Hornby announce Maunsell S15

[Butler Henderson]

Have they adopted Bachmanns ability to mould small delicate plastic parts in a non highly brittle plastic?

[luke_stevens]

Hi Guys,

 

Picked mine up from Jane's of Tooting this afternoon (Tue 13/10/15). Late crest and it arrived just before I did. They had unpacked and priced them but not got them on to the shelves yet.

 

Lovely loco, smooth runner. Tender is a little resistant to move from the all-wheel pick-ups. My one had a lot of lubricating oil on left side of the chassis which wiped away easily. Getting the tender top off to fit the DCC decoder is a struggle. First you need to undo the truck retaining screws to get to the body retaining screws which in my case were very reluctant to move. Came loose in the end but with a bent bunker lamp iron.

 

After about 20 mins of testing and then DCC fitting mine was being very temperamental. The excess of oil had allowed one of the hex valve gear screws to come loose and thus the fly crank (?) had slipped and was no longer in sync with the rotation of the wheels. Gentle coaxing and then tightening the hex screw and all is behaving normally.

 

Oddly the cab side has two small circles printed at the bottom. The photo on the box sleeve shows these as holes, which matches some prototype photos I've seen. Not sue if all S15's had the holes or from when they were fitted. I'll probable drill mine out when I renumber it (or find one that doesn't need them)

 

Nice model, pleased with my purchase.

 

Luke 

[toboldlygo]

Hi Guys,

 

Picked mine up from Jane's of Tooting this afternoon (Tue 13/10/15). Late crest and it arrived just before I did. They had unpacked and priced them but not got them on to the shelves yet.

 

Lovely loco, smooth runner. Tender is a little resistant to move from the all-wheel pick-ups. My one had a lot of lubricating oil on left side of the chassis which wiped away easily. Getting the tender top off to fit the DCC decoder is a struggle. First you need to undo the truck retaining screws to get to the body retaining screws which in my case were very reluctant to move. Came loose in the end but with a bent bunker lamp iron.

 

After about 20 mins of testing and then DCC fitting mine was being very temperamental. The excess of oil had allowed one of the hex valve gear screws to come loose and thus the fly crank (?) had slipped and was no longer in sync with the rotation of the wheels. Gentle coaxing and then tightening the hex screw and all is behaving normally.

 

Oddly the cab side has two small circles printed at the bottom. The photo on the box sleeve shows these as holes, which matches some prototype photos I've seen. Not sue if all S15's had the holes or from when they were fitted. I'll probable drill mine out when I renumber it (or find one that doesn't need them)

 

Nice model, pleased with my purchase.

 

Luke 

 

I think those holes are something to do with AWS when it was fitted to the S15's.

[Downer]

 

Oddly the cab side has two small circles printed at the bottom. The photo on the box sleeve shows these as holes, which matches some prototype photos I've seen. Not sue if all S15's had the holes or from when they were fitted. I'll probable drill mine out when I renumber it (or find one that doesn't need them)

 

Nice model, pleased with my purchase.

 

Luke

 

I must be losing it - I can't see any circles/holes on either the model or the box. Where the blank are they?

[rembrow]

I must be losing it - I can't see any circles/holes on either the model or the box. Where the blank are they?

These are only on the late crest version, which I didn't realise was available yet as the Hornby website says 4th November for it. They are at the base of the cab sides, one lower than the other. They can be seen on the photos of the model on Hornby's website.

[Ian Hargrave]

These are only on the late crest version, which I didn't realise was available yet as the Hornby website says 4th November for it. They are at the base of the cab sides, one lower than the other. They can be seen on the photos of the model on Hornby's website.

Agree. L/C version still showing 4/11/15 estimated delivery though.Odd but again what else is new re: Hornby deliveries.So some are obviously in the shops.

[toboldlygo]

Having just read up in Irwell's The Book of H15 & S15's, those holes are (as I suspected) access holes for the AWS. 

[luke_stevens]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. So if I'm going to keep the AWS box I need to drill two small holes in the side of my new model...

Now where are my drill bits...

Luke

[Clearwater]

Agree. L/C version still showing 4/11/15 estimated delivery though.Odd but again what else is new re: Hornby deliveries.So some are obviously in the shops.

Yes- I saw one yesterday in Ian Allen's at the back of

Waterloo

[robmcg]

30843 BR early crest has been a Rails of Sheffield for a couple of days now and have ordered one, very impressed by the photos in this thread, thankyou all who have contributed..

 

I have the Irwell Book pf the S15 and H15 4-6-0s too and look forward to making pictures of many variations of these marvellous and under-rated engines.

[RFS]

luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:luke_stevens, on 13 Oct 2015 - 23:37, said:

Hi Guys,

 

 

Lovely loco, smooth runner. Tender is a little resistant to move from the all-wheel pick-ups. My one had a lot of lubricating oil on left side of the chassis which wiped away easily. Getting the tender top off to fit the DCC decoder is a struggle. First you need to undo the truck retaining screws to get to the body retaining screws which in my case were very reluctant to move. Came loose in the end but with a bent bunker lamp iron.

 

 

Luke 

 

Got mine today - arrived with the smokebox door loose in the box together with one tender foot step.  Out with the superglue again!

 

But I agree it's a right faff fitting a DCC decoder, and unnecessarily so. Why are the two screws that fix the body to the tender underneath the bogies, so you have to remove the bogies to get at them? A hole in the bogie frame to allow access via a screwdriver (magnetic of course!) would have made the whole job so much easier, especially as while you're doing this the bogies remain attached to the tender frame only by their pickup wires. (Note to self for when late BR version arrives: undo bogie, move to one side to get tender screw out, then immediately replace bogie).

 

Finally got a Lenz Standard+ decoder fitted (no problem with space), checked it out on the programming track, re-assembled the tender and put it on the main track to start running in.  Immediate system short! After staring at it for a while I concluded that I'd put the front bogie back on the wrong way round, so easily corrected!  I'm very relieved after all this work that the bogie wires were all still intact.

 

I think the problem is due to Hornby's insistence on sticking with their basic R8249 8-pin wired decoder: with a tender this size there's no need for a decoder with wires. A 21-pin decoder socket in a compartment underneath the coal fitting would have made things so much easier.

 

Only problem now is the NEM coupling pocket on the tender is way too low for a Kadee - just like my King Arthur which has a similar tender. So it looks like manufacturing another stepped coupling ...

 

Apart from these issues it's a lovely loco and runs very smoothly.  Well pleased with my purchase.

Edited October 15, 2015 by RFS

[phil gollin]

.

 

Has anyone received an S-15 from the Liverpool box-shifter yet ?

[RFS]

phil gollin, on 15 Oct 2015 - 21:36, said:phil gollin, on 15 Oct 2015 - 21:36, said:

.

 

Has anyone received an S-15 from the Liverpool box-shifter yet ?

 

I'm off to Australia for a month next week visiting grandchildren, so was worried my pre-order from Hatton's would arrive after we left.  I rang them yesterday afternoon to enquire and was told they had no idea when their consignment would be delivered.  So I had a look around and found Model Railways Direct had 11 in stock for the same price (well 80p cheaper!).  So I cancelled the Hatton's order, placed an order with MRD at 3.30pm yesterday and the postie delivered it at 10am this morning.  

Edited October 15, 2015 by RFS

[robmcg]

Agree. L/C version still showing 4/11/15 estimated delivery though.Odd but again what else is new re: Hornby deliveries.So some are obviously in the shops.

 

Just to clarify things, late crest versions are not available so far as I can see for web sales, the versions mentioned above at Model Railways Direct are all early crest BR. 

 

Willing to be proven wrong.

[Ian Hargrave]

Just to clarify things, late crest versions are not available so far as I can see for web sales, the versions mentioned above at Model Railways Direct are all early crest BR. 

 

Willing to be proven wrong.

Post 284 Rob.

[robmcg]

Yes Ian but Ian Allen do sales of Hornby models only by Email and phone, not directly by web page, so far as I can tell. Also references to the late crest version are a bit ambiguous, are there holes in the cab-side of Luke's model from Janes of Tooting, or just marks, or moulded 'holes' not drilled? The picture on the box in the ad does indeed shown 'holes'.

 

I have found no late crest models available on-line after a long ( rather pleasant ) search yesterday courtesy Google.

 

I'd love to see photos of late-crest 30830 if they are indeed in shops. Another small difference with 30830 will be no blanking plate on smokebox where snifter valves once were. As well as the obvious different tender shape and details.

[Ian Abel]

Yes Ian but Ian Allen do sales of Hornby models only by Email and phone, not directly by web page, so far as I can tell. Also references to the late crest version are a bit ambiguous, are there holes in the cab-side of Luke's model from Janes of Tooting, or just marks, or moulded 'holes' not drilled? The picture on the box in the ad does indeed shown 'holes'.

 

I have found no late crest models available on-line after a long ( rather pleasant ) search yesterday courtesy Google.

 

I'd love to see photos of late-crest 30830 if they are indeed in shops. Another small difference with 30830 will be no blanking plate on smokebox where snifter valves once were. As well as the obvious different tender shape and details.

Indeed, my pre-order from Hornby still shows as Nov. 4th expected and usually there's a pretty swift notification of the pre-order being dispatched from them directly.

I'd be a little surprised, though it's not necessarily totally out of the question, if one of the dealers had them before Hornby direct. Past experience (mine at least) hasn't shown that to happen as a rule.

[Ian Hargrave]

Well gents,we have to rely on the word of two RMWeb members that they have been seen "out there". We can say no more than that.I will only observe that Hornby's delivery and distribution is occasionally erratic .Oddities such as this can and do occur.

[Mallard60022]

.

 

Has anyone received an S-15 from the Liverpool box-shifter yet ?

No, but early crest 30843 from Rails is here already, in my pile of goodies. It makes my kit built, PDK Kit look a bit 'ordinary'.

Phil

Edited October 16, 2015 by Mallard60022

[aussiebrfan]

Hi Guys,

 

Picked mine up from Jane's of Tooting this afternoon (Tue 13/10/15). Late crest and it arrived just before I did. They had unpacked and priced them but not got them on to the shelves yet.

 

Lovely loco, smooth runner. Tender is a little resistant to move from the all-wheel pick-ups. My one had a lot of lubricating oil on left side of the chassis which wiped away easily. Getting the tender top off to fit the DCC decoder is a struggle. First you need to undo the truck retaining screws to get to the body retaining screws which in my case were very reluctant to move. Came loose in the end but with a bent bunker lamp iron.

 

After about 20 mins of testing and then DCC fitting mine was being very temperamental. The excess of oil had allowed one of the hex valve gear screws to come loose and thus the fly crank (?) had slipped and was no longer in sync with the rotation of the wheels. Gentle coaxing and then tightening the hex screw and all is behaving normally.

 

Oddly the cab side has two small circles printed at the bottom. The photo on the box sleeve shows these as holes, which matches some prototype photos I've seen. Not sue if all S15's had the holes or from when they were fitted. I'll probable drill mine out when I renumber it (or find one that doesn't need them)

 

Nice model, pleased with my purchase.

 

Luke 

 

 

Hi mate,

 

Any chance of some pics of the late crest version please.

 

Thank you,

 

Regards G

[Colin]

No, but early crest 30843 from Rails is here already, in my pile of goodies. It makes my kit built, PDK Kit look a bit 'ordinary'.

Phil

Mine makes my DJH kit build look decidedly "clonky"! If it didn't run so well,it would be on the "hit list" for selling off - not that I'd get much for it now.

I was wondering, do Hornby plan producing the Urie version BTW? Or do I start my other DJH kit......

[brushman47544]

It wouldn't surprise me if Hornby weren't expecting any late crest versions until a later shipment from China, but when it came to packing the container there was some space going free so the factory simply packed some late crest too. Once here, Hornby's warehouse then shipped them out to a selection of retailers. Whether those retailers have websales will I'm sure be irrelevant because I can't see the warehouse knowing or caring. All they probably do is have a rotation system so the same retailers don't always get their orders fulfilled first.

 

The same happens to Bachmann - they are still showing the PMVs and OBAs as arriving in the next 60 days yet a few retailers already have them in stock (e.g. Invicta Model Rail in Sidcup). Presumably they are also an advance shipment.

Edited October 16, 2015 by brushman47544

[Derails Models]

Just to clarify things, late crest versions are not available so far as I can see for web sales, the versions mentioned above at Model Railways Direct are all early crest BR. 

 

Willing to be proven wrong.

 

We enquired at Hornby this morning as to where our L/C and SR allocation was and we've been told they haven't even arrived yet - only the E/C version, which we're currently waiting for a second delivery of.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if Hornby weren't expecting any late crest versions until a later shipment from China, but when it came to packing the container there was some space going free so the factory simply packed some late crest too. Once here, Hornby's warehouse then shipped them out to a selection of retailers. Whether those retailers have websales will I'm sure be irrelevant because I can't see the warehouse knowing or caring. All they probably do is have a rotation system so the same retailers don't always get their orders fulfilled first.

 

Hornby usually mention if one batch has been in, even if you didn't get any in that batch, so thats odd. And yes whether you get any in the first batch is a complete random selection by the computer, however there was some mention of the new computer system allocating them first come first served, still not sure how true this is though.

 

But as they say a picture is a thousand words so if anyone has one?

[dibber25]

The not-the-review-sample review model running-in on my layout. The review will be in MR216 (December).

CHRIS LEIGH

[rembrow]

luke_stevens advised he bought a late crest version from Jane's Models of Tooting, south west London and their website shows both the early and late crest versions as new arrivals and available. You cannot buy on-line from them, only by e-mail and phone, so no way to check current stock levels, but seems like they may be one of the few to get some. It's strange that Hornby didn't make them available on their own website, which they have been prone to do with initial shipments.