New Hornby Rocket

[aaron3820]

The securing mounts for the motor are a bit rubbish as well. If you successfully get the body off I recommend a small drop of superglue under the motor to help hold it firmly in place. On my model that I had to pull apart the motor was free to move just enough to pull itself out of mesh. 

[Butler Henderson]

Just to expand on why mine is now in bits. When the wire broke and still having to correct the wiring to the DCC socket the simple solution seemed to be to completely rewire the tender with a decoder hard wired to the wires from the loco, plus making provision for the connections from the tender pick ups. However on cutting the remaining three wires from the tender that resulted in one of the wires coming loose from within the loco, the wires are flexible but are in so much tension they act as if they are single core. This photo shows the two mouldings on the inside of the body that are supposed hold the mid gear shaft in place along with the very tiny securing bolt fixing hole.

Edited August 16, 2020 by Butler Henderson

[Butler Henderson]

What I did notice for anyone contemplating resoldering a wire is that if you undo the screw on the underside of the chassis the pcb like part that the wires are connected can can easily be unplugged from its connector allowing a wire to be resoldered well away from the plastic body subject obviously to their being enough exposed wire to solder - mine looked like the wire had snapped at the soldered point rather than coming free and hence any attempt to resolder it would  have necessitated a shorting of the length of the wire between the loco and tender 

[Legend]

14 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

The problem is the chassis has been subject to "design clever" and the gears between the motor worm and the gearwheel on the driving axle are loose on a metal rod that is held in place by diecast mouldings on the inside of the body. Body not fitted 100%  right or a faulty moulding on the inside of the body and meshing problems will arise. Despite my precautions on keeping the drawbar attached mine still suffered the broken wire issue and having decided their is plainly something seriously wrong with the design it is now completely knocked down. Assuming it goes back together as a working model rather than a boxed static which it seems a significant number are only suitable for I will post details of how to reassemble it along hopefully some improvements along the way.

Yeah  I had meshing issues on one of the Centenary editions . Sent it back to Rails , when they tested it they couldn’t find anything wrong , so sent it back . It was with some trepidation I put it on layout , but it ran absolutely fine . So it appeared posting it and the jolts it no doubt experienced put it right! 

[Colin_McLeod]

21 minutes ago, Legend said:

Yeah  I had meshing issues on one of the Centenary editions . Sent it back to Rails , when they tested it they couldn’t find anything wrong , so sent it back . It was with some trepidation I put it on layout , but it ran absolutely fine . So it appeared posting it and the jolts it no doubt experienced put it right! 

 

Revised Rocket instructions:

[Butler Henderson]

In an attempt to make sure the chassis works independent of the body have very very carefully dropped a spot of weld expoxy into the chassis grooves for the midgear shaft and refitted it,well over twice the settings time later and the gears move okay, phew! 

[Butler Henderson]

Unfortunately the weld expoxy did not hold the shaft in place once the motor was refitted and powered up. Maybe a touch more but then a touch more might have locked the gears up. In the photo below its the right side that rises if it can so not meshing with the gear on the driving axle

 The motor, here rewired, slots in place in front of the firebox. There are a couple of holes on the underside their which appear to serve no purpose so maybe a different fixing arrangement was originally intended there.

[Butler Henderson]

There is a single plastic baseplate that holds the pick up strips, another oddity is that one strip has a section wrapped to the underside. It looks like the other one is designed to be but plainly there would be too much scope for a short.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Butler Henderson

[Butler Henderson]

The baseplate slots into the chassis just to the rear of the driving wheels and then is a push fit into the firebox, care being needed to ensure that the wires are contained within, red and black leads having been soldered to the pick up strips where the original wires were attached.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Butler Henderson

[Butler Henderson]

A fiddly time then follows with the fitting of two metal half loops that screw through the footplate  end of the baseplate and which fit onto lugs on the metal chassis block at their other end. I found it best to put the tiny bolt through the loop and then fit it. One is in situ on the photo below (the bottom one in terms of the orientation of the photo) The tender coupling has to be refitted before the bolts are fully tightened.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Butler Henderson

[Butler Henderson]

One part that foxed me when I took it apart turned out to a metal rod, I thought it was plastic and it was not  clear how it came apart if at all, and with it it in position the baseplate cannot be removed. Here it is about to be pushed across the chassis, something which took a few attempts to get it to fit onto the corresponding feature on the other side of the chassis.

[Butler Henderson]

Trailing wheels then refitted and the motor tested, a slightly nervous moment as the front retaining clip broke when I took it apart so it is now fixed in place on a thin bed of Stixall sealant. That clip is only available as a spare according to the service sheet with a replacement motor implying that it is not intended to be removed intact. The motor is rock solid to the chassis and all seems okay.

[Butler Henderson]

An interlude with the tender, that comes apart largely by clip fits bar one screw in the underside that holds the conductivity arrangement together. Discovered the ESU lokpilot 5 micro is small enough to fit between the tenders pick up strips so instead of using the water barrel I located it under the coal, this requires the centre part of the coal removing but the decoder does not protrude to any great extent so a protective cover and a layer of coal can be applied without any odd lumps or mounding needed. By siting the decoder here hard wiring is simplified with the decoder and loco pick up wires connected at the tender pick ups.

 

[Otis JB]

Hi all,

 

After finally setting enough funds aside, I bought the standard Rocket pack from Kernow last week (all I'll say about the price is: thank goodness it was still at RRP!) I immediately became infatuated with the tiny, spritely little yellow creature, by some miracle, I received a model with no motor issues at all! With just one pair of drivers she managed effortlessly to haul herself and her stock up the gradient that has failed my 2014 NRM Hornby LSWR M7 with a smaller than average train multiple times. However, despite her charm and performance, I was a little confused about some of Hornby's design choices so I, like any modeller foolish/brave enough to attempt customising a model worth more than the Hope Diamond, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Rather in fitting with all these interesting tinkerings from Butler Henderson above, I present you with a post of my exploits:

 

The first 'niggle' I had with the Rocket was its' connection between loco and tender. I found the wires on my example were too long for the gap and made the tender a bit unpredictable when running on certain sections of track due to the pressure they were exerting onto it. 

 

You can see in this image how much longer the wires were than the gap they needed to span:

 

So, I set about prodding and bending them into submission which is much harder than you think at this scale, even more so  when you consider that they also have a layer of 'binder goop' on them to stop them moving around and possibly undoing their soldered connections. Soon the inevitable happened and a wire came loose but I managed to solder it back though and eventually, I moved the wires into more suitable positions so they were straight where the gap is:

 

 

Then, I fixed Hornby's bizarre choice of coupling between loco and tender: the pin with slide off drawbar. A number of other engines have this extremely odd arrangement, one that comes to mind is the Bachmann City Class and just like the Rocket, it has wires between it and its' tender that are very delicate and vital for running. These wires also show that the models weren't intended to have easily removable tenders yet their designers make their drawbars very easily removable none the less, putting unnecessary and unwanted strain on those delicate wires when disconnected. Anyway, rant over! - As with my City, I solved this problem by cutting out a small scrap of plasticard and super-gluing it over the end of the pin to stop the drawbar sliding off in future. That looks like this:

 

 

 

The next thing I did was again very straightforward and something I do to all my models which is adding a load of real coal. Fake coal is probably my biggest peeve with RTR models behind pre-grouping designs that are only produced in era 3/4/5 guises. Now I understand that the Rocket actually originally burnt coke as she was required to 'consume her own fuel' meaning that she effectively had to be smokeless but as I didn't have any of that I used my usual crushed household coal: 

 

 

Lastly, my most exciting changes to the model: 

 

 

When looking closely at the detail above the firebox I noticed that it was extremely unrealistic and didn't really match the model's other parts that were supposedly meant to be made of the same material in real life. Then after consulting various photos of the Rocket replica I discovered that the parts that are painted a light, plastic-y silver (such as the con rods) are black in reality and the dome and pipes on the side of the boiler are much more of a copper colour than the brass shade that Hornby used. That's probably because they are in fact, copper!

 

I'm not sure why Hornby made these choices, especially as they went to the effort of blackening the metal rims of the wheels but luckily it was an easy fix that just required a steady hand...

 

Repainting is a daunting task on any model, let alone one of this rarity and cost. Thankfully the modelling gods smiled upon me and everything went astonishingly smoothly. I busted out the Phoenix Precision and created a sort of black wash that allowed some of the silver to come through a little. That turned out like this:

 

 

 

Next I set about turning brass into copper but as I have run out of file size space, I will continue this in part 2! (PTO) 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by Otis JB

[Otis JB]

( (A very short!) Part 2)

 

Hello again, seems like just a few seconds since last I saw you! Anyhoo, on with the last bit:

 

To achieve a successful repaint of the pipes, I first had to attempt a very complicated masking that involved pushing, prodding and pulling a bit of foil and some masking tape between the very tight gap between the tube and boiler. The finished result of that looked like this: 

 

 

And some photos of the final piece, sorry the lighting isn't great and yes that is carpet running before you tell me off! - Sometimes I like to have a long run for my stock and as my house is very small the only option is the sitting room. Oh well, hasn't destroyed the globe just yet!   : 

 

 

 

In conclusion I am very, very pleased with myself! It was a fun challenge that really paid off in my opinion; it elevates the model's appearance much more and therefore my enjoyment of it. 

 

Let me know what you think. Will you do the same? Have you done the same? Do you think I'm insane for modifying such a pricey object and probably hurting its' retail value or do you think I'm just a little mad for doing so!? 

 

Kindest regards, 

 

Stay safe,

 

Otis

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by Otis JB

[CF MRC]

Good for you!  A good model can always be improved.

Tim

[Butler Henderson]

One other thing needing painting is the chimney and it's attached pipework, which actually fell off whilst I was trying to get the body off so making repainting it easier. Does show up the copper v brass issue of the rest of the model and a bit if touch up of the white chimney needed in this photo

[aaron3820]

One thing I intend to do with one of the boxes is cut away some of the foam where the coaches fit to make them a slightly looser fit within the packaging. I've found on both sets that the very fragile steps and etched roof detail is easily deformed and damaged when removing and replacing the coaches into the foam. The loco seems ok although I may decide to cut away some foam from where the tender is housed as well. I'll report back later with my results if anyone is interested?

[Butler Henderson]

The photo posted by Otis JB of the Replica shows it in its more recent form with only one "dome", note how the rearward one is now in the forward position. There is a photo on page 15 of the GBL magazine that accompanied their static model of the Replica almost as per the Hornby model (bar the water barrel) and as a consequence I have removed the black top to the chimney pipework (it fell off again). That photo also shows the piston rod and sidebars on the side shown to be grey with a brass component linking the piston rod to the connecting rod.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Butler Henderson

[Chrisr40]

4 hours ago, aaron3820 said:

One thing I intend to do with one of the boxes is cut away some of the foam where the coaches fit to make them a slightly looser fit within the packaging. I've found on both sets that the very fragile steps and etched roof detail is easily deformed and damaged when removing and replacing the coaches into the foam. The loco seems ok although I may decide to cut away some foam from where the tender is housed as well. I'll report back later with my results if anyone is interested?

I'm too scared to try putting mine away, its parked in an out of sight siding behind the biscuit factory.

[Colin_McLeod]

Would this be the biscuit factory in question? 

 

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, Chrisr40 said:

its parked in an out of sight siding behind the biscuit factory.

Aha...that’s where the second Rocket disappeared to......

[peterfgf]

On 23/08/2020 at 14:32, aaron3820 said:

One thing I intend to do with one of the boxes is cut away some of the foam where the coaches fit to make them a slightly looser fit within the packaging. I've found on both sets that the very fragile steps and etched roof detail is easily deformed and damaged when removing and replacing the coaches into the foam. The loco seems ok although I may decide to cut away some foam from where the tender is housed as well. I'll report back later with my results if anyone is interested?

One of the coaches in my set had been forced into the rather tight foam slot.  The axles were out of the bearings and had forced the side frames apart.  The steps were also bent upwards.  With some trepidation I managed to bend it all back to shape, expecting to end up the step ends in my hands.  I will follow your example and cut away some of the foam.
I also added some small pieces of lead sheet under the tender floor to get it sit on the rails - the tender is so light that the wires to the loco can lift it off the rails at the front.

Peterfgf

[I.C.L. 11]

Seeking Experience... Has anybody else considered renaming the coaches? As many readers will be well aware the coaches in the packs (and the forthcoming L&MR Open Third) were modelled off the replica vehicles at the NRM York. These were built in 1930 to accompany Lion during the centenary celebrations and the three first class coaches were named Traveller, Huskisson (both at NRM York) and Experience (in storage at Liverpool Museum). Obviously the only one of these names to be reflected by the models is Experience in the R3809 ltd ed pack. As for Huskisson and Traveller which have not been produced I am sure Hornby have considered the idea of offering these as an "NRM edition" in a future catalogue possibly with the inclusion of an open third to maintain the Rocket+3 coach format. Currently, however the only way to model the NRM vehicles would be to rename the existing models with transfers.

 

My own interest in renaming coaches stems from owning a half-built K's Lion. Both Experience and one of the third open coaches were transferred to into the ownership of Liverpool Museums along with Lion in the 1960s and these were seen on the main line together in 1980 in connection with the Rocket 150 celebrations. With Hornby's announcement of the L&MR open third (pre-ordered) I would love an authentic train for Lion but I hesitated too long on buying an R3809 and now the cheapest buy it now example on ebay is nearly double RRP which is arguably worth it for such a collector's item but more money than I can justify spending for the sake of a single coach!

 

With more of the R3810 packs appearing on the market recently these are currently fairly easy to obtain and it occurs to me that there may be other people out there who, like me, would be interested in renaming their coaches to reflect the actual replica vehicles and provide variety alongside the factory-applied names (subject to the factory printing being removable with T-cut or similar). Of course Fox etc produce gold alphabet lettering but not in any similar font as far as I can see. I have considered approaching Railtec but unfortunately there is little prospect of me making a trip to York to take dimensions of the lettering on the full-size coaches so I don't have any useful information to offer.

[Compound2632]

5 hours ago, I.C.L. 11 said:

I have considered approaching Railtec but unfortunately there is little prospect of me making a trip to York to take dimensions of the lettering on the full-size coaches so I don't have any useful information to offer.

 

There are plenty of photos online including good square-on views - can you not scale from those?