Hornby W1 Hush Hush

[AY Mod]

21 minutes ago, Edge said:

This is getting dangerously close to politics now folks - let’s get back to the model trains

 

Yes, several posts removed. Next stage is access removal.

[Down_Under]

Bring this back on topic-ish:

 

I kinda like the rebuilt W1 in photographic grey. Looks quite smart. Torn between putting in a preorder for version or in LNER garter blue. 
 

Was there a point in time where all the streamlined designed (A4, P2, W1) all carried blue (P2 in green) Or is the only time after the valance were removed and thus BR Green is appropriate?

 

J

[MrTea]

Does anyone have a photo of the underside of the box they could share? There’s usually a manufacturer code on a sticker on there that starts with 3 letters e.g. ‘REF’ followed by some letters and numbers. 
 

I’d be interested to know which factory produced these and whether it’s the same as the A2/2 and A2/3?

[828CC]

19 minutes ago, MrTea said:

Does anyone have a photo of the underside of the box they could share? There’s usually a manufacturer code on a sticker on there that starts with 3 letters e.g. ‘REF’ followed by some letters and numbers. 
 

I’d be interested to know which factory produced these and whether it’s the same as the A2/2 and A2/3?

No time for pics, but on my W1 box:  HUA02-PO10008725   Under that: R3840-38-362

From my A2/3 box:  GFT01-10008025  Under that:  R3832-2-362

[SamThomas]

I have already queried the actual plastic used for the body (i.e. is it brittle ?).

 

Just wondering as a high proportion of the damage is to the left hand smoke deflector could there be a moulding defect or in the commendable effort to get the smoke deflectors looking "right"  (i.e not too thick) it's a natural weak spot ?

 

Such a shame, otherwise a generally superb model.

Edited December 18, 2021 by SamThomas
Typo

[melmerby]

I've got a strange fault on mine (or is it actually something else?) It is fitted with a decoder so is running on DCC.

When travelling through a particular Peco code 75 electrofrog double slip it trips the DCC cutout but only occasionally, maybe every 6th time.

Speed doesn't seem to be critical as it does it at both low and high speeds.

.

 

Bit of background here.

I had an NCE EB1 overload cutout between the Z21 and the track, however this went faulty a few weeks ago so I removed it from the circuit and was running straight from the Z21, meanwhile I ordered a PSX 1 as a replacement.

Then the W1 arrived and I was running that without a problem.

Shortly afterwards the new breaker arrived and fitted that a couple of days ago, it is set to trip at 3.8A

Since then the W1 trips it on this one point and nowhere else, including other double slips. So far no other loco has done it

 

Note the wiring to the point has not been changed in years and has work perfectly since

Any ideas?

 

 

 

[SamThomas]

Keith - I'd be inclined to suspect the trailing bogie wheels - could you try running the locomotive without them ?

[Edna Clouds]

As I understand it (what a wonderful get out clause that is), on the W1, it was the two low pressure cylinders that exhausted up the chimney which resulted in 4 chuffs for each revolution of the driving wheels. A couple of you tube videos have the loco doing a 6 beat 'song'. Should be 4, shouldn't it?

[KT]

16 hours ago, Tiddles47 said:

Ive had the same thing… sometimes the link works, sometimes not, and when t does work , the latest update is “at national hub”.  More than likely being thrown around… god only knows when it’ll turn up and if its in 1 piece.

Hornby want the additional level of margin that comes from cutting out the retailer. But, they haven't geared up their sales to handle the additional work involved in fulfilling the role of the retailer. Particularly for a model that had a lot of demand.

As time goes on, assuming they survive the growing pains, they will learn where they haven't been prepared and will react and improve. It's growing pains of dealing with a (relatively) new role for them.

Also, shifting boxes to retailers, the retailers can get messed about endlessly and just have to 'put up with it'. They want the models. Individuals are massively less patient, or understanding.

Again, they're not used to dealing with people that can talk back to them.

[andyman7]

28 minutes ago, KT said:

Hornby want the additional level of margin that comes from cutting out the retailer. But, they haven't geared up their sales to handle the additional work involved in fulfilling the role of the retailer. Particularly for a model that had a lot of demand.

 

Leave aside any shortcomings in the actual fulfilment, it is customer expectation that means that Hornby's product range is available direct from them online, too many of their customers expect to be able to order direct.

 

They have a different market profile to Peco and Bachmann UK with a broader consumer reach (i.e. not just 'serious' railway modellers of a certain age, but slot cars, kits, family hobby activities, Sam's trains )  Indeed in the US where Bachmann's product range and reach is closer in profile to Hornby, Bachmann do direct sales.

[micklner]

9 hours ago, Down_Under said:

Bring this back on topic-ish:

 

I kinda like the rebuilt W1 in photographic grey. Looks quite smart. Torn between putting in a preorder for version or in LNER garter blue. 
 

Was there a point in time where all the streamlined designed (A4, P2, W1) all carried blue (P2 in green) Or is the only time after the valance were removed and thus BR Green is appropriate?

 

J

Models as per the Hornby release notes, the wrong uns are:-

Original Hush Hush Body , British Enterprise and the Green version, first one the plates were never fitted , the Green one was on a cigeratte card.

Twin Chimney used for a very short time before rebuilding  , a extra cowling was then also fitted for a even shorter time . That is the version Hornby should have done as it changes the look of the Loco.

 

A4 type body the Grey one never existed ( I have never seen a photo of a Grey one).

 

Hornby havent announced so far :-

Black wartime livery no side covers/valances.

Post war LNER Garter Blue,  no side covers/valances and 10000 in raised Chrome letters and numbers as pre war Coronation A4's layouts.

 

The wrong uns, are simply Hornby maxing out sales of the Loco.

[828CC]

A poor pun, perhaps, but wasn't: 'Pegasus' in the running regarding names, at one time?

[Edge]

5 minutes ago, 828CC said:

A poor pun, perhaps, but wasn't: 'Pegasus' in the running regarding names, at one time?

I believe after the rebuild it was considered, but never came close to being used. 

[PaulRhB]

16 hours ago, scumcat said:

If these locos are all breaking in the same place then surely it is Hornby’s responsibility. It is obvious the packaging is inadequate a type of class action may be needed to shift them into action.

Sorry, class action?!? On what possible grounds? They are required to exchange or refund. If they refuse to do that then you can take it to trading standards. 
There’s been no issues reported in returning them apart from getting through so to be talking about class action is frankly ridiculous. 
Do you really want to introduce this daft litigation money making roundabout to the hobby and make Hornby etc add that liability into pricing. 
I’d read up on retail law and your rights under that rather than sounding off with such overblown ranting. 
 

Honestly!

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, micklner said:

Models as per the Hornby release notes, the wrong uns are:-

Original Hush Hush Body , British Enterprise and the Green version, first one the plates were never fitted , the Green one was on a cigeratte card.

Twin Chimney used for a very short time before rebuilding  , a extra cowling was then also fitted for a even shorter time . That is the version Hornby should have done as it changes the look of the Loco.

 

A4 type body the Grey one never existed ( I have never seen a photo of a Grey one).

 

Hornby havent announced so far :-

Black wartime livery no side covers/valances.

Post war LNER Garter Blue,  no side covers/valances and 10000 in raised Chrome letters and numbers as pre war Coronation A4's layouts.

 

The wrong uns, are simply Hornby maxing out sales of the Loco.

Ive a morbid curiosity of seeing how they could put BR lined green onto 10001 in its water tube boiler form… i’m sure someone will do one.

 

[Tiddles47]

Mine has just arrived,  luckily my Hermes driver is the same as my amazon driver and always knocks on the door.. pleased to say its all in 1 piece and nothing broken.  *sigh of relief* will have a proper look later. 

[Ollie K]

3 hours ago, micklner said:

Models as per the Hornby release notes, the wrong uns are:-

Original Hush Hush Body , British Enterprise and the Green version, first one the plates were never fitted , the Green one was on a cigeratte card.

Twin Chimney used for a very short time before rebuilding  , a extra cowling was then also fitted for a even shorter time . That is the version Hornby should have done as it changes the look of the Loco.

 

A4 type body the Grey one never existed ( I have never seen a photo of a Grey one).

 

Hornby havent announced so far :-

Black wartime livery no side covers/valances.

Post war LNER Garter Blue,  no side covers/valances and 10000 in raised Chrome letters and numbers as pre war Coronation A4's layouts.

 

The wrong uns, are simply Hornby maxing out sales of the Loco.

At least on the double chimney version it appears the model no longer has the smokebox door cover which the prototype did away with in the latter part of its life. I suppose that’s an easier tooling change than creating the top chimney cowling.

 

Interesting point on wartime and postwar liveries. Not often served, as people prefer the ‘glory days’ perhaps? I’ve got one of the early batch Hornby A4s (Sir Charles Newton I think) in wartime black, definitely a candidate for extreme weathering when (if) I ever get a layout up and running in my current house. 

[micklner]

6 minutes ago, OliverBytham said:

At least on the double chimney version it appears the model no longer has the smokebox door cover which the prototype did away with in the latter part of its life. I suppose that’s an easier tooling change than creating the top chimney cowling.

 

Interesting point on wartime and postwar liveries. Not often served, as people prefer the ‘glory days’ perhaps? I’ve got one of the early batch Hornby A4s (Sir Charles Newton I think) in wartime black, definitely a candidate for extreme weathering when (if) I ever get a layout up and running in my current house. 

They could have simply put a Double Chimney in the detail bag. On its own ,it doesnt warrant a seperate issue . IMHO

[maico]

Here's one running at speed on a large Japanese layout. All seems to be in order.

 

 

 

[Hilux5972]

58 minutes ago, OliverBytham said:

Interesting point on wartime and postwar liveries. Not often served, as people prefer the ‘glory days’ perhaps? I’ve got one of the early batch Hornby A4s (Sir Charles Newton I think) in wartime black, definitely a candidate for extreme weathering when (if) I ever get a layout up and running in my current house. 

I did that to that exact A4 about 15 years ago now. Weathered it to the point you couldn’t see the paint colour, as would most likely have happened during wartime. I then sold it online to someone who saw all the images of the model prior to buying it, and then when he received it said it was over weathered and I had ruined a perfectly good model. It looked fantastic but obviously he wasn’t one for weathering to that extent lol.

[Hamburger]

7 hours ago, Edna Clouds said:

As I understand it (what a wonderful get out clause that is), on the W1, it was the two low pressure cylinders that exhausted up the chimney which resulted in 4 chuffs for each revolution of the driving wheels. A couple of you tube videos have the loco doing a 6 beat 'song'. Should be 4, shouldn't it?

un-rebuilt: 4

rebuilt: 6

[Hamburger]

1 hour ago, micklner said:

They could have simply put a Double Chimney in the detail bag. On its own ,it doesnt warrant a seperate issue . IMHO

I think they couldn't because the double blast pipe version also had different gear actuators, clearly visible, even cab interior should be different.

Edited December 18, 2021 by Hamburger

[melmerby]

16 minutes ago, Hamburger said:

un-rebuilt: 4

rebuilt: 6

When rebuilt it should sound pretty much like an A4.

Maybe the biggers cylinders would mean bigger chuffs?

[Bonniedundee]

Does anyone know how many models were produced and delivered to Hornby/retailers? Find it hard to believe a model (R3840) that wasn’t a Limited edition has sold out in a fortnight. Like many I am disappointed to say the least to be sent a broken model with no chance of replacement after years of waiting

[melmerby]

8 hours ago, SamThomas said:

Keith - I'd be inclined to suspect the trailing bogie wheels - could you try running the locomotive without them ?

It would seem to be the obvious culprit but it hasn't turned out to be as easy as that.

Unfortunately It's still doing it with them removed.

The nearest I can get is the gap between stock rails by the frog, where they are at opposite voltage. Not sure why, yet or if it is that.