Satan's Goldfish Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 With respect OO gauge VAA/VBA/VDA Railfreight vans, how do the Bachmann and Hornby offerings compare to each other? And would a rake made up from both manufacturers have noticable differences? I'm not fluent on the differences between the van types and at the moment only have a single Bachmann offering but finding it easier and cheaper to locate Hornby examples......I could move on there to 'how does Bachmann's OBA and Hornby's OAA compare?' too really.... Cheers guys. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted August 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 20, 2014 Hornby's van is a VDA body, but with a great big ventilator on the roof which does not exist in reality. it also has a chassis from the OAA / SAA which is straight solebar, whereas the prototype has a lower centre section. Given how good the Bachmann version is with the correct chassis shame, plus the fact that Bachmann do the VAA, VBA and VGA as well, I personally wouldn't bother with Hornby's version.... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 There's a reason why Hornby's are cheap and plentiful Matt, nobody wants them. C6T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Cheers guys, Bachmann it is then! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merfyn Jones Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 In fairness to Hornby, theirs were very good 30+ years ago when there was nothing else. Time moves on. Merf. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) I'd noticed the vent and roof ribs (i filed them off) but I didn't realise that the Hornby had other major flaws. i have one of each of the Bachmann and Hornby as well. Really should take more notice. Hornby's van is a VDA body, but with a great big ventilator on the roof which does not exist in reality. it also has a chassis from the OAA / SAA which is straight solebar, whereas the prototype has a lower centre section. Given how good the Bachmann version is with the correct chassis shame, plus the fact that Bachmann do the VAA, VBA and VGA as well, I personally wouldn't bother with Hornby's version.... Edited November 2, 2016 by ess1uk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delticman Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I use the Hornby ones but have cut off those roof vents, I can conveniently ignore the chassis inaccuracies when a rake can be had at bargain prices, but then I am a tight Yorkshireman! Geoff 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium JDW Posted November 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 2, 2016 I use the Hornby ones but have cut off those roof vents, I can conveniently ignore the chassis inaccuracies when a rake can be had at bargain prices, but then I am a tight Yorkshireman! Geoff Likewise, I used 8 of them, with the roof vent removed, for a rake of BRT ZDAs that I wouldn't have justified buying 8 Bachmann ones for. It makes an interesting train, its not the most accurate but its a decent representation. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 The Hornby wagon is slightly shorter as well as having a few little detail differences. The Hornby wagon does still have its uses as a basis for other wagons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted November 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 2, 2016 The Hornby wagon does still have its uses as a basis for other wagons. Yup, new body, new underframe and away you go!! Mike. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekkie lad Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 I'd noticed the vent and roof ribs (i filed them off) but I didn't realise that the Hornby had other major flaws. i have one of each of the Bachmann and Hornby as well. Really should take more notice. I think (as I got rid of mine a long time ago) the Hornby model was also somewhat on the narrow side on the width dimension. For the Bachmann vans I've added a bit more detail to the underframe - certainly the VDA handbrake levers have been replaced with etched examples - such a air reservoir, a bit of brass piping and the such like. Also got rid of the dodgy suspension/roller bearing covers for something a bit more realistic. Ian S 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shed Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I think (as I got rid of mine a long time ago) the Hornby model was also somewhat on the narrow side on the width dimension. For the Bachmann vans I've added a bit more detail to the underframe - certainly the VDA handbrake levers have been replaced with etched examples - such a air reservoir, a bit of brass piping and the such like. Also got rid of the dodgy suspension/roller bearing covers for something a bit more realistic. Ian S the Hornby VDA is slightly narrower than the Bachmann. do you have any photos of your added details for your Bachmann vans? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold john new Posted March 21, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) Apologies for reviving an old thread - thought it better than starting a new one. Hoping to pick up one or two at either Ally Pally or York. 1) When were the prototypes introduced - answer now found = 1975 See https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brvda 2) When did the liveries swap over? My memory is brown was first then the Railfreight with red stripe section to the top. 3) What sort of transition period was there when both liveries might have been seen together? (Cut off date for the layout 1989) This probably appears a very numpties question but my reference library on the post-steam era is somewhat patchy. On my shunting plank I want to run different eras with locos (Including my diesels) matched to appropriate stock. It is the late green and into the blue period I'm not so sure on compared with earlier eras. Edited March 21, 2019 by john new Answer to Q1 found. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Steven B Posted March 21, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2019 Still easy to see maroon liveried ones in the late 1980s: 1983: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/3934064810 1985: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30843245@N00/32138834732 1988: https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailRollingstock/V-Tops-codes/VDA-vans/i-bKpQ2C6/A Steven B. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold john new Posted March 21, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, john new said: Apologies for reviving an old thread - thought it better than starting a new one. Hoping to pick up one or two at either Ally Pally or York. 1) When were the prototypes introduced - answer now found = 1975 See https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brvda 2) When did the liveries swap over? My memory is brown was first then the Railfreight with red stripe section to the top. 3) What sort of transition period was there when both liveries might have been seen together? (Cut off date for the layout 1989) This probably appears a very numpties question but my reference library on the post-steam era is somewhat patchy. On my shunting plank I want to run different eras with locos (Including my diesels) matched to appropriate stock. It is the late green and into the blue period I'm not so sure on compared with earlier eras. Thanks to Steven B's answer above, and other helpful tips received by PM, together with a bit more research today it looks for my purposes that with a 1989 cut off I can use the maroon liveried (Bachmann) van for any time from their introduction (1975) through to my self-imposed cut off date for the layout of 1989. Flicking through Paul Bartlett's site suggests that the Red/Grey version (Hornby) began to appear from April 1982 onwards. These include an example photo'd in York in April of 1982. Therefore for the blue diesel era between 1982 & 1989 either type can be mixed together. If I do get some Hornby one's I can live with the under-frame errors but will be sanding the erroneous roof details off as they are much more noticeable errors. Edited March 21, 2019 by john new 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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