Hornby Black 5 R2904

[bob hughes60]

So back from holiday I bought the Black 5 from Hattons.

My stumbling block is fitting the plug to the tender.

The notes suggest fitting the tender bar first then the plug but the picture isn't much help.

The plug has bare contacts one end so I assume this must touch the uprights on the tender.

Try as I might I cannot seem to get the plug to fit in using reasonable force.

If anybody has hints and tips on fitting and removal I would be really pleased to read them.

TIA

Bob Hughes

[7013]

Bob is there any chance of posting a photo of the problem? Presumably you have tried the plug the other way round and I am assuming you are writing about the tiny four pin plug that connects the tender and loco?

[bob hughes60]

Let eldest son have a go(computer consultant) and he fitted it- of course the opposite way around to me !

Now all I have to do is get one of those new tools to get it out when I want.

A much clearer diagram on the attached sheet would have helped - one capable of showing the plug's differences.

[Brian D]

Bob, I too could not resist the Hattons deal - £69 + £4 postage - fantastic. I also had the same problem as you but eventually sussed it. I had the same feeling as you about the exposed terminals but should have realised I was wrong in the first place because the wires "remembered" the correct orientation. I also removed the coupling draw bar to make the plug and socket connection and replaced it once the wires were connected. I also draped the wires so there were two (of the four) either side of the coupling pin. I must fabricate a new draw bar to close couple the tender though - the alternative hole is much too close and locks the tender firmly to the loco, I imagine, if you could get it to fit! I've also butchered the packing to get the loco and connected tender back into it for storage.

It really is a lovely runner, straight out of the box - just as good as the A3, A4 and Brit IMHO. I've justified it on Hawthorn Town (firmly set in the north east) on the grounds that it hauls trans-Penine traffic!

Regards,

Brian.

[bob hughes60]

Brian, don't know whether this will help anybody else :

in Sept. BRM page 35 picture of the fitting to A4 Sparrowhawk.

I did try to take the tender apart one screw clearly visible the other under coupling.

But I couldn't get tender body off chassis, are there clips? Which direction to pull in??

In case in future I want to chip it.

Like you looking at closing gap but there is going to be a problem with "the folding doors" getting in the way.

[Brian D]

Brian, don't know whether this will help anybody else :

in Sept. BRM page 35 picture of the fitting to A4 Sparrowhawk.

I did try to take the tender apart one screw clearly visible the other under coupling.

But I couldn't get tender body off chassis, are there clips? Which direction to pull in??

In case in future I want to chip it.

Like you looking at closing gap but there is going to be a problem with "the folding doors" getting in the way.

Thanks for the reference, Bob - I bought the magazine the other day but have been too busy to read it yet. I'll definitely check out the article. I'm not fussed about chipping so can't help you about dismantling the tender. The "folding doors" on mine though appear to curl inwards on plan so might not be an issue if close coupling.

I had a bit of a nightmare after posting my first post. When next I took the loco and tender out of the doctored packaging, one of the wires had dropped (perhaps was pulled) out of the white plug. On the end there appears to be a tiny crimp which grips one of the four terminal posts in the socket. After about 15 minutes of fiddling with needle nosed tweasers and a magnifying glass on a well lit window cill, I eventually persuaded it to go back from whence it fell out! I will have to be doubly careful handling this loco and tender in future. It's probably best left on the track but, unfortunately, this is not an option for me as my layout is not permanently set up.

Regards,

Brian.

[bob hughes60]

Rang Hornby customer service thursday, now have plug fitting/removal tool delivered next day.

Excellent customer service!

[Matabiau]

I took delivery of my Black 5 from Hattons yesterday. I had no problem with the connection between the loco and the tender. The socket on the tender does stand proud of the chassis so at first I thought I hadn't managed to get the plug fully in as it wasn't flush.

Fitting the dcc socket is a real pain in the neck though. You only have to remove the single screw at the loco end of the tender, the screw under the coupling just holds the axle retainer in place. You do have to reomve the piping on the back of the tender as this prevents the tender body slding backwards once the screw is removed.

The difficulty is a large clip towards the rear of the tender on the inside that fits between the metal speaker frame (for DCC sound) and the back of the chassis. It took a lot of careful persuasion to release the clip. You have to let the back end of the chassis ride up inside the tender body and eventually it will come. The problem is guaging the level of force required to release it without breaking it. Unfortunately this is not the hardest part!

Getting the tender body back on is even harder. Now you know there is a big clip so are even more wary of breaking it than when removing the tender body! You have to slip the end of the chassis back up inside the bodyever so slightly until you find the right angle for pushing the clip in. All I can say is good luck and that this is best sone without the loco connected to the tender!