versions due May 2019.

 

Test Train Coach pack still June 2019.

[ruggedpeak]

Loads of Azumas being tested on ECML yesterday,  saw at least 5 on way to York.

[43055]

On 11/03/2019 at 20:02, phil-b259 said:

 

We have been through this before - there are significant physical differences between the 5 car and 9 car versions so a simple renumber (even if combined with a respray where necessary ) simply won't suffice if you want to have anything like the real thing.

 

Simply adding extra vehicles to a 5 car train pack to make a 9 car rake is no different to sticking a couple of of Mk1 suburban loco hauled stick inside your 2 EPB and calling it a 4 EPB - no amount of renumbering will disguise the fact that result beers only a superficial appearance to a 4EPB.

 

Hornby designed their 5 car 800 series models to be a finely detailed and accurate representation of the real thing - why go and make a half baked 9 car version just to satisfy a minority segment of the market?

 

People should also note that making the extra Pendalio vehicles to make up 9 car sets was greatly facilitated by the fact that the real things were ALL 9 cars from the start anyway! As such the basic 'Train pack vehicles' already were of the correct type and had the correct livery details so the extra cars required for a full rake could easily be made and be 100% accurate.

 

To repeat the exercise with the 800s requires Hornby to tool up / undertake a livery redesign so that they can offer a totally non prototypical 4 / 5 car unit - to which the 'extra' vehicles may be inserted. Not impossible by any means - but not necessarily a good use of time / resources at this particular time - particularly as out on the real railway, you do regulalry get two 5 car units running together which can easily be replicated* with the currently offered train packs.

 

* Assuming there is some form of coupling which can be fitted to the nose of the units.

There is a coupling under the nose cone but it is fixed which means it could cause problems on corners if they are tight. 

 

On 27/03/2019 at 08:30, ruggedpeak said:

Loads of Azumas being tested on ECML yesterday,  saw at least 5 on way to York.

There is about 4-5 test run diagrams a day at the moment some Have even done some testing between Newcastle and Edinburgh over the last two weeks.

[Hilux5972]

4 hours ago, 43055 said:

There is a coupling under the nose cone but it is fixed which means it could cause problems on corners if they are tight. 

There was someone on YouTube who found a solution to that problem. On both end units, he had one of the older wide NEM coupling loops plugged in. He then got a paper clip that was looped at each end to form a double hook and that gave enough play to keep them coupled and able to go round curves, 3rd Radius being the minimum at a push I think. It’s annoying that they were designed with a fixed nose coupling pocket but there are ways around it. This is the video. 

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by Hilux5972
Added video

[43055]

1 hour ago, Hilux5972 said:

There was someone on YouTube who found a solution to that problem. On both end units, he had one of the older wide NEM coupling loops plugged in. He then got a paper clip that was looped at each end to form a double hook and that gave enough play to keep them coupled and able to go round curves, 3rd Radius being the minimum at a push I think. It’s annoying that they were designed with a fixed nose coupling pocket but there are ways around it. This is the video. 

 

Yeah. I have done something similar but used the couplings that came with the Hornby GWR MK3's which I replaced and also used a paperclip between the two it does work well but the larger coupling would give you more flexibility on the corners.

[Derails Models]

New arrival! The next batch of Class 800 power cars (R3609 'Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria') and the corresponding coach pack (R4870) in GWR Livery has now arrived into stock here this morning....should be appearing at your local shop soon!

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Derails Models

[Revolution Mike B]

There's a good news story behind all of the issues with the first release of this model, and that is - Hornby have listened to feedback and improved the second gen version as follows.

 

* Bogie issue now sorted - the bogie tower mounting has been increased to negate the need for the plastic C Clips

* Extra weight has been added to every car to aid stability

* Printing is crisper 

* Nose cone paint issue has been resolved - it now matches the rest of the yellow panel

* Pantographs (although still plastic) are now pose-able

 

The only odd thing is that the window tint is much lighter than the first release for some reason!

 

All in all, this is now a cracking model even if it is a tad pricey. 

 

If Hornby do produce the intermediate coaches for the 9 car sets, they will be as close to the real thing as possible, however as already mentioned, it will create a headache with the rivet counters because an 800/3 or, an 802, will more than likely be unfinancially viable for them and we'll just have to add them to the 800s and pretend....which I'd be more than happy to do 

 

[dogbox321]

On 16/10/2019 at 13:12, scoobyra said:

* Printing is crisper 

 

All in all, this is now a cracking model even if it is a tad pricey. 

 

If Hornby do produce the intermediate coaches for the 9 car sets, they will be as close to the real thing as possible, however as already mentioned, it will create a headache with the rivet counters because an 800/3 or, an 802, will more than likely be unfinancially viable for them and we'll just have to add them to the 800s and pretend....which I'd be more than happy to do 

 

 

Mmmm, after looking at one - the green diagonal line does not appear too crisp and still find some of the silver printing slightly blurry, especially when compared to the HST.  Maybe its down to the matt finish being rougher and paint not adhering as well on matt, than smoother gloss?

 

On the variations front -would hope Hornby have looked at this in the design stage.  There are enough experienced people at Hornby to know by now that if you do something "right" it will sell much better.  Plus with the popularity of the models so far, would hope that would be enough to encourage Hornby further.

 

Regards,

 

C. 

[Revolution Mike B]

52 minutes ago, dogbox321 said:

 

Mmmm, after looking at one - the green diagonal line does not appear too crisp and still find some of the silver printing slightly blurry, especially when compared to the HST.  Maybe its down to the matt finish being rougher and paint not adhering as well on matt, than smoother gloss?

 

On the variations front -would hope Hornby have looked at this in the design stage.  There are enough experienced people at Hornby to know by now that if you do something "right" it will sell much better.  Plus with the popularity of the models so far, would hope that would be enough to encourage Hornby further.

 

Regards,

 

C. 

 

My replacement one is really good, but my OOC HST is terrible - there's glue on it and the dummy PC has a scuff on the side. When I took it back to swap it, the other one was even worse! 

[Hilux5972]

3 hours ago, scoobyra said:

 

My replacement one is really good, but my OOC HST is terrible - there's glue on it and the dummy PC has a scuff on the side. When I took it back to swap it, the other one was even worse! 

That’s the problem with Glossy finishes. My NRM Scotsman had issues with the first 2 I received. The 3rd one had a tiny scuff mark but was in a discreet place. 

[royaloak]

On 02/03/2019 at 00:42, Connor43002 said:

For the first few months of IET introduction in the South West we had regular 5 car 800s but since more 802s have been introduced we dont get 800s any more (apart from the occasional 800/3 due to the lack of 802/1s)

A bit late but, incorrect, 800s are booked on some of the Paddington to Paignton trains and a couple of Paddington to Plymouth trains.

Edited October 24, 2019 by royaloak

[dogbox321]

7 hours ago, scoobyra said:

 

My replacement one is really good, but my OOC HST is terrible - there's glue on it and the dummy PC has a scuff on the side. When I took it back to swap it, the other one was even worse! 

 

Interesting how things are the opposite, for us both.  Worse thing I have found with the gloss HST, is keeping finger prints off it.  My OOC has a slight scratch in the bottom of one of the steam locos, plus a ill fitted exhaust deflector, but apart from that it was good.  But as per earlier comment, IEP seems to loose a little definition in its painting/printing, which for the money should really be bang on.  As you say they are pretty expensive, for what they are!  I still think the base green which looks a little "coarse" is the cause of the problems regarding livery application.  At the end of the day, if the bottom coat isn't perfect, you cannot paint/print on it and get everything else spot on, which is a shame, as Hornby are usually pretty much at the top of the game when it comes to liveries!  And the very fine lines on the GWR livery, are not going to be kind to the slightest imperfection.

 

Regards,

 

C.

[Ian Hargrave]

A question for those of you with the new release Hornby. The first versions had no vertical “play” on the couplings,causing concern for those with issues where baseboard join has a slight mismatch in height..i.e. a slight 

“jump” or drop,depending on direction. Any observations yet on the latest version ?

[Legend]

Yes would be interesting to hear comments on how this second batch perform . I'm not looking for a GWR one but an LNER one would be nice . I've got a bit of board warping so trackwork is not billiard table flat. Everything else still copes fine but there were a lot of issues when this model first appeared , so I'm wondering if alterations have been made .  Its a lot of money to splash on something that may be frustrating to run, without constant derailments.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Legend

[Ian Hargrave]

Just now, Legend said:

Yes would be interesting to hear comments on how this second batch perform . I'm not looking for a GWR one but an LNER one would be nice . I've got a bit of board warping so trackwork is not billiard table flat. Everything else still copes fine but there were a lot of issues when this model first appeared , so I'm wondering if alerations have been made .  Its a lot of money to splash on something that may be frustrating to run.

 
Agree...glad someone else has flagged this issue up.

[GEOEng03]

I have all three GWR versions and the 3rd version has a definite clearance difference between the bogies and body than the 1st version did.  As described by Scoobyra, the presence of the washer is apparent on this and I will try and get pictures of all three later to show this.

 

I also see the difference in window tint as well on the 1st and 3rd version, which is interesting.  Print is crisp with no issues on my versions as well.

Cheers

[Derails Models]

We've had no issues reported to us, so all seems well. To confirm this, I plan on taking one up to the Forest of Dean MRC's test track on Monday evening (one of their members is interested and would like to know the answer and see it in person). I'll pop it on and see how it copes with the gradients they have recently fitted. All being well I'll get some video to go along with it, and I'll upload it here.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Derails Models

[Connor43002]

On 24/10/2019 at 19:21, royaloak said:

A bit late but, incorrect, 800s are booked on some of the Paddington to Paignton trains and a couple of Paddington to Plymouth trains.

My mistake, I live in Cornwall so just assumed it was the entirety of the south west that didn't get 5 car 800s anymore, although since I made the original comment I have known of 3 or 4 of them to have come down here