Hornby King smokebox handles. Am I going wrong?

[robmcg]

Dear All,

 

I received a new Hornby King a while ago and as sometimes happens the smokebox door handles were not only not on the engine, they didn't look like they had ever been on. Not in the packet either. Clean floor, carefully opened. Unwilling to send it back from NZ at any rate.

 

I have put this in this section because I think it is quite a common thing for we RTR buyers to find such issues. 

 

My eyes are not good enough to tell but it seems like the hole in the centre of the smoke-box has a squared profile, no doubt to aid assembly.

 

I bought Markits brass replacement handles  (BR, no GWR in stock but perhaps similar?)  but cannot see how the vertical parts fit on the end of the main stem, nor quite how it should go together.

 

Please see the photos and tell me if I have the wrong bits, or am just missing something? Will I have to drill out the smoke-box door centre? Should I shorten the stem? Should the handles be tight?

 

The model is otherwise lovely.

 

Thanks in advance, it is so frustrating being dumb! To which I add in my case poor fingers.

 

 

 

edit; I attach here also a pic of the Hornby model as perhaps it should be, and the Markits parts might well be the wrong choice?  Better BR green effect than semi-gloss too!

 

 

edit 2; a King's ransom for a simple plastic part I could just push in...   like this on my 6021 version.

 

 

.

[toboldlygo]

As you've got a hole there to start with I wouldn't worry about using the supplied spigot.  

 

Just use 0.5mm dia drill to clean the hole in the smokebox out and ensure the hole goes through the smoke box door.

 

Get a piece of 0.45mm dia wire and thread the handles on and glue them at an appropriate angle.

 

Once the glue has dried trim the excess wire off the side of the handles which is going to be visible and leave about 5mm of wire to enable you to locate in the hole in the smokebox.

 

Trial fit and put the glue on the end of the wire and stick into place.

[45568]

Either as TBG says, or use the supplied spigot from inside the smokebox door, thread handles etc.

Cheers .

Peter C.

[Gordon A]

I would let your supplier know with accompanying photos. Make the point that you reside in NZ and do not wish to send the loco back.

See if they will cough up for the Markits replacement or offer to send you a set of Hornby smokebox door handles.

Just because you live so far away should not be an excuse for the retailer not checking the loco is complete before sending the item out to a customer.

Most of us would check out of the box and test run(if track available) before leaving the shop.

 

Gordon A

[robmcg]

I would let your supplier know with accompanying photos. Make the point that you reside in NZ and do not wish to send the loco back.

See if they will cough up for the Markits replacement or offer to send you a set of Hornby smokebox door handles.

Just because you live so far away should not be an excuse for the retailer not checking the loco is complete before sending the item out to a customer.

Most of us would check out of the box and test run(if track available) before leaving the shop.

 

Gordon A

 

Thanks Gordon, I will have to trawl through Emails from about 6 months ago to find who sold it, I bought 2 Kings at once and specified separate packages, but they were sent together and I had to pay a large import duty/tax about UKP50 ... but these things happen.

 

I personally wouldn't ask to return a faulty item unless I did so withing a reasonable time from purchase, 1-2 weeks, but in this case chose to repair it .

 

Also I didn't notice the fault until I photographed it, quite some time after purchase

 

 I doubt your average shop assistant would see the fault ... it would require un-clipping the plastic shroud and I'm not sure I would trust every shop assistant 

to do that! The soft plastic sheets above and below the engine can damage those under-cab sand pipes, the cylinders might be left rubbing on hard plastic if the engine was removed.

 

As an aside, I looked at Intercity84's YouTube review of the blue BR King with TTS and I noticed the cylinder drains in the accessory pack had one side broken , so I don't expect perfection from these things. He didn't notice.

 

Cheers,

[robmcg]

As you've got a hole there to start with I wouldn't worry about using the supplied spigot.  

 

Just use 0.5mm dia drill to clean the hole in the smokebox out and ensure the hole goes through the smoke box door.

 

Get a piece of 0.45mm dia wire and thread the handles on and glue them at an appropriate angle.

 

Once the glue has dried trim the excess wire off the side of the handles which is going to be visible and leave about 5mm of wire to enable you to locate in the hole in the smokebox.

 

Trial fit and put the glue on the end of the wire and stick into place.

 

Thanks for that toboldlygo, you make it very straightforward. I do this kind of thing only occasionally and loose my confidence, also my spares bin and drill bits, wire etc is a bit lacking, but I do like your attitude and would like to steal some of that please.

 

Here was me struggling to push the drilled handle ends onto the supplied spigot , would have been ok if I had certain tools like soft-jaw vice-grips and small vice perhaps. Right at the limit of my unassisted eyesight too.   Age you know!  

 

Much appreciated replies, all, thanks.

 

Confession time;   I was so  p   d o  f  that I put the engine up for local auction last night NZ time at UKP85 'as is' with Markits bits, using the same photos as here,   and it sold immediately.

 

Well, it will if the buyer pays!