Hornby Turbomotive

[faulcon1]

6 hours ago, Barry O said:

The one I have has enough power to pull most London Midland train rakes.  16 coaches is not a typical train...

 

Baz

No, It's a TEST train and you want to know how many coaches it will haul so you can use all the coaches you have as it's a TEST train not a service train. In service the Princesses regularly hauled 15 coach trains day in day out.

[Barry O]

2 hours ago, faulcon1 said:

No, It's a TEST train and you want to know how many coaches it will haul so you can use all the coaches you have as it's a TEST train not a service train. In service the Princesses regularly hauled 15 coach trains day in day out.

So you are running test trains only?  Servicectrains were loaded a lot less than test trains. 

 

To speed some of the LMR expresses up they reduced the length of trains (like the Coronation).

 

You must have a very large layout.  Even spirit of the hills (Shap,l doesn't run 15 coaches apart from when the owner is testing locos.

[faulcon1]

No I'm sorry you don't understand. It's got nothing to do with how the LMS or LMR ran their trains and the composition of those trains. Tony Wright said he didn't have enough LMS coaches to make a long train for Turbomotive. But when running a MODEL test train it doesn't matter what the coaches are for you are wanting to find out what the haulage limit is so you use any sort of coaching stock even though it looks totally wrong in a modelling sense. But you're not running Turbomotive for modelling purposes in this case you're running it to find out what the model locomotive's maximum haulage capacity is.      

[Barry O]

Tony was using some very heavy old metal kit built coaches... not sure why you want to run a test train if you have a smallish layout.  You can always try pulling a spring based dynamometer.. but..why bother? Does it pull the largest train on your layout up the steepest incline?

 

Baz

[ellocoloco]

5 hours ago, faulcon1 said:

No I'm sorry you don't understand.

 

I fully understood the first time. Very clear and no reason why anyone should have difficulty with your comments. 👍 

[Colin_McLeod]

On 25/10/2023 at 20:21, Coldgunner said:

That's really not very ideal. Wonder if the squeezy tender can be disabled and bypassed?

 

Cut the red wire.

Or..... is it the green one?

Oh dear!  😀

[Rshakes3]

I was going to add this some time ago but I`m really impressed with the working front lamps on this loco - they really do add to it. Now I also bought 3 of the new P2s and the new tender coupling is to me a good step forward as well.

Now I just wish that the working lamps from 6202 were built into 2002, 2005 & 2007 along with the new tender coupling back the other way.  

So maybe in the future new releases will have both 'features'? 

[Barry O]

Interesting that few comments on the major improvements Hornby have done to the Stanier tender on this locomotive.. goodbye shelf above the axleboxes.. great news f9r the updated Black 5 as well.

[MikeParkin65]

On 07/11/2023 at 22:45, Barry O said:

Interesting that few comments on the major improvements Hornby have done to the Stanier tender on this locomotive.. goodbye shelf above the axleboxes.. great news f9r the updated Black 5 as well.

I think a lot of the comments about Hornby's slow 'improvement program' to its Stanier tender were already made when the enhanced chassis was used with the 2017 Princess Coronation. They also seem to be getting better at Stanier pattern front pony wheels (the latest Princess Coronation seems to have benefitted from this too) and for the Turbomotive only an enhanced front bogie with the distinctive front stretcher with the prominent 3 cut outs modelled for the first time (although there have been comments about the consequent deletion of the NEM coupling mount). 

[gary_lner]

On 07/11/2023 at 21:14, Rshakes3 said:

I was going to add this some time ago but I`m really impressed with the working front lamps on this loco - they really do add to it. Now I also bought 3 of the new P2s and the new tender coupling is to me a good step forward as well.

Now I just wish that the working lamps from 6202 were built into 2002, 2005 & 2007 along with the new tender coupling back the other way.  

So maybe in the future new releases will have both 'features'? 

2007 is due to have working lamps with the steam generator. Google r3983ss and you'll see the Hornby listing. It's sold out with Hornby though.

[daltonparva]

Just ordered an LMS red one from Hattons Black Friday sale, £144 + £3.75 postage. Next job is get a decoder reblown, any votes for the best sound?

[GWR-fan]

Hattons "Black Friday" sale had the loco listed as weighing 1263 gms.  Diecast must weigh more these days or perhaps cast from "unobtanium" alloy.

[Ollie K]

9 hours ago, daltonparva said:

Just ordered an LMS red one from Hattons Black Friday sale, £144 + £3.75 postage. Next job is get a decoder reblown, any votes for the best sound?

I’m staggered the Turbomotive was so heavily discounted by Hattons. When they slashed prices of models like the Hornby A2/2, A2/3, Heljan O2 and their own O Gauge A3s and A4s it wasn’t a huge shock: large ranges of slow selling models with umpteen build quality woes. But the Turbomotive only exists in two variants, has only recently been released, and to rave reviews all round. 
 

Fair play to anyone who was quick enough to grab one!

[No Decorum]

Apologies for the poor quality picture below.

 

The Turbomotive is nicely decorated and runs smoothly and quietly but the interior of the tender is a mess. When running it, the light on the tender rear did not illuminate, in spite of affectionate squeezing. However, I did seem to catch a flash of red from the side of the tender, towards the rear. I ran it past again to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. When I opened it up, it seemed clear that the assembler had not understood the designer’s intention. There is a pair of rectanglular pieces of black plastic which should have been stuck on after the holes for the handrail knobs had been drilled but were stuck on before the holes were drilled, so light shone through the hole past the knob. On the other hand, the path of the light to the rear lamp was so blocked with black gunge that the light couldn’t reach the lamp.

 

Below, the item at the top is the light unit, which I have removed as useless. Below that, on the left, is the tiny lamp. It’s beautifully decorated but should not be there if the loco is hauling a train. Also removed as useless. At the back of the tender can be seen a fitting with four light shields, obviously left over from the failed attempt to provide light to a lamp on each lamp iron. At the bottom is a complicated circuit board to control the rear lights. Whilst the loco as a whole is very nicely done and is a credit to Hornby, the internal state of the tender is not. As has already been mentioned, there is more black gunge on the front of the loco. I haven’t yet managed to fit the front footsteps because of it. It disappoints me that Hornby saw fit to release the model in this state.

[zr2498]

On 30/11/2023 at 15:57, No Decorum said:

Apologies for the poor quality picture below.

 

The Turbomotive is nicely decorated and runs smoothly and quietly but the interior of the tender is a mess. When running it, the light on the tender rear did not illuminate, in spite of affectionate squeezing. However, I did seem to catch a flash of red from the side of the tender, towards the rear. I ran it past again to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. When I opened it up, it seemed clear that the assembler had not understood the designer’s intention. There is a pair of rectanglular pieces of black plastic which should have been stuck on after the holes for the handrail knobs had been drilled but were stuck on before the holes were drilled, so light shone through the hole past the knob. On the other hand, the path of the light to the rear lamp was so blocked with black gunge that the light couldn’t reach the lamp.

 

Below, the item at the top is the light unit, which I have removed as useless. Below that, on the left, is the tiny lamp. It’s beautifully decorated but should not be there if the loco is hauling a train. Also removed as useless. At the back of the tender can be seen a fitting with four light shields, obviously left over from the failed attempt to provide light to a lamp on each lamp iron. At the bottom is a complicated circuit board to control the rear lights. Whilst the loco as a whole is very nicely done and is a credit to Hornby, the internal state of the tender is not. As has already been mentioned, there is more black gunge on the front of the loco. I haven’t yet managed to fit the front footsteps because of it. It disappoints me that Hornby saw fit to release the model in this state.

And whats the longevity of that black gunge. Will it degrade?

[No Decorum]

12 hours ago, zr2498 said:

And whats the longevity of that black gunge. Will it degrade?

I’ll disable the lights so there won’t be any need for it. Once it’s been removed, there’ll be no worry about it degrading and perhaps I’ll be able to fit the front footsteps.