Hornbys cheap bogie fixing method

[Butler Henderson]

I was completely bemused the other month when removing the NEM coupling from the bogie of my Hornby Schools caused the bogie to part company from the chassis. I could not find whatever they had used to fix the bogie to the chassis and ending up threading a nut onto the plain unthreaded rod that sticks up from the centre of the bogie - its rarely run well since although its always been a strange one in contrast to the perfect performance of my T9. Then sorting out pick up problems on a M7 and the pony truck fell off...... A detailed examination of the work table again failed to show up any fixing so I swept its top into a plastic box and went through the contents - there was an almost clear piece of plastic tube which I first thought was stripping off a length of electrical wire and then I realised that was the missing fixing, forcing it onto the upright rod. Now wondering if the Schools might just behave itself if thebogie fixing was restored to its original form and where to get the tubing from as Hornby only list a complete bogie set as a spare (oh for the days when you could getting any bit of a Triang/Hornby loco as a spare and service dealers would happily take a new loco off the shelf and dismantle it for the part you wanted).

[OFFTHE RAILS]

I was completely bemused the other month when removing the NEM coupling from the bogie of my Hornby Schools caused the bogie to part company from the chassis. I could not find whatever they had used to fix the bogie to the chassis and ending up threading a nut onto the plain unthreaded rod that sticks up from the centre of the bogie - its rarely run well since although its always been a strange one in contrast to the perfect performance of my T9. Then sorting out pick up problems on a M7 and the pony truck fell off...... A detailed examination of the work table again failed to show up any fixing so I swept its top into a plastic box and went through the contents - there was an almost clear piece of plastic tube which I first thought was stripping off a length of electrical wire and then I realised that was the missing fixing, forcing it onto the upright rod. Now wondering if the Schools might just behave itself if thebogie fixing was restored to its original form and where to get the tubing from as Hornby only list a complete bogie set as a spare (oh for the days when you could getting any bit of a Triang/Hornby loco as a spare and service dealers would happily take a new loco off the shelf and dismantle it for the part you wanted).

 

Although they are beautiful scale models with great mechanisms, the super detail Hornby Schools bogie pivot pin is very weak and, as you state, has a really cheap "fixing" method - a bit of plastic tube which is just pressed over the plastic pivot pin.

I have four of these locos and two had broken bogie pivot pins. Having seen how puny and vulnerable the pivot pins are (and rather than demand equally puny replacements) I drilled a hole through the bogie and fitted a small BA nut and bolt with the original Hornby spring.

Ian

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