Hornby Sentinel - including cranked version

[Removed a/c]

Running my Blue version  on the rolling road as I type. Using an old Hornby 3 position controller which is not brilliant. Ran well at full speed and soon quietened down , was great at the middle setting and very quiet, then I set it on the lowest setting and thought it had stopped. On closer inspection it was turning over very slowly and exceedingly quietly and only the slight rocking gave it away. That is quite impressive . Haven't opened it up yet to fit a decoder(X9659) so can't be 100% sure if its self coloured plastic. If it is then that in itself is impressive. Windows, they look better in real life than on the photos possibly because of reflected light. The plastic on the side panels is very thin, thinnest I have seen on a model so that is well done.Have to say so far an amazing little loco especially for the £45 I paid. Hornby can certainly shut up some of their critics if other models come out to this standard.

I thought they came with a decoder fitted? 

[Bilbo]

I thought they came with a decoder fitted? 

Thats a myth and I think it was Hattons who perpetuated it in their advert. I did try and put them right but they didn't quite get the message and don't stock the decoders that fit.  

[newbryford]

Rather a shame that Hornby have gone to so much trouble with very fine printing and missed an obvious bonus which would have been working lights.

 

Working lights in the little extensions above the buffers would be a challenge in anyone's book.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[7013]

Yes I agree Mick but the lights in the radiator and at the other end should be achievable, many continental locos have tiny little lights so not impossible. But it would have put twenty quid on the model probably!

[SDJR7F88]

Brianthesnail is bang on the money with his comments.  As Brian rightly points out, the model isn't perfect, but for around the £50 mark, what do people expect?  I've pointed out in my earlier postings that it runs beautifully, even at low speed.  SDJR7F88 has kindly taken the trouble to video and post a 15 minute review on youtube with a link (see earlier) which is comprehensive and very informative.  Based on all the information in the postings on here, either modellers want to buy it or they don't.  Some people need a reality check - £50 or less for a brand new RTR model is cheap these days and this one is worth the money in my opinion.

 

Paul

Glad you enjoyed my review and glad it was of help too!

[neal]

In an effort to avoid going to MK sales shopping, I occupied myself with this. (It was red - and having looked long and hard I decided that I couldn't live with the translucent plastic).

 

 

 

 

The body is well put together, and the side sheets on my example refused to come out without one losing it's fixing tabs.

 

The chassis is really well engineered, and I am sure will find a home on many larger scale NG layouts.

 

I added a few bits, purely fictional. Light aluminium weathering, more to follow in keeping with its maritime workplace (along with the name!)

 

I am sure that many more personalised examples will follow.

 

N

[Butler Henderson]

Another review

 

http://albionyard.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/Hornby-2015-predicitons-and-sentinel-maintenance-101/

[neal]

With too much time on my hands, I also did a DCC tug of war between this Sentinel, and the Dapol steamer.

 

Across the board the Model Rail offering won, pulling/pushing the diesel from crawling speeds to full tilt.

 

Still, the Hornby model has some clout, and pulls 3 or 4 Mk1's without too much grief.

 

N

[37114]

Very tempted by one of these, I am sure Shawplan can do some laserglaze for the windows!

[Intercity125]

Glad you enjoyed my review and glad it was of help too!

Your review was excellent and comprehensive covering everything from opening the box, to traversing your test track.  Look forward to viewing your other clips when I get a chance next week.  Keep 'em coming.

[eetype3]

OK, here's my take now that I've received my model - R3179 in Esso Bitumen livery. My background: mechanical design, electrical engineering and several years of railway modelling.

 

First, the good: a lot of detail for the price, and it looks like a Sentinel to me. A particularly fine job with the handrails too - very impressive.

 

The bad: I'm hoping it's confined to my example, but the bonnets and cab are unpainted; on lifting it from the (well-designed) box, the living room lamp shone through the sidesheets. This return to 1980s Lima practice is unwelcome, and in my view lets the model down badly. Mine's now due a respray - I was hoping to just remove the Esso Bitumen Plymouth printing with T-Cut and retain the factory red finish, but there isn't one... Hopefully someone will offer etched replacements for the Sentinel and Powered By Rolls-Royce plates - such a shame, as the printed versions are excellent. I'd rather pay another £10 for a paint finish.

 

The overall design of the model is a disappointment, as it has obviously been compromised by the requirement to be compatible with the Hornby R8249 decoder - hence the huge decoder slot. The fact that even this has not been achieved, and that we're expected to buy a version of the R8249 decoder modified with a 4-pin plug directly from Hornby, is rather an insult. If the model had been designed to accept a 6-pin 'N-gauge' decoder, perhaps a better method of breaking the model down to its component parts could have been found. The panel split line between the cab and the front sidesheet is fortunately prototypical for the chain-drive versions - it was a welded joint - but when Hornby get around to the rod-drive locos, the one-piece sidesheet is a very distinctive design feature. I can't help thinking that if someone on the design team had been brave enough to point out the poor choice of the standard Hornby decoder, we may have ended-up with a less-compromised model. Perhaps the motor could have been mounted to drive the rear axle, with a decent-sized flywheel accommodated in the cab and the decoder at the front end of the front bonnet - a better excuse for the half-height cab interior, and better tolerance of average trackwork with such a short wheelbase.

 

I can live with the poor fit of the cab glazing - it's no worse than the various design tolerance problems that I had to correct/fettle on my pair of 72xx to make them fit together properly - and also maybe with the poor fit of the plastic sideskirts into the metal frame; but the overall impression is that Hornby are steadily losing the plot. After both 72xx and now the Sentinel, I'm losing faith more than a little. I've ordered a Crosti 9F, and it's fair to say that that model will be make-or-break for me.

Edited December 27, 2013 by eetype3

[Steve O.]

Hi Folks,

Re Hattons (pre-order) and decoders (#pins), I took the lazy (more expensive) way out and had them fit a decoder (left them to choose which one).

I've nowhere to run my NCB baby yet, so at least I know it's had a test run.

I'm in Boston, US, hence the VAT / shipping notes.

Cheers, Steve.

 

This is an automatic notification to inform you that we have processed your order for the following items:

1 * Bachmann Branchline 36-553 8-pin 3-function 1A decoder with back EMF @ £10.00 each = £10.00

1 * Hattons Model Railways Ltd SrvDCCFitReady01 Fit 1x 8 or 21 pin decoder into a DCC Ready item - DCC Fitting Service @ £12.00 each = £12.00

1 * Hornby R3178 Class 4wDM 0-4-0 diesel Sentinel shunter in NCB blue livery. 1st Batch arrived into stock 23/12/13, 2nd batch due early 2014 @ £37.50 each = £37.50

Payment Type Amount

Payment Card £62.50

Goods cost ex VAT: £59.50

Goods VAT charged: £0.00

Royal Mail. Non Western Europe. Air Mail. Weighs between 001g and 300g when packed. Avg 5 working day transit time. £3.00

Grand Total: £62.50

 

Your picking list number is 1445740. Please quote this in all correspondence. Use the "Contact Us" link at http://www.ehattons.com with any questions regarding this transaction. Your invoice was created by Graeme Hogg who is featured on our website at http://www.ehattons.com/list/staff.aspx#StaffID1446306

[46444]

There's some real positives coming over about this model and I think Hornby have done a great job and providing a model at this price point.

 

I've a green Tarmac one on order that hopefully will arrive in the near future.  I intend to remove the Tarmac logo with T-Cut-so perhaps the unpainted plastic will work in my favour.

 

Personally, the issues that have been bought up concerning the lack of a painted finish aren't of concern to me.  I feel a light rub over with T-Cut will add some lustre.  This will be enhanced with a coat of Klear brush painted, lightly weathered and a further coat of Klear airbrushed on.

 

I'd imagine most modellers who buy this model will be more than happy with it.  For those who want to enhance its appearance then a few hours modelling will no doubt improve what is already a good model.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[SDJR7F88]

Your review was excellent and comprehensive covering everything from opening the box, to traversing your test track.  Look forward to viewing your other clips when I get a chance next week.  Keep 'em coming.

Thanks again mate! Theirs a lot more on my channel!  

[Gordon A]

An excellent review by Albion Yard.

 

Can anyone tell me what the axle diameter is please?

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[Butler Henderson]

Pretty obvious from the Albion Yard review that it will be very simple to hard wire a decoder of choice.

[Captain Kernow]

An excellent review by Albion Yard.

 

Can anyone tell me what the axle diameter is please?

 

Gordon A

Bristol

I was wondering that as well, but it doesn't look like a quick conversion...

[Butler Henderson]

Hornbys (somewhat simplified, where are the wires etc) service sheet http://www.Hornby.com/filelibrary/download/?FileID=475

[Gordon A]

 

Hi Gordon,

the blog post has been updated with a few more pics and conversion thoughts, for cash, they're 3mm Dia

http://albionyard.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/Hornby-2015-predicitons-and-sentinel-maintenance-101/

Hi PMP,

Many thanks for the information.

Converting to P4 could be a fiddly job, which might lead to a scratch built chassis and High level gearbox??

I will have to be patient until the NCB one I have ordered arrives.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[brian777999]

Rather a shame that Hornby have gone to so much trouble with very fine printing and missed an obvious bonus which would have been working lights.

 

Yes, that struck me as very odd too. I am guessing that they think UK modellors have come to accept locos without lights and so they did not bother. But surely all shunting locos would have had lights as a safety feature ?

[brian777999]

In an effort to avoid going to MK sales shopping, I occupied myself with this. (It was red - and having looked long and hard I decided that I couldn't live with the translucent plastic).

 

The body is well put together, and the side sheets on my example refused to come out without one losing it's fixing tabs.

 

 

 

So the side sheets just pull out ? That is good news ; I thought I may have to cut them off. Will you replace the handrails on the sides ?

Edited December 28, 2013 by brian777999

[neal]

So the side sheets just pull out ? That is good news ; I thought I may have to cut them off. Will you replace the handrails on the sides ?

I wouldn't say 'pull', they are glued and I had to lever mine out with a scalpel. These leave two rectangular holes in the running plate. As mentioned, one came out relatively easily, and the other broke. I cleaned the residual plastic from that hole with a fine blade.

 

I will look at some prototype images for reference with handrails.

 

Neal

[jjb1970]

Whilst not my scene I'm also with those who are happy to see a well modelled industrial light shunter as opposed to a cheap not even very generic toy, I'll get one as it is the sort of model that you can find an excuse to plant on most layouts provided the era is suitable for.

[Arthur]

But surely all shunting locos would have had lights as a safety feature ?

Not so common as Mickey said, Brian. However, as an example, by the early 1970s steelworks locos were being fitted with directional lights, indicating whether or not they were moving, and in which direction. Working in the gloom and uneven lighting of melting shops and casting bays, it was a useful feature.

[neal]

That's enough work on this for now..

 

 

N