Ian Hargrave

Out of curiosity,I have tried the Google link and am met with Page 404 on each occasion.We may speculate a reason but of course we don’t know why this has occurred. Try a phone call.

Cod be praised 🙏. Hope it’s as good as the LSWR van.

I wonder if Hornby will be tempted to produce a special edition…..but without headlamps. Though I should imagine the tooling is either worn or disappeared by now. In which case,step forward Dapol,Accurascale or Rapido.

Sorry no.

Having picked one up at the NEC Heljan stand at an incredibly advantageous price with Ben’s appreciated assistance I am very impressed with this. The performance on DC analogue is astoundingly good .One of those purchases you weren’t planning on making but despite all preconceived ideas on my part,it’s happily trundling around with a newspaper & parcels train c1980.

OK…fine but I have to say Iike my Turbo and the attached lights don’t bother that much because they show express passenger and aren’t mounted on the smokebox door like the carbuncle on the Black 5. But yes,I take your point.

Wholeheartedly agree with that. I’d prefer to regard the Black 5 issues as a blip in anotherwise purple patch since lockdown.

In truth,I couldn’t tell but yes I hope not…..having just had a running demo of the Black 5 lit up like the front end of a Pendolino on which I travelled back to New Street later.

Pigs will fly on your final sentence. And yet…….on these particular little piggies I’ve had no problem whatsoever,despite their weird mechanism.But Dapol are good with small locos….witness the LSWR B4 which is a little gem,so I’ll buy.

The apple green version was on display at the NEC this weekend. Very tempting indeed.

Maybe because the previous incarnation has sated the market ? Most of us,I imagine,have examples of it and find they need no more. And an added disincentive will no doubt be the increase in cost. In any case,some will no doubt be waiting for the imminent BR version. None were available from retailers at the NEC this weekend and yet we have seen several YouTube videos ,one of them being from an enthusiast in Canada .

Having had some insider information about a GWR tank last September,my source got it wrong by a degree. It was a Metro Tank. Hey Ho.

Well…as I’ve already posted….having viewed it for a few minutes working on one of Hornby’s demo roundies……I have the benefit of my own observation. On the positive side,it appears to work.Will I buy ? No. Any further but honest posted assessment on this forum might lead to a mod’s suspension.

Some news of interest from Dapol just announced. A 14XX ….and a 517.

And the mood music from the Hornby stand on my Saturday NEC visit suggests to me that they have done the Pontus Pilate act with this if the matter of the glued in lamps is any guide.It is in any case likely that the BR version is already on the boat.So any action prior to retail would necessitate halting distribution and applying remedial measures as necessary. That stretches credibility.. Although IIRC,such a measure was in fact taken by Bachmann when a batch of Class 40 models arrived from China with a grease applied to the gears which effectively stopped traction. Barwell took on extra help to clean them up.However,if there is as there appears to be an issue with the design/manufacture of the conductive plug in socket,then unless H has a human resource of electronic wizardry then the choice is either to return the whole lot to the factory or distribute the lot to retail after maybe a cursory QC sample exercise. The former is expensively inconvenient and the latter will be the financially easier. The storm if it occurs will be weathered no doubt.

As it’s the only one currently on the market and I saw a sample on Saturday which does capture the essence of the prototype,my order will stand.I’ll take the risk and possible hit with the lamps and clip connector.

I think you mean A4 ? But yes,I agree with that.

They also have similar clip together fitting on their new V2 in OO.

Yes it was a schlepp from the station toHall 12. But …at least for me….an opportunity to reconnect with those I’ve not seen for quite a while…Alex,now of Accurascale and Paul of the same chapter,whose creative talents make it possible to upgrade our game to maybe levels previously unheard of. The Accurascale Stand provided opportunities to observe and discuss and I took advantage of that…Many thanks. Also worthy of appreciation is the Heljan stand,ably chaperoned by Ben Jones who kindly steered me to a purchase of what must surely be the bargain of the show ..which was a Class 25 with a remarkable price tag on the day of £ 127:90. Also worthy for future reference is the development of Ellis Clarke Trains.In OO scale.Both the QuadArts and the WD are demonstrating that they are worth a punt . I enjoyed my day. I hope all who attended or participated in some way will feel as I do.

Which would be a great shame. The Caprotti was on display yesterday and looked very promising I have to say.

There is the distinct possibility of a breakage when removing a lamp for replacement/moving however skilled or delicate you may be. Then there is the problem of light bleed afterwards. Why on earth put the purchasing enthusiast to this bother when he/she has been encouraged to buy a premium model ? Yet this is the risk we must undertake….so I was informed by the Hornby rep……if we so choose. In any case these working lights are prototypically too bright and intrusive. Caveat emptor.

That would be the ideal scenario.However,as I have already posted elsewhere,my conversation with Hornby at the NEC yesterday leads me to believe that they appear to be in the hands of their factory…at least as far as the stuck on lights are concerned.So I’m not holding my breath as far as my pre ordered Caprotti is concerned. I saw it run yesterday and for me personally it fails as the “Ultimate Black 5” on the counts of both those silly fixed lights and the yawning gap between loco and tender

I notice the price paid at retail point,which is a good deal more than the usual new release discount. Is that indicative of an unease concerning this model ? It has been on the market for approximately 2 weeks and yet as far as I could ascertain,none were available for purchase from retailers at the NEC yesterday.The only example was on demo at Hornby’s stand.

The issue of Hornby’s QC is almost as old as time itself. The question is….how widespread is the malfunction of the tender to loco ? If Sam has suffered two such failures and others have been similarly affected,then it’s a red flag .

Ditto.No notification.In porch upon return from NEC today.