scouse889

It certainly looks darker than the shade employed on all of the previous Mallard releases though. The original dark shade used by Hornby on 91019 in R2002 always seemed pretty good to me, then it became a lot lighter for 91023 in R2002A and all of the subsequent releases, including 91129, 91110 and 91122 in the Mallard packs (R2427/R2427A/R2602), which never really looked right to my eyes. It will be interesting to see how the blue used on these latest releases compares to the previously used shades.

These really are looking good, and a vast improvement over the original versions with having all the different variations properly catered for, including the TSOE and post-Mallard refurbished vehicles. Did you happen to notice if the model of 91111 For The Fallen had a VTEC logo or LNER logo on the rear cab? It always struck me as a bit odd that Hornby originally announced 91111 with VTEC branding and the standard loco 91118 with LNER branding, then announced one rake of coaches with LNER liveried DVT - so effectively giving VTEC 91111 nothing to run with. I always thought it would seem more sensible to put an LNER logo on the back of 91111 and then the LNER coach and DVT set would be suitable for use with either 91111 or 91118.... they could even then just release another LNER DVT with a different number (like they have done with the ATW DVTs) and would probably sell people two full sets of the LNER coaches/DVTs plus the two locos - I'd certainly be considering two full sets!

Looks like they are a rigid bar with NEM dovetails at either end, moulded to look like couplings joined in the middle - a bit like some of the less fancy arrangements used by Dapol on a number of their wagons (MJA, Turbot, IDA, etc) or the Bachmann close coupling which resembles pipes between the coaches. I am sure Hunt Couplings will soon release a bespoke magnet-based coupling system for them!

Your eyes are clearly better than mine! I have zoomed in on my iPad this morning though, and it does indeed look to be F rather than K, which is good to see. I also contacted Hornby about this and was told it would be produced as F, so it is good that Hornby listen and correct mistakes. I now just have to keep my fingers crossed that the blue matches the older releases so I can finally dispense with the skinhead R4371A!! One thing which still niggles me (and I have contacted Hornby about) is that the standard class TS and TSD coaches clearly contain the 2+1 first class seating moulding, as you cannot see any seat backs in the windows. I don’t know why Hornby keep doing this, they have a 2+2 moulding (last used on the first run of the LNER coaches IIRC) and although this is based on the original BR seating layout it is at least closer to the current layout in having the correct number of seats either side and the seat backs being visible in the windows. At least the Hornby coaches are easy to take apart so it is easy to swap the seating mouldings.

D’oh! Last post of the previous page. Not magnetic, I must be getting confused! Or perhaps I just wanted them to be magnetic?

I'm sure I read somewhere (further up this thread?! ) that they were. I seem to remember they were featured in an earlier TES but I cannot find it now.... I'll have another look later.

It was a nice livery and suited them well. Hopefully Hornby will get round to doing all these variations in the end. I'd like an un-named Intercity 91 in as-built condition to run with the forthcoming blue/grey sleeper coaches and HST DVT as a test train, as I think that would be something very different (especially if they do a representation of Test Car 10 as well - but I digress). I think only the first ten or so locos ran with the DVTs and the sleepers in these test train formations.... perhaps someone can correct me here if this is not right?

I believe the original plan was to do a set of the pre-Mallard coaches (without the red doors), but then Hornby released a statement several months back that they had changed to the post-Mallard refurb vehicles (and added/dropped some model numbers to/from the set). I guess this made more sense given the GNER 91 released to go with them is 91117 - so post 91/1 refurb, which was some point between about 2000-2003 (not sure when this particular loco went through its refurb though). I believe the Mallard refurb of the coaches started at the end of 2003.

Yes, looking very good indeed. I'm liking the close coupling on these too, looks a vast improvement over the Mk3SDs.

Let's hope those images are all indeed the latest pictures of these models in development! I am no expert on HST buffet cars (I know enough to know that this subject is a bit of a minefield) but the image is different to the render in the catalogue, and is clearly based on the four-window, former Lima tooling (rather than the three-window Hornby tooling). Looking at the real thing 40204 does indeed have four windows; if they are going to produce it with the Lima tooling the roof and windows will be a one-piece moulding (unlike the pure Hornby one), so it should be impossible for them to use the wrong roof tooling (he says....). It will be interesting to compare the blues - I hope they are close to the previous release because I'd finally like to get a buffet with roof vents to replace the previously cocked-up R4371A with the coach rake that accompanies 036/070. Remains to be seen how the coaches will be lettered as well - despite what Hornby told me, the buffet is still showing as K to accompany an A-B-C-D-E G-H set....

Some pictures of the FGW dynamic lines power cars and TGS on this month's TES: https://uk.Hornby.com/community/blog-and-news/engine-shed/mark-three-mark-four-maunsell?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Maunsell+Morsels+and+More!&utm_campaign=Hornby+-+Engine+Shed+-+Week+31+2021%2F2022 The blue looks to be largely the same as previous releases.

Brilliant news indeed. Well done Hornby, looks like a nice model.

I noticed that - but all the items from this year’s catalogue that are delayed to next year are all still marked as “due Winter 21/22”, despite some of them are now being in the expected June, July and August 2022 sections. They keep saying we’re in for a bad winter this year, I hope that’s not because it’s going to last until August!

Yes, absolutely agree, I only meant that the models appear to have been released as Hornby are indicating them in stock on their website, and wondered if anyone who ordered direct from Hornby had received their model and so can comment on the colour…. I am also holding off deciding until I see the colour on the model itself. Hopefully nearer the GBRF Pride 66 rather than the GBRF 50s….

Seems we are not far off the answer for the GBRF 60, now showing in stock at Hornby. https://uk.Hornby.com/products/gbrf-class-60-co-co-60095-era-11-r30025 Anyone received one directly from Hornby yet so can comment on the shade of blue?

The following pairs of power cars and coaches were released at the same time, so colour match and enable full trains to be assembled: Blue/grey (Eastern) R3269 power cars, R4595 TGS, R4634/R4634A/R4634B/R4634C TS, R4594 TRSB, R4633/R4633A TF Blue/grey (Western - 40th Anniversary Set) R3403 power cars, R4732/R4732A TS, R4729 TRSB, R4730/R4730A TF - need to duplicate the TS and TRSB coaches for a full rake. Executive R3271 power cars, R4593 TGS, R4632/R4632A/R4632B/R4632C TS, R4592 TRSB, R4631/R4631A TF These are all the scale length coaches and the super detail power cars. There has only been this one release of the executive SD power cars and scale length coaches, but there are other versions of both the SD power cars and scale length coaches available in blue/grey livery. Swallow is also a rather complicated story unfortunately!

Couldn't disagree more on this point - if the blues were mixed by Stevie Wonder they would all be lovely, so very lovely, made from love.

The Mark 3 buffet coach actually looks quite bad - and I'd actually make the argument that my Lima buffet car from 30 years earlier is better (or at least equal) quality in terms of printing, and that's saying something! I attach some photos for others to decide.....

The couplings on the Mk3 SD coaches do have an issue. If you run them with the tension locks supplied then it is generally fine unless you have S-bends on your layout, but you have a very large and unsightly (in my opinion) gap between the coaches (plus problems can arise with the cams being unable to self-center when the train comes out of the curve). The reported problems also come when you try to replace the couplings with anything other than a rigid bar-type coupling, as the rotating cams get stuck in the centre and won't pivot to the side properly, which can result in the corridor connections coming into contact with each other on curves and causing a derailment. The early Hunt Couplings were prone to this as the magnet faces came away from each other (even on third radius curves) and the corridor connections contacted. Hunt have now rectified this with their Elite couplings which have supports on the sides to maintain the contact between the magnets, and I have no issues running these (2nd and 3rd radius). Any coupling which makes a rigid bar also works ok - the R8220 couplings Hornby supply as spares with the coaches are ok but still leave a gap, using the equivalent Roco close couplings closes the gap. I'd also recommend putting some grease on the cams to make them slide more easily. I've not had any problems running GWR [2+4] castle, SR7 [2+4] or XC [2+7] sets with the Roco or newer Hunt Elite Mk3SD couplings. I agree with you though and I am not a fan of these body-mounted pivoting self-centering couplings - they are designed to be used with a rigid bar as the spring mechanism is never strong enough to make them centre afterwards - but are always supplied with tension locks. It is the same thing that causes problems with the Hornby SD locos like the Class 60, people are always reporting coupling and derailment issues.

On the plus side, the buffet car does have the correct roof!!

It does look quite bad, doesn't it? I read the posts about the other Hornby blue/grey stock with interest, and finally got the opportunity to have a look at some of my blue/grey stock this week - Mark 1, Mark 2e/2f, and Mark 3. I'm sure @andyman7 is correct about what causes the line - the grey being applied first to a larger area than necessary, and then the blue being oversprayed. Interestingly, there is no such line on any of the Mark 2 stock, the Mark 3's released with the 40th Anniversary HST set, or the original releases of the blue/grey Mark 1s. However, as with the new Mark 1 BCK, there is also a very small line visible on the Mark 1 RBR that I have in blue/grey, so it seems that Hornby may have recently changed the way they are printing the blue and grey livery. In the case of the RBR, I've never noticed it before - it really is not obvious unless you look very closely for it, in contrast to these new LNER Mark 3s where a line is much more evident. The differences I can see are the thickness of the overspray area and the shade of blue. Both of these things look to be conspiring against the LNER Mark 3s: the overspray band is thicker on them than the Mark 1 stock and they are painted in a much lighter shade of blue than the rest of the stock, which doesn't seem to cover up the light grey anywhere near as well as the very dark blue of all the other coaches. All of this doesn't bode well for the "matching" £329.99 MRP power car packs...

I see the LNER farewell tour buffet car is now in stock on the Hornby website and a few retailers. Anyone seen one in the flesh yet and able to confirm whether it has the correct roof moulding?

It would be nice if Hornby did any version of the HST (Executive or Swallow) without making some form of significant error. First pack of swallow power cars had no suitable coaches apart from a TGS with CDL, and then you had to make do with non CDL coaches in the loco hauled 10xx/11xx/12xx series. Then executive with the aforementioned issues. Next Swallow was XC power cars with post 1998 warning flashes (so prototypical for about 12 months while they worked for VT) and the coaches were an incomplete part of one of the ECML Pullman sets, with Coach D ‘skinhead’ buffet car. Last year was buffer fitted XC Swallow but with an 8 car ECML set, a seven car XC set with standard class buffet would have seemed more appropriate? My cunning plan was to use the new rake of coaches with the original release power cars but the executive light grey has now changed shade. A plain, run of the mill [2+8] Swallow set that represents the bulk of these trains as running in the early/mid 1990s would be great… The skinhead buffet cars really spoil the look of the coach for me as it’s most often seen, in model form at least, from above. I’m really hoping that this year’s FGW buffet car uses the correct mould and is lettered F, as I would like to replace my R4371A buffet in the FGW rake I have….. wonder if they will use the same shade of blue…?

Can I add “with the correct tooling used for the buffet car roof” to that list, please?

Yes, would be nice to see an EMR HST in some form as part of next years range (my personal preference would be 43102/43274 but appreciate a lot might disagree as they were only in service for a short time). Whatever happens, if we do get an ex-VTEC/LNER EMR power car pack of any description, I hope we also get a specific run of the ex-VTEC/LNER EMR coaches to go with the power cars, as the EMR ones have some fairly obvious external differences from the ECML service days - the "EMR INTERCITY" logo added to the bodysides, and a different style of coach lettering. I've been completely perplexed why Hornby have felt the need to do three runs of the ex-VTEC/LNER coaches - the initial rake of 9 to go with the LNER power cars R3802 made complete sense but I'm not sure I understand what the two follow up rakes of seven coaches (randomly omitting a TF and TS from the prototypical make up) are really supposed to be for...? But I wouldn't say no to another (couple) of pairs of LNER power cars to go with them!