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oh my... i wish i had even 5% of the talent of either of one you

change of plan - i've totally abandoned the idea of using Class 25 motors. even at the bargain basement price I got for factory 2nd 25s at Ally Pally's Bachmann stand it would be cheaper to use a Hornby donor vehicle and run a single power car. I spotted a new Virgin Hornby HST super detail on eBay for £85 delivered and decided that would be the new underpinnings of my HST as per the guide below. (please be aware that clicking on the link below causes my Avast anti-virus to throw up an alert. proceed at your own risk.) http://users.on.net/~kachevy/Projects/XPT_Conversion/ the only thing i'm unclear about is why he's used the Black Cat Tech light board instead of using the one from the new unit. I suppose I'll have to work that out when my HST pack comes.

thanks for the above. looking at the amount of work that is needed to do the conversion, i'm back to thinking that simple remotoring like above is the right thing to do besides, getting enough Warship wheels and 158 worm gears from Bachmann is proving tricky. they can only supply enough for 2 locos and i ideally want power cars at either end

thanks for that, i linked that company above and asked for reviews. in the end i plumped for some cheap Bachmann 25s from Ally Pally. I'm pot committed now.

thanks for the above. i would have probably gone for the ModelTorque option originally if it still existed! looks like i got into the hobby a few months too late. anyhow, the reason i want to quieten it down is i plan on adding DCC sound at a later date. it's all well and good being noisy, but i want the right noise! it will be a massive project, i've got ahold of an old Model Rail issue with an article on adding directional lights. i think once i'm finished with adding the new motors and lights the Hornby option may well have been cheaper. I don't suppose anyone has a couple of spare cabin inserts they'd be willing to sell me?

lol the one in the photo has been heavily modified mate. i do really like the original too tho! but i understand what the chap who modified it was getting at. it is labelled as a BHA, but the underframe looks more like a KHA. it's too short to be a KHA and too long to be a BHA, so in terms of prototypical modelling it's not the greatest show. i think it's very attractive all the same

thanks for the above. i have put a bid in on eBay for a few more. i might end up with the entire fleet at this rate! i think they're a very attractive wagon tho. they don't seem to be very prototypical. the length doesn't bother me, but the underframes are all wrong. i guess on my railway this will be the "working" version that in real life never made it into production

that's brilliant, thanks for that and the link. the canopies come off, so I could run them either way

ok the wagons have come. they look great! (except for the MASSIVE couplers they have haha!) they say that they're BHAs on the side of them. so that gives me a basis to get some more information.

Well I've managed to pick up three reasonably priced 25s at Ally Pally today so the project with 25 motors continues!

iirc Peco 3rd radius is the same as Hornby 4th radius i.e. 572mm, Peco 2nd = Hornby 3rd = 505mm i think tracksettas are better for HO layouts as they work with a distance of 2" between lines. whilst i think this is meant to be closer to prototype in the UK i think that it is functionally a problem with OO gauge rolling stock which have overhangs on curves that could conflict.

thanks for that. at £12 each or whatever it would be cheaper to buy two of those than it would another Class 25 motor. It would also be less hassle as I have to change the worm gear and the wheels and fabricate a new mounting system. haha I had one of those. i traded it for some Eurostar middle coaches and a Bachmann TEA a couple of weeks ago. Hornby did do one, but it was with the old style power cars. the chap I traded it with had one in the shop. i will give that a go, thanks. I saw a drive unit from a new Hornby car on eBay but it was £39 + P&P or something which was a little rich for my blood.

Just a bit of a bump on this thread. I have acquired a Bachmann 25 motor courtesy of James. I have had a look at what would be required and whilst I feel I am up to the task, I still would like to run 2 power cars and finding another cheaper 25 motor has been troublesome. I managed to come across a company that provides new modern motors for the Class 43. I'm surprised I didn't come across it before. The website is a little shoddy which always makes me wary, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of the company/motors http://www.diesel-trains.co.uk/lima_motor_kits.html Thanks again

Thanks for the above. All 4 I have are the red variety. Thought they'd look good running behind a Railfreight Red Stripe Bachmann 37 I bought recently.

good eyes! thank you

Hi there, Apologies as I don't even know where to begin to search, so I haven't had much success finding an answer. The photo itself is from RMWeb (found through Google Images) but there is limited information attached to the photo. I've managed to win 3 of these off eBay, and had one in the loft from when I was a boy. I was planning on running them with some Bachmann steel carriers. I like the look of them, so whether they're prototypical or not I don't really care, but was just wondering if anyone could give me any information about what they're called, where they ran and in what sorts of rakes and whether there are any major discrepancies in the model. (My understanding is that the one in the photo has been modified.) Many thanks, S.

PM'ed

thanks very much, but I wonder how much help a 22 year old article would be? I assume the technology would have moved on a lot in that time. I've contacted P4 New Street's Jim S W who has used a class 25 motor and chassis with a class 158 worm gear that boosts the top speed to prototypical. This is now my favoured method, but I need to find a cheap 25! Most on eBay go for about £40

I've emailed Express Models. I also emailed a company called motorbogies.com after searching for Black Beetle. They are a stockist. They've recommended either a Black Beetle motor bogie or a BullAnt one. The BullAnt is one specifically for the Hornby HST. I have done some research on the Black Beetle one and there seems to be some negative reviews on it. Apparently it only has a top scale speed on 75mph, and motorbogies.com inform me that it won't stand continuous running as it'll overheat due to being self contained in the bogie. The BullAnt one is expensive however. The email lists a product which I can't find on their webpage but other motors are in the region of £70! I have found another seller that has them listed at more like £40 though. They also sell Tenshodo motors? I've found one which will fit the bill. Are they any good?

i thought it a bit odd that they weren't willing to do it, but hey ho. anyway it has occurred to me since that my layout will probably not be able to hold a full rake so chances are i'll be running shortened ones in which case i might run 2 HST sets and i'll need at least 2 motorised cars and i wouldn't be able to afford 2 of the new Hornby set at the minute. i'd be unhappy running one Lima one and one Hornby super-detail because of the differences between the models. so the questions from my OP still stand if anyone had any suggestions? i've found the Black Cat Technologies lighting kit for the Hornby HST and i was wondering if that would be compatible with the Lima one. i'm sure that there wouldn't be a problem with the electrics but will the LEDs fit under the different body shape of the Lima power car?

I have contacted TMC to ask if they would change the beige on R2702 for me and they've said it isn't worth the risk for them. I wouldn't have the equipment or skill to do it myself so we're back to changing the motors if anyone has any ideas?

thanks James, but i just figured that since i'd be performing surgery on them for the DCC and lights changing the motors for ones without the same drawbacks was a bit of a no-brainer?

That is a brilliant idea. I'm disappointed I didn't think of that myself... Seems a shame to waste the power cars I have tho. One of them I bought in the mid-90s and it's never been run because I never had another power car or any coaches to go with it! I guess I want to see it run for sentimental value. I will however take your suggestion under serious consideration.

haha i would like sound at a later date, so quieter motors would be necessary!

TMC seem to have them in stock, but I've got some of the newer Mk3s and the colour difference is enough to bother me for me to not want to go down that route. (That was the original plan before I got a TGS and discovered that Hornby had changed the colour.) Plus they Mk3s have been assigned to a loco hauled sleeper service now. the Lima HSTs are plenty detailed enough for me anyways! if i had the 2 FO cars I'd have a full rake of the Hornby Mk3s and then i would consider it. but i've been looking for weeks and not found any and the ones that appear on eBay go for silly money.