Hornby P2

[Gilwell Park]

Hi.  I have to disagree. I have never been impressed by the look of a P2 in photos but the model shows that it had real presence. At a cost of £110 I bought one and am very happy with it, performance is steadily improving with running in. I will probably highlight the valve drive shaft in some way, it looks wrong in black plastic, perhaps a little track colour. Had it cost £180 to £200 I would not have even considered it.

 

Roger.

[Colin_McLeod]

The valve gear in black pl

 

 I will probably highlight the valve drive shaft in some way, it looks wrong in black plastic, perhaps a little track colour.

 

Roger.

 

To me it looks like a bit of sprue from an old Airfix kit. I agree that the valve gear could do with a bit of painting to bring out the details.

[Sir Topham Hatt]

The ballast in the tender (25gms of car wheel balance weights) has improved the tender ride. 

 

If you can get the tender pickups then they will assist pickup if you are experiencing pickup problems but the 4 drive wheels span a set of points and I've not had any problems on my old, cheap run of 2nd hand Hornby test track, a real test!  You'll need to wire them to the loco pickup wires, a bit of a run but Hornby have allowed for this.

 

I've picked out some of the valve gear (the parts that appear to be unpainted) in gunmetel grey and then black washed them.  They look better for it but, like the hand rail colours, I expect these changed over time.  Does anyone have access to any colour photos of this loo?

 

The motor saga - like someone wondered above, a suitable Mashima or similar would be good news for us, but more expense.  On the basis of all the upgrades some of us here have done, a more expensive 'proper' detailed version with a decent can, hand rails etc would have been a better option but then we wouldn't all be having this fun would we??

Edited October 29, 2014 by Sir Topham Hatt

[31A]

The valve gear in black pl

 

 

To me it looks like a bit of sprue from an old Airfix kit. I agree that the valve gear could do with a bit of painting to bring out the details.

 

Difficult to know what colour the various parts of the valve gear might have been with colour photos of the real thing being very rare if not non existent, but I wondered whether the painting at the head of this web page (which has also been reproduced in various magazines) might be taken as an inference that the rotating shafts at least might have originally been polished steel, i.e. a similar colour to the connecting and coupling rods?  Although I'm not sure on what basis the artist might have decided that (if indeed that is what he did intend to depict).

 

http://www.p2steam.com/

[The Black Hat]

Mine has had slightly more than the motion painted....

 

 

You can find details of it on the RTR detailing section.... its not quite finished yet.

 

"They headed for London, and that will be their grave.
The Eleventh Earl of Mar, couldn't get them down that far..."

[w4rrn]

I dropped off my TTS P2 tonight with Steve at Grimeytimes for some weathering treatment. 

I mentioned to him about the sudden 'jump into life' syndrome of the three pole motor. We tried it on his layout and it was a bit jerky and needed a slight nudge at the first move, but the wheels then soon started to turn.

It ran very smoothly too and did some good slow starts. I was pretty surprised at the slow starts and smooth running it was capable of on Steve's DCC layout as I had tested the loco on a length of track back at home and it jerked into life, but that was with an old analogue controller.

I'll see if I can do a video of it when I collect it, with it new Fox nameplates and muck n grime :-)

The TTS sounded good to.

Here it is the finished item, collected earlier from Steve at Grimytimes. 

He's done a fantastic job with the weathering, I'm very pleased with it. 

The P2 has been transformed as all the work takes away the harshness of the original Hornby item and it looks as though its in general everyday working condition as it would had been in the late 1930's.

Detail pack fitted too and a set of Fox nameplates and works plates.

Here's a few pics see what you think :-)

 

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2014 by w4rrn

[Mike70]

Hi.  I have to disagree. I have never been impressed by the look of a P2 in photos but the model shows that it had real presence. At a cost of £110 I bought one and am very happy with it, performance is steadily improving with running in. I will probably highlight the valve drive shaft in some way, it looks wrong in black plastic, perhaps a little track colour. Had it cost £180 to £200 I would not have even considered it.

 

Roger.

 

You also make a valid point, it's horses for courses.  If Hornby had just produced a basic rail road model and a super detail version with all the bells and whistles, they might have lost a lot of sales to people who don't want Rail Road, but are not willing to go above  £120 mark.

 

I think this has been suggested somewhere else, but maybe they need three versions of the model, Railroad, mid range and top of the range?  I wonder how feasable that would be?

 

Yesterday I had a look at the Wishlist Poll.  The Turbomotive and the W1 were on the list.  If Hornby do end up producing one of these loco's, I do hope they give it the full bells and whistles treatment. 

 

I also hope they return to Cock Of The North at some point and produce a new bells and whistles version.

[Mike70]

Here it is the finished item, collected earlier from Steve at Grimytimes. 

He's done a fantastic job with the weathering, I'm very pleased with it. 

The P2 has been transformed as takes away the harshness of the original Hornby item and it looks as though its in general everyday working condition as it would had been in the late 1930's.

Detail pack fitted too and a set of Fox nameplates and works plates.

Here's a few pics see what you think :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The valve looks a lot better.

[Coldgunner]

Well, ordered a 100ohm loksound speaker, if it don't fit, it'll do for another future loco.

 

http://www.dccsupplies.com/item-p-100898/loksound-v3-5-compatible-100-ohm-speaker-bass

[charliepetty]

Be carefull, V4 Decoders use 4 ohm Speakers.  Charlie

[Coldgunner]

For the TTS chip, my Hornby speaker has blown. Wasn't aware the speaker power would cause a problem, so I ordered the 4ohm version, and cancelled that. Ta for the heads up, still new to sound here.

[tetsudofan]

Having collected my TTS P2 a week ago I've been gently running in the loco. After a few days it was given a rake of Hornby Teaks to see what it could do. At speed the loco sailed along and listening to the "passing chime whistle" was sheer bliss.

 

Problem, as has been reported by others, was the juddery performance at slow speed both when starting and stopping. Tonight after fettling some track where the P2 was derailing entering one set of points (and was the only loco derailing on that point) it was decided to change a couple of the CVs as mentioned by Hornby (CV151 to 255 and CV152 to 1). The result was amazing - the juddering had 99% disappeared and to prove it I ran the loco and train around the fiddle yard with the loco just moving;

 

 

Second time round the track it was magic watching the loco crawl through the pointwork with no juddering whatever:

 

 

Result, one happy bunny. Now to change the same CVs on my DoG.

 

Keith

 

PS: It was not the fault of the loco derailing on the point - it was due to my tracklaying. As I laid the track there was a short section of track just before the points shown in the picture. The far join on that short piece of track was a little rough and was causing the tender to bounce up and down just as the front of the loco was entering the second point - the vibrations from the tender then caused the loco to ride up on the track just as it was entering the curve. Answer was to move the short piece of track further down the running line to give the loco a smooth ride into the points.... Simples...but frustrating trying to work it out!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[melmerby]

Difficult to know what colour the various parts of the valve gear might have been with colour photos of the real thing being very rare if not non existent, but I wondered whether the painting at the head of this web page (which has also been reproduced in various magazines) might be taken as an inference that the rotating shafts at least might have originally been polished steel, i.e. a similar colour to the connecting and coupling rods?  Although I'm not sure on what basis the artist might have decided that (if indeed that is what he did intend to depict).

 

http://www.p2steam.com/

In an official photograph in one of OS Nock's books P2 2001 certainly looks as if the valve gear was bright work and not painted.

As does this one:

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railpictures.net%2Fphoto%2F229770%2F&ei=M3dRVIqkKOWS7Abp1YH4Bw&bvm=bv.78597519,d.ZGU&psig=AFQjCNGuzvcQCNe8EuvWoqaFP-YUxc4eeg&ust=1414711410790437

or this:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_12_2012/post-1-0-22433300-1355307909.jpg

 

Keith

Edited October 29, 2014 by melmerby

[gr.king]

Lord President conversion so far, with valve gear scraped together from various sources and sporting a temporarily fitted set of nameplates plus "applied at running shed" quality alteration of cabside number. Full attention to paintwork will obviously follow at some later stage.

 

 

[bigwordsmith]

Graeme

 

Are you planning on producing a set of resin mouldings for others to follow your footsteps? If so  can I sign up for one?

 

Presumably Bachmann V2 motion would supply the required rodding?

 

Tx

 

peter

[gr.king]

A resin moulding is the plan, providing I'm clever enough to do it. Bachmann V2 valve gear wouldn't be correct "as received", especially in the area of the expansion link, motion bracket and lifting levers for the reversing gear as those parts are much more closely interlaced on the P2s. Simon Martin tells us that the valve gear can however be made to fit, even without the shortening of con-rods, eccentric rods and radius rods to correct lengths. Apparently only a little trimming of the piston rods is required. I think the resultant compromise must appear somewhat crowded, but it's a matter of taste and practicality obviously.

[Andy Hayter]

I came across the attached image last night which is from the PLM Bulletin November 1935.

The article is about Good Performances in France (ironically) and the picture is only captioned as high speed on the Vitry test bed.

 

The picture looks to me however to be of CotN.  Perhaps the ultimate give away being the boiler banding - light dark light - which does not correspond to any contemporary French lining.

 

I could of course be wrong, but if this is indeed CotN, then the picture adds weight to the rotary arm being polished steel - the grey scale being similar to that of the wheel edges and flanges.

[coachmann]

Here it is the finished item, collected earlier from Steve at Grimytimes. 

 

 

Modelling that shows what can actually be achieved. I am really impressed by this loco. 

[WD0-6-0]

I came across the attached image last night which is from the PLM Bulletin November 1935.

The article is about Good Performances in France (ironically) and the picture is only captioned as high speed on the Vitry test bed.

 

The picture looks to me however to be of CotN.  Perhaps the ultimate give away being the boiler banding - light dark light - which does not correspond to any contemporary French lining.

 

I could of course be wrong, but if this is indeed CotN, then the picture adds weight to the rotary arm being polished steel - the grey scale being similar to that of the wheel edges and flanges.

I would say you're right. I think that's is 2001. The running plate at the back. The wheel centre lining the boiler bands and every visible bit of detail seems to be in the right place and of course it was tested there.

[gr.king]

Cylinder bulges added, superheater end access plates added to boiler casing, chimney restyled and a coat of black added after rather more fettling of the surface finish.

 

 

 

[JaymzHatstand]

Wow! That really is looking gorgeous!

 

I really am enjoying seeing what people have done modelling-wise with theirs, mine won't be getting much in the way of modification, just a bit of light weathering and a crew and other details adding.

 

Cheers

 

J

[bigwordsmith]

Graeme

 

As you've practically got to repaint the whole thing, any chance of it in Brunswick Green with Orange Gold Orange lining and 62003 as it's number?

 

Someone's going to want one - doubt I'll be the only one!

 

Peter

[jwealleans]

62003 was a K1. It would need to be 6050-whatever-it-got-in-1946.

[bigwordsmith]

I thought of that as soon as I hit 'post' - don't suppose anyone knows what her 1947 running number would have been?

[Guest spet0114]

I thought of that as soon as I hit 'post' - don't suppose anyone knows what her 1947 running number would have been?

(60)501, according to Wikipedia....

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Thompson_Class_A2/2

Edited November 3, 2014 by spet0114