metadyneman

The shortcomings of the VEP were well documented in the early days of this thread. I have two of them now and they have settled down to life in the garden reasonably well. I haven't paid over £100 for either of them and neither would I. The kernow offer is tempting but I really can't justify yet another 4-car EMU to go with the 5 I already have.... So I went for a 2-BIL in blue for £60 instead. Long live the discounted model locos coaches and MU's! The longer you discount them , the more you are likely to sell them :-)

I'm wondering if it will ever appear at all given the present circumstances

The light showing in the cab is a result of light leaking through from the passenger compartments. I had only just fitted tho lighting to the unit when I took the picture. It is correct to assume that there would be no cab light on when the unit is running. In fact at the other end of this unit there is no light at all due to the large metal shroud over the motor bogie which stops any light "bleed" from the main carriage.

As the Hornby 2-BIL does not come with lights fitted and as I sometimes run my trains round the garden at dusk and in the dark, I decided to fit mine with interior lighting. The lights are fitted by way of self adhesive backed yellow LED strips cut to length. I prefer the yellow ones in older style units, warm white tends to give more of a modern flourescent light. The unit is through wired with a Bachmann 36-553 decoder in the motor coach. I have to say I am very pleased with my handywork and fitting the lights was a real doddle. Here is a picture of the unit just after the lights had been fitted:-

Thought I might just share a picture of my 2-EPB sitting alongside my 2-BIL on the Garden Branch line, platforms could do with a sweep!!

The way i get my units to consist properly and accelerate & decelerate at the same speed curvature is to run them together in a numerical consist but initially about 4 metres apart. I adjust CV5 on each unit separately to get them running at the same top speed and then tweak CVs 3 & 4 to get the acceleration/deceleration in sync. Don't be surprised if the two units run at different CV values to get them running properly in tandem. I have managed to do this with all of my EMUs successfully and derailments are very few and far between. To see a 12-car EMU formation racing round my garden is quite a spectacle and sounds quite realistic too!

Totally agree with Southernman46 on the post above. I just think now how much better it would have been if Hornby had produced a 4-LAV... only on the basis that the 2-BIL motor coach has enough weight in it to pull much more than just it's trailer car. This begs the question (sorry)... why didn't they do the same with the 4-VEP? I will now put my tin hat on , get my coat and as they used to say on the side of fireworks.... retire smartly!

I remember the Queen Marys in service. They were still running around in Brighton & Hove when I moved there from London in 1978 although their days were numbered. I was particularly impressed with the fact I could catch a bus home from work in normal service which was open top!! (something unheard of in my home town of Ealing!) This usually happened around Derby Day when the "convertible" PD3's were de-roofed for the occasion and remained so for some weeks afterwards. Happy days... anyway I have strayed orft topic now.. but they were happy days!

I presume the bus was a "Queen Mary" PD3?

Talking of EMU crashes and 2-BILs in particular. There was a very nasty crash at Roundstone Level Crossing on the West Coastway out of Brighton in 1965 involving 2-BIL unit 2105 and a Southdown Bus. The bus caught fire which gutted both it and the leading 2-BIL driving trailer. There is a photo of it HERE

I have had the opportunity to give my 2-BIL a good "stretch of the wheels" out in the garden today (yes it was cold but not inside my nice warm shed). I am well impressed with the smooth running of this fine unit. I tested it on the main line for 30 minutes each way then it ran shuttle services on the branch until dusk. Having no lights inside it was a bit much to expect my passengers to sit in the dark so the epb took over from dusk! I can see this unit is going to be a most useful addition to my line.

I sympathise greatly with those who have yet to receive one of these units, it is very frustrating and Hornby should and could have done much better with distribution, its a complete disgrace the way they have been distributed and made available to the higest price retailer first. Having said that it is a beautiful unit and really does capture the lines of the real thing. OK it has a few minor things not quite as detailed on it that some are getting all steamed up about but I personally think it looks fine and is perfecly acceptable as is for the money. I am glad they haven't bothered with interior lighting because I can now fit my own which suits me. I will certainly buy another one of these units when the hubbub of supply has died down but for now, my 2-BIL will be rostered on the Brinkfield Branch on my garden railway in "Sunny Sussex"

.... and in those days Portslade and West Hove (to give it it's proper name) had proper platform roofs. Out of pure nostalgia on a very selfish point of view, has anyone on here got a picture of Portslade Station with it's original platform awnings?

It does make me laugh...The 2-NOLs did indeed work the coastway services and very good at it they were too alongside the BILs and in latter days the CORs.... why am I laughing?.. It's simple.. we now have the modern day equivalent of the NOLs on the coastway services.... the class 313... which has NOLavatory!

I know I'm being picky but I hope Hornby correct the downward slope of the air horns. They were always true horizontal and never sloped down with the roof dome. The pictre of the real one by BR(S) shows this quite clearly. PS.. and please, please... no traction tyres this time eh?

About the same as getting manure from a rocking horse!

I've been running my 350 now since 25th December. In my opinion it knocks spots off any UK outline EMU so far produced for running qualities... even the 4-CEP! Sadly the Hornby VEP thread has been locked so comparisons can no longer be made on that thread but I have to say If Hornby ever wish to aspire into quality EMU production, they would do well to take a look at what Bachmann have done and learn from it!

I'm sorry but with the greatest of respect I do not and won't subscribe to the view that the Hornby VEP is acceptable in any shape or form as it is. I have waited & waited for a ready to run VEP for the best part of 40 years and the offering that Hornby has produced is just so wrong on so many counts.. I sincerely hope Hornby don't do any more EMU's and leave Bachmann to do them properly. Yes a 4-CIG would be lovely but from Bachmann not Hornby! I think I speak for the majority on here by saying what I have said about the VEP and it is simply not acceptable for us to be foisted with traction tyres on a model that was so eagerly awaited and wanted. The VEP is quite frankly rubbish!

It seems to me that Hornby wheeled out their VEP to try and snatch a bit of the SR EMU market away from the stunning Bachmann EMUs... with what Hornby has produced, all I can say is they have shot themselves in the foot with the VEP. It was a lovely idea and could have been so much better, but it isn't! In fact it is a disgrace to British Railway modelling!

Not being funny here but in the 21st Century and with excellent models coming from Bachmann without traction tyres.. we shouldn't be having this conversation at all. The VEP is a 3rd rate pile of rubbish that we used to be bombarded with by Lima and it's about time we all made Hornby aware of it and said enough is enough... Ditch the traction tyres and stop fobbing us off with rubbish motors!

Happy New Year to you and everyone else too. I've kept my VEP on the shelf for a while because i was getting really P**$ed off with it. I gave it a spin the other day and it took off as though nothing had ever been wrong with it. OK somehow the interior lights don't work anymore but it did run fairly well. I have acquired a Bachmann Desiro since buying the VEP which kicks the VEP into touch both in terms of quality and running quality so maybe that has calmed me down a bit. I might consider a blue/grey VEP and cannibalise the existing blue one by using the non tyred wheels in the Blue/Grey one and de motor the all blue one as a "Hauled" unit. Before that happens though, the Brighton Belle will be given a full and thorough testing on my garden layout as and when it arrives. Early indications seem to show that it's looking good although I'm now worried that it will come with the same Cr@ppy badly soldered wired coupling system as the VEP and the blue/grey version will have an incorrect black roof instead of the proper BR Bluey/grey roof of the period.

Perhaps Hornby could hand the tools over to Bachmann to see if they can improve on the model................... Ok I'll get my coat

I appreciate the problems that some of us have had with our VEPs and some on this forum have taken unilateral action by contacting Hornby about their individual problems. I'm just wondering if it is now time for us all to actually combine together and send a collective letter/e-mail to Hornby which might have a bit more clout to say that this model needs to be re worked, re drawn and re released as a quality model and not the half baked biscuit we have been presented with!

They will never sound as good as a 4-REP with all of it's 4 motor bogies whining at full pelt across the new forest though!

Unless Hornby recognise the many faults with this model and do something about it, then I'm sorry but I won't be buying another one!