Hornby - Wrong Coach Bogies For GWR Again?

[JohnMartin90125]

Just looked at a picture on a retailers site of the Hornby Railroad R4526 GWR Mail Coach and it shows BR Mk 1 bogies underneith it.  If I recall correctly, earlier batches of the GWR livered coach (Sanda Kan?) had the spec changed so that the Collett patern bogies were used but I could be wrong about that.

 

When the mail coach came out originally as a LMS model, it did have Mk1 bogies so has the wrong assembly guide been used in the factory?  Not the only time GWR fans have had incorrect coach bogies, such as the ex-Airfix B4 bogies fitted to the Suburban coaches.

 

Rather unfortunate if they have got it wrong (not doing a bash Hornby thing here by the way).

[black and decker boy]

There are so many other things with that model that the bogies are of little consequence. Railroad isn't the home for scale, accurate models after all.

[Ozexpatriate]

Just looked at a picture on a retailers site of the Hornby Railroad R4526 GWR Mail Coach and it shows BR Mk 1 bogies underneith it.  If I recall correctly, earlier batches of the GWR livered coach (Sanda Kan?) had the spec changed so that the Collett patern bogies were used but I could be wrong about that.

I don't remember what bogies it had in earlier "GWR" variants. To the best of my knowledge this model is not based on any GWR drawing anyway and the tooling has been kicking around since Tri-ang days. Please correct me if I am mistaken on this.

 

Either way it's a "RAILROAD" branded model and intended for people who may not be worried about such things.

 

I think we can give them a pass on this one. It's a different situation to the B set where the wrong bogies were inserted. We know it originally had GWR bogies and the BR bogies clearly did not fit the coach properly.

[andyman7]

I don't remember what bogies it had in earlier "GWR" variants. To the best of my knowledge this model is not based on any GWR drawing anyway and the tooling has been kicking around since Tri-ang days. Please correct me if I am mistaken on this.

 

Either way it's a "RAILROAD" branded model and intended for people who may not be worried about such things.

 

I think we can give them a pass on this one. It's a different situation to the B set where the wrong bogies were inserted. We know it originally had GWR bogies and the BR bogies clearly did not fit the coach properly.

It dates from 1978 so well beyond the Triang era but as stated has no resemblance to a GWR vehicle. The 'Stanier' pattern coaches painted up as LNER Silver Jubilee coaches used to be fitted with Gresley bogies in previous batches but the most recent issue used the LMS/BR pattern bogie, so I suspect that the current contract manufacturers for Hornby now have a specific set of tools to use for each model and don't get the chance to be creative - possibly since the 'B' set coaches got delivered with 'B4' bogies attached....!

[JohnMartin90125]

I had thought that they used GWR bogies under a GWR liveried coach and thought it strange to go back to a different type.  I know it's Railroad stuff, just thought that a factory mistake had crept in.  After all, when the GWR mail coach (as it was promoted) it was introduced alongside the Colletts which had the GWR bogie on them.

 

I wonder how much it saved in production costs to have "Night Mail" on the side instead of "Royal Mail" like they used to do on earlier versions?

[Fat Controller]

I had thought that they used GWR bogies under a GWR liveried coach and thought it strange to go back to a different type.  I know it's Railroad stuff, just thought that a factory mistake had crept in.  After all, when the GWR mail coach (as it was promoted) it was introduced alongside the Colletts which had the GWR bogie on them.

 

I wonder how much it saved in production costs to have "Night Mail" on the side instead of "Royal Mail" like they used to do on earlier versions?

Perhaps they now have to pay a licence fee to use the name, given that Royal Mail is now privatised? Similar situations have arisen with some freight operators both in the UK and elsewhere.

[petethemole]

I believe that is so. I remember Postman Pat's van was without branding years ago, even before RM was privatised, but was later permiited to carry it.

[AshleyH]

When the GWR Collett style coaches were first produced around 1977 they had the MK1 type of bogie fitted and were in moulded yellowish plastic, with the GWR chocolate spray painted. From memory, it was around the time of the move to full paint finish around 1980 that the smaller, more correct bogies were first introduced.

 

I am not sure that any previous versions of the GWR Mail coach has had these smaller bogies fitted, certainly not under Railroad branding.

[JohnMartin90125]

When the GWR Collett style coaches were first produced around 1977 they had the MK1 type of bogie fitted and were in moulded yellowish plastic, with the GWR chocolate spray painted. From memory, it was around the time of the move to full paint finish around 1980 that the smaller, more correct bogies were first introduced.

 

I am not sure that any previous versions of the GWR Mail coach has had these smaller bogies fitted, certainly not under Railroad branding.

 

Had another look at the same retailers site, the following day.  All the other Railroad GWR coaches had the Collett bogies under them.

[bigherb]

Had another look at the same retailers site, the following day.  All the other Railroad GWR coaches had the Collett bogies under them.

But it is a LMS coach with GWR livery for the toy market. The Mk1 bogie is closer to what it should have and the bogie centres would probably be wrong for Collet bogies.

 

I hope they have made a few extra bogies for the spares market they are handy for converting old Triang coaches.

[G-BOAF]

Always had to pay a license fee for use of Royal Mail branding. The Modelzone TPOs had an acknowledgement to RM on the box (and that was before Dr Cable under-sold off the Royal Mail). Use of the 'Night Mail' branding aviods this.

[pete_mcfarlane]

Had another look at the same retailers site, the following day.  All the other Railroad GWR coaches had the Collett bogies under them.

But those Collett coaches, despite being very basic, are proper scale models of actual prototypes. The operating mail coach is a toy (and a rather good one, I loved playing with mine as a kid). The real problem seems to be Hornby's confused branding, which lumps together toys and older less detailed but still accurate models. 

[andyman7]

When the GWR Collett style coaches were first produced around 1977 they had the MK1 type of bogie fitted and were in moulded yellowish plastic, with the GWR chocolate spray painted. From memory, it was around the time of the move to full paint finish around 1980 that the smaller, more correct bogies were first introduced.

 

I am not sure that any previous versions of the GWR Mail coach has had these smaller bogies fitted, certainly not under Railroad branding.

Between 1977 and 1979 the cream was self coloured plastic; from 1981 to around 1984 it was painted but still very yellow. From the mid-80s the cream was lightened considerably and new Collet style bogies were fitted.