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Hornby Class 50 Chassis Corrosion


pheaton

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Evening all,

 

having sold a damaged body of valiant (civil engineers livery 50 fitted with sound) the damage was around the corners of the buffer beam, spreading out up along the corners of the cab (similar to the class 31) since then I have fitted a NSE body which I knew to be crack free, less than a year later this body is now showing serious cracks, and one of the bogies has discoloured (gone cloudy) there is also a cloudy patch on one side of the chassis about the size of a thumb print indicating some sort of chemical reaction is going on.

 

So would suggest you check any models you have of valiant... :(

 

This one is well out of warranty so I suspect this will be stripped of parts

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A few reports were made of Class 50 chassis cracking when the Class 31 and Heljan class 47 problems first appeared.  It doesn't seem to be as widespread, but it's definitely worth people checking their models from time to time.

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  • 3 months later...

Yet again the cracks in Hornby's supply chain issues are coming to the fore. How many other Hornby models are turning to dust in our cupboards?

Is there a non test that can be carried out on metal chassis to check for contamination in the metal? I am thinking here something similar the test for stainless steel purity using copper sulphate.

 

XF

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Does anyone know if R2575 50 027 "Lion" or R2793 50 048 "Dauntless" are affected? 

 

That's difficult to answer at the moment as I don't think the problem is particularly widespread at present (and hopefully won't become so!).  Best advice is, if you're concerned, store your locos with the bodies off.  A bit of a pain but the Class 50 is at least fairly easy to take apart; just don't forget to remove the orange ETS cables first.

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Yet again the cracks in Hornby's supply chain issues are coming to the fore. How many other Hornby models are turning to dust in our cupboards?

Is there a non test that can be carried out on metal chassis to check for contamination in the metal? I am thinking here something similar the test for stainless steel purity using copper sulphate.

 

XF

Sorry but this is not something you can uniquely lay on Hornby. Bachmann and Heljan have all had models with mazak distortion. The incidences are similar and Hornby have not been worse affected. 

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I have both Lion and Dauntless and neither are showing signs of this problem, its worth noting that this issue was a batch related problem so 2 models the same, one of them might be affected one might not.

 

As previously mentioned this problem isn't unique to Hornby Heljan suffered it with the class 47, and the Bachmann warship seems to suffer from it as well.

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  • 1 year later...

I've just seen a secondhand model of 50045 Achilles in NSE livery on the Hattons site listed as having early signs of Mazak rot. Has anyone else suffered with this particular model? I can't see any signs on mine just yet, but wondered how prone this particular model could be.

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I have not seen this on any of my 50s so far. Its hard to remember what some of them were originally apart from an unweathered 50007, 50020 and 50031 which have not been renumbered. I am going to check them all and report back. All mine are refurbished versions and include NSE 50003 and 50045 and LL 50004, 50011 and 50035.

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Yet again the cracks in Hornby's supply chain issues are coming to the fore. How many other Hornby models are turning to dust in our cupboards?

Is there a non test that can be carried out on metal chassis to check for contamination in the metal? I am thinking here something similar the test for stainless steel purity using copper sulphate.

XF

Only if you have a QC laboratory so equipped.

 

The zinc pest shows up faster in cold humid places than dry warn ones, so you could try sticking the Mazak parts in fridge for a month to accelerate the process.

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http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/24312-Hornby-class-50-faulty-chassis/

Probably about time I take mine out and gave them a check again I suppose. See if any more have deteriated.....

 

I had three 50's that this very problem happened to.

 

I just got my trains unpacked, so I'll be rechecking my 31's and 50's... I've already had to send 5 engines back to Hornby already...

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OK story so far is good news.

 

I have checked the following. I believe they all are paired with their original chassis. None are showing any signs of a problem

 

50007 Sir Edward Elgar (R2408)

50003 Superb Late NSE x 2

50031 Hood LL

50045 Achilles Late NSE x 2

50048 Dauntless is original NSE

50149 Defiance

 

I did not bother to check my recently purchases black roof large logo.

I have 4 more 003/045 to check but cannot be certain as to which is which as regards original chassis.

I also have another 12 large logo ones originally 004, 011, 020, 031. Again there maybe some I cannot be certain as to which body went with which chassis.

 

Even with the same loco there can be different batches. For example I have Achilles with and without traction tyres as this was changed after the first batch.

 

I do not have any unrefurbished examples.

 

I had a class 31 with the issue but no 50s so far. I have a lot more 50s than 31s. I have a lot more 50s  than anything.

 

Eamon

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I have a R2474 D421 (fitted with Ultrascale P4 wheels and renumbered to D401) and as far as I can see it's fine, but I'll keep an eye on it along with my various Heljan and Bachmann diesels.

 

Alasdair

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Only if you have a QC laboratory so equipped.

 

 The ideal test gear. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408347.2014.949616

 

In respect of metal alloys only metal refiners and alloy supply processors, and commercial and academic metallurgical specialists are likely to have kit like this. Forty years ago I was the high commander of a materials test facility with the predecessors of this kind of gear. (It needed a crane to be installed, specially reinforced floors, best operated in lead lined underpants,  etc. rather than the present bench top devices.)

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Quartet here including green 50007 all in good order.  Two were good second-hand purchases and the others new to me.  Watching brief kept on these and all locos just in case.

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