RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Mine arrived yesterday - pretty good for a trip from Peter's Spares in the NE - and while obviously untouched by the dealer, the dome was a bit tipped and as per others of the Drummond classes from Hornby, the whistle had broken off. And the top lamp-iron was bent back. None of those is a problem, and all are now sorted. I found the tender to have "learnt" nothing from the T9 version in terms of the design, so as has been said by others, some of the weight was jettisoned and I still needed to hardwire the Digitrax DH126. Selecting address 3 it moved sweetly in both directions, and accepted 693 as a new address "on the main", as US decoders are inclined to do. Running back and forth through points and slips induced no hesitancy and the lack of tender weight didn't make reversing a risky activity. I have yet to hang anything on the back - need to find my stash of Kadees. All in all very pleased. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 That's it. I've had enough of Hornby's errors on box sleeves. I implore you to boycott Hornby products from now on...................... Cheers, Mick Have you taken your tablets to-day? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Mine arrived yesterday - pretty good for a trip from Peter's Spares in the NE - and while obviously untouched by the dealer, the dome was a bit tipped and as per others of the Drummond classes from Hornby, the whistle had broken off. And the top lamp-iron was bent back. None of those is a problem, and all are now sorted. I found the tender to have "learnt" nothing from the T9 version in terms of the design, so as has been said by others, some of the weight was jettisoned and I still needed to hardwire the Digitrax DH126. Selecting address 3 it moved sweetly in both directions, and accepted 693 as a new address "on the main", as US decoders are inclined to do. Running back and forth through points and slips induced no hesitancy and the lack of tender weight didn't make reversing a risky activity. I have yet to hang anything on the back - need to find my stash of Kadees. All in all very pleased. No. 19 on rear and no. 18 on front If I recall (or was it the other way round?). After adding real coal that should help compensate for some of the weight loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matabiau Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I have just heard from Hornby that the Dunkirque train pack has arrived with them and they shall be dispatching orders shortly. Is this a re-run of the 2-BIL affair where Hornby bagged the first batch and then hung on two months before distributing the second batch through its retailers? (Or am I just very cynical?!) I only hope Hornby finally manage to send me a train in working order, the last few have all had to go back for one reason or another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 A thought....#2 for the day. I haven't seen mine yet, so don't know how fanciful this is. Decoder in sleeve, slot in top plastic for wires, decoder buried in stack of real coal....? No? Ah, well. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Hattons have updated the images on their website, to images of the actual models: Hornby R3239 Class 700 0-6-0 30315 in BR late crest Hornby R3240 Class 700 0-6-0 30693 in BR early crest Hornby R3238 Class 700 0-6-0 E695 in SR 1920's/1930's livery Regards, Matt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoach Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Does anyone have a pic of the tender top off for DCC installation. My normal decoder for Hornby is a TCS DP2X-UK which drops right in and I have one or two on hand. Unfortunately TCS WOW Sound does not support UK steam at all well in their sound selections. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Let's be honest, it's hardly the first time in history a misaligned knob has caused trouble. The world has survived this far... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 One not very happy bunny here. Worked OK on DC, 9v battery. Stick in a decoder and the bloody thing shorts. Tried a different decoder and that shorts. Out with the meter and it transpires that the black wires are connected somewhere, most likely mis-wired up. Can't be arsed to sort it out myself, it will go back for replacement. While this is frustrating, this is the first time I have had a loco that was faulty. I've probably had 200 loco's over the years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matabiau Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I have come across this quite often from both Hornby ands Bachmann. I get the impression they do not test their locos for DCC operation, only DC at the factory. I have questioned both about this in the past and they seem to take it very casually offering a repair, or replacement without any recognition of the inconvenience to the customer of having to repack and return it. The repair or replacement cost to them is doubtless anticipated in the initial price tag, but this doesn't relieve the frustration and disappointment for the customer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 With regard to the R 3302 train pack,can anyone reliability inform me whether or not Hornby have ever produced their Maunsell coaches in unlined Southern Railway green as these coaches appear to be prior to this.I can't make up my mind whether it is a unique opportunity or an expensive way of purchasing a loco and three coaches.On the face of it it is an attractive package marred by a somewhat grotesquely inflated price tag.Thoughts and opinions welcome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivegreen Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 With regard to the R 3302 train pack,can anyone reliability inform me whether or not Hornby have ever produced their Maunsell coaches in unlined Southern Railway green as these coaches appear to be prior to this.I can't make up my mind whether it is a unique opportunity or an expensive way of purchasing a loco and three coaches.On the face of it it is an attractive package marred by a somewhat grotesquely inflated price tag.Thoughts and opinions welcome. Grossly overpriced gimmick, in my view. But then, I might be wrong, of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 One not very happy bunny here. Worked OK on DC, 9v battery. Stick in a decoder and the bloody thing shorts. Tried a different decoder and that shorts. Out with the meter and it transpires that the black wires are connected somewhere, most likely mis-wired up. Can't be arsed to sort it out myself, it will go back for replacement. While this is frustrating, this is the first time I have had a loco that was faulty. I've probably had 200 loco's over the years. I have had a number of locos where there is a solder bridge on the underside of the socket so now I unscrew and check the soldered area before plugging in a decoder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold toboldlygo Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 With regard to the R 3302 train pack,can anyone reliability inform me whether or not Hornby have ever produced their Maunsell coaches in unlined Southern Railway green as these coaches appear to be prior to this.I can't make up my mind whether it is a unique opportunity or an expensive way of purchasing a loco and three coaches.On the face of it it is an attractive package marred by a somewhat grotesquely inflated price tag.Thoughts and opinions welcome. Hornby haven't produced Maunsell coaches in unlined green (that particular shade anyhow). They're also the low window variety which are certainly less common. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I have had a number of locos where there is a solder bridge on the underside of the socket so now I unscrew and check the soldered area before plugging in a decoder. First thing I looked for. A second look gives the impression that the black wires are crossed between the loco/tender connector and the socket. Ian at ESM will look to see if he has another of the same tomorrow, if not, I will rewire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 For those of a caley slant - what caley class is this loco similar to - im guessing an 812 but my main and usual region is ex north british - would anybody be able to clear up which class this would be if i shortened the smokebox etc Here is a shot of the two types side by side. The boiler on the 700 looks a bit smaller in diameter, although actual variation was only an inch or two. The loco is currently on my bench being examined for suitability..... 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RFS Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 (edited) Having got over the faff of getting my early BR version 30693 fitted out with a decoder, I today decided to do some load testing to see what it's capable of. I have a train of 10 Bachmann Seacow bogie ballast hoppers that's supposed to represent the sort of train that ran from Meldon Quarry under steam in SR days. Its current motive power is a Bachmann 9F which is more than capable of hauling it - the train is quite heavy because the hoppers are not very free running. I tried a Hornby Q1 with this train and it just about managed it - the load is really at the limit for this loco. Then I tried the new 700 and it nearly slipped to a stand trying to start the train out of the storage sidings. Glad I wasn't intending to use the 700 on this train. So a loco with a power classification of 3F can't manage it, the Q1 at 5F just about can and the 9F has no problem at all. What is needed is something a bit more powerful than a 5F, such as a 6F. Ah yes, I've got an S15 on pre-order and that's a 6F - should be just the job hopefully and more representative than the 9F. (I have a soft spot for my 9F 92192: as a 13-year-old at Easter in 1958 I went on an organized trip round Swindon Works and 92192 was actually under construction in the erecting shop. Little did I realize then it would be scrapped only 7 years later). The 700 will be fine on a model of the sort of train it usually handled, ie mixed freight. So I'm very happy with it. Edited June 24, 2015 by RFS 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Just thinking, Richard; perhaps the 700 would lend itself to becoming a Barney? The tender design is close to what Pickersgill used on the 300s but those would require a new cab too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpencer Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Having got over the faff of getting my early BR version 30693 fitted out with a decoder, I today decided to do some load testing to see what it's capable of. I have a train of 10 Bachmann Seacow bogie ballast hoppers that's supposed to represent the sort of train that ran from Meldon Quarry under steam in SR days. Its current motive power is a Bachmann 9F which is more than capable of hauling it - the train is quite heavy because the hoppers are not very free running. I tried a Hornby Q1 with this train and it just about managed it - the load is really at the limit for this loco. Then I tried the new 700 and it nearly slipped to a stand trying to start the train out of the storage sidings. Glad I wasn't intending to use the 700 on this train. So a loco with a power classification of 3F can't manage it, the Q1 at 5F just about can and the 9F has no problem at all. What is needed is something a bit more powerful than a 5F, such as a 6F. Ah yes, I've got an S15 on pre-order and that's a 6F - should be just the job hopefully and more representative than the 9F. (I have a soft spot for my 9F 92192: as a 13-year-old at Easter in 1958 I went on an organized trip round Swindon Works and 92192 was actually under construction in the erecting shop. Little did I realize then it would be scrapped only 7 years later). The 700 will be fine on a model of the sort of train it usually handled, ie mixed freight. So I'm very happy with it. You be not alone having a soft spot for 9Fs, when the Crosti comes, I will have 4 of them. Just heard my late crest 700 is on the way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 (edited) Mine arrived yesterday - pretty good for a trip from Peter's Spares in the NE - and while obviously untouched by the dealer, the dome was a bit tipped and as per others of the Drummond classes from Hornby, the whistle had broken off. And the top lamp-iron was bent back. None of those is a problem, and all are now sorted. I found the tender to have "learnt" nothing from the T9 version in terms of the design, so as has been said by others, some of the weight was jettisoned and I still needed to hardwire the Digitrax DH126. Selecting address 3 it moved sweetly in both directions, and accepted 693 as a new address "on the main", as US decoders are inclined to do. Running back and forth through points and slips induced no hesitancy and the lack of tender weight didn't make reversing a risky activity. I have yet to hang anything on the back - need to find my stash of Kadees. All in all very pleased. When I fitted a Howes' ESU LokSound decoder into one of my Hornby Q1s, and like those mentioned above, in the tender, I also had to discard the Hornby weights to make room for the decoder and speaker. To add weight back in, I used a layer of "lead" ball bearings glued in the coal space, followed by some real coal on top of that. While this makes the Q1 tender feel a little top-heavy, it has proved to be quite stable and has presented no running problems to date. The 700 and T9 tenders would probably be even better using this technique as the coal spaces are lower down (in absolute terms), therefore putting the weight a little nearer to where it belongs. Edited June 25, 2015 by SRman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddy Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Mine arrived yesterday, opted for the weathered 30316, only took 4 days from Liverpool to Brisbane, thanks DHL! Magnificent runner considering there is no double flywheel like on the J15. Can't say I notice the handrails much but the weathering was something else! Reminded me of what came out of my son's rear end some 40 years ago! Certainly does not look like any photo I have seen of a "Black Motor". I spent a little time looking then moved in to work, firstly on the coupling rods. Imagine my surprise when the weathering just flaked off with the rub of a toothbrush. Soon had all the loco and tender wheels cleaned and then after some trials decided to use Tamiya X10 Gunmetal, almost dry brushed on over most of the Hornby weathering, then on to the wheels and motion, with great care I should add. To finish, I reverted to the normal weathering powders and am very pleased with the overall result. Approximately 2 hours work including fitting the crew, lamps etc. By the way the driver was demobbed from the Luftwaffe ground personnel. What a great loco though, well done Hornby. Hope the Radial and the LSWR coaches are as good. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) After yesterday's discovery, I set about disconnecting loco and tender. This enabled me to isolate the fault to the tender. After a strip down I found a solder bridge between the black wires on the little PCB for the socket for the plug from the loco. A quick touch with an iron solved it. Now to see if it blew the decoder when I fitted it yesterday. Edit to add :- Decoder OK but not recognised on JMRI. It says it's Gaugemaster, but type unknown(it's a DCC26), so it won't let me programme. So a Lenz standard ordered from DCC Supplies. Edited June 25, 2015 by JZ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted June 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2015 Just carefully pull the pin out of the tender, move the draw bar up and reinsert the pin. I have just done it. Thanks. As with many other Hornby locos, the short setting is a bit too short for my needs so I'll be making up a new bar with the holes about 1mm further apart! John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Just thinking, Richard; perhaps the 700 would lend itself to becoming a Barney?... For those with the bashing inclination, the 700 strikes me as a near ideal starting point for the Jumbo/812/Barney family and quite possibly also the J36, such was the long term influence of Drummond on loco design in Scotland. ...So a loco (700) with a power classification of 3F can't manage it, ...What is needed is something a bit more powerful than a (Q1) 5F, such as a 6F. Ah yes, I've got an S15 on pre-order and that's a 6F - should be just the job hopefully and more representative than the 9F... Good luck with the 4-6-0 outperforming your large 0-6-0, as received. With three extra unpowered wheelsets to move as compared to the 0-6-0, and typically a less favourable distribution of weight on the coupled wheels, it will do well to match the Q1. Some adjustment, and extra ballast installed likely to be necessary. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted June 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Had my 30693 out visiting last evening. Shunting speed/control around the loco shed area: excellent. Once coupled to a short freight (12 wagons) she set off at a smooth, leisurely pace - very nice. My mate's layout has a visually imperceptible hump on a curve (48" radius) at one end which seems to upset even large locos and she began to slip slightly but gentle application of a bit more power saw her regain her feet. A tad more speed on approach avoided any slipping. This loco had had just an hour on the rolling road prior to this outing and, with a few more layout miles to knock the newness off the wheels I anticipate 30693 will be able to handle about 20 wagons without problems, just as my mate's J15 does nowadays. Layout details: Peco Streamline track (mix of code 100 and code 75) electrofrog points, minimum radius 24" no (official) gradients! John Edited June 25, 2015 by Dunsignalling 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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