TT:120 Easterner

[Hroth]

According to vague info, the Easterner should arrive at Hornby by "the end of January", so they have it now or it'll be there in the next couple of days.  Soooo....  Who'll get theirs first???  😁

 

[meatloaf]

5 hours ago, Hroth said:

According to vague info, the Easterner should arrive at Hornby by "the end of January", so they have it now or it'll be there in the next couple of days.  Soooo....  Who'll get theirs first???  😁

 

Simon himself said they are due on 30th Jan on the last TT Talk stream.

 

Not been charged for mine yet tho.

[Les1952]

9 hours ago, Hroth said:

According to vague info, the Easterner should arrive at Hornby by "the end of January", so they have it now or it'll be there in the next couple of days.  Soooo....  Who'll get theirs first???  😁

 

 

I don't know, but my A4 might be the first one to Digitrains for proper sound to be fitted....

 

Les

[Hroth]

8 hours ago, meatloaf said:

Simon himself said they are due on 30th Jan on the last TT Talk stream.

 

Not been charged for mine yet tho.

 

I'd not watched the last one, someone must had said something about it and that's where I got the "vague info".

 

Nor have I.  :-(

 

[meatloaf]

39 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

I'd not watched the last one, someone must had said something about it and that's where I got the "vague info".

 

Nor have I.  :-(

 

Now i think about it i think he said they would start shipping on the 30th so they may already have them. Basing this on the fact the Scotsman set went Unavailable to order and there was more building and track in stock ( signal box and short straight ).

 

So its poossible they came on the delivery with the small stuff

[gc4946]

I wonder if anyone had payment taken for their Easterner sets yet

[Hroth]

50 minutes ago, gc4946 said:

I wonder if anyone had payment taken for their Easterner sets yet

 

I've not heard anything.  It's not marked as out of stock at present either, so everyone with a pre-order will get theirs sooner or later. I expect that the feeding frenzy over The Scotsman (generally speaking, not in this parish) was because buyers thought that the loco was iconic, and not just Blink Bonny.

 

I suppose we'll start getting emails during the week, if Hornby actually do have them to hand.

 

[Roy L S]

Just had an e-mail to advise that my Easterner set has arrived at the warehouse and will shortly be prepared for despatch.

 

Roy

[spamcan61]

6 minutes ago, Roy L S said:

Just had an e-mail to advise that my Easterner set has arrived at the warehouse and will shortly be prepared for despatch.

 

Roy

Same here, fingers crossed!

[Les1952]

1 hour ago, Roy L S said:

Just had an e-mail to advise that my Easterner set has arrived at the warehouse and will shortly be prepared for despatch.

 

Roy

 

Likewise- looks like it will arrive a couple of days after my trip to Digitrains.  Still, it can go next week when I collect my Rapido RING HAW.

 

Les

[Jeff Smith]

1 hour ago, Roy L S said:

Just had an e-mail to advise that my Easterner set has arrived at the warehouse and will shortly be prepared for despatch.

 

Roy

Me too, we’ll see how long it takes to be delivered in Florida…….

[andrewshimmin]

Well everyone, looking forward to seeing piccies of your Easterners!

Not buying one myself, but interested in an A4 (probably in garter blue) and potentially in the Mark 1s one day.

[MartinRS]

I had a recent delivery of TT:120 track, but no information from Hornby about the Easterner yet. I ordered the set in late January. The absence of an email about the set suggests the first batch has sold out and I am going to have to wait for the next shipment.

I am planning a dumbbell shape layout and would appreciate any information on what radius curves the A4 (and the Scotsman A1) will negotiate. Thanks.

[Jeff Smith]

5 hours ago, Jeff Smith said:

Me too, we’ll see how long it takes to be delivered in Florida…….

My debit card has been charged......No VAT and no shipping!

Edited February 3, 2023 by Jeff Smith

[Porfuera]

12 hours ago, MartinRS said:

I am planning a dumbbell shape layout and would appreciate any information on what radius curves the A4 (and the Scotsman A1) will negotiate. Thanks.

 

The online shop has the details if you scroll down to the Tech Specs section for either the individual locos or for the sets - it is under "Minimum curve (mm)"  and it is Radius 2 for both

[Flyingscotsmanfan]

My Easterner Set arrived via DPD this morning, I’ve only had a chance to have a quick look at it… but my goodness is it exquisite! This scale seems to remove my doubts about smaller scales, I was put off N Gauge because if the steam roller wheels and overscale valve gear pins etc, while it still isn’t scale size on these it’s not as noticeable. I’m in love with how these models look and I hope the running qualities are as excellent when I can get a chance to set it up. One small gripe is that the set doesn’t come with a trackmat so I need to think of a way to set it up while not on the carpet. Not owning a table big enough as I live in flat means I might just have to set it up at the club Monday. All in all I’m rather impressed by TT:120.

[Porfuera]

2 hours ago, Flyingscotsmanfan said:

My Easterner Set arrived via DPD this morning, I’ve only had a chance to have a quick look at it… but my goodness is it exquisite! This scale seems to remove my doubts about smaller scales, I was put off N Gauge because if the steam roller wheels and overscale valve gear pins etc, while it still isn’t scale size on these it’s not as noticeable. I’m in love with how these models look and I hope the running qualities are as excellent when I can get a chance to set it up. One small gripe is that the set doesn’t come with a trackmat so I need to think of a way to set it up while not on the carpet. Not owning a table big enough as I live in flat means I might just have to set it up at the club Monday. All in all I’m rather impressed by TT:120.

 

Congrats! My Scotsman arrived this morning and I'm fortunate enough to be able to be running it in on the dining room table as I type.

 

The Track Mat is available to download from the link below. It says:

 

"This Hornby TT:120 TrakMat has been designed to be used with the Hornby TT:120 basic oval as well as all 5 extension packs.

To print the pdf to scale, you are likely to need to take or send it to a large format printer as it is 1371mm x 1020mm.  We recommend you ask for a matt laminate or encapsulate finish."

 

https://uk.Hornby.com/hornbytt120/brochure-and-guides

[Les1952]

My parcel this morning was the Easterner.  More exciting but less immediate use than the pack of track I'm also expecting, but never mind.....

 

 

So now we know there are 888 sets in the first batch. 

 

 

The layout is still under construction but here is William W in all its glory.  I remember it with black-backed nameplates - "The Easterner" has Scottish nameplates.  I think I can find out how long 60004 ran with these but I'm not that bothered.  The first nameplate order for 1:120 scale will include replacements for these.  I would imagine 90-odd percent of the buyers of the set couldn't care less what colour they are or think the blue ones pretty......

 

Running on the test track was fine, so I chipped it straight away and ran it in DCC fitted.  Like Blink Bonny it has a tendency to lift a bogie wheel on the inside of a bend on Radius 2.   No issues at all on Radius 3. Having learned a bit from Blink Bonny I first tried a small amount of lead strip (from d-i-y leaded window kits) under the bogie.  That helped.  Two strips cured the issue but catch on trailing points.

 

I took the bogie off and tweaked the bend on the bogie arm, and that has cured it completely at the expense of some haulage.  My shed floor slopes slightly to one end, so the baseboards do also as the trestles are level on level floors.   Before I tweaked the bogie it would pull all of my passenger stock (3 Mk1, 3 Pullman, 2 three-axle Umbauwagen and 3 4 wheel thunderboxes, equavalent load to 9 bogies) without a hint of slipping.  Now it manages five bogies, just. A sixth causes a little slipping on the uphill bend.  Not an issue to me as the loops in the storage yard only take an A4 plus 4 bogies and a 4 wheeled van.

 

I did find a possible cause of Blink Bonny's occasional shorting.  There is a tiny plastic washer on the bogie securing screw to stop accidental shorting to the main frame from the bogie.  I may have lost this reassembling Blink Bonny.  I'll check that tomorrow.

 

Meanwhile my Roco 4-6-0 has another passenger train to play with.  Another indication of how much bigger Continental stock is- the BR38 is a branch line/ cross country loco at heart....

 

Les

 

 

[Porfuera]

 

1 hour ago, Les1952 said:

 

 

So now we know there are 888 sets in the first batch. 

 

Hi Les - I'm glad you're enjoying your Easterner. I have to wait until May for my digital one - I'm regretting that now 😫 

 

Still, I have my newly-arrived Scotsman to play with until that happens - it has 619/828 written on BOTH sides of the box. The handwriting looks pretty similar to me - I'm glad I'm not the person that has to write all that out! You'd think they'd have a machine to do it but I suppose a human and a pen are cheaper! 😄

 

Cheers, Neil.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Porfuera

[Roy L S]

Received mine today too. 

 

I had an open mind but have to say the A4 loco is lovely. My only gripe remains the wheel standards but if that is the international standard then it really is a case of living with it if you want to model TT120 I guess. The only flaw with my A4 was the tender buffer-beam which appeared to have been glued on with spit, but that was an easy fix.

 

I set the supplied track up on the floor (I am really getting too old for that now!) and gave the loco a run...for all of five seconds before the power unit supplied failed. I then ran it for a few laps using an old Farish controller instead, the loco runs like a swiss watch.

 

The Mk1 coaches are very nice, directly comparing to a Farish "Blue Riband" one, no question that the Farish one is better detailed with separately fitted pipes whereas the TT120 coaches employs more "design clever" with such things moulded on. Overall though the coaches are pretty decent.

 

The Code 80 track is very chunky, any serious modeller is I think going to go for the PECO Code 55 instead for a layout.

 

One thing that is very clear putting TT120 and N together is that you get a heck of a lot more N in a given space, and in the area I have for a pretty decent double track N layout (where the fiddle yard can take 7 coaches), in TT120 I would at best fit a branch line type theme accommodating four coaches as a max.

 

In terms of the Simon Kohler "fiddly" comment as regards N, I have to report that in all honesty I don't find TT120 noticeably better, especially as far as those horrible couplings are concerned.

 

Does the scale have "legs"? I think it will find a market and may actually in my opinion attract more existing OO modellers down to the smaller scale than N up. Will it open up a "new" market? I am unconvinced but it is early days and a lot depends on how quickly Hornby grow the range as I think there is only a limited window where it will be treated as something new, the second thing is keeping the price-point competitively advantageous versus N and OO. This set at a shade over £160 with the TT120 Club discount is crazy cheap but I doubt very much it represents something sustainable, there is bound to be a loss-leader element I would think.

 

Will I be likely to invest in more TT120 and a layout? Not right now but if I did it would be as well as not instead of my current N models, I do not see any advantages that justify changing.

 

Roy

[Les1952]

4 hours ago, Roy L S said:

Does the scale have "legs"? I think it will find a market and may actually in my opinion attract more existing OO modellers down to the smaller scale than N up. Will it open up a "new" market? I am unconvinced but it is early days and a lot depends on how quickly Hornby grow the range as I think there is only a limited window where it will be treated as something new, the second thing is keeping the price-point competitively advantageous versus N and OO. This set at a shade over £160 with the TT120 Club discount is crazy cheap but I doubt very much it represents something sustainable, there is bound to be a loss-leader element I would think.

 

Will I be likely to invest in more TT120 and a layout? Not right now but if I did it would be as well as not instead of my current N models, I do not see any advantages that justify changing.

 

Roy

 

I suspect that when you reach an age beginning with a 7, with the onset of arthritis and RSI now of ten years standing, you may well find N gauge getting difficult.  By that time there should be a lot more choice available and the change will be a more welcome prospect.

 

In the meantime I'm enjoying working out new ideas to fit a lot less into the space than I could in N and still get it to look reasonably realistic and perform like a viable exhibition layout.

 

Les

 

[Roy L S]

10 hours ago, Les1952 said:

 

I suspect that when you reach an age beginning with a 7, with the onset of arthritis and RSI now of ten years standing, you may well find N gauge getting difficult.  By that time there should be a lot more choice available and the change will be a more welcome prospect.

 

In the meantime I'm enjoying working out new ideas to fit a lot less into the space than I could in N and still get it to look reasonably realistic and perform like a viable exhibition layout.

 

Les

 

 

There are plenty in their 70s and beyond who model in N with no problems and I am hoping that will include me. Were I to have to change scales I would most likely go for O and accept the compromise of a branch line/fiddle yard across two walls of my "den". I actually had more trouble with the TT120 couplings than I ever had with N and putting them on the track is no easier. I don't think I could ever accept the compromise of an A4 pulling four coaches, I think probably the only place that something similar may have been seen routinely is the Waverley Route.

 

That is not to downplay what a thing of beauty the TT120 A4 is, the more you look the more you see, things like cab roof ventilators open, but not all by the same amount and yes, the lubricator drive is present!

 

Roy

[Les1952]

1 hour ago, Roy L S said:

 

There are plenty in their 70s and beyond who model in N with no problems and I am hoping that will include me. Were I to have to change scales I would most likely go for O and accept the compromise of a branch line/fiddle yard across two walls of my "den". I actually had more trouble with the TT120 couplings than I ever had with N and putting them on the track is no easier. I don't think I could ever accept the compromise of an A4 pulling four coaches, I think probably the only place that something similar may have been seen routinely is the Waverley Route.

 

That is not to downplay what a thing of beauty the TT120 A4 is, the more you look the more you see, things like cab roof ventilators open, but not all by the same amount and yes, the lubricator drive is present!

 

Roy

 

My A4 is likely to be a showcase queen eventually.  60004 was the only A4 I photographed in BR service and the only one I actually saw working a BR train- that was the Faverdale pick-up goods and it was shunting Greiveson & Whitwell's coal drops.  This was used as a running-in turn from the works from time to time, which is probably why it was there.   The bug I have with Hornby's A4 is that I can't model the return working of that, which would be tender first.

 

My UK outline layout when it arrives will be operated mainly by J94s, as the most common shunting class where I grew up.  There were a few 08s knocking around, so that would be appropriate.  If they get round to a J50 or a jinty that will be added as Darlington repaired Jinties, turning them out with the number on the side of the tank, and there was an allocation of J50s at darlington for a time.

 

BTW, the Dapol Easi-shunt works on Hornby TT stock and is quite happy at Radius 2.  I've not changed over yet as I don't want to buy in another supply, but the UK outline layout will very likely use them.

 

Les

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Les1952

[joe cassidy]

Thank you Roy and Les for your discussions about TT120.

 

You are both top-notch N gauge modellers so you know what you are on about concerning TT120 vs N Gauge.

 

I think my curiousity will the get better of me and I will give TT120 a go.

[andrewshimmin]

Once again if anyone ends up with an Easterner they don't want I can take it off your hands for free 😉.