letterspider

The original thread of this dialogue was about the pantograph and it is not an opinion - the fact is plastic is not up to the job. Hornby have absorbed Joeuf, Electrotren and Rivarossi and if you go to their website and online shop and look at the models released under these marques whch have pantographs - I don't see any made of plastic. A Judith Edge cross arm pantograph kit costs just shy of £10 looks great and it doesn't look impossible to assemble to me. So maybe Hornby thought plastic was a good decision for those who are happy with it and the rest of us can enjoy a bit of easy modelling - fingers crossed prices continue to drop from the RRP. So I have to agree with you about this model - and it is a case of put up or shut up. Nobody is forcing anybody to buy anything.

My apologies to anyone from Hornby who might be reading this - it is just an opinion but jjb1970 thinks it deserves justification - so here goes: 1/ Yes anyone can compete but often the winner is the first to get to market. 2/ We don't know how long this was in development but we can assume Hornby were aware of DJM's intentions. We can also assume that however long this was on the drawing board, they hadn't sussed out the pantograph (and if the European market leaders in modelling catenary for the last 30+ years are to be given any credibility then plastic is not the best engineering for this part) 3/ DJM appeared to be offering a better specification than Hornby and my memory of it was at a slightly lower unit price. Hornby could have known that as well - but the customer did not know. 4/ Hornby probably (I would be surprised if they didn't) must have been aware of the customer's expectations for this model as has been said in previous posts However, in the absence of a competitor they have not taken the pantograph to its proper conclusion. 5/ You balance it all up and you do get the feeling that Hornby have rushed this model and the result on the roof is rather a backward step for all who are thinking about modelling better catenary.

£170! Why am I thinking it was about £145? Well you and Hornby have made my mind up for me. Haven't waited this long for the definitive compromise at £170

Agree with you entirely - cannot please everyone but surely metal working pantographs would please more modellers? Have you posted a blog on how you made up your wires? I would be interested to read it. Thanks

Hi everyone - perhaps I am a sad case but I want a model with a pantograph which works and goes up and down when I press it. Guess what I am willing to pay over £100 for it as well (the entire model - not the pantograph by itself). Now for the rant... I'm not happy about the pantograph being in plastic and mechanically non-functional. Hornby are have been highly cynical about this - pushing out the new kid on the block (DJM) who was offering an 86 and/or 87 which promised to be a higher specification and then falling short of delivering up to expectations of something as good or better. Naughty naughty Hornby. Okay so the cost and complexity of catenary scares off a lot of modellers (certainly I couldn't afford the PECO masts at over £1 each) but there are some very good, cheap laser cut plywood portals already out there and I expect kits of strong 3D printable registration arms will follow shortly afterwards - strong enough to hang wires on. We are talking about a lot of cheap and easy fun with super glue and a can of Halfords primer and if you are lucky your own 3D printer as well. This is where the hobby is going to keep kids engaged and hopefully teach them useful skills as well. On the other hand good looking, mechanically functioning, metal pantographs are not so easy and this is where I certainly would want to spend the money for a specialist manufacture to help out - soldering kits together is actually not easy when most affordable soldering irons are not up to the job at this level of precision. Fingers crossed that Hornby will offer metal pantographs as an option for the cross arm 87 at some point in the future - and that is when I will buy it. As for the BW pantograph - I suppose we will have to hope that DJM will be producing sufficient volumes to be retrofitted to their model - until that is confirmed and I can see it can be done and with the lack of long term potential of these plastic pantographs for now I am cancelling my pre order and will be buying the forthcoming 92 or 90 instead, which does have all the bells and whistles I want and at the same price. Hopefully for Hornby's business model I am the only sad case out there (as far as accurately modelled, mechanically working pantographs are concerned) I ...just.... hope.... I.... can.... exercise..... some.... self-control...must....re...sist...that....87

With Hermes it helps if you have a good delivery driver, they get to 'know' you and when you are unlikely to be at home and will make the effort to leave your parcels with neighbours. On the whole and in my own experience, Hermes is cheaper than Royal Mail, damage / loss of parcels currently at about 1% while Royal Mail about 2 to 3%. they are also less likely to quibble over compensation. In addition you don't have to go into a post office to get proof of postage for uninsured items. There are other options available but I certainly wouldn't recommend using Parcel Monkey as they are 'in betweeners' bulk buying the service and passing on savings to you however when things go wrong (and they eventually do) you find you cannot communicate with the original courier. Take what you want from the above

Shapeways free shipping code SHOPSHIPOCT17 apply at checkout - worked for me

Thanks for the pics - very strangely they make me appreciate the Lima Class 87 a lot more!

I have found Bachmann's service department to be fast and excellent. The only problem is they don't have spares available off the shelf. Case in point I need one pin for a Class 08 crank (are we talking 30 pence?) and I have to buy an entire wheelset for £10 and they only have that wheelset because of an 08 returned to them damaged under warranty and broken up. Luckily it is rare for my Bachmann models to be in need of spares, compared to bits falling off and getting lost or breaking off on some other manufacturer's models. Unfortunately you could find are in trouble if you want to customise / repair your Bachmann models the way things stand. Also means that there is little chance for example of buying Bachmann Class 90 pantographs and using them to upgrade your other stock; and there seems to be quite a few modellers on here saying that is what they are hoping to do. Going forwards we need to keep our fingers crossed that Bachmann will start to stock more comprehensive spares, or that their models become a lot less reliable, more get sent back under warranty and broken up !

Can you send a link to those pictures?

I have lost the top of the bogie assembly, which clips over the worm gear. I think this part is used on several different models but I can't source the spare. If anyone has one to spare, or a complete bogie please? Thanks

This is total nonsense. I go to visit a Liverpool boxshifter's website and spot an item I like. I shop around for better prices, including eBay, because I want my Nectar points. I decide to buy it from Sheffield in person as I live there and the item is taken off their site. My browing history shows all of this. eBay cannot claim they lost business - it is anti-competitive nonsense. If they want to make more money stop charging 10% fees on postage costs etc. Unfortunately eBay have a very slick team for lobbying the legislators and they have been getting away with anti-competitive practices like this for years - including forcing people to use Paypal. I cannot see how this can be legal in Europe and this smacks of eBay seeing Brexit as an opportunity to get a stranglehold the UK market. Solution - we could start a petition on the 38 degrees website but I doubt it would get to 1,000 signatures, let alone 100,000

This is from Google maps looking at the warerhouse opposite Neasden depot https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5568068,-0.263129,3a,37.5y,71.39h,88.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sd43D17j2B5AVobR2XgzRhg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?dcr=0 This was in use well into the late nineties - there would be long trains of Cargowaggons which would unload (car parts?) into the covered warehouse, as well as a siding for storing empty stock. The trains were delivered by (Class 66?) and then a dedicated shunter would deal with the stock movements. The shunter had it's own shed / maintenace depot which is visible from the bridge in this Google streetview here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5549323,-0.2560813,3a,15y,342.62h,87.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1se0-TsYjJ5VSTcJb9_2Q43A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?dcr=0 I think it was a Sentinel shunter in a Blue livery similar to the NCB blue

Lowest price I have seen the DB DVT trailer - £26. That has to be a bargain with a DCC socket and directional lighting - minor work if you are respraying into NR livery? No connection with the shop - just a satisified customer http://www.hattons.co.uk/98177/Hornby_R4655_Mk3_DVT_driving_van_trailer_82146_in_DB_Schenker_silver/StockDetail.aspx

So I took a Class 56 out for a spin. It had always been a noisy beast but I thought I would run it in on a new rolling road. To cut a long story short - after greasing the tops of the bogie towers and running it in for several hours, I found that removing the PCB and accessing the motor, there are 4 screws which secure the clamp holding the motor to the chassis. Definitely the noise was I think the flywheel bouncing on the chassis. Loosening the 4 nuts and the motor and bogies run very smoothly and quietly - an amazing difference. Good luck with yours - don't give up Next problem are those directional headlights!

really - 'kin is not a word beginning with k. Perhaps you drank too much and got p**s**

Gong, gong, gong; why was there a gong being banged in there you ask?

That move completely baffled me. However I got some inspiration from watching Uma THURMAN films and eurekaa! I think I can play a Moebius transform, double entendre tangential to PALMERS GREEN and I believe that is forcing play Soutbound only for at least the next move

So by Nellie today she thought she'd ride the footplate and of course the driver of 55 023 could not refuse, he liked stockings and she was a Pretty Polly.

Yibber yabber all you must

No idea either way - is this a Balmoral Dilemma ? As you took it back a few decades I suggest we start a new round at Kingsway (old Holborn)

You know it won't last, these moments go and never come back

Has anyone got a cigarette while I think this over?

Obviously not a straight line but it is possible, due to the right of ascension, on to Mornington Crescent

Reading this post has inspired me. It's also made me realise I haven't watched Countdown since it was hosted by Richard Whiteley!