Hornby APT (2020 tooling)

[PaulRhB]

Yes like certain other models, the faults are irritating but most are less hassle to fix, if within your skill set, than packing it up and sending it back! There is also the concern that there might not be spares for a while on past experience. 
While we appreciate that is beyond some peoples comfort zone and they have the rights of sale firmly on their side it’s useful to post the solutions so people can make their choice. There should be no you MUST do this solution and many of our overseas members have far more hassle in sending stuff back than we do too. 
I found the lack of info on the DCC sockets irritating too and the two decoders I had in won’t fit the driving cars so I’ve had to order two more. The opening is the same size but shallower than the NDM on those so the cover wouldn’t sit down flush! 1mm makes a big difference. 
 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by PaulRhB

[newbryford]

20 minutes ago, Wolf27 said:

Don’t get me wrong, it should be faultless as should all models, given the cost. I wonder how many of the outspoken complainers actually take Hornby to task over the issues. Bleating on and on via their social media groups is done for attention and likes and only causes more outrage. Personally I’m happy to be getting my APT which looks right. I’ll deal with any issues as that’s what I do. I certainly wouldn’t be sending it back. 
 

Each to their own and all that. 

 

I contacted SK directly with no satisfactory outcome as a result.

Whilst fixing small details  - like you - isn't an issue for me, it's the fact that I have to completely repaint a loco is.

(Thankfully, something I can also - but shouldn't have to - do)

[boxbrownie]

12 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

 
I found the lack of info on the DCC sockets irritating too and the two decoders I had in won’t fit the driving cars so I’ve had to order two more. The opening is the same size but shallower than the NDM on those so the cover wouldn’t sit down flush! 1mm makes a big difference. 
 

 

 

Your not moaning about Hornby are you? 

 

Seriously though that’s interesting about the depth being different, I am sure with a bit of forward thinking they could have made them the same.

[Calnefoxile]

22 minutes ago, Wolf27 said:

Don’t get me wrong, it should be faultless as should all models, given the cost. I wonder how many of the outspoken complainers actually take Hornby to task over the issues. Bleating on and on via their social media groups is done for attention and likes and only causes more outrage. Personally I’m happy to be getting my APT which looks right. I’ll deal with any issues as that’s what I do. I certainly wouldn’t be sending it back. 
 

Each to their own and all that. 

 

Are you inferring that people should be doing, oh what do you call it??

 

It's on the tip of my tongue!!!

 

I'll get there in a minute!!!

 

Oh yes, MODELLING!!!

 

Good grief man.......

[Wolf27]

1 minute ago, Calnefoxile said:

 

Are you inferring that people should be doing, oh what do you call it??

 

It's on the tip of my tongue!!!

 

I'll get there in a minute!!!

 

Oh yes, MODELLING!!!

 

Good grief man.......

Good grief indeed. 
 

it’s nice to have a reasoned discussion without being called out as a fanboy or as someone called me ‘Hornby’s White Knight.’ 

[Wolf27]

4 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

I contacted SK directly with no satisfactory outcome as a result.

Whilst fixing small details  - like you - isn't an issue for me, it's the fact that I have to completely repaint a loco is.

(Thankfully, something I can also - but shouldn't have to - do)

You tried but the dismissive response will come back to haunt him!

[newbryford]

20 minutes ago, SamThomas said:

Fair points Wolf - especially regarding complaining on SM.

 

Personally, I would complain to the manufacture direct if I had an issue.

 

Surely, a manufacture will take more notice of say 10 direct emails than say 30 complaints on SM ?

 

 

I did exchange emails directly with Hornby regarding my issue, but was just dismissed.

 

The last few Hornby purchases have been a set of SD Mk3's - required new wheels after contacting them directly and that took many weeks.

GBRf 50 - "it is what it is" - maybe 8 months of emails with often weeks awaiting a reply.

Two Hornby 60s - both missing details. I've given up and bought 3D packs.

 

 

 

 

Regarding  using SM to "complain" - OT from model railways.

My usual approach is to contact the supplier/retailer of the product in question,  but that doesn't always work

A utility company wouldn't respond at all to direct emails over 3 months, but a post on SM had it resolved in a couple of weeks.

 

 

 

[PaulRhB]

13 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Your not moaning about Hornby are you? 

 

Seriously though that’s interesting about the depth being different, I am sure with a bit of forward thinking they could have made them the same.

Yeah  I moan but find a solution, Nowt wrong with exasperation if you do something about it in my book   

[boxbrownie]

10 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Yeah  I moan but find a solution, Nowt wrong with exasperation if you do something about it in my book   

So in Hornby’s case “Exasperation is the Mother of Invention” ? 

[Norski]

Sorry for the lack of scenery...  Just a quick test on banked curves. No lights on front - my decoder was to big.

 

 

 

 

[boxbrownie]

The last car on the first video looked like it was “out of line” with the rest?

[Norski]

6 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

The last car on the first video looked like it was “out of line” with the rest?

Yes i can see that. I run it again and it did the same. I switched front and rear cars around and now it isn't doing it. Maybe the vagaries of my elevation - i cant blame Hornby for my track laying skills. Elevation looks good but it creates little problems.....i left the window open on a class 47 once and the driver fell out and had to go to hospital. 

 

[Bigeddie]

Well my long awaited 7 car set just arrived direct from Hornby and I think it looks great. On the packaging front, whilst not the ultimate in packing, i thought that putting the decorated box in a tight fitting brown cardboard box with a corrugated packing piece, then putting that inside bubble wrap and two pieces of 20mm foam padding inside a corrugated box was fairly good. No obvious damage inside although i have not run it yet.

 

i really like the internal detail, although i will eventually enhance it., and the cab is so much better than the 80’s version.
 

i have ordered the Hunt couplers ( @£8 they seem sensible for a punt!) 

 

i do wish Hornby had better fitted the capacitors or at least shrouded them so it doesn’t look like the coaches are carrying loosely packed 45gall drum freight as a sideline! I have seen the 00 rail capacitor move videos and will probably try this in the future, but as yet am am not confident enough in my modelling skills, particularly removing and re soldering to the board. It’ll be interesting to find out how you other braver souls get on. Still i may try asking my brother ( who used to build aviation sensor packs when he was a technician) to do the “scary” bits.

 

Anyway off now to see whether a full 14 car set looks weird on my little layout. In any case it’ll look a lot better than the imaginary DJM version ever will on anyones setup……..

[PaulRhB]

43 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

So in Hornby’s case “Exasperation is the Mother of Unnecessary Invention” ? 

There you go . . .  

[letterspider]

55 minutes ago, Bigeddie said:

Well my long awaited 7 car set just arrived direct from Hornby and I think it looks great. On the packaging front, whilst not the ultimate in packing, i thought that putting the decorated box in a tight fitting brown cardboard box with a corrugated packing piece, then putting that inside bubble wrap and two pieces of 20mm foam padding inside a corrugated box was fairly good. No obvious damage inside although i have not run it yet.

 

i really like the internal detail, although i will eventually enhance it., and the cab is so much better than the 80’s version.
 

i have ordered the Hunt couplers ( @£8 they seem sensible for a punt!) 

 

i do wish Hornby had better fitted the capacitors or at least shrouded them so it doesn’t look like the coaches are carrying loosely packed 45gall drum freight as a sideline! I have seen the 00 rail capacitor move videos and will probably try this in the future, but as yet am am not confident enough in my modelling skills, particularly removing and re soldering to the board. It’ll be interesting to find out how you other braver souls get on. Still i may try asking my brother ( who used to build aviation sensor packs when he was a technician) to do the “scary” bits.

 

Anyway off now to see whether a full 14 car set looks weird on my little layout. In any case it’ll look a lot better than the imaginary DJM version ever will on anyones setup……..

 

I would recommend snipping the legs of the capacitor half way and soldering the link wire to the stumps. That way you don't risk too much heat getting onto the lighting board and damaging the fragile tracks and components

 

Just received my APT 7 car today and disappointed that a pantograph is already broken in the box! After a very long wait and price increases - I do not dare find out how much further trouble there will be with this model - at over £500 I hoped for better.

 

I am going to send this back to the retailer because I think Hornby need to get the message via their balance sheet that they need to listen to customer issues, have a deep rethink about the the poor quailty of most of their pantographs; and the cam couplings on their locos and......

It is bizarre they went to the trouble to create a prestige model and then to do something so ham fisted.

 

 

[SamThomas]

1 hour ago, newbryford said:

A utility company wouldn't respond at all to direct emails over 3 months, but a post on SM had it resolved in a couple of weeks.

I think the difference is that Utility Companies (& other large companies) employ people from the 1k's strong worksforces to monitor SM whereas Hornby (according to a post on here somewher) emply less that 200 people.

[newbryford]

8 minutes ago, SamThomas said:

I think the difference is that Utility Companies (& other large companies) employ people from the 1k's strong worksforces to monitor SM whereas Hornby (according to a post on here somewher) emply less that 200 people.

 

Possibly so, but by that logic, they (utility companies) don't employ people to reply to emails.

 

IMO - more like that larger companies are worried about their public face than the likes of Hornby - after all - we're just a bunch of toy train collectors.

 

[Legend]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

The last car on the first video looked like it was “out of line” with the rest?

 

The real thing quite often looked like that !

[Norski]

1 hour ago, Legend said:

 

The real thing quite often looked like that !

 

I should have said that..."its not broken, its prototypical"

[Ducking Giraffe]

Silly me, expected to pay a fixed pre-order price?

 

So I placed a pre-order with Hattons in early 2020 for a 7 car set and for some reason they cancelled it. Never knew why, they didn't say.

 

So placed and paid for an order with Jadam November 2020 for 7 car set @ £439.49 Now get an invocie for an extra 63.50 to put it up to £499.

 

Was I daft in expecting the pre-order price to remain the same, has anyone got a 7 car set set for less than £499? For a  minute I thought about cancelling and ordering an NDM  though Hornby, getting a  % discount and applying that to a 7 car set from them, but it won't work out less I think.

 

=sigh=-

 

That Brighton Belle and those two 1980s APTs have got to go... (one yellow one black)

 

PS not having a go at anyone , honest.

[wairoa]

I am very happy with my Hornby APT, the color being slightly off (I have no idea if it is or not) or the large capacitators don't bother me at all. I am quite happy with what I consider to be a toy representation of the real thing. 

 

In saying that, I understand if people are unhappy with broken parts. For the price that is unsatisfactory IMO. Generally, I consider modeling and repairing, brand new, broken items two different things. 

 

I have never met a person in my life who does not complain. Not one. I have met loads who say they hate it when people complain. In my experience those people are usually the worst complainers of all. As for complaining on social media, I got rid of FB and twitter years ago. Best move I ever made.

 

 

 

 

[boxbrownie]

4 hours ago, Legend said:

 

The real thing quite often looked like that !

I didn’t want to say that……somebody might be reading this……..shhhhh

[boxbrownie]

5 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Possibly so, but by that logic, they (utility companies) don't employ people to reply to emails.

 

IMO - more like that larger companies are worried about their public face than the likes of Hornby - after all - we're just a bunch of toy train collectors.

 

Don’t you let SK hear you say that…..

 

 

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Don’t you let SK hear you say that…..

 

 

 

Don't worry. He's busy making sure details are correct.

[meatloaf]

1 hour ago, Ducking Giraffe said:

Silly me, expected to pay a fixed pre-order price?

 

So I placed a pre-order with Hattons in early 2020 for a 7 car set and for some reason they cancelled it. Never knew why, they didn't say.

 

So placed and paid for an order with Jadam November 2020 for 7 car set @ £439.49 Now get an invocie for an extra 63.50 to put it up to £499.

 

Was I daft in expecting the pre-order price to remain the same, has anyone got a 7 car set set for less than £499? For a  minute I thought about cancelling and ordering an NDM  though Hornby, getting a  % discount and applying that to a 7 car set from them, but it won't work out less I think.

 

=sigh=-

 

That Brighton Belle and those two 1980s APTs have got to go... (one yellow one black)

 

PS not having a go at anyone , honest.

If they have already taken payment id have said the price was agreed and contract formed.

Personally id have asked for the refund. Hes had your cash sat there for over 12 months in his account