Hornby castle arriving?

[7013]

Picked up 7007 'Great Western' at GWR 175 today for £95.99 a real bargain for a Ltd. Edition when you consider most stands were selling at £104.99-£109.99 (I do not know why they put this 99p thing on). One stall was offering it at a 'show special' £135! and the museum were selling at £129.99. I wonder why Cheletenham Model Rail Centre had cleared all theirs by 12.15. (I had the last one).

The 'Sound' Castle was actually better live than on the Youtube clip, and according to Hornby magazine review can be 'tuned' to make it better, however that said listen to the ESU sound chips from South West Digital, there was one in an O gauge King which was absolutely superb, I presume one can buy OO versions.

I have a three part question if anyone can help.

A) Is 7037 new tooling?

B.What 'R' number is it?

C) Was it announced in 2009 or 2010?

Thanks in anticipation.

[The Stationmaster]

Picked up 7007 'Great Western' at GWR 175 today for £95.99 a real bargain for a Ltd. Edition when you consider most stands were selling at £104.99-£109.99 (I do not know why they put this 99p thing on). One stall was offering it at a 'show special' £135! and the museum were selling at £129.99. I wonder why Cheletenham Model Rail Centre had cleared all theirs by 12.15. (I had the last one).

The 'Sound' Castle was actually better live than on the Youtube clip, and according to Hornby magazine review can be 'tuned' to make it better, however that said listen to the ESU sound chips from South West Digital, there was one in an O gauge King which was absolutely superb, I presume one can buy OO versions.

I have a three part question if anyone can help.

A) Is 7037 new tooling?

B.What 'R' number is it?

C) Was it announced in 2009 or 2010?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

 

You did incredibly well with 7007 (I paid £109.99 for mine in Cornwall last weekend). And look what I missed by being stuck in the queue to get in for 20 minutes - the chance to kick myself

 

As far as 7037 is concerned it is R2852, and it was announced at the 'Steam' show last year - although badly misrepresented by a mock-up illustration which caused me not to order until I knew more about it. It is, of course, the new tooling and very good it is too.

 

I agree that the 'Castle' sound was a bit better when heard directly but it was accompanied by a strange hissing sound (I don't know what that was supposed to respresent ) and the sound didn't really relate to the way the loco was moving in terms of what I would expect the cut-off and regulator setting to be - which takes us back to one of the basic problems with sound as it has thus far been developed in British outline steam locos.

 

I also heard the sound on a 7mm scale 'King' running on rollers, seemingly with the draincocks open (well it sounded a bit like that) when I first heard it and I was distinctly unimpressed as the sound didn't in anyway match what the loco would have been doing in real life, the exhaust sound was well off for the sort of cut-off that would have been set. For some reason the sound on the 'Golden Age' 7mm scale A4 seemed a lot better than that on that 'King' and I wonder if - better recording etc apart - it might have something to do with the way the tender acts as a sound box or the size of speaker it can accommodated?

[Garry D100]

Been umming and arring about 7007 Great Western since it came out.

Now that my layout is becoming more Western infulenced I thought it time to get one.

Especially after seeing other peoples pictures and comments here.

 

So managed to find 7007 Great Western for £92 including free delivery.

Might have to get some Hawksworth coaches to go with it now

[Simon Moore]

I promised myself a Hornby castle when they first came out & purchased one & i've just got this one too even though i model midland region i thought this be a worthwhile buy.

 

Simon.

[Garry D100]

I have always been pretty much an LMR modeller, but I find myself these days being drawn more and more into Western territory, 28xx next

I quite like the look of the Steam "Swindon" edition too, birthday is in a couple of months, might have to canvas support from the family lol.

[The Stationmaster]

I have always been pretty much an LMR modeller, but I find myself these days being drawn more and more into Western territory, 28xx next

I quite like the look of the Steam "Swindon" edition too, birthday is in a couple of months, might have to canvas support from the family lol.

 

 

I understand they are selling quite well Garry - something over a couple of hundred left by now if their sales over the weekend turned out as they hoped (they had sold over 700 by Friday so I was informed yesterday). It's nice - probably the best so far of Hornby's 'Castles' but I am biased to this livery/tender combination.

 

Incidentally following on their success with 7037 they are thinking about doing another 'special' in about 18 months time but they haven't as yet decided what it might be. From the way they were talking yesterday and a while back I get the impression that they're more likely to go for something along the lines of a special livery job rather than the NRM approach of commssioning a totally new model. But whatever it is they have said that those who have bought 7037 will be the first to be offered a chance to buy whatever comes next.

[Fireline]

I saw the Swindon version for the first time today. Believe me, the cheque book is burning a hole clean out of my pocket!

[coachmann]

I saw the Swindon version for the first time today. Believe me, the cheque book is burning a hole clean out of my pocket!

Now I'm really intrigued. What has the Swindon version got that previous Castles haven't?

[7013]

It probably has got nothing that cannot be found on other Castles. There are a lot of variations in the Castle class, some are subtle others are more obvious, things like position and type of lubricators, single (tall or short) and double chimneys, inside cylinder cover shape, steam pipe shape, the list goes on. Most people who love Castles have a favouirte and 'Swindon' will appeal to some more than others, my personal favourite 'Bristol Castle' came in many guises and two locos during its lifetime. I have just purchased 7007 'Great Western' which looks stunning with its single chimney and Hawksworth tender. My next Castle will be a single chimney with Collet tender.

I still have two of the Airfix tooling locos the Bristol Castle (last of old tooling) with 5 pole motor now as 'Spitfire', and Nunney Castle in the Cambrian Coast Express pack with the old Ringfield motor which has never run I should change it for a new tooling loco but I cant bring myself to get rid of it.

[brushman47544]

Now I'm really intrigued. What has the Swindon version got that previous Castles haven't?

Must be that limited edition box the model comes in - worth every penny of the extra cost compared to the standard models

[stuart galbraith]

In fairness, its just another OO Gauge Castle, albeit with a particularly well done paint job, nice box, booklet and a limited edition. Its also available only from Swindon, just like the original.

 

I like getting famous ones though. If Launceston, Caerpilly and Windsor Castle ever come up for production its going to get a bit expensive. I already have the older model of Pendennis, which is still quite a good model IMHO.

 

Incidentally, I got Pete Waterman to sign the booklet the other day. Im sure nearly everyone else has too by now.

[The Stationmaster]

Now I'm really intrigued. What has the Swindon version got that previous Castles haven't?

 

The immediate answer I suppose is the cachet (??) of it being some sort of special edition in limited numbers ('only' 1,000 made ), and that is presumably why 'Steam' are making some money out of selling it.

 

In my case it was nice to see a good chunk of what I paid for it going to the museum but my other, and probably more important, reasons for buying one were single chimney, late totem and a Collett tender (= my ideal 'Castle').

[Garry D100]

A couple of pics of mine that arrived today.

Must admit, pretty impressed with the loco, nice and smooth, although its my first experience of the tender coupling with plug and socket system.

What a stupid design, took me ages to get it in and longer to take it out, I think more damage will be done to the loco because of this set up than in transit from China !

 

And after being spoilt with the simplicity of the Bachmann boxes I have grown very quickly to dislike the Hornby arrangement.

 

Lets see.

 

Hornby

1. Remove Ltd Edition sleave.

2. Open end of box

3. Slide loco out

4. Remove both plastic end pieces

5. Remove front plastic protector.

6. Remove upper section of polystyrene

7. Pull back tissue

8. Remove loco.

9. Unscrew and remove metal prongs from base of loco.

10. Struggle for ages to plug loco into tender.

11. Ready.

 

Bachmann

1. Open end of box

2. Slide loco out.

3. Open upper part of plastic protector.

4. Remove loco.

5. Ready.

 

Blimey, its like a Krypton Factor challenge lol

 

Anyway, the pics;

 

[lonesome_whistle]

 

 

And after being spoilt with the simplicity of the Bachmann boxes I have grown very quickly to dislike the Hornby arrangement.

 

 

 

Blimey, its like a Krypton Factor challenge lol

 

 

 

 

Am I right in thinking you might struggle (like me, it has to be said!) with a Malcolm Mitchell Castle?

 

Nice pics BTW.

[Garry D100]

Am I right in thinking you might struggle (like me, it has to be said!) with a Malcolm Mitchell Castle?

 

Nice pics BTW.

I can get my fingers into 7mm locos ok lol.

Its just very fiddly in 4mm and trying to keep everything together.

I am sure there is a technique to it.

 

Maybe thats why I like 16mm kits so much

[craigwelsh]

Am I right in thinking you might struggle (like me, it has to be said!) with a Malcolm Mitchell Castle? .

Thankfully there isn't anything that stupid on a Mitchell Castle unless you put it there and I certainly don't intend on doing it!

 

Something slightly bigger with the ability to get your nails ( or some tweezers) onto it to remove again should have been no trouble.

 

Compared to the work on a Mitchell Castle the Hornby one is superb. The only real benefit of the kit now comes if you build it in P4 so you can get the motion bracket in between the flanges properly. It'll be interesting to compare the Hornby 28xx to the Finney one I have to get going again on once the club track is running again.

[robmcg]

A couple of pics of mine that arrived today.

Must admit, pretty impressed with the loco, nice and smooth, although its my first experience of the tender coupling with plug and socket system.

What a stupid design, took me ages to get it in and longer to take it out, I think more damage will be done to the loco because of this set up than in transit from China !

 

And after being spoilt with the simplicity of the Bachmann boxes I have grown very quickly to dislike the Hornby arrangement.

 

Lets see.

 

Hornby

1. Remove Ltd Edition sleave.

2. Open end of box

3. Slide loco out

4. Remove both plastic end pieces

5. Remove front plastic protector.

6. Remove upper section of polystyrene

7. Pull back tissue

8. Remove loco.

9. Unscrew and remove metal prongs from base of loco.

10. Struggle for ages to plug loco into tender.

11. Ready.

 

Bachmann

1. Open end of box

2. Slide loco out.

3. Open upper part of plastic protector.

4. Remove loco.

5. Ready.

 

Blimey, its like a Krypton Factor challenge lol

 

Anyway, the pics;

 

 

You forgot a regular part of the Hornby 'experience'.

 

The four-wire connector plug does not always have all four wires inserted, at least in my experience. And no, I do not pull on them, or even bend them apart for very gentle persuasion in a warm room when inserting the plug into the tender socket. I use screwdrivers for removal.

 

That said, recent Hornby packaging is fine.

 

Rob

[brushman47544]

That said, recent Hornby packaging is fine.

 

Rob

You have got to be joking . Hornby really should take a lesson from themselves about their packaging. I understand the need for a box that will protect a model on its way from China, but the current jigsaw puzzle box really is going too far. If nothing else, the polystyrene should be one piece - several of my locos have "fallen" between the two parts when unwrapping, fortunately only bits that could be easily refitted were dislodged. The "lesson"? Well the current Hornby Rivarossi (and probably Hornby International in general) packaging is much more user friendly. A single polystyrene tray longer than the loco so the add on parts are in a separate cut-out at one end. The Hornby Railroad boxes aren't too bad, although the locos are more tightly fitted than the Rivarossi ones.

 

To be fair, I should also say that I do not like the Bachmann plastic inserts either. At least you can cut away the Hornby polystyrene to avoid knocking off added detailing, which you cannot do with the Bachmann plastic.

 

Back to the thread. I too am very pleased with my Swindon Castle. I have to say my reasons for buying it are the same as the Stationmaster's - single chimney, late crest, Collett tender. If Hornby already offered this on a standard production model, I would probably have bought that instead, particularly as I could have bought DCC fitted rather than fit a decoder myself. Hornby does seem to have gone overboard with early emblem and/or Hawksworth tenders, particularly considering there were more Collett tenders in circulation.

[The Stationmaster]

 

Hornby does seem to have gone overboard with early emblem and/or Hawksworth tenders, particularly considering there were more Collett tenders in circulation.

 

 

 

YES (due apologies for shouting, but.....)

[coachmann]

In Hornby's defence, not that it needs it, it makes commercial sense to produce models of a similar type before making adjustments in moulds and moving onto another variant. Hawksworth tenders were probably moulded in their thousands and need to be sold with locomotives. No doubt the Collet Tender on the special edition presages the production of Castles with scalloped inside cylinder covers or something.

[OFFTHE RAILS]

I suppose this might be considered nit-picking as the new Hornby Castle is a very fine model generally however - I've been looking more closely at my 5068 "Beverston Castle" and reckon that the safety valve cover is leaning forward rather than standing vertically as it should do. The excellent pictures posted by Hilux5972 on 1st August tend to show this too. Does this apply to all of the new Hornby Castles?

 

Please - could those who post excellent photos of their Castles take some full side-on shots to show if the safety valve covers are vertical or not. Is it just the Beverston Castle that has this "feature" or is it all of the new Castles?

 

Some of the Bachmann 56xx 0-6-2T versions have leaning saftey valve covers too....

Ian

[brushman47544]

In Hornby's defence, not that it needs it, it makes commercial sense to produce models of a similar type before making adjustments in moulds and moving onto another variant. Hawksworth tenders were probably moulded in their thousands and need to be sold with locomotives. No doubt the Collet Tender on the special edition presages the production of Castles with scalloped inside cylinder covers or something.

In other circumstances I would agree with you, but there have been a number of Collett tender Castles already (e.g. Beverston and Ince), but other than Swindon they have been early emblem or with a double chimney. The long-awaited Tintagel in Great Western livery will also have a Collett tender.

[coachmann]

All locos in prewar livery would have to have a Collet tender. 'Tintagel Castle' has a scalloped inside cylinder cover, which is the one I'm waiting for, so thanks for the news. It had a Collet tender up to 1952 and maybe to withdrawal.

[robmcg]

In Hornby's defence, not that it needs it, it makes commercial sense to produce models of a similar type before making adjustments in moulds and moving onto another variant. Hawksworth tenders were probably moulded in their thousands and need to be sold with locomotives. No doubt the Collet Tender on the special edition presages the production of Castles with scalloped inside cylinder covers or something.

 

Quite apart from detail alterations to tooling, I await improvement to the 4-pin arrangement for engine-tender connection. I opened by new 'Great Western' today and the harness and pin were blessedly intact and went together OK., but I cannot see people coupling and uncoupling this style of thing unless they have good eyes and dexterity. I know this is a vexed question for many, and apologise if the subjct is covered elsewhere. My answer would be simply more robust connectors.

 

That said, the loco looks and runs beautifully at the head of a train of Mk1s with new Hawksworth at the head.

 

Rob

[lonesome_whistle]

All locos in prewar livery would have to have a Collet tender. 'Tintagel Castle' has a scalloped inside cylinder cover, which is the one I'm waiting for, so thanks for the news. It had a Collet tender up to 1952 and maybe to withdrawal.

 

According to "The Book of Castles", it had a Hawksworth tender for two periods, 9/53-6/54, and from 12/60 until withdrawal in September 1962.