Henry 84F Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Good afternoon all and Happy Easter, I'm looking for a potential remedy to the warped front running plate of a newer-release Hornby Castle (see attached photo). I've recently 'un-mothballed' my Hornby Castle - 'Taunton Castle' from the set 'A Date with the Duchy'. Something that didn't bother me as such in my previous poorly-lit attic layout was the upward bend of the front part of the running plate. Now, in the brightness of my house, its prominence grates with me. I've done some research - aware that warped running plates have some commonplace in some variations of some models - and was wondering if anyone can shed some light on if there is a remedy for this and if the running plate can be encouraged downward to be parallel to the rest of it. If there is a topic about this already, then apologies for overlooking it and please point me in the right direction. All the best, Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypherman Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 (edited) Hi, There is probably 2 possible ideas to sort this out. A, Get a cheap replacement body from Ebay. There yes I have said it. The place that should not be named. The Voldermort of the online industry..... B, Using a heat gun gently heat the area where it is bending and slowly bend it back as the plastic softens. Be very careful that you do not over heat the area and cause it to warp or distort further. Just a question though. Are the frames bent a well. If so they may be much harder to straighten. I am sure that there may be some other ideas and that they will be mentioned here. But those are mine. Good luck sorting it out. Edited April 12, 2020 by cypherman 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lofty1966 Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, cypherman said: Hi, There is probably 2 possible ideas to sort this out. A, Get a cheap replacement body from Ebay. There yes I have said it. The place that should not be named. The Voldermort of the online industry..... B, Using a heat gun gently heat the area where it is bending and slowly bend it back as the plastic softens. Be very careful that you do not over heat the area and cause it to warp or distort further. Just a question though. Are the frames bent a well. If so they may be much harder to straighten. I am sure that there may be some other ideas and that they will be mentioned here. But those are mine. Good luck sorting it out. Er, what cheap bodies? There are none. One came up a while back and went for over 25 quid. The "cheap" ones are the earlier less detailed models. Edited April 13, 2020 by lofty1966 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cypherman Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 (edited) Hi all again. Do not know if this body is any good for you. but it is new and only £13.99. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-X8081-Castle-Body-Winchester-Castle-5042-BR-Green-OO-Gauge/322194108885?epid=632116616&hash=item4b0443f1d5:g:LrYAAOSwEjlbP0G4 and this one is at £19.99 with a make an offer option. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R2389-Made-in-China-Castle-Class-loco-body-shell-Builth-Castle-4086-OO/353020095547?hash=item5231a32c3b:g:GycAAOSwoYJeehD5 Edited April 13, 2020 by cypherman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry 84F Posted April 13, 2020 Author Share Posted April 13, 2020 5 hours ago, cypherman said: Hi all again. Do not know if this body is any good for you... Hi, Thank you so much for your time. I'm afraid those bodies are older tooling - mostly evident by the moulded smokebox handles rather than the separately fitted detail on the latter tooling. Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lofty1966 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, Henry 84F said: Hi, Thank you so much for your time. I'm afraid those bodies are older tooling - mostly evident by the moulded smokebox handles rather than the separately fitted detail on the latter tooling. Henry There are no new style spare bodies available from Hornby (yet) Edited April 14, 2020 by lofty1966 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry 84F Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 Hi again all, I don't think a new body is the way forward (although I'll keep an open mind): the metal chassis/frames are not bent - purely the front portion of the running plate. I'm hoping to have a good look in today's natural daylight to see if I can find a way forward. Thanks, Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevor Clayton Loco Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Is the body plastic? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tomlinson Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Quite possibly some flash or moulding issue such as a seam line is preventing the front sitting properly. If the Running plate (with the upturn) is sitting on the Frames above the bogie wheels without a gap then you need to do a bit of filing to get it to sit properly, and probably gently bend the Running plate back to shape if it's become permanently bent. Even excess paint can cause deformity. With our models now being so precise, excess paint or even glue can cause thing to be out a bit, it really doesn't take much. John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevor Clayton Loco Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 If the body is plastic you could try holding the running plate in hot water until it softens, and the bend it straight. Or you could try softening it with steam from a kettle or something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted April 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 14, 2020 I haven't read through the entire thread but there's mention of 'ski jump' running plates on this model in this old thread (page 33 for exampje) :- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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