James Harrison Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 I've got a 2001 Hornby A4, Kestrel, but it's never been a particularly good runner- in particular the tender traction tyres have the charming tendancy to keep coming adrift. I'm considering swapping out the chassis for a current loco-driven one- is this possible at all? I know that the current range A4s have a new body shape- what are the differences between the current offering and the tender-driven examples? Also, is the A4 in the Railroad range the old tender-driven model just updated with a powered loco chassis? I'm trying to weigh up whether I'd be better off a) Repowering my 'Super Detail' 2001 Hornby A4, or b) Just buying a new one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micklner Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 I believe totally different body fixings on the new type. Railroad version only uses the tender chassis(no motor) and tender body . Loco is the new type with less detail. Sell the tender drive complete they still go for reasonable money if in good condition and start again IMHO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 The current railroad a4 is the newest tooling sans a lot of the finer detail paired with the old tender from the tender drive models. It's loco drive and DCC ready. I'm not too sure about how the new chassis would fit in an old body. It seems to me like it would take an awful lot of work. Perhaps keep an eye out for an a4 in the livery you want and then plonking a kestrel nameplate on it? That seems to me to be a far less painful option than carving plastic to fit the new chassis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Thanks for that, very useful to know. I knew there had been a new tooling, but no idea of whether it'd be possible to mix and match, as it were. A new A4 it is then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Am now the owner of a Hornby railroad 'Falcon'. I think the plan will be to detail her up to something approaching the 'full fat' £140+ main range offering, by using the 'Green Bible' or Yeadons to find which tender she hauled, buying a spare tender, fitting cab glazing and detailing (ie- painting the inside of the cab), etched nameplates, using the 'super detail' parts of Kestrel (which I never fitted)- such as the cab and tender doors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 'Falcon' arrived last week and I my line of thinking is going thus... I've bought a set of etched nameplates from Modelmaster which will be fitted. She'll keep her identity as 'Falcon'. I think I'll do a fair bit of detailing around the cab- paint the interior, add glazing and paint the brass and timber window edges. I'm going to use the bag of bits that came with 'Kestrel' to improve 'Falcon'- this will give me things like the cab and tender doors. I've got a copy of the relevant RCTS book which sugests the loco requires a streamlined 1928 corridor tender. This is (I think) the tender the loco comes with anyway, but sadly it's the older version of it, which is completely flat at the cab rather than turning in. Not sure how I can remedy that, spare tenders are apparently hard to come by and from what I have heard simply coupling the RailRoad model up to a main-range tender means the loco won't run for some reason. I may simply have to settle for little tweaks here and there, which would be less than I had in mind but would at least improve the overall appearance. I must say the 'new' body shape is a vast improvement over the older model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micklner Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Falcon should have a Single Chimney,someof the Hornby versions have a Double Chimney. A4 Cabs are flat not curved as on the A3. There is no reason why you cannot use a Superdetail tender with Falcon. I have had problems with a couple where they are wired the wrong way round by Hornby. If that occurs simply swop the wires over on the tender coupling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 That's very re-assuring to know, thanks Mick. The search for a proper tender can recommence then, and I can start looking for a single chimney.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.C.L. 11 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 the tender traction tyres have the charming tendancy to keep coming adrift. I'm sure you've considered this already but the tyres coming off would suggest that they're showing their age and have lost some of their elasticity so if you do decide to hold on to your old Falcon you could try a new set of tyres (Hornby P/N X8439 for a bag of 10) or Bullfrog Snot. I appreciate that the tender drive situation will still not be ideal, however people have managed to find ways to remotor the tender (saves hacking the loco about). Cheers, Andrew. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Harrison Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Thanks for the advice! I'm thinking of keeping Kestrel in the box pretty much from now on and just using Falcon, once I've detailed it (a single chimney from Craftsman Kits arrived today to replace the double chimney it is fitted with). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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