Michanglais

2 hours ago, le_james said:

Would the MK2F coaches be the right thing to put behind the blue Class 50? I had thought there was a bigger gap between the train release and that of suitable stock, but they are saying May 17th. I see the MK2Es are still next year, and that could be what I am thinking of. 

I had wondered the same thing. I may be waaaay off (I really am talking out of my @rse here) but I thought the 2Fs were introduced for WCML use until most services were taken over my Mk3s. Obviously, I stand to be corrected!

2 hours ago, froobyone said:

 

I've replaced all my passenger couplings with Hunt magnetic type and all my goods are using Dapol easy shunt. I just couldn't get along with the standard TT couplers. I've just got to hope that the magnets are strong enough for a 7 car rake plus dummy engine, when I finally can afford them.

Best

Dan

I use magnetic couplers (not Hunts, if anything somewhat smaller) and I have had no issue with trains separating. I think you should be fine.

3 hours ago, WIMorrison said:

Does the dummy car have any load on the motor pins of the dummy car decoder? 

Good question. I'm not quite sure how I'd find out, tho. Would I not need some kind of measuring device?

I was wondering whether anyone else was having the following issue:

I've currently got Next 18 Bluetooth decoders in both powered and dummy car of a TT HST.

The powered unit makes all the right noises and functions perfectly. However, the dummy remains obstinately silent. The lighting functions are all fine. I've tried a few different speakers in both the side of the decoder and in the special extension socket provided next to the speaker. Nada. 

Any ideas for what's going on/fixes, please?

Cheers,

Michael

21 hours ago, Porfuera said:

 

Great news! My BGs also are very free-running.

 

I have to say that I found that the couplings on the Mk3s are also a bit of a pain to couple up as well - they seemed to be much less user-friendly than the Mk1s. I had to get the magnifying headset out for some of them and align them vertically and/or horizontally with a poking stick to get some of them to couple.

 

And there also seemed to be more random uncouplings than I remember with the Mk1s, but rotating one carriage 180 degrees seems to have helped and also this seems to be disappearing with a bit of running in.

 

Apparently the close coupling mechanism is different - I don't know if that is contributing - but I'd agree that magnetic couplings are definitely the way to go. Last August's Train Terminal (called 'BR Fleet') said that Hornby will be supplying these as an option on the Mk2s so those will be interesting to compare with other makes.

That's interesting that Hornby will be supplying magnetic couplers for the Mk2s. I wonder if they'll be buffer-to-buffer coupling or leave a gap like the current couplers?

I'm guessing the coupling mechanism will be the same as the Mk1s, the Mk3s needing to allow for the underframe detailing (I'm guessing). 

Yay!

I just received my rake of 7 blue/grey Mk3s and I'm happy to say they are massively smoother running than the IC Exec ones.

No need for axle filing this time. I must have just got a duff set last time. 

Now to get them fitted with TJModèles magnetic couplers to get rid of those nasty gaps (and horrendous to uncouple pre-fitted couplers). 

Harking back to the days of my childhood with this 'flying banana'...

10 hours ago, GenericRMWebUsername said:

For those interested, a poster over on the Hornby Forum attended Key Model World Live. He took some great photos and video of the Class 50s, Class 66s, Duchesses, and the J50 prototype. Other items on display included the upcoming HAA and 21 Ton mineral wagons. It's worth checking out for anyone interested in the upcoming releases. 

 

https://community.hornbyhobbies.com/topic/35680-tt-at-model-world-birmingham-live/#comment-382162

 

Class 50s are set for a May release. Things are looking good!

Thanks for posting that link. Some mouth watering images there. Really looking forward to those class 50s!

11 hours ago, GenericRMWebUsername said:

I'm glad to hear you found a solution! I hope the move went well to your new place, and now you can enjoy the locomotives uninterrupted! 

 

Thank you - the move went as well as a move can do (stressful but I got through it!). I've got lots of room for a circuit on a hard floor. I have plans for a TT diorama (powered, so that I can have my locos ticking over in a station). Looking forward to getting on with that project. I've got a couple of long walls which will easily accommodate 8 coach trains. In that respect, Simon Kohler was right - TT can be used to produce a 'shelf' layout. 

Cheers,

Michael

I'm having similar issues with about 10 locos whose numbers I had written down but now have naturally forgotten where I wrote them.

I've tried to set CV8 to 8 but it says it cannot find the manufacturer and won't let me program CV8. 

I have no idea who the manufacturer is as these decoders are designed specifically for this type of loco and may or may not be produced by the loco manufacturer. 

In the past, I have been able to read back the programmed decoder number but I'll be darned if I can remember how to do it. I've had a look at the manual but can't find what I'm looking for. 

Any help would be gratefully appreciated!

Cheers,

Michael

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times before but is there any way of resetting the decoders back to factory settings so that I can sort out the mess I'm in with assigned decoders not running in correct models. 

I've tried on the four decoders I've got. I don't really want to write them all off.

Any help would be gratefully received!

Cheers,

Michael

Problem solved!

Don't know how many pages back I said my power car was struggling with five mk3 coaches but would haul seven mk1s.

Anyway I found the mk3s to lack the very free running of the mk1s. So I decided to 'sacrifice' a MK3 , filing just a little off the axle points.

This produced running qualities similar to the mk1s with no apparent issues.

So, I filed the points across my rake and the power car has no problems hauling 8 mk3s.

Don't know if I got a bad batch but I will now order my blue/grey rake knowing I can fix any potential issues.

Few!

19 hours ago, Taigatrommel said:

I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to measure how far back from the corridor face the front of the coupling pocket is on the mk3s.  Seeing pictures they appear to have quite a gap on straight track rather than nearly touching like my continental TT coaches do. According to Hornby technical support they conform to NEM 355, but I'm not convinced. As it stands it's the only thing that really detracts from an otherwise lovely model.

I've noticed this too. Hornby seems to be hedging their bets on this one, going for a 'safe' distance...

16 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

 

Not quite - as I mentioned above he said that the pdf would be available after the magazine. His actual words were "at a later date... towards the end of the month"

Did he not also say there would be 'extra' in Hornby Magazine than in a future pdf? (Bit unfair for us not able to pick up a copy...).

2 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

 

Thanks! Maybe this one,,,?

 

 

Cheers!

2 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

The Q&A link is here (I hope!) in case anyone hasn't found it yet

 

 

That appears to be for OO - I can't find the TT April one, either!

23 minutes ago, Roy L S said:

I think the J50 is a reasonably joined up choice given the existing A3 and A4 locos in the range, and with a BR green class 37 in due course a nucleus of a BR Eastern Region railway is in a small way beginning to form. I think some (but not all) J50s were vacuum braked so one could be pressed into service on a branch passenger train, but it would be cold in the winter with no steam heat. I can see me ordering one and with the BR green 08 incoming, a more joined up small branch terminus type shunting plank begins to look plausible. Again though the J50 is only 6 pin DCC ready, a basic 3 pole motor and presumably no speaker fitted so nothing technically sophisticated about it, which given strides being made in N feels like a bit of a mistake to me.

 

Roy

I have to say, I agree with you on the last point. I model Continental N as well and they seem to be able to fit flywheels, speakers, next 18 decoders, etc. in the models. I don't really see why Hornby couldn't do the same (apart from a lack of experience in a smaller scale for British outline - Arnold N should be able to give them some clues...).

Does anyone know whether the same link will work for the Q&A or will Hornby send that later? 

Didn't realise there would be a Q&A...

On the topic of things coming into stock, I have set up Stock Alerts for all era 7 and era 8 models (nothing on pre-order) but I didn't get any alerts for the HST packs or Mk3s.

I've checked my email address is up to date.

Has anyone else found this issue?

2 minutes ago, moawkwrd said:

 

I believe that's a website error - when you go on the actual product they still show as preorder.

Aha!

Well, that kind of suits me better financially and physically.

Shows you shouldn't jump to conclusions with the Hornby website!

Cheers,

Michael

I see, according to the Hornby website, the Class 50s are now in stock, along with the blue/grey Mk3s (if it hasn't been mentioned elsewhere already).

Hoping they don't sell out too quickly (for purely selfish reasons!) because I'm in the middle of a move and wouldn't know to which address to get the parcel posted!

I wonder if these will be part of tomorrow's announcement - stuff that's come into stock recently? It has to be said, we've gone from 0 to 100km/h last month for 'modern image' modellers.

1 hour ago, GenericRMWebUsername said:

I really hope this works for you! It's very frustrating to get a model that doesn't work (I know from personal experience). Whether or not this fix works, I would recommend emailing Hornby about it. While you might not need anything fixed or replaced, it's good for them to hear about any abnormalities in their design/manufacturing processes so they can be addressed. I'm guessing this was a problem in early batches of the Mk 3s. Some might be afflicted while others are fine. But whatever it is, the sooner they hear about it the better! 

 

Moving can be a pain. I hope your move goes as smoothly possible! 

Thanks for the well wishes for the move - indeed not fun, lol!

I sort of have passed the message on to Hornby. I initially contacted Technical Services thinking there was something wrong with the gearing/motor in the HST powercar but when I realised it was the Mk3s, I contacted them again to say I'd found a likely guilty culprit - the Mk3s. 

It'll be interesting to see what they say when they respond - I'll be interested to see if other people have found the same issue.

Maybe I should drop a line to Customer Services, too. In fact I may as well do that now.

Cheers,

Michael

I decided to have a little experiment.

I filed down the axle points just slightly on one Mk3. 

The conclusion? A much freer roll in comparison to an unmodified Mk3. 

I think that will sort out some major issues. Unfortunately, I haven't got the time to do all coaches and test run due to having to pack up for a house move. 

As all wheelsets have the same issue, I'm probably have to do the whole train of 8 coaches to know for sure but it would seem that the axles are slightly too long or the bogies frames too 'tight'. 

I shall report back when I can.

Cheers,

Michael

1 hour ago, Roy L S said:

 

I am not sure my comments were intended to be "helpful" or unhelpful, they were observations based on what had been reported at that point, and actually @Michanglais and @froobyone who have both reported issues with stiff running Mk3s so far. No, we don't know if it is a single coach out of Michael's 8 purchased, but given the power car would cope with three but not five it does suggest that the problem is with more than one coach, I am sure @Michanglais will say if otherwise. 

 

Let's wait and see what consensus is once more of the coaches land with purchasers.

 

Roy

I can confirm that all of my Mk3s have the same characteristics - all wheels correctly situated, all wheels turning freely. Well, freely... if you try to spin the wheels they stop immediately. My Mk1s keep spinning. 

One other thing I forgot to mention - I used magnetic couplings to have corridor-to-corridor operations. However, while the Mk1s remain close coupled when running, the Mk3s 'stretch' the kinematic mechanism to its limit and that leaves quite distinct gaps between the coaches. Obviously Mk3s will be heavier but notably, I also run Continental N using the same couplers. The coaches are only a couple of centimetres shorter than a Mk3 and are just as heavy in the hand but they don't exhibit this 'stretching' phenomenon.

Interesting...

Curiosity got the better of me and I unpacked a rake of seven Mk1s.

My HST is now happily purring around with the Mk1s and the dummy at the rear. Functioning fine at all speeds.

Notably, the Mk1s are much freer rolling than the Mk3s so I'm thinking the Mk3s are what's causing the issue. Perhaps I need to apply some graphite to the axle points on the Mk3s or, even more drastically, loosen the axle 'boxes' on a few coaches so that there's less drag.

Bit of a pain but worth a try, I guess...

7 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

 

Hi Michael,

 

I'm sorry to say that you might want to return your HST to Hornby for them to take a look at it if fitting it with DCC doesn't cure its problems (and I'm also doubtful that it would cure it but it must be worth a try).

 

After seeing your post I thought I'd give mine a test as I currently have a running-in loop of track on my dining room table (much to the delight of the Domestic Authority). The loop is a full circle of Tillig bedding track of radius 396 (so equal to Hornby's R4) plus only four 166mm straights, laid out with two straights per side (so the circuit is an oval rather than a 'square').

 

I don't have any BG Mk3s (they're not out yet) so I tried my HST set with three unlit Pullmans from the Scotsman set and three Mk1 from the Easterner. My HST set is DCC and it came pre-fitted.

 

The 'train' was long enough to cover almost half of the circuit so a considerable amount of it is always on a curve yet it pulled away at the lowest speed setting (i.e. '1' on the app) and continued crawling at that speed without any problems for a full circuit.

 

Then I noticed that you said you were running 8 coaches rather than the six that I had. The only bogie vehicles I had left to try were three Arnold container wagons so I added those to give a total of 9 vehicles plus the dummy power car. I think the Arnold wagons are a bit heavier than the coaches, plus the 'train' now covered more than half of the circuit, so it was even more demanding. However, the result was the same with the HST starting at '1' and continuing to crawl around at that speed for a full circuit.

 

I have to say that my three steamers (Blink Bonny, William Whitelaw and Trigo) didn't show the even slightest interest in pulling the six coaches plus the dummy HST car at the same low speed as the HST. Even at speed setting '10' Trigo would stop and wheelspin frequently. However the steamers weigh a bit less than the HST so maybe they'd benefit from a bit of extra weight (and maybe a bit of wheel cleaning, too).

 

Finally, I have to say that if the TV series 'Hornby: A Model World' is even faintly true to reality then I think the idea that Hornby would settle for a 4-coach HST as a 'maximum' because "TT:120 is for smaller spaces" doesn't really hold water. There is no evidence for them thinking that and on the TV series they seemed just as enthusiastic to see a loco pulling a realistic rake of carriages or wagons at speed as the rest of us.

 

Glad to hear your HST seems to be behaving!

I've sent an inquiry to Technical Services to see what they think. Oh, I also tried it on DCC - same issues as with DC. 

I'm wondering whether there is an issue with the gears and not all wheels are being driven. I guess I could test that quite easily myself...

Going back to your test, one thing I've noticed is that the Mk3s aren't as free running as the Mk1s or Pullmans. Well, that's my experience, anyway. Maybe it's the coaches that are to blame. I've currently got all of my other TT coaches boxed up ready for a house move but now you've related your experiences I'm tempted to unpack them and give that a go.

Thanks for your detailed reply!

Cheers,

Michael