Hornby castle arriving?

[robmcg]

It's probably down to the angle of view Rob - it certainly looks odd but the side view is spot on, and those double-chimneys on GW 4-6-0s did look very big.

 

Yes the double chimney on 7034 is right after all, confirmed by photos here from other contributors, and a look at Swindon drawings on p.241 of the OPC 'Great Western Engines' Vol. 2 by J H Russell.

 

For some reason I had thought the top flange was less curved than it actually is front-to-rear. Perhaps in everyday work it was rather black above the flange! In any even congratatulations Hornby for two more beautiful models.

 

Rob

[robmcg]

Ince Castle arrived on my doorstep today

 

Looks just as impressive as Earl Cairns. I think the double chimney is the best version yet to adorn a RTR ex GWR engine. Still not sure about the lubricator though. The pipework looks just a bit too chunky to me.

 

 

 

 

 

I think she will be ideal for renumbering into Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1960 contition - unless someone here knows of a reason not.

 

The pipework looking chunky? .... I wash such parts with dilute matt black paint, then wipe if brightwork is wanted... and it seems to make them look finer. btw are your cylinder drain pipes on driver's side falling out at rear in '26885:ince1.jpg'?

 

Rob

[Mr Brunel]

I don't have 5068 but here's 7034:

 

 

Thanks, very helpful.

[coachmann]

Hornby will probably make the most of the current tooling with the box pattern inside cylinder cover. That is from 5013 started in June 1932. The last of the scalloped inside cylinder covers came out in July 1927 with 5012 Berry Pomeroy Castle. (Some of the earlier locos were rebuilt with box pattern covers ...4097, 4088. 4087. 4082, 4076, 4074, 4037). Hope this assists.

 

LG

[gwrrob]

The other thing to watch with renaming is the sandpipes as the Beverston model has the pipes exposed whilst some earlier Castles had them hidden.

[Simon Moore]

I've just had chance to really have a good look over mine & i must say i think it is without doubt one of the best models i own. I think Hornby have really upped their game in recent years & the castle is a beautiful model i'll certainly be buying another when great western comes out. Not really had chance to get it run in yet i think i might get it running later today to bed the gears in properly.

[The Stationmaster]

I collected my 7034 today and it is even better than it looks in pics already published on here. Brilliant piece of work which captures a double chimney 'Castle' to perfection (the chimney itself is superb - a very difficult item to capture but done marvellously well).

 

Critical of anything? Well the front vac pipe stand/bag doesn't look absolutely right - lack of ribbing and the red batch number patch on the vac bag itself. And the ATC bell fitting in the cab looks a little undersize and is not mounted tight against the window. Oh - and as I mentioned before - the spacer bar on the slide bars is a bit 'heavy'. But to be completely blunt it really comes to something when the only 'criticisms' are very minor things like those; from the sublime to the faintly ridiculous in the blink of an eye

 

Alton Model Centre also has 'Beverston Castle' in stock - arrived from Hornby yesterday but I didn't look at it out of the box (one 'Castle' a day being quite enough for me - well that sounds good, and I had bought 'Earl Cairns' at the Abingdon show last Saturday ). I think The arrival of 'Beverston' leaves only 'Tintagel' and the Swindon loco as outstanding from the original list

 

I'm told the Hawksworth coaches - if the sample seen by Bob is any guide - put the Maunsells to shame in terms of detailing etc.

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Pictures of Beverston Castle are now up on the hattons website: http://www.ehattons.com/StockDetail.aspx?SID=25743

 

Simon

[gwrrob]

I collected my 7034 today and it is even better than it looks in pics already published on here. Brilliant piece of work which captures a double chimney 'Castle' to perfection (the chimney itself is superb - a very difficult item to capture but done marvellously well).

 

Critical of anything? Well the front vac pipe stand/bag doesn't look absolutely right - lack of ribbing and the red batch number patch on the vac bag itself. And the ATC bell fitting in the cab looks a little undersize and is not mounted tight against the window. Oh - and as I mentioned before - the spacer bar on the slide bars is a bit 'heavy'. But to be completely blunt it really comes to something when the only 'criticisms' are very minor things like those; from the sublime to the faintly ridiculous in the blink of an eye

 

Alton Model Centre also has 'Beverston Castle' in stock - arrived from Hornby yesterday but I didn't look at it out of the box (one 'Castle' a day being quite enough for me - well that sounds good, and I had bought 'Earl Cairns' at the Abingdon show last Saturday ). I think The arrival of 'Beverston' leaves only 'Tintagel' and the Swindon loco as outstanding from the original list

 

I'm told the Hawksworth coaches - if the sample seen by Bob is any guide - put the Maunsells to shame in terms of detailing etc.

 

Sounds promising Mike on the Hawksworth coach front.The Maunsells are a hard act to follow.Will you be changing the vac pipe on the Castle and if so which make do you use ? Markits perhaps.Looking forward to getting my own Tintagel.Its been on order since December 2008 !

[The Stationmaster]

Sounds promising Mike on the Hawksworth coach front.The Maunsells are a hard act to follow.Will you be changing the vac pipe on the Castle and if so which make do you use ? Markits perhaps.Looking forward to getting my own Tintagel.Its been on order since December 2008 !

 

 

I'm going to have have a good look round for a replacement Rob. The top of the stand pipe doesn't look quite right either and it is a very distinctive feature. So if it is replaced it will really have to do the job properly to improve on Hornby's 'passable but not quite there' effort.

 

The Markits turned brass one also doesn't look quite right but I'll put it on a shopping list for Ally Pally and have a good look at it.

[Guest 838rapid]

Is the tender top removable as i have got Swindon on order but i am wondering if it would be possible to swap the tender tops over for the flatsided on from the previous castle models.

 

Is it worth a try???

[BR(W)]

Ince Castle arrived on my doorstep today

 

Looks just as impressive as Earl Cairns. I think the double chimney is the best version yet to adorn a RTR ex GWR engine. Still not sure about the lubricator though. The pipework looks just a bit too chunky to me.

 

I think she will be ideal for renumbering into Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1960 contition - unless someone here knows of a reason not.

 

Hello, Taz.

 

I think the only problem changing 7034 to 5069 is that the former has the later (post-war 'Castle' batches), 'L'-shaped style of cabside grab-rail (what I call the Type 3), whereas 5069 had the early, straight, horizontal pattern under the cab side-window (what I call the Type 1).

 

Incidentally, the 'Collett Goods', or 'Baby Castles' to some, had three types of cab grab-rail: Type 1, straight, horizontal and directly under the cab side-window (generally modified to Type 2 on the 2251s); Type 2 (not used on 'Castles'), as Type 1, but with an extra, vertical rail in front of the window; and Type 3, the 'cost-engineered', one-piece job providing the functionality of the Type 2.

 

Your superb photographs of 7034 show the model to be a beauty. But I'm still sad that Hornby saw fit not to represent at least the lower jaw of the massive slidebar bracket. If anyone is unconvinced, just take a look at any decent picture of a G.W. 4-cylinder locomotive (for example Stationmaster's excellent avatar can be found at ...>Prototype Galleries>The Stationmaster Looks At Locos>7029..., 11th.October 2009), and tell me that you can ignore that hefty, cast 'hockey stick' protruding from between the adjacent, lower quadrants of the first and second driving wheels.

 

Moreover, Hornby have even correctly modelled the displaced front brake hanger/shoe assembly - displaced to provide room for that motion bracket's lower jaw! And although I haven't yet got my stickies on a new Hornby 'Castle', I am sure that at least the lower jaw could have been represened, even in 'OO', possibly moulded as part of the front brake hanger/shoe assembly or the chassis keeper plate. The vertical part may be more difficult, especially in 'OO', and is, anyway, less noticeable.

 

I hope the above helps, and thanks for your fantastic photographs of an impressive model. They have persuaded me to buy a few, and to seriously reconsider my 'silk purse from sow's ear' upgrade project on Hornby's previous offering of Dapol/GMR/Airfix provenance .

 

Best wishes,

 

BR(W).

[coachmann]

I must admit i am suprised at some of the critisisms of detail, especially as we are supposed to be modellers..... aren't we? Surely the "fun" in buying ready-to-run is that there is always something left for us to tweak! At 100-smackers it's a snip or have we now reached the stage were we expect absolute perfection from RTR manufacturers. I'de like to see how far some people get with a kit, as it's a safe bet that even the best builders wouldn't achieve the same standard of detail.

 

Larry

[The Stationmaster]

I must admit i am suprised at some of the critisisms of detail, especially as we are supposed to be modellers..... aren't we? Surely the "fun" in buying ready-to-run is that there is always something left for us to tweak! At 100-smackers it's a snip or have we now reached the stage were we expect absolute perfection from RTR manufacturers. I'de like to see how far some people get with a kit, as it's a safe bet that even the best builders wouldn't achieve the same standard of detail.

Larry

 

Perhaps I wasn't heavy enough with the irony Larry My whole point was that it is so good that if you want to be churlish (and I wouldn't even say 'objective') you have to pick on some very minor things indeed; things that probably 90% of modellers might not even know about or where to look for.

 

You will know - probably better than most of us I'm sure - that getting the correct detail on any particular 'Castle' is a task which requires a lot of research. I long ago wondered if Hornby could come up with the goods in that respect and they simple fact is that they are delivering excellently individually detailed locos - even minor items of the cab fittings on 7034 are correct for locos with mechanical lubricators (and just how many purchasers will even know what to look for in that respect let alone what it looks like?).

 

It might not be quite to Beeson, Williams, or Reynolds standards but it's pretty darned close, especially when you consider it's a mass produced model. And I reckon it's a bargain at the market retail price of arond £95 -110, and it's why I've got two (with another on order, and a 4th lined up for purchase later in the year). And there's no way on earth I could build a kit to that standard - let alone line it.

[Taz]

Hello, Taz.

 

I think the only problem changing 7034 to 5069 is that the former has the later (post-war 'Castle' batches), 'L'-shaped style of cabside grab-rail (what I call the Type 3), whereas 5069 had the early, straight, horizontal pattern under the cab side-window (what I call the Type 1).

 

 

Best wishes,

 

BR(W).

 

BR(W),

 

Thanks for this info. Even though I have models with both versions I had failed to notice this difference.

Hopefully it should be within my ability to make the change.

 

Cheers.

[exet1095]

Dear Rob,

 

thanks, I had a look, but it wasn't the bogie that was causing the problem - I think the main chassis block is slightly bent, and so it will go back to Margate tomorrow.

 

It really is a great locomotove, and the Hawksworth tender is stunning too, with a wholly-removeable coal load.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[The Stationmaster]

BR(W),

 

Thanks for this info. Even though I have models with both versions I had failed to notice this difference.

Hopefully it should be within my ability to make the change.

 

Cheers.

 

I think - judging by one of the pics above - that it might be possible to convert the 'L' shape handrail to a straight one as it appears to already go into the cabside just before the bend. When I get a chance I'll have a closer look at 'Ince' and see if it is a practicable solution.

[Taz]

I'm not so sure of that. It does have a 'middle' connection to the cab side but this is in the middle of a bend in the hand rail.

 

I've cropped a couple of pictures of both Earl Cairns and Ince to show what I mean (Ince is back in her box at the moment)

 

[drandles]

Is the tender top removable as i have got Swindon on order but i am wondering if it would be possible to swap the tender tops over for the flatsided on from the previous castle models.

 

Is it worth a try???

 

The Hawksworth and Collett tenders have a totally different chassis so I don't think it would be realistic to just swop the bodies. You need to swap the whole tender !

 

David

[robmcg]

Hello, Taz.

 

I think the only problem changing 7034 to 5069 is that the former has the later (post-war 'Castle' batches), 'L'-shaped style of cabside grab-rail (what I call the Type 3), whereas 5069 had the early, straight, horizontal pattern under the cab side-window (what I call the Type 1).

 

Incidentally, the 'Collett Goods', or 'Baby Castles' to some, had three types of cab grab-rail: Type 1, straight, horizontal and directly under the cab side-window (generally modified to Type 2 on the 2251s); Type 2 (not used on 'Castles'), as Type 1, but with an extra, vertical rail in front of the window; and Type 3, the 'cost-engineered', one-piece job providing the functionality of the Type 2.

 

Your superb photographs of 7034 show the model to be a beauty. But I'm still sad that Hornby saw fit not to represent at least the lower jaw of the massive slidebar bracket. If anyone is unconvinced, just take a look at any decent picture of a G.W. 4-cylinder locomotive (for example Stationmaster's excellent avatar can be found at ...>Prototype Galleries>The Stationmaster Looks At Locos>7029..., 11th.October 2009), and tell me that you can ignore that hefty, cast 'hockey stick' protruding from between the adjacent, lower quadrants of the first and second driving wheels.

 

Moreover, Hornby have even correctly modelled the displaced front brake hanger/shoe assembly - displaced to provide room for that motion bracket's lower jaw! And although I haven't yet got my stickies on a new Hornby 'Castle', I am sure that at least the lower jaw could have been represened, even in 'OO', possibly moulded as part of the front brake hanger/shoe assembly or the chassis keeper plate. The vertical part may be more difficult, especially in 'OO', and is, anyway, less noticeable.

 

I hope the above helps, and thanks for your fantastic photographs of an impressive model. They have persuaded me to buy a few, and to seriously reconsider my 'silk purse from sow's ear' upgrade project on Hornby's previous offering of Dapol/GMR/Airfix provenance .

 

Best wishes,

 

BR(W).

 

The abscence of lower motion bracket arm is one of the few things which helps me find reasons to save my money prudently! Perhaps I will craft one from thin card after throwing caution to the wind and buying one of these great models!

 

As mentioned in other replies they really are great models. Mind you, I have always rather liked my recent Hornby Castles too. Now maybe I will compromise by buying just one of the two recent releases!

 

Rob

[7013]

Hoping to get 'Ince' in next few days, has anyone got any photos of renumbering/naming of any of the new Castles? I will probably go with etched name and cab plates, but would just like to know if anyone has had any unexpected problems?

[Taz]

I am planning to renumber my castles as well but it is way down my priority list at the moment.

 

However these won't be as straight forward as some renumbering jobs because the name plate is part of the front of the splasher. So the entire splasher front will need to be prised off. You will then need to cut the name plate off and then glue the splasher front back on. The new nameplate can then be added.

 

The existing numberplates are also printed on top of some rivet detail (see my photos above) so these will need to be filed flat before brass replacements can be glued on.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Beverston Castle was wafted under my nose this afternoon, and the cash just flew straight out of my wallet. By happy chance I was with MiL today (Swindon girl) and she completely approved it for overall appearance. Told me how hard you had to pull to open the reggylaturh: don't you just love that Wiltshire burr...

 

Etched plates are really all it needs, perhaps a little grime in the corners, some real coal in the tender. Very convincing model. Roll on that 28XX.

[7013]

I am a bit nervous about taking the splasher off to fit the new nameplate, I wonder if anyone has done/in the process of doing this and would be willing to show photos or explain in detail, I am tempted to just to remove the 'Ince' nameplates by rubbing them off and gluing my new plates on, bit of a compromise I know but I would hate to damage the new model by breaking the splasher or something silly like that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I looked on the Hornby site for a service sheet for the new castles to help but it only has the old ones.

[Taz]

The only problem with doing what you suggest is that is that your new nameplate will sit proud of the front of the splasher (as the splasher front and existing nameplate are the same piece of brass).

 

The Hornby pictures of the pre production model show what I mean: