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Hornby/Arnold 'Brighton Belle' - price and delivery date confirmed.


Andy Y

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I can shed some light on this. Due to their construction, the underframe on a (real) Pullman coach is narrower than that for example on a BR Mk1 by about a foot. Therefore there is much less clearance behind for the wheels. I had occasion a while ago to design an etched underframe for the old Farish Pullman coaches, and with either 2mm Finescale or Bachmann RP25 wheels of the correct diameter, was unable to manage anything that would go round a curve under 2' radius without putting cutouts into the solebars. (Farish did it by putting the wrong bogies on the coaches and using wheels that were too small in case you are wondering). Therefore I am not surprised at all that Hornby had issues with something that has to go around a 9" radius curve. Chunky wheels will only make it worse, but I do not think Bachmann wheels will solve it. Fill in the solebar cutouts if you have generous radius curves.

 

Chris

 

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for that - very interesting and a great example of the difficult choices faced by designers when deciding where to make the inevitable compromises required for the model train market. 

 

Another option would have been to shift the solebars out slightly so that even on 9" (or 7.5", if that was the design brief) curves the flanges don't come into contact with them.

 

So if the choice is between correctly position solebar, with cutouts, or overly wide solebar with no cutouts, which is the error that is most likely to be visible?  If the solebar was overwide, but had no cutouts, would anyone have noticed without measuring?

 

I can live with the cutouts, but I wonder if I'd have found an overwide solebar easier to accept?  TBH I am not sure I'd have even noticed it....

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

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I can concur with Chris' comments.  When i made the Queen of Scots set for CF from the old B&H kits I had to seriously open out the insides of the solebars to make room for the 7mm fine scale wheels: and this was using Metro Cam DMU bogies that are shorter than scale.  The solebars are fag paper thin on the turning arcs of the wheels and we have 600 mm corners.

 

The Brighton Belle set looks absolutely gorgeous in umber and cream, but if it is supposed to represent the 1934 condition I think it should not have curtains and I suspect the roof would have been lead white.  Probably OK for post war tho'.

 

Bit hard to justify one on Copenhagen Fields.

 

Tim

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The November Railway Modeller has clarified the livery differences between 1934 and 1960 liveries in its review of the OO version; main differences in the 1960 version are an elongated Pullman crest on the front and sides, plus dropping of the 'third class' after the car numbers.

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Hello all,

 

I have a Brighton Belle heading my way, on the basis that one is being restored at Barrow Hill and hopefully will be on the mainline in 2015.

 

Does anyone know which era of umber and cream livery the restoration team are planning to run it in? Will it have the "Third Class" lettering on the bodysides?

 

The website suggests 1930s colours, but presumably it will have to have yellow panels if it is not merely to be towed?

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

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The November Railway Modeller has clarified the livery differences between 1934 and 1960 liveries in its review of the OO version; main differences in the 1960 version are an elongated Pullman crest on the front and sides, plus dropping of the 'third class' after the car numbers.

Problem may still be the curtains for the 1934 version, or should be lack of.

 

Tim

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Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for that - very interesting and a great example of the difficult choices faced by designers when deciding where to make the inevitable compromises required for the model train market. 

 

Another option would have been to shift the solebars out slightly so that even on 9" (or 7.5", if that was the design brief) curves the flanges don't come into contact with them.

 

So if the choice is between correctly position solebar, with cutouts, or overly wide solebar with no cutouts, which is the error that is most likely to be visible?  If the solebar was overwide, but had no cutouts, would anyone have noticed without measuring?

 

I can live with the cutouts, but I wonder if I'd have found an overwide solebar easier to accept?  TBH I am not sure I'd have even noticed it....

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

 

You might notice wide solebars more than you think. The proportions of a Pullman coach might well be upset if the solebars come more flush with the coach sides than they should be.

 

Some bits of painted plastic strip could be added as replacement solebars. And if you attach them carefully you can perhaps take them off if you do not like the look of the result.

 

Chris 

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You might notice wide solebars more than you think. The proportions of a Pullman coach might well be upset if the solebars come more flush with the coach sides than they should be.

 

Some bits of painted plastic strip could be added as replacement solebars. And if you attach them carefully you can perhaps take them off if you do not like the look of the result.

 

Chris 

 

Yes, you could be right.  I was actually thinking of spraying an A4 sized self-adhesive computer label matt black, then cutting out strips the right depth and just sticking them on.... they won't add any significant width hopefully and should be removable... If there's any lettering on the solebar then it may be I could print the strips rather than spray them...

 

Having said that, I may not bother at all if, when the model arrives, the cut outs don't bother me unduly!

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

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Email,last night,my brown & cream version will be here today(Wed).As it`s a Xmas pressie from my wife,do i run it now or wait for Xmas? :scratchhead:

 

 

   Ray.

Hello, Ray - Merry Christmas!  (running for cover already!!)

In view of the current (possibly now the standard) supply pattern, I would suggest that you give it a thorough pre-acceptance/post delivery inspection and test.

If it passes these, as it should, then hand it over to the care of the provider, showing your appreciation for it at the same time.  This will give you a second chance to be delighted with both the model and the gift in six weeks time! Happiness is always worth sharing!

 

Richard 

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My 1934 Umber/Cream version arrived today. :imsohappy:    Assemble on the layout (aren't those couplings fiddly!!) and run into the fiddle yard and back - everything looks and works OK. Even though I knew they were there, didn't notice the cutouts...

 

Investigate swapping coach bodies to get them in the right order as the only way I could couple the cars together was Car no 88, 'Doris', 'Hazel', Car no 86, Car no 89 (see post #171). Removed body of 'Hazel' by unclipping one end, running thumbnails down between body and chassis and the other end popped off. Same for 'Doris' and put bodies back on the other chassis. Reassemble and test OK. :good: :D

 

Then the wife came in and said 'There you are. Something new? That looks like your Christmas present...'  :O :mad: :wild:

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I received my umber and cream Belle today, very pleased with it. It runs very smoothly straight from the box. It worked fine on Kato track and Peco track. It was fairly easy to connect but had to be careful. The table lights are a nice touch. Hope they do more models, especially emus, a 2BIL maybe?

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I received my umber and cream Belle today, very pleased with it. It runs very smoothly straight from the box. It worked fine on Kato track and Peco track. It was fairly easy to connect but had to be careful. The table lights are a nice touch. Hope they do more models, especially emus, a 2BIL maybe?

How  about  a  6 Car  Trans Penine  Express  DMU?  " liveries  available  to produce  ( Green  &  Blue  Grey)

Hopefully  my  Brown  Belle will arrive  tomorroww!! 

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Just  a  Quick  OT  Query!!

 

Can anyone  advise  me  who Hornby  are  using  for   deliveries in  the  UK?

 

Is  it  Royal  Mail  or  annother  company,  my delivery  is  due  apparently

 

Thanks  Steve

 

EDITED 10-05!!

 

If  I  Had    waited   5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!

 

Its  just  arrived  Delivered  by  a  local  North  Wales carrier  Cooper  Carriers  on  behalf  of  UK MAIL!

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Mine hadn't arrived as of last night

I got  eMail  from  Hornby  latish  yesterday evening  but  it  was  unreadable  it  was  just  a  page  of garbish, anyway  i phoned   Hornby this  morning to advise  them  of  this  and  they  confirmed it  had  been despatched yesterday and  it  arrived by local courier  before  10.00 AM

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No two ways about it - that looks absolutely fantastic and better than the pictures of the prototype that I'd seen.  Fiddly couplings aside, I've gone and bought a second set in the earlier livery.  SWMBO is going to have words, I'm sure....

 

A poster on the N Gauge Forum a day or two ago stated that Hornby had already sold 400 of these sets.  Does anyone know if that is correct?  If it is, I'm thrilled for Horby and for what it may mean for N scale modelers.

 

Matt

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Well  I  have  not  had  a  chance  to   open  mine  yet  and  its  been  here for 9 hours  now  (my wife  returned  home  yesterday  from  a  stay in hospital so obviously  she  takes  precedence  over  trrains)

 

But  looking  at   the  Belle  in the  box  it  looks  superb  and  dare  i  say  it  looks  even  better  than  the  00 versions!  I am  sorely  tempted  to  order  a  second on  and  run  a  10BEL  ( as most  of  the  services in reality  were  run)

 

Measuring  up recently  and  Ii actually  worked  out  I could  accomodate  a 9 car  unit  and   the  service  was  occasionally run  as  a  9 BEL  when individual cars  were removed from tthe  sets  for attention.   Somewhere  I have  a phot  of  a 9 BEL  which  I will try  to  find!

 

400 Units  Presold?  not  sure  how  we  could  confirm  that  figure, but  hopefully sales will be  good  which  may lead to  more UK outline  N gauge items (such as  thee  6 car Trans Pennine Express which  I keep mentioning!!)

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