MikeParkin65

Just tried my 3 car set (Hattons closing sale impulse purchase) both hauled and pushed over 36 inch minimum curves and Peco large radius points without issues.

I’m pretty sure this photo in the same advert shows 15235 in green with early crest

All of my points are digitally controlled. No problems so far 😂

Evening Tony Was Howard using the PowerCab on its own without a booster? It’s only a starter set on its own with I think a max 2 amp output and I think 13.8volt max output. I can imagine even a single circuit of Little Bytham needs a tad more than that. Surprised a Dynamis works to be honest.

Really useful - thanks

I'm sure this will have been discussed in the 21 previous pages but having the opportunity to stare at my BR Green 60847 from my desk today I find myself wondering if the orange and black lining over the firebox is prototypical. A not exhaustive flick through various phot books this lunchtime has yet to unearth a clear picture of any green ex LNER loco lined like this - does anyone know if it was a practice at a particular works for example?

This thread prompted me to get an A1 and the most recent V2 out of storage for a run. Both very sweet runners but the Cartazzi under the latest V2 is definitely the way forward. The V2 is also factory sound fitted - its a really good sound project, very responsive to control inputs and with a proper 'attack' to the exhaust as you open it up.

Got my advance ticket on Eventbrite - couldn’t have been easier. Very much looking forward to the show.

You've got to say S*ms Trains three times and then he appears 🤣

Agree with @34theletterbetweenB&D - the slow selling of the V2 is largely because of its flawed 'innovations' (the huge cam loco to tender coupling along with not making the most of the resultant DCC potential by not putting a big speaker in the tender and a smaller one in the smokebox), some detailing discrepancies (the badly fitting smokebox door and the row of rivets too far back, the heavy valve gear and rods, the chunky join twixt boiler and cab) along with a high price and not producing the most common and desired variant (BR Green late crest, single chimney, not named). A state of the art A1 and A2 range done properly would surely sell (and address the flaws in the V2 at the same time please).

Wait until prices drop, get one and see how it compares and if not happy sell it on RMweb. Lovely work on your 'Tubby Duffs' by the way - there will be a market for them too if you decide to part with them.

@andyman7 Has pretty much done it for me. Nothing wrong with ‘mass market’ as Bachmann, Hornby, Heljan and Dapol are or wanting to specialise as SLW do. I think availability is my basic definition, a mass market model can be had through numerous outlets allowing for the odd spontaneous purchase. SLW are more ‘by application’.

Interesting price drop for those going to Ally Pally

Deliberately omitted SLW as I don’t consider them to be mass market. My 25 is coming from SLW based on the fact that from images published so far I believe it is the most realistic 4mm plastic model I have ever seen!

Interesting that this is lower than the class 20. Remarkable what having a competing model in the market from a rival does for prices.

Both superb models - get the Bachmann one fixed, its worth it :)

Appreciate I may be coming across as if I have shares in Heljan (!) but another positive to report. Have fitted as No 18 Kadee to the Number 2 end with all the detail parts still in place (which incidentally took me well over an hour to fit to one end of my Bachmann version and dont even get me started on the Accurascale Deltic!) and it traverses my layout without issue. So thats down to a minimum radius 36 inch (for curved Peco turnout).

Railway modelling is a very broad church with lots of competing priorities. There is a very popular thread on this forum where rtr models, whilst often lauded as being far more accurate than anything the majority could build from a kit or even scratch are held as being of less worth than something handbuilt. The majority of kit built loco's are lumpen and crude compared to the crisp moldings of modern day rtr but the priority for their builders and operators are different. They often use the term 'layout loco' and I think this is a useful concept describing something that looks the part doing what its designed to do. Some want to focus solely on the model and compare it with multiple images of the prototype - nothing wrong with that its a broad church. Happily purchase of any model is voluntary so if you dont like it you can simply move on, nothing lost. I enjoy models, I enjoy new versions of existing models and I'm happy for all sorts to co exist on my layout. The priority for me is running quality and long term reliability and the established manufacturers still in my experience retain the upper hand in this respect.

This topic has arisen before. Appreciate that photos can’t be viewed as definitive but I do think the Bachmann shade veers to far towards a lemon shade. This contemporary painting is interesting

Accepting that I am £330 committed to the deal I would add the following after 24 hours ownership:- Its an exceptionally smooth runner. A squeak on curves that appeared in one direction after 30 mins (an hour in both directions being my standard minimum for acceptance) has completely disappeared. Set up of the sound project is perfect - it runs from a crawl at speed step 1. This hasnt been the case with V5 fitted Deltics or 37's from elsewhere. The bogie, chassis and bufferbeam detail is very finely rendered. The bogies have a pleasing crispness to the moulding which I think just pips the Bachmann version. As is Heljans way, the detail is delicate - the broken lower cab grab rail is a disappointment. Its very fine, I'm not sure if its wire or plastic but it will be a trickier fix than anticipated as It looks to have snapped rather than come out of its hole. Still it will be fixed rather than returned and it is on what will be the trailing cab in any case once I've got a coupling fitted. The standard of finish is top notch. Agree the cabside number is a little too large. Digital photo's are cruel and I didnt notice the sticking out cab handrails. Obviously only visible from head on. With my 58 year old eyes and +1.50 reading glasses I'm not sure I'm going to bother about them! Agree there is a question mark over the face of the model and I made negative observations about samples I saw at Warley earlier in this thread. No doubt that it differs from the Bachmann model in its interpretation of cab shape. Truth is running on the layout (and as you will have seen from my photo's there is a lot to do on the 'layout'!) they both say 'Class 47' to me with equal conviction. An expensive purchase without a doubt but also the only GSYP Brush Type 4 available to buy new at the moment. The Legoman V5 project plus speakers is an easy £120 worth on its own so the base price is £210 for a big diesel which is just in the upper range off the ball park. Heljan mechanisms and electronics on big diesels are bullet proof in my experience (as are Bachmann) so I have paid for and received exactly what I expected which is in my view worth the relatively small premium. Whether there will be a discounting war I dont know - perhaps with the more niche liveries but I dont expect the next set of Bachmann releases will significantly undercut Heljan as sadly inflation is only going one way.

Just arrived from TMC. Looks like a 47 to me. Next to the Bachmann version prior to running in. One grab handle loose and now detached - will be an easy fix. Sound set up as supplied a lot better than Bachmanns.

For info though I admit this would have been far more helpful if I'd taken photo's but I found a small 6 pin wired harness Zimo decoder fits without modification with the Hornby 6 pin socket black tacked on top of the motor, the decoder tacked on top of the gearbox and the wires carefully coiled and secured below the decoder. I think a direct 6 pin decoder would also fit but a speaker for sound and stay alive if desired would I think have to go into the cab.

Green and blue main range versions appearing in stock at various dealers now. Despite some misgivings I've ordered a green sound fitted one from TMC and now eagerly await its arrival (as I always do with new models - is this an addiction? 😎)

Production versions reviewed in the latest Hornby Mag which the postie has just dropped through the letterbox :)

For several years the National Railway Museum had on display the original cabside from 46229 which had been replaced with a shorter substitute to reduce the height for modern day mainline running. In more recent times 46233's dome struck a tunnel roof on 'Harrogate Circle' despite it having all fittings reduced in height to meet current requirements (13 ft 1 inch I believe is the max height for gauging). 46233 is currently under overhaul but has had to have new tyres twice now I believe as they have to be turned down almost to scrapping size again to keep it within gauge.