Hornby: A Model World

[Not Jeremy]

7 hours ago, Coombe Vale said:

Have to respectfully disagree with you there. I've got an "Albert Hall" as well given to me in 1966. It's run many miles over the years, still does so smoothly and will still pull like a .....well......like a steam train. 

 

Respect? I don't think so - let's hear it for the glorious Albert Hall!

 

A lovely characterful model, resplendent in its simplified BR green livery, before we  all sank into mindless pedantry got better and then even better models.

 

I used to really enjoy seeing my friend David Torrington's set with Albert Hall and its three inaccurate short pullman coaches running around his track. Much enjoyment and a very different outline to my beloved "Winston Churchill", (81 shillings 11d from John Hall Tools in Fairfax Street).

 

If all that hopelessly negatory previous poster can remember is "sparks from the wheels" then he must have been doing something wrong, I expect he still is

 

Not Jeremy

Edited November 6, 2021 by Not Jeremy
too many eyes

[DK123GWR]

29 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

If all that hopelessly negatory previous poster can remember is "sparks from the wheels" then he must have been doing something wrong, I expect he still is

 

Seconded. I have a Hornby Hagley Hall which I believe is from the early 1980s (it's much older than me at any rate). A bit later than Albert Hall but it seems to be the same basic formula: mazak chassis, X0-something motor, flangeless centre driving wheels, very crude in just about every respect. I cleaned the motor and contacts up in the summer and it now runs like new again. Watching it run around with a rake of maroon Mk1s behind is great fun, and it does run at reasonable freight speeds as well now that it's received a little attention. Plus, they're so simple that any idiot can maintain them. What's not to like?

[RJS1977]

Indeed, I get every bit as much satisfaction from watching my father's 1956 Princess run as I do any of my modern-standard locos.

[ardbealach]

13 hours ago, melmerby said:

Still using the same green............

 

I am correct in thinking that people who have colour blindness have problems in seeing the difference in red and green colours? (Alisdair)

 

 

[Legend]

Well Hornby or Triang Hornby have been around so long that many of the models we have are historical and mean a lot to us . Not just nostalgia, although that’s important , but memories of the people that gave them to us . Very much part of the hobby to me . So as I’ve said in another thread I still love my Hornby Railways 9F from 1974 , Mallard from 1979 and even my short Princess from 1971 . Even though I’ve more detailed models of them all these are the ones that are special. Never had an Albert Hall though !    This is very much part of Hornbys heritage . 

[Hippel]

On a slight tangent, Montana from Hornby is trying to encourage us (21:00 Sunday) to buy train sets on freeview 85, Craft Store TV. I don't watch this channel normally, but the missus does and was looking to see if there was any sewing/quilting stuff going.

 

Paul.

[Steamport Southport]

On 06/11/2021 at 10:34, DK123GWR said:

Seconded. I have a Hornby Hagley Hall which I believe is from the early 1980s (it's much older than me at any rate). A bit later than Albert Hall but it seems to be the same basic formula: mazak chassis, X0-something motor, flangeless centre driving wheels, very crude in just about every respect. I cleaned the motor and contacts up in the summer and it now runs like new again. Watching it run around with a rake of maroon Mk1s behind is great fun, and it does run at reasonable freight speeds as well now that it's received a little attention. Plus, they're so simple that any idiot can maintain them. What's not to like?

 

I'm wondering whether that is a newer body on an older chassis? Mazak and flangeless wheels suggest pre mid 1970s, not 1980s.

 

I'm pretty sure my Kneller Hall has got flanged wheels as does this one. I think the chassis was new in 1978 and is plastic.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/66111/hornby_r761_hall_class_4_6_0_kneller_hall_5934_in_gwr_green/stockdetail

 

Hagley Hall was the same but got the benefit of a paint job. Also got one of these as well.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/14647/hornby_r313_hall_class_4_6_0_hagley_hall_4930_in_gwr_green/stockdetail

 

Crude compared to the Mainline and Airfix models, but fine for a 10 year old me and never bettered until the Replica Modified Hall appeared.

 

Jason

[Legend]

If you compare 1960s locos against todays masterpieces then inevitably they compare badly . Probably more robust though .  The thing is , at the time growing up in 60s and 70s they gave us much pleasure , as much if not more than today. as there werent iPads , X Boxes etc etc around then . Life was simpler . You just needed Albert Hall some Choc and Cream (actually brown and yellow)mk1s marked Great Western running out of bright red stations  a bit of imagination and you had instant Paddington, Bristol etc etc 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Legend

[Gilbert]

46 minutes ago, Coombe Vale said:

I quite agree. I much prefer to have a loco which may lack certain details, but looks the part and is reliable rather than a super-detailed one with delicate parts that break off if you so much as sneeze within 10 feet of it and which you cannot do anything with if the motor fails. But then I've never been a rivet counter. Having said that, I do appreciate the appearance of the modern offerings.

I suspect there are two types of "Exhibition Standard" models.

1. Wonderfully detailed, accurate, competition winning piece of work which hopefully also run well.
2. A decent looking model , well presented but reliable and not likely to disintegrate when handled or transported to a show...

Both have a role...

Chris

[Wheatley]

Well they were doing so well, and then "Sam's Trains" appeared. Noooooo !

[Phil Parker]

No "pre-bought" scenic items? Apart from sea foam from Gaugemaster... 

 

Nice layout though. Impressive work. 

[Butler Henderson]

36 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

Well they were doing so well, and then "Sam's Trains" appeared. Noooooo !

Advantage of recording it and watching that - fast forward button activated.

[Jol Wilkinson]

8 hours ago, Gilbert said:

I suspect there are two types of "Exhibition Standard" models.

1. Wonderfully detailed, accurate, competition winning piece of work which hopefully also run well.
2. A decent looking model , well presented but reliable and not likely to disintegrate when handled or transported to a show...

Both have a role...

Chris

I don't see how you can have 1 without 2. Otherwise your wonderfully detailed piece of work won't get to a show in one piece. 

 

Aren't there are more than two different types of Exhibition Standard models? Anything that appears at an exhibition or show can be claimed to be of exhibition standard. Over the years I have seen models and layouts of considerably varying standards of build, detail and reliability. What links them all is that in nearly every case the owners/operators have enjoyed displaying their work.

[298]

I wasn't expecting a ten part timeshift, but it does seem to be getting worse. Or maybe Hornby are onto something and after Steampunk have identified a new market, namely psychos into model train abuse. 

 

I got that the baseboard was from Allied carpets, but where was that controller from?

[Jol Wilkinson]

44 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

Well they were doing so well, and then "Sam's Trains" appeared. Noooooo !

 

I thought the new Airfix Spitfire design process and the Gauge O collection in the barn were good, but some of the other pieces, especially Sam's Trains, were disappointing..

[Markwj]

Surprised next week looks like another airfix plane design episode thought they would have mixed it up a bit, have we seen a scalextric episode yet?

[NIK]

Hi,

 

I was surprised to see a Hornby 4 VEP get an airing in the latest episode (in the part on the repair department). I think that section on getting the coach work repaired was edited as I found getting the body off the motor coach quite difficult especially with the short lead between the chassis and the roof. I was kind of pleased to see the Hornby technician broke something while trying to release the motor bogie from its mount.

 

As to the the controller used by Sam's trains to get higher speeds it looked like a variable transformer which are sometimes used by those who know what they are doing to vary the AC voltage that is output from the transformer. The risk is the loco motor may over heat if taken beyond 12V for any length of time and possibly the DC controller if fed by the variable transformer.

 

Regards

 

Nick

[melmerby]

What exactly was Sam's Trains trying to prove?

I had a Will's 94XX with a Triang chassis & 5 pole motor that would outpace that A4 - at 12V

What a pointless 5 mins

 

Sounds like his mains wiring is dodgy if connecting a variac trips the supply, My 8A one didn't. (Unless he was using the 110v tapping for input?)

Edited November 9, 2021 by melmerby

[melmerby]

Why was the Spitfire being perused for the kit a clipped wing version? The model wasn't.

[Wheatley]

32 minutes ago, melmerby said:

 

Sounds like his mains wiring is dodgy if connecting a variac trips the supply, My 8A one didn't. (Unless he was using the 110v tapping for input?)

At least he wasn't running it under water this time. 

 

I'm not certain because Spitfire wings are even more of a nightmare than where the topfeed goes on a Black 5, but I don't think the clipped wing is specific to one mark, it could be done on any mark. It was role specific rather than mark specific. 

[sandwich station]

30 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

At least he wasn't running it under water this time. 

 

I'm not certain because Spitfire wings are even more of a nightmare than where the topfeed goes on a Black 5, but I don't think the clipped wing is specific to one mark, it could be done on any mark. It was role specific rather than mark specific. 

 

The Mk5b and the MkXVI had clipped wings for low altitude.

[Darius43]

The Shuttleworth Collection Spitfire that was featured is a Mk Vc.  

 

Clipped wings increased the roll rate at low altitude so as to improve combat performance against the FW190.

 

As stated previously, not all aircraft were so fitted but the Shuttleworth aircraft is a Vc so it is the correct variant to survey.  The kit is a starter model for young kids so presumably the “unclipped” elliptical wing is provided in the kit as it is the classic shape.

 

Not the best episode so far - especially the Sam’s trains nonsense.  Hopefully his local fire prevention officer was watching...

 

I did like the recycled materials and O gauge tinplate layouts though.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[ruggedpeak]

Hopefully they have added the "don't try this at home" warning to the web version!

 

Perhaps NR could put 50kv through the OHL and see what speed they can get out of 91! Need quite a lot of bubble wrap at the end though.

[lapford34102]

Re tbhe Spit Vc Airfix have also brought out a new 72nd Vc in their mainstream range which does have both types of wingtips in the kit. The starter kit seen had no cockpit to speak of, the 72nd one does. He took a lot of cockpit shots.

Overall episode a bit.....!

Stu

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, ruggedpeak said:

Hopefully they have added the "don't try this at home" warning to the web version!

 

Perhaps NR could put 50kv through the OHL and see what speed they can get out of 91! Need quite a lot of bubble wrap at the end though.

SNCF raised the line voltage when they were doing some speed trials and increased the loco wheel diameter.