Hornby castle arriving?

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

For those whose layout curves are 24" radius and up, an easy way to set the loco to tender distance correctly is to bend a downward 'U' shape in the middle of the drawbar to shorten the connection. This not only makes the ensemble look that little better yet, with the fall plate covering about half the tender step; it also provides a convenient support for the wiring bundle.

[7013]

Thanks Taz I think the penny has dropped, I did not realise the splasher was a one piece brass fitting seperate to the rest of the body, so I am confident that it should not be too daunting just make sure I do not bend the brass splasher! in fact one could be really prototypical and attach the new nameplate with three small backing plates. I saw a renumbered and named example at the West of England model railway show at Carn Brea, aptly it was 7015 Carn Brea Castle and looked very nice too.

[45568]

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.

I found this problem when renumbering/naming a new Hornby rebuilt Scot and Patriot. The splasher came off quite easily, but removing the existing name and "thinning" the remains to avoid the replacement standing proud was not easy! Shortly after I had finished them, Modelmaster announced a pre-painted blank replacement which would simplify the whole exercise. It may be worth contacting Jim Grindlay at MM to see if this is in the pipeline for the Castle.

Regards, Peter C.

[7013]

Thanks Peter I will follow that up

[robmcg]

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.

 

I agree about the superb quality of the model, and having photographed 'Earl Cairns' a while ago I was trying to work out what wasn't "quite right" appearance of the front end, in my photo anyway, and decided that perhaps it was the fact that on the real thing the inside cylinders prevent a lot of light passing through the area of the front wheels, the cylinders being directly over the front axle.

 

So I modified the pic thus, using PSP6;

 

 

Rob

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Thanks for showing that improvement Rob. I will take that in hand when the bogie gets a soft spring added to help steady the front end, and make it do a little work guiding the loco into curves. I think a central 'fin' in the wheelarch in black plasticard will do the job of stopping the light as the frames and cylinder block do in reality.

 

On the subject of dimensions, is anybody else curious about what Hornby have done to get this machine round set track curves? By leaving the inside of the cylinder blocks hollow, and shifting the pivot point of the bogie rearwards 1mm, they have found the space for the correctly dimensioned bogie and bogie wheels to move laterally enough for the curves. It does no great violence to the overall appearance of the model, and anyone with easier curves can easily correct this compromise by modifying the bogie mounting to move the pivot point forward to the correct location. Good choice by Hornby.

 

Also pleasant to report is that although the rear of the chasis has a tab that locates in a slot, this is visible from outside the loco, so easy to relocate for reassembly unlike some earlier designs which were 'fumble around until located by feel'. The surprise inside: not the usual Hornby 'chunky' black can motor, but a long thin design. Very tidy internal chassis construction too. Really looking forward to a 28XX of matching refinement.

[King William]

I have just bought Beverston Castle at Ally Pally . Looks great and runs beautifully. Just one problem - it runs in the wrong direction! I have never encountered this in a ready to run model before. It is simple enough to fix as the wires to the motor are very easy to get at with the body removed. When bulding a loco chassis there is always a 50 % chance of getting the right direction of running first time with most motors . I wonder how easy it is for Hornby to get it right when all 4 wires to the loco - tender plug are black and a can motor can be mounted either way up. They obviously must have a method to make sure it is always correct. I just got one that got away!

I also found that the instructions show the tender body/chassis fixing for a Hawksworth tender and the Collett tender is totally different. I presume there is only one instruction sheet for all Castles.

[robmcg]

I have just bought Beverston Castle at Ally Pally . Looks great and runs beautifully. Just one problem - it runs in the wrong direction! I have never encountered this in a ready to run model before. It is simple enough to fix as the wires to the motor are very easy to get at with the body removed.

 

...

 

Rather you than me! Is the loco analogue or DCC? I have an 'Ince Castle' en route and hope to film it with an exemplar 1961 GW express train. It would be very un-GWR-like to run backwards! <g>

 

Rob

[robmcg]

Thanks for showing that improvement Rob. I will take that in hand when the bogie gets a soft spring added to help steady the front end, and make it do a little work guiding the loco into curves. I think a central 'fin' in the wheelarch in black plasticard will do the job of stopping the light as the frames and cylinder block do in reality.

 

On the subject of dimensions, is anybody else curious about what Hornby have done to get this machine round set track curves? By leaving the inside of the cylinder blocks hollow, and shifting the pivot point of the bogie rearwards 1mm, they have found the space for the correctly dimensioned bogie and bogie wheels to move laterally enough for the curves. It does no great violence to the overall appearance of the model, and anyone with easier curves can easily correct this compromise by modifying the bogie mounting to move the pivot point forward to the correct location. Good choice by Hornby.

 

Also pleasant to report is that although the rear of the chasis has a tab that locates in a slot, this is visible from outside the loco, so easy to relocate for reassembly unlike some earlier designs which were 'fumble around until located by feel'. The surprise inside: not the usual Hornby 'chunky' black can motor, but a long thin design. Very tidy internal chassis construction too. Really looking forward to a 28XX of matching refinement.

 

Yes, judicious use of plasticard or cardboard might help the rather noticeable abscence of front cylinders. The 'space' and daylight tends not to be very notieable unless you think about it!

 

One thing I've noticed with recent Hornby DC locos is some variability in current draw between different models, 5-pole Bristol Castle quite touchy, Earl Cairns runs easily on low current, but the same speed and load requires more current with Scot/Patriot and Britannias, and more again with 4MTs... perhaps gearing has something to do with it, and possibly other gears/motion, but I sometimes wonder if the specs of the motor windings and such has something to do with it? This is just an observation, with variable 'running-in', but most of the above have done 15-40mins running, mostly light load especially when new. A typical 4-carriage train at a scale 50-60mph requires about 2.5-3.5 from 10 gradations on my Bachmann Spectrum controller(s) with the Castles, but 3.5-5.5 with the other locos mentioned, although some, not many Scots run freely on less current than others, and Bulleids and N15s are variable too. Note, I'm not complaining... they are all pretty good.

 

If the 28XX has a motor like the new Castle and lower gearing it should be a purler.

 

Rob

[King William]

Rather you than me! Is the loco analogue or DCC? I have an 'Ince Castle' en route and hope to film it with an exemplar 1961 GW express train. It would be very un-GWR-like to run backwards! <g>

 

Rob

 

It is an analogue loco. Well that is what it says on the box!

[drandles]

How easy would it be to remove the mechanical lubricator from Earl Cairns ? Is it a separate detachable item ? I don't think the Castles fitted with the original 2-row superheater boiler ever had such a lubricator.

 

David

[robmcg]

It is an analogue loco. Well that is what it says on the box!

 

So when you set your controller to one , or the other, was it the controller?

 

I find it unusual for such things to get through everything, and I asked about DCC only because the wiring for DCC-ready is the same as DCC-equipped, and it's all-black wiring.?

 

If it was DCC you could reverse it easily without removing the body .... The assembly of wiring would mostly likely be done to a pattern for sometimes unskilled people, but quality control would only pick it up if one a maybe 100 locos was tested, all else passing production test.

 

Sorry if I caused offence.

 

My response would be to return it to retailer, ... or as you might otherwise suggest; remove body and reverse motor wiring; but given that this is not a clear option in instructions in the pack, I can only say that these products have errors and commonly have damage in transit from one production line to another, and that also, the transport of them, and reversal of motor wiring is not simple nor easy.

 

A bit like a steam reverser lever backwards, or left-hand right-hand drive steam engines, ... which only Britain had to it's everlasting glory in the 1950s

 

I would add that the running of all my RTR locos is variable. Now! Back to 'Castle' superheaters and mechanical lubricators... and before I finish , if I got a really good weathered 38XX 2-8-0 which ran in reverse, I'd say it just wanted to be a tank engine...

 

and I'm Southern or LMS first.

 

Rob

[Guest 838rapid]

Have Just spoken to the Guys at Steam -The Museum of the Great Western Railway.

 

And it sounds like The Castle class they have commissioned will be about by the end of the month.

[The Stationmaster]

Have Just spoken to the Guys at Steam -The Museum of the Great Western Railway.

 

And it sounds like The Castle class they have commissioned will be about by the end of the month.

 

Ah, so their previous estimate was on track then - good stuff. I now await my 'phone call in antiucpation of a nice little trip down to Swindon to pay the balance and collect (mind you I'm running out of places to hide 'em).

[7013]

Any luck removing the lubricator Drandles? All my pictures of Earl Cairns show it without the lubricator behind the pipe, and I believe this is pretty much how it remained unless anyone knows better. Funny how Hornby can get details such as handrails and pipes right but miss a glaringly (?) incorrect one like that.

[King William]

So when you set your controller to one , or the other, was it the controller?

 

I find it unusual for such things to get through everything, and I asked about DCC only because the wiring for DCC-ready is the same as DCC-equipped, and it's all-black wiring.?

 

If it was DCC you could reverse it easily without removing the body .... The assembly of wiring would mostly likely be done to a pattern for sometimes unskilled people, but quality control would only pick it up if one a maybe 100 locos was tested, all else passing production test.

 

Sorry if I caused offence.

 

My response would be to return it to retailer, ... or as you might otherwise suggest; remove body and reverse motor wiring; but given that this is not a clear option in instructions in the pack, I can only say that these products have errors and commonly have damage in transit from one production line to another, and that also, the transport of them, and reversal of motor wiring is not simple nor easy.

 

A bit like a steam reverser lever backwards, or left-hand right-hand drive steam engines, ... which only Britain had to it's everlasting glory in the 1950s

 

I would add that the running of all my RTR locos is variable. Now! Back to 'Castle' superheaters and mechanical lubricators... and before I finish , if I got a really good weathered 38XX 2-8-0 which ran in reverse, I'd say it just wanted to be a tank engine...

 

and I'm Southern or LMS first.

 

Rob

 

Thanks for the comments. No offence taken. You comment on DCC/analogue made me suddenly think that I might have a DCC loco sold as DCC ready(it was a very good price) and the chip was making it go the the wrong way on analogue! It really does run very smoothly on analogue and the Relco I use should fry any chips from what I hear. Changing round the wires to the motor is easy as the loco body is simple to remove. Removal of the Collett tender body with the loco is quite different to the Hawksworth tender which is included in the instructions. I wonder if there are two sets of instructions and I have a loco with the wrong one?

I will not do anything to the loco until is out of guarantee in case something else more serious goes wrong. I bought a new loco last year that was ok to start with and after 3 months developed a very serious problem and had to be returned.

[Rugd1022]

Any luck removing the lubricator Drandles? All my pictures of Earl Cairns show it without the lubricator behind the pipe, and I believe this is pretty much how it remained unless anyone knows better. Funny how Hornby can get details such as handrails and pipes right but miss a glaringly (?) incorrect one like that.

 

With regard to the lubricator... I was wondering whether or not the Irwell Press 'Book Of The Castles' covers this detail.... had a quick skim through my mates copy of it last week but not long enough to take in the individual loco histories, it might be worth a punt

 

HTH,

 

Nidge

[gwrrob]

With regard to the lubricator... I was wondering whether or not the Irwell Press 'Book Of The Castles' covers this detail.... had a quick skim through my mates copy of it last week but not long enough to take in the individual loco histories, it might be worth a punt

 

HTH,

 

Nidge

 

Which particular loco are in interested in.I'll have a look.Incidently the two photos of 5053 in the early 50s show her without a ML.

[The Stationmaster]

With regard to the lubricator... I was wondering whether or not the Irwell Press 'Book Of The Castles' covers this detail.... had a quick skim through my mates copy of it last week but not long enough to take in the individual loco histories, it might be worth a punt

 

HTH,

 

Nidge

 

As with others on here the only views I can so far find of 5053 do not include a mechanical lubricator and it definitely didn't have one in 1958 - by which time the tender had acquired the later style of emblem. Somehow I doubt that it was at some time 'backward modernised' and had the lubricator removed - but strange things did sometimes happen at Swindon.

 

While there might have been exceptions the mechanical lubricators seem to have normally been fitted to higher superheat locos (logical when you think about it) and I'm not at all sure if 5053 ever had a three-row superheater.

 

Nearest match for the Hornby version (without checking all the details) would appear to be 5050. So it boils down to renaming etc or chopping off the lubricator.

[brushman47544]

As with others on here the only views I can so far find of 5053 do not include a mechanical lubricator and it definitely didn't have one in 1958 - by which time the tender had acquired the later style of emblem. Somehow I doubt that it was at some time 'backward modernised' and had the lubricator removed - but strange things did sometimes happen at Swindon.

IIRC wasn't the preserved Rood Aston Hall originally thought to be Albert Hall until they examined the frame and found the "wrong" loco number. Presumably Swindon made a switch at some point. If you want to, you can argue a precedent for almost anything.

[Neal Ball]

Fabulous layout 6026

[The Stationmaster]

Latest Update from Swindon

 

I had a 'phone call on Thursday to let me know that the GW Museum 'Castle' is suffering further delays and is not now expected this month (unofficially they are now hoping that it will arrive 'sometime towards the end of May').

 

I know the folk there have got my deposit under their belts but they really merit congratulations on the way in which they are keeping customers advised about the delays in delivery, excellent customer service in this respect.

[Neal Ball]

I have just had an email from Hornby to advise that Tintagel castle (the GWR version) will be available in one months time. - Hurrah at last!

[gwrrob]

I have just had an email from Hornby to advise that Tintagel castle (the GWR version) will be available in one months time. - Hurrah at last!

 

Its been a long wait Neal.I ordered mine in December 2008 !

[Neal Ball]

Its been a long wait Neal.I ordered mine in December 2008 !

 

Mine was ordered this January! - I am sure it will be worth the wait, but will 1 be enough !!! - At least the layout will be ready.....