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Hornby Class 423 4-VEP


Adam1701D
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I thought I'd re-open an old topic, having just bought one of these off Ebay, a "new" R2946 BFYP example. Thanks to the previous 76 pages, which I've skip read, I now know what the faults are, and I'll have to decide to what extent I try to correct them. Turning the bogies round to face the right way looks a no-brainer, less sure about the other issues. It would be nice to try to fit the motor bogie in the brake end of the MBSO.

 

Like all little boys, I couldn't resist coupling the coaches up (warts and all) for a spin on my layout. This is continuous run with two levels, so gradients which work out around 1 in 57 for about 16 feet of run. Having rotated the wheels in the bogies, I was a bit worried about the lack of free running without pin point axles, however the unit climbed the grades without problem, perhaps a slight slowdown but nothing really discernible. Slow running seems very good on my DC set-up.

 

The quality of finish is excellent, although we rather take that forgranted now. Having carefully marked the window frames of two Hornby 110's with a silver liner a while back, so six coaches, I do appreciate the crispness of finish on these models. I wouldn't have liked to have paid £200 plus for this with its faults, the likely price of any new release, but at under £100 delivered to my door I feel it's a real bargain.

 

John.

Edited by John Tomlinson
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The bogies are easy to address. Unclip, turn round and put back. There are no electrical wires on these.

The only hard part are the end pair. You need to pull off the reluctant guard irons and glue it to the other end of the bogie.

 

Not sure I would faff around with MBSO though with all that complex wiring.

Edited by JSpencer
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  • 6 months later...
19 minutes ago, robertcwp said:

Has anyone looked at whether MJT ends would be an improvement on the Hornby effort, or even just the gangway part of the MJT end?

I've looked into it. I wouldn't bother with changing the cab end but changing the gangway seemed to a sensible thing. It should also be possible to cut the piece behind the gangway and bring it forward, but I think the MJT gangway route would be easier and better.

 

Luke

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  • 1 year later...

Apologies for asking here but the thread is 76 pages long and I’ve searched but can’t find an answer in it.

 

I bought a NOS one of these at a very bargain price last week. At full speed it runs very smoothly, but at slow speeds it is awful. Jerky to extent of being stop/start, and taking a lot of power to even start moving.  I’ve oiled the driving bogie innards as thought the grease may have gone hard whilst it’s been sat on the shelf but to no avail.

 

Has anyone had similar and been able

to sort it? It was the last one on the shelf so don’t want to take it back? Are are Hornby still doing warranty repairs on these?

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1 hour ago, aureol40012 said:

Apologies for asking here but the thread is 76 pages long and I’ve searched but can’t find an answer in it.

 

I bought a NOS one of these at a very bargain price last week. At full speed it runs very smoothly, but at slow speeds it is awful. Jerky to extent of being stop/start, and taking a lot of power to even start moving.  I’ve oiled the driving bogie innards as thought the grease may have gone hard whilst it’s been sat on the shelf but to no avail.

 

Has anyone had similar and been able

to sort it? It was the last one on the shelf so don’t want to take it back? Are are Hornby still doing warranty repairs on these?

 

This might be of use. I seem to remember either removing or moving the position of the traction tyres on mine and it helped, but it was a long time ago.

 

 

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On 18/04/2021 at 18:32, BR(S) said:

 

This might be of use. I seem to remember either removing or moving the position of the traction tyres on mine and it helped, but it was a long time ago.

 

 


Perfect! Did the CVS as per the post you linked and all sorted! Thank you.

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  • 9 months later...
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Just had a look. It's definitely an improvement, but I think the horns are still too small. Not a problem as they are easy to replace with cast white-metal ones.

 

Hopefully it runs a lot better though.

 

I wonder if they are going to produce extra interiors for the DTCL as a spare so we can all replace ours from the first run, rather than having to butcher it apart?

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2 hours ago, Mike Storey said:

I just hope they get around to a Blue/Grey version once the Southern and SWT versions are done. I have had enough of my older model.

 

Despite rather liking the livery I do question the wisdom of producing the Southern version simply because it was only carried by one unit.  That means there is no scope for reissues with a different number and no opportunity for those of us able to do so to run more than one unit in multiple from the same batch.  

 

A plain blue in origoinal condition to the revised and apparently much-improved specification would be of interest here simply because the original was so poorly executed and was avoided.  

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19 minutes ago, Geep7 said:

Just had a look. It's definitely an improvement, but I think the horns are still too small. Not a problem as they are easy to replace with cast white-metal ones.

 

Hopefully it runs a lot better though.

 

I wonder if they are going to produce extra interiors for the DTCL as a spare so we can all replace ours from the first run, rather than having to butcher it apart?

 

I don't wish to rain on anyone's party, but I suspect the answer to the last question is no. Just as Bachmann haven't sold the Buffet coach for a 4 BEP separately, they need folk to buy the new offering not improve/ modify the old one at home!

 

John.

Edited by John Tomlinson
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31 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

I don't wish to rain on anyone's party, but I suspect the answer to the last question is no. Just as Bachmann haven't sold the Buffet coach for a 4 BEP separately, they need folk to buy the new offering not improve/ modify the old one at home!

 

John.

Yes, I somehow suspect that to be the case as well.... it was more said in hope than anything else.....

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59 minutes ago, Geep7 said:

I wonder if they are going to produce extra interiors for the DTCL as a spare so we can all replace ours from the first run, rather than having to butcher it apart?


IMHO, they owe it to those of us with the old one to make the new interiors available as a spare part.  Customer care and all that.  They admit in the Engine Shed blog that the old one is not up to scratch, so come on Hornby, keep your customers happy!  Replacing whole original models with the new ones is not just a case of liveries, this new tool is the later rebuild units with extra seating where the guards van used to be, so just repainting it into earlier colour schemes won't work. 

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1 hour ago, Geep7 said:

JI wonder if they are going to produce extra interiors for the DTCL as a spare so we can all replace ours from the first run, rather than having to butcher it apart?

 

I thought when this issue was first raised, Hornby said they would do just that. 

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1 hour ago, ATME said:

When they bring out a c.1978 blue and grey version with orange curtains, I'll buy one! The cab windows still look a little narrow though?

agreed they still don't look quite right. Sadly they haven't corrected the gangway door which still sits too far back in the corridor connector, so the cab still looks pretty weird to me. A friend of mine pointed out the recesses for the jumper cables are also the wrong shape and the headlight is unique to the preserved blue unit "Gordon Pettit".

  I guess there's still a bit of time before the model is due out for them to fiddle with it, but at the moment it looks like the razor saw will have to come out , as per the the previous vep releases.

 

Jon

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9 hours ago, 43179 said:

the headlight is unique to the preserved blue unit "Gordon Pettit".

 

 

Many 4VEPs had the headlight - for example 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/39254835122/in/album-72157629191176988/

 

And skip forward and backward and all the 4VEPs in Robert Carroll's excellent album have the headlight. 

Edited by RFS
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14 minutes ago, RFS said:

 

Many 4VEPs had the headlight - for example 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/

14 minutes ago, RFS said:

 

Many 4VEPs had the headlight - for example 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/39254835122/in/album-72157629191176988/

 

And skip forward and backward and all the 4VEPs in Robert Carroll's excellent album have the headlight. 

39254835122/in/album-72157629191176988/

 

And skip forward and backward and all the 4VEPs in Robert Carroll's excellent album have the headlight. 

Ah but they’re all mounted flush into the door- the headlight on both Hornby samples,  protrudes from it which was only seen at one end on the preserved unit.

As the great Kimon Sohler once said 

“Details Details Details”

 

jon

Edited by 43179
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9 hours ago, 43179 said:

Sadly they haven't corrected the gangway door which still sits too far back in the corridor connector, so the cab still looks pretty weird to me.

 

I thought the gangway door still didn't look quite right. All in all, I still think Bachmann made a better go at the front end for the 4-TC. Perhaps it's just one of those complex shapes that really pushes the limits of plastic moulds?

 

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