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Hornby P2


Dick Turpin
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Just gave mine an outing for the first time on my new railway - is it my track laying or is this a dedicated falling off the track machine ? IT seems fine on straight track, and even flexi curves, but it seems to think points were made for falling off from - I have both code 70 and code 100 and it seems not to care which as soon as you ask it to go round a corner, or reverse through the point - regardless of how close the tender is coupled - off she falls.

 

I also haven't put it through anything tighter than a 5' radius.

 

It's even more sensitive than the Bachman Peppercorns!

 

Thanks

My is nothing like that

 

I have 36" points and it goes through fine either direction, but it doesnt like uneven joints in the track.

I have a lifting section with a 36" curve on it and the front driver tends to lift if the track is slight out of alignment. Other locos don't, although the others don't have scale 6' 2" 8 coupled wheelbase!

 

(all track code 75)

 

Keith

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Just gave mine an outing for the first time on my new railway - is it my track laying or is this a dedicated falling off the track machine ? IT seems fine on straight track, and even flexi curves, but it seems to think points were made for falling off from - I have both code 70 and code 100 and it seems not to care which as soon as you ask it to go round a corner, or reverse through the point - regardless of how close the tender is coupled - off she falls.

 

I also haven't put it through anything tighter than a 5' radius.

 

It's even more sensitive than the Bachman Peppercorns!

 

Thanks

 

My 'normal range' P2 has had no problems running through my code 100 medium radius Peco points or my 20" radius curves.

 

We did try it out on DougN's layout where it had difficulty on a double-slip right on a gradient transition. Doug's Bachmann V2 also exhibited the same problem, caused by the rear cartazzi axle lifting the rear driver off the track momentarily as the locomotive transitions onto the rising gradient.

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Thanks Both of you - I'm going to revisit the whole track area this morning - the P2 seems to be very light footed - even compared to Bachmann Peppercorns - if it can't come with the track I'll have to send it on the dreaded eBay line!

 

At least I know not to abandon the move to code 75

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Thanks Both of you - I'm going to revisit the whole track area this morning - the P2 seems to be very light footed - even compared to Bachmann Peppercorns - if it can't come with the track I'll have to send it on the dreaded eBay line!

 

At least I know not to abandon the move to code 75

Sorry to hear that. Mine can handle 10 Hornby Gresleys with no problem. The difficulties with the Bachmann A1 are well documented here and much has been posted on the effects of the fall plate and link tender coupling causing 'lift' and loss of what should be full tractive power. My track is Code 100.Just might be worth exploring the Cartazzi and the (rudimentary ) link on your 2001.

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Just gave mine an outing for the first time on my new railway - is it my track laying or is this a dedicated falling off the track machine ? IT seems fine on straight track, and even flexi curves, but it seems to think points were made for falling off from - I have both code 70 and code 100 and it seems not to care which as soon as you ask it to go round a corner, or reverse through the point - regardless of how close the tender is coupled - off she falls.

 

I also haven't put it through anything tighter than a 5' radius.

 

It's even more sensitive than the Bachman Peppercorns!

 

Thanks

It is strange how some loco's are troublesome for some and not others. I have four Bachmann 'Peppercorns'

2xA1 and 2xA2 and all are perfectly reliable, as far as derailments are concerned . on my garden railway.

However, i have 3 Hornby Gresley pacifics whose front bogies are always derailing, so much so that i have

confined them to my display cabinet. So it is not all down to the track!

As for the P2 i got very excited about this when it was first anounced, but this waned as deadlines came and 

went, and finally died as RMWEB contributors began to speak of 'cheap' motors, and 'design clever' shortcuts.

I hope Hornby will one day do a partial re-tool of the P2,and do justice to a fine prototype.

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...

As for the P2 i got very excited about this when it was first anounced, but this waned as deadlines came and 

went, and finally died as RMWEB contributors began to speak of 'cheap' motors, and 'design clever' shortcuts.

I hope Hornby will one day do a partial re-tool of the P2,and do justice to a fine prototype.

 

The P2 is a stunning model and a very low price.  I think there are many out there with no problems at all, and faulty ones would be replaced by retailers.

 

Here is my version, slightly edited. I have put other pics elsewhere on RMweb.

 

https://www.facebook.com/brsteamphotos/photos/pcb.418530164979321/418530081645996/?type=1&theater

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SO as ever the good advice of the RM Web community is taken to heart and turns out to be right!- relaying the point concerned resulted in the P2 now behaving perfectly.

 

However the front pony truck seems determined to fall off when going forwards through  a code 100 Y point unless driven at a scale 3mph

 

Fortunately the slow speed running of this rather grand machine allows me to do that!

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  • 3 weeks later...

This may have been answered already, but it's a very long thread - has Hornby announced any intention to do other members of the class? For example those fitted with Walschaerts valve gear?

They have announced nothing yet. It has only been noted by some fans that the P2 chassis appears to have been designed with possibly the idea of using it for a A4 front style P2.

 

Time will tell....

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This may have been answered already, but it's a very long thread - has Hornby announced any intention to do other members of the class? For example those fitted with Walschaerts valve gear?

I would have thought that Hornby had this in mind when it was designed.

The bean counters will no doubt check over the sales/profit/loss figures and likely future sales and if they are favourable I would guess other variants will follow.

As there were several variations in the class Hornby have some choice of follow-ups if they want

 

IMHO 2007 is a cert when the real thing is nearing completion.

 

Keith

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I would have thought that Hornby had this in mind when it was designed.

The bean counters will no doubt check over the sales/profit/loss figures and likely future sales and if they are favourable I would guess other variants will follow.

As there were several variations in the class Hornby have some choice of follow-ups if they want

 

IMHO 2007 is a cert when the real thing is nearing completion.

 

Keith

 

The P2 people have already mentioned that they intend to produce 2007 with Hornby, presumably either as a limited edition or a jointly publicised release. In the physical sense, I think all the model requires is roller bearings on the tender/cartazzi truck, modified tender water space, removal of the feedwater heater and addition of electric lights. The tender moulding, lights and cartazzi truck would presumably be lifted from their TORNADO model as they're identical, or at least close enough in 4mm to not be an issue.

I'd certainly have a model of 2007 and the other five should they be released.

Edited by Bon Accord
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  • 2 weeks later...

My P2 had the same fault of leaping into high speed from a standstill without steady acceleration that others have noted.  I decided to convert it to DCC and, following the instructions, took the body shell off and fitted a Bachmann decoder.  As a precaution, I ran the  chassis bodiless up and down the test track and to my amazement it now accelerates slowly and smoothly in both directions.  The main problem I had was fitting that wretched body fixing bolt back in place,  I took about 20 or 30 goes before I managed to locate the screw into the threaded hole.  By the time I had managed it I was using the kind of language that Corporal Dawson and Sergeant Lawrence used on us recruits at the Queen's Royal Regiment when our drill, kit, weapon handling etc did not match up to their stratospheric standards!   For those trying this, I suggest attaching the screw to the driver by use of magic wax, the hole is too small to allow my usual choice of Bluetack.  Worth it in the end though I think.  Now the fine tuning of the CV's needs doing.  

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@Donny

 

the P2 pony truck is a real finder of iffy track work - mine was awful until I realised that the problem was down to a slight misalignment of the track and the point. Once I sorted that out it trotted through at full chat.

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  • 4 weeks later...

However, i have 3 Hornby Gresley pacifics whose front bogies are always derailing, so much so that i have

confined them to my display cabinet. So it is not all down to the track!

Check the back to backs and make sure the pony wheels are free of dirt. My No.9's pony truck derails on some points if the wheels have picked up a sufficient amount of dirt, and need cleaning about once a month. Hope this helps,

 

60800

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Another easier option is to buy a Hornby super detail A1/A3/A4 Tender chassis which already has the pickups fitted. Whether that will fit the P2 I haven't checked, the P2 TTS version if available as a spare yet? has the pick ups installed.

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