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Hornby Princess Coronation Class (Duchess)

Dick Turpin

By Dick Turpin
in Hornby

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G-BOAF

G-BOAF

Posted
Posted

Can it not be filed out?

Very difficult. Silver Sidelines has managed something on a king with a 0.9mm screwdriver blade, but you can't file something that is so deeply recessed into the chassis. See his picture here (different loco, same bearing/problem):

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/301/32402967572_1c996633a7_b.jpg

 

Even getting a grinding tool would be difficult given the width at the deepest point is less than 1mm.

If these are machined post casting, they need to go back on whatever jig was used and be done again. If they are cast with all bearing slots in place, the tooling is faulty...!

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robmcg

robmcg

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately now with a few manufacturers, if you get a good one without faults you are lucky .

After parting with my hard earned cash, if it isn't what it purports to be, the item is returned.

The people I feel sorry for is the retailer, who have to pick up the associated costs of returns from the customer.

 

This is why I am no longer happy to buy new models via the web, living in NZ the only practical choice.

 

I have bought 5 Duchesses of the new type, none were complete basket cases like the two Heljan 47XXs I just bought. SWS was returned to Rails and I got a full refund, annoying but no real problem. A second SWS was ok. As are the 46229 in lined LMS black, Atholl, NRM Hamilton, and two 46235 Birminghams.

 

All however have some minor faults, and I feel very sorry for the people involved in design, production and retailing with so many being unfit for purpose, usually the faults are pretty minor but as this thread points out a very small dimensional error by a toolmaker can have grave consequences.

 

The Heljan 47XX is in a whole different league, it's as if the assembly and packing at the factory was done by people who remind me of 1970s Britsh car industry creative production-line wreckers, or perhaps of 11yr old children who have no idea what a locomotive looks like.  Odd considering the design and detailing it of a very high standard.  A buyer receiving a good one is very lucky indeed, as far as I can tell from the relevant Heljan thread.

 

In short I like the new Duchess, q c isn't too bad in my limited experience but I don't have a large layout, my reservations about buying new models stems also from the fact that new models are not far-and-away better than existing ones, and fitting detailing on older ones, such as some plasticard or a Comet upgrade can yield good results with 2002-20017 model which by and large have better mechanicals.

 

..

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adb968008

adb968008

Posted
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Maybe consider a different shop to supply ?

 

I switched many of my pre-orders to Derails.

 

The nice thing is every model is tested before sending, and I’ve not had a duff one, comes with a card in the box indicated it’s been tested.

 

They also call to arrange a suitable time for shipping to ensure i’m available to receive.

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Black 5 Bear

Black 5 Bear

Posted
Posted

Maybe consider a different shop to supply ?

I switched many of my pre-orders to Derails.

The nice thing is every model is tested before sending, and I’ve not had a duff one, comes with a card in the box indicated it’s been tested.

They also call to arrange a suitable time for shipping to ensure i’m available to receive.

Agree wholeheartedly with your post. Derails are without doubt one of the best retailers in the UK for customer service.

Having bought quite a few locos from them, I've never had a duff one. All are tested and inspected prior to despatch by Dan and his staff, so the chances of getting a "Lemon" are greatly reduced.

Pricing is also very competitive when measured against a number of well known outlets.

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paul 27

paul 27

Posted
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I'm actually really miffed. I presume Hornby had a number of returns of SWS and Atholl with the body-chassis problem, and one of the magazines (I think) picked up on the derailing issue of the Duchess. My problems today are symptoms/causes of both. We have seen numerous body failures on this forum alone. Hornby cannot claim not to know, or 'we've not heard about that before'.

 

These models were first released in October and this batch manufactured in Feb. How on earth were these problems not addressed in the intervening period. After all, Hornby quickly corrected the errors on the smokebox door shape with the first rebuilt Merchant Navy model in 2000.

 

This is a loco with RRP of £220, yet we have the thing literally falling appart, and getting traction from 3/6 driving wheels.

It is literally a beautifully decorated piece of scrap plastic and metal.

 

If the replacement is also faulty I'm seriously tempted to send it straight to Hornby and get their engineers the to sort it out directly.

 Totally agree have had to return two models of City of Birmingham both with paint defects and missing parts.

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Silver Sidelines

Silver Sidelines

Posted
Posted

Good Morning Sandwich

 

Thanks for the link but not all the pics show.

 

Not sure why that might be as I can see the images.  The Post has been read over 600 times apparently without issue..

 

The pictures are hosted on Flickr and you shold be able to see any missing images at the end of this album:

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/longsheds/912aF9

 

I don't know where in Australia you reside but I wonder if it is a telephone line / band width problem?

 

Regards

 

Ray

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sandwich station

sandwich station

Posted
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Good Morning Sandwich

 

 

Not sure why that might be as I can see the images.  The Post has been read over 600 times apparently without issue..

 

The pictures are hosted on Flickr and you shold be able to see any missing images at the end of this album:

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/longsheds/912aF9

 

I don't know where in Australia you reside but I wonder if it is a telephone line / band width problem?

 

Regards

 

Ray

Well, I've just looked at this link you posted and can see all the pics. I've then gone back and looked at the original link where I said not all pics were viewable (first 4) and now I can see them all there as well, so not sure what happened first time. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
apollanaut

apollanaut

Posted
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I spent the weekend at our seaside property on the scenic Whangarei Heads peninsula, so had a chance to see if I could fix the short circuit issue with my City of Birmingham model. After carefully opening up the loco and tender bodies, I was able to isolate the problem to the tender, which immediately engaged the short circuit cutout on my ESU 50200 controller as soon as I placed it on the track without the loco attached.

 

So I unplugged the TTS decoder and tested it with a basic 8 pin Hattons decoder. No short triggered so I reconnected the loco to test the motor and all worked fine.

 

No time to do much more than search the forums for advice and read about some recent issues others had encountered with later batches of TTS sound decoders not working properly with some DCC controllers (ESU and others). But this had supposedly been rectified by the manufacturers last year so future releases would work as well as the earlier TTS releases. I have three of these, all of which work perfectly with my controller and have proven to be extremely reliable and robust runners.

 

There are no quality issues with the model itself, so it’s either a miscommunication issue between controller and decoder or a faulty TTS decoder which should be covered by the warranty. Before I go to the trouble of returning the decoder to the UK for replacement, I still would like to confirm that this is the source of the problem, otherwise it’s likely to reoccur with any replacement decoders conflicting with the complex command protocols of high end modern DCC controllers.

 

For what it’s worth, I was very impressed with the quality and range of sounds Hornby had programmed onto the new Princess Coronation decoder. This even included the unusual sound of the tender mounted coal pusher that was such a feature of these locos. Luckily, I took some videos of it in action (complete with some of the sound functions) before it stopped working.

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apollanaut

apollanaut

Posted
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I’ve finally had to concede defeat and return my City of Birmingham model to Hattons to see if they can determine what’s wrong with the decoder/speaker assembly that’s causing a short circuit on my layout. At least I know the model itself is OK; if Hattons are unable to repair the decoder I’ll be happy with a partial refund and a return of the loco so I can later install my own sound decoder.

 

Like robmcg, I have little choice but to order from the big box-shifters in the UK, so minor QC issues are more of a hassle when you live on the other side of the planet. To be fair, this is the first model I’ve had to return since I started collecting again around 10 years ago. I should also be grateful that the newer models don’t seem to mind running upside-down here in New Zealand, even though Hornby’s Magnadhesion feature was discontinued in the 1970’s (showing my age here, sorry!)

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JSpencer

JSpencer

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I’ve finally had to concede defeat and return my City of Birmingham model to Hattons to see if they can determine what’s wrong with the decoder/speaker assembly that’s causing a short circuit on my layout. At least I know the model itself is OK; if Hattons are unable to repair the decoder I’ll be happy with a partial refund and a return of the loco so I can later install my own sound decoder.

 

Like robmcg, I have little choice but to order from the big box-shifters in the UK, so minor QC issues are more of a hassle when you live on the other side of the planet. To be fair, this is the first model I’ve had to return since I started collecting again around 10 years ago. I should also be grateful that the newer models don’t seem to mind running upside-down here in New Zealand, even though Hornby’s Magnadhesion feature was discontinued in the 1970’s (showing my age here, sorry!)

 

I,m not sure they will be able to do a partial refund. When a return is made to Hornby, it would need to be the entire loco. They won't be able to return just a chip unless by lucky stars the TTS duchess chips only arrived about now.

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No Decorum

No Decorum

Posted
Posted

The streamlined version on the Engine Shed looks excellent. The cab detail looks as if it’s solidly moulded, which I think is reasonable considering how enclosed the cab is. Separate details in an open cab such as the J36 seem to strike the right balance. Separate sandbox lids are a nice little touch. I hope all the production ones run as well as the sample!

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  • 3 weeks later...
apollanaut

apollanaut

Posted
Posted

I,m not sure they will be able to do a partial refund. When a return is made to Hornby, it would need to be the entire loco. They won't be able to return just a chip unless by lucky stars the TTS duchess chips only arrived about now.

Well Hattons came through and returned a brand new model (as far as I can tell) of R3509TTS in little over a week since I returned it to them. All fiddly detail parts present and correct, so I’m understandably pleased. Just need to test it on my layout, which I’ll have a chance to do this weekend.

 

Incidentally, the Hornby website is now saying “ Preorder - expected July 2018”, so it seems they’re about to release another production run of this loco.

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melmerby

melmerby

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 I should also be grateful that the newer models don’t seem to mind running upside-down here in New Zealand, even though Hornby’s Magnadhesion feature was discontinued in the 1970’s (showing my age here, sorry!)

And DCC Concepts sort of re-vived it a few years back!

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/specialised-model-accessories/dccconcepts-powerbase/

 

Keith

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Silver Sidelines

Silver Sidelines

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I bought Birmingham a month or so back.  It came minus its speedo cable. Model Rail Direct were able to arrange a replacement direct from Hornby who also arranged collection of the faulty model - all at a time when the model was showing out of stock at Hornby,  As with all good new Hornby models the replacement came out of the box in bits because the front bogie fixing screw had come undone.  Of slightly more concern was the fact that one of the tender handrails / knobs was bent.

 

It runs quite well so I guess that is some comfort.

 

..
Incidentally, the Hornby website is now saying “ Preorder - expected July 2018”, so it seems they’re about to release another production run of this loco.

 

Regards

 

Ray

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RAF96

RAF96

Posted
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Sorry to say but that's not the MNR. She has visited the line three times, in 2013, 2015 and 2016, all whilst carrying BR Green.

Apologies - that appears to be an internet photo tagged by my PC as Dereham. My local DoS pictures are on the other PC 2000 miles away so I can’t post the Dereham MNR versions.

Its still a lovely engine though.

Rob

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