Hornby B1

[coachmann]

When Bachmann says it is not revamping the B1 body, I think most will agree the moulding is fine as it stands........It just needs finer handrial knobs.

[micklner]

and a new Tender

[iak]

There'll probably be a competition to see who'll be first to get the Hornby B1 body mated with a Dave Bradwell chassis.

 

More to the point, how long till someone rewheels one?

The more modern Hornbys and Bachmanns seem to rewheeled by some rather than rechassied rather successfully?

Phillip Halls beasties come to mind.

No question Mr Bradwells chassis is the mutts nadgers but will this Hornby offer another option for those of an EM/P4 persuasion?

I for one want to investigate - just dinnae mention to the missus

[S.A.C Martin]

and a new Tender

 

What's wrong with the current one Mick? I've heard a few people say that, but I've never really understood why.

[Horsetan]

 

What's wrong with the current one Mick? I've heard a few people say that, but I've never really understood why.

 

It only caters for those tenders that had a thin coping at the tops of the sides, which is why they look slighty "stepped" in this area.

 

A lot of B1 tenders were flat / flush-sided, however.

[S.A.C Martin]

 

It only caters for those tenders that had a thin coping at the tops of the sides, which is why they look slighty "stepped" in this area.

 

A lot of B1 tenders were flat / flush-sided, however.

 

Thank Horsetan, that makes sense. So essentially a new body for the tender or a minor bit of surgery to correct?

[Paul.Uni]

According to the October Hornby Magazine the B1 loco and tender will be permanently coupled together, so no fiddly plug in tender connection.

[Guest Tom F]

According to the October Hornby Magazine the B1 loco and tender will be permanently coupled together, so no fiddly plug in tender connection.

 

Indeed, my copy arrived in the post today....interesting, and as you say...no fiddly plug meaning....no expletives!

 

Seriously though....she looks gorgeous! Oh....and expected November

Edited September 9, 2011 by Tom F

[Horsetan]

According to the October Hornby Magazine the B1 loco and tender will be permanently coupled together, so no fiddly plug in tender connection.

 

So you can't swap it with anything else, either.

[Guest Max Stafford]

I hope this doesn't mean an excessive coupled distance - I don't want the tender of mine waggling feet away from the locomotive like an elephant's **c*!

 

Dave.

[Guest Tom F]

I hope this doesn't mean an excessive coupled distance - I don't want the tender of mine waggling feet away from the locomotive like an elephant's **c*!

 

Dave.

 

The image showed it looking rather close......but now on second thoughts, this could be a slight hinderance...

[Guest Max Stafford]

I'm rather hoping that Hornby have had the good sense to provide an element (not elephant!) of adjustment in the coupled distance if this is to be a permanent installation.

 

Dave.

[DougN]

The New Tender will be good to deal with the issue that Horsetan has mentioned. The idea of fixed tender coupling is not what I thought would be a good idea though. Not having the plug may or may not be a good idea. Hornby may need to re engineer for sound later.

 

I guess my thought is if you are going to engineer a new model that may have the capabilities for sound at the begining rather than reengineer later. This is what Bachmann had done with the Super D. The Plug and space for the speaker has been there for a number of years before iyt was Manufacturer installed.

 

Any how I hope it really does look the part and yes a LNER one will be headed my way.

[beeman]

Unlike the car industry that relies on service/spares perhaps more than the profit generated from sales, I would suggest Bachman Hornby decline from spares as far as they can knowing if you can obtain, it may preclude you from buying new items.Many items these days come with a 'if broke chuck it' type of warranty, not economic to repair.Seems to me there is not much difference between the 'looks' of the projected models and the old Replica, check out their site, original bodies are still available along with parts. I have just obtained a set of wheels, no traction tyres or axle gear from them to fit to a motorless Replica B,1, this was removed because of the awful gear drive, and now pushed round by a Lima tender drive, with the Bi tender top fitted/.chipped. At last now runs well.The weight distribution on the Replica was better than the previous Bachman version. This with the larger physical size motor took away much of the rear end weight, the motor should/could have been fitted the opposite way about, amidships. This would have evened the weight either side of the centre drivers.This was the advice that used to be given in the mags of the 70.s when more self building was evident than the R.to.R purchases of today. Lets hope both the Big 2 produce better chassis than the previous models. Beeman

Edited September 10, 2011 by beeman

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Tractively, the Bachmann B1 is a fairly unusual model (especially for its' date of introduction) in my opinion, being 'about right' in capacity terms for a class 5. Good for 60 wagons or a dozen coaches on level track, starts to slip with any more on. Mine required just one adjustment to achieve that, reduction of the bogie spring length by about 75%. As supplied there was about 80g of the 290g all up loco weight carried on the bogie. 20g proved more than enough for trackholding, and the combination of 90% + of the model's weight being on the driven wheels, with the reduction in drag from the inefficient bearings of the bogie now being lightly loaded made all the difference

 

The forward motor placement plan is a good one. I talked to 'someone' in RTR model development about this many years ago, and his initial position was that it couldn't be done. I had with me a kit built model that showed it could be done. His position then shifted to it couldn't be done for all models due to tapering of boilers. And why would that be a problem exactly?

[Bernard Lamb]

Permanently coupled tender?

You mean like some continental models have had for about the last 20 years.

Oh how brilliant.

Seeing that Hornby have developed a good close coupling system for their coaches we can but hope that they extend this system to the new loco.

I suppose it is too much to ask for the motor to go in the tender and drive the coupled wheels through a cardan shaft.

Bernard

[Horsetan]

....I suppose it is too much to ask for the motor to go in the tender and drive the coupled wheels through a cardan shaft.

 

Yes.

[Charlie]

Whilst this works on N gauge models, on their larger cousins, why would you want to? I thought the general consensus was that, on the whole, having the motor in the loco was better all round.

[S.A.C Martin]

I suppose it is too much to ask for the motor to go in the tender and drive the coupled wheels through a cardan shaft.

Bernard

 

Better to keep the motor over the driving wheels and put the DCC chip circuitry in the tender, surely?

 

I'm not massively sold on the "permanently coupled" idea but would have to see how it works and looks first before making a judgement. If this becomes the norm for Hornby locos, the days of easily changing tenders to get other specific members of a class may be at an end...!

[stewartingram]

Why does permanently coupled mean one can't change a tender for a different type? Undo 1 screw, substitute new tender, replace screw surely? Most of my locos have shortened drawbars which are then screwed in so same priciple.

 

Stewart

[S.A.C Martin]

Why does permanently coupled mean one can't change a tender for a different type? Undo 1 screw, substitute new tender, replace screw surely? Most of my locos have shortened drawbars which are then screwed in so same priciple.

 

Stewart

 

I took the "permanently coupled" quote previously aired in this thread to mean it is also permanently wired too, as opposed the previous socket and plug, and plug and pin connections of previous models in the Hornby range.

[stewartingram]

 

I took the "permanently coupled" quote previously aired in this thread to mean it is also permanently wired too, as opposed the previous socket and plug, and plug and pin connections of previous models in the Hornby range.

 

Just to add that mine are also permanently wired in most cases, as I add pickups to as many wheels as possible. Though I have to say I actually LIKE the Hornby plug/skt arrangement (working with PC's I'm used to them) so if the loco has them from new they stay.

 

Stewart

[stewartingram]

Further to the above, my method of wiring is quite simple (note - DC user not DCC)

 

I superglue a small length of copperclad sleeper strip to the loco & tender chassis, near to the coupling. It has previously been pre-gapped. To this the 2 wires are soldered so making the connection between loco & tender. If on occasion I need to separate the pair, a quick dab with the soldering iron will do it. Sometimes one of the pcb pads can be omitted if the wiring in the loco or tender is close enough to the coupling.

 

Stewart

Edited September 11, 2011 by stewartingram

[Silverstreak]

Well irrespective of how the tender is coupled to the loco I have to say from the images thus far shown I have to say the chimney looks supect to me as did the one on the ex Replica current Bachmann B1, which I recall I removed and replaced with Dave Bradwell B1 brass example. Surely all they had to do was copy it from the L1

 

Bob

[Bulleidnutter]

Not meaninfg detract on wht I'm sure will be a superb model. But if you cant afford the near enough £100 price tag. What about using the new chassis Bachmann are selling for their B1 under a replica body with suitabe mods? I for one, even as a Southern man, am looking forward to this as I need a cross country loco to go with the Black 5 and Grange.