2016 Hornby 0-6-0 Fowler TTS?

[LittleSkink]

I see Hornby will release a new TTS Sound loco soon - and a nice sized one for a modest layout

http://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/shop/locomotives/tts-digital-sound-locomotives/br-0-6-0-fowler-4f-class-44198-late-br-with-tts-sound.html

 

Wonder what opinions were about it

 

Having tried a Railroad Flying Scotsman TTS (poor running and derail issues) and the even more handsome Cock o the North TTS (better low speed running but also derail issues) I think a more modest loco will work better

 

it is tempting to go to a DCC Bachmann J11 Robinson but the loco is for a young modeller who would value sound over detail

[Hilux5972]

I still believe that TTS is better suited to diesels. My reasoning is that with steamers, any out of sync sound is far more noticeable, to me anyway, than diesels.

[Hroth]

I feel that the price is on the steep side for what is essentially a Railroad standard loco.

 

The 4F (in LMS and BR livery), the LMS 2P and the SDJR 2P in their non-DCC forms are overpriced at £100, especially when compared with similar locos like the D49/1 and the Midland Compound which are in the £75 price bracket.  Admittedly £125 for the TTS 4f fits in with the Hornby "TTS sound is only £25 on the price of a loco" rule, but I wouldn'r want to pay more than £75 for a DDC ready example and I could almost persuade myself to part with £100 for the TTS version.

 

As for TTS steam in general, the only one I've had experience of was the Duke of Gloucester which sounds quite good, provided you don't look at the motion!  I should imagine on a loco with only coupling rods visible, any discrepancy in rotation and sound would be almost impossible to spot for the casual viewer.

 

I had derailing issues at one time with Cock o the North, which were cured by more careful attention to rail alignment.

[No Decorum]

Isn’t it extraordinary that Hornby still uses an illustration of the old model with plastic wheels and webs between the spokes, not to mention cogs visible underneath the tender? Especially when the current one looks so much better in this respect.

 

Hornby didn’t do such a bad job in ways, by putting a decent motor in the locomotive and decent wheels on the tender but then (in my view) spoiling it by using traction tyres.

 

I agree with Hilux that steam TTS is not good. It isn’t only that the sounds are not synchronised with the wheels; they speed up in steps rather than smoothly. However, for a young user who would like the sound, that might not matter.

 

I also agree with Hroth that the 4F is overpriced. The problem is that I can’t think of anything else to recommend. There are plenty of 0-6-0s and 0-6-0Ts but none have cheap sound. TTS units are not available separately and any other sound decoders are relatively expensive. Perhaps for your purposes, the Hornby 4F might be all right. I can’t recommend it or otherwise because I haven’t got one.

[FelixM]

I couldn't bring myself to buy a 4F as well. But I am interested in the future releases of the 2P and the Crosti 9F both with TTS, admittedly due to the particular liveries and not to the sound. But why not. Will they sound identically by the way? It would turn me off.