vitalspark

I trust it was a bargain..well done.

Well done that was certainly a bargain! It doesn't take too much work to raise the existing locos to very close to the standard of the new ones as the pics by ScRSG show. An expert in Duchess pacifics..he has models of them all!..so if yo are renumbering our even keeping as original but just want to check accuracy ask him what small individual details might be added to accurately portray that member of the class. He also employs a mod to the rear truck to disguise the daylight and of course he weathers the finished article which is your preference but as you can see they are superb models..and at the price you paid £75 each you could almost have three for the price of a Stanier. Now thats a bargain! Dave.

Theres not a lot wrong with the previous Hornby offerings as the above four pics prove. Side by side with my new Stanier there is minimum detailing required to bring these excellent models up to a high standard. The above locos will run side by side with the latests ones on our layout and I bet few who view it will know the difference. To the experienced eye the giveaway is the proper dished Stanier pattern drivers of course and the one thing for me that justifies the purchase however I would bet many will not even recognise these. The almost obsessive way that these latest locos are sought and the high premiums being paid on top of the rrp might suggest that there was not until now a quality Duchess pacific on the market but as the pics prove this was never the case. If I can arrange it I will photograph the new Sir William with the existing Hornby conversion by ScRSG. Its quite likely there might be a few of the originals on e bay soon as modellers start offloading their old stock so a few bargains to be had. Ironically for all my praise of the originals I am one off the guys likely to be offloading a 'Chester' new and in the box to be replaced by hopefully Salford when its available but things like the wheels do matter to me so I am prepared to dig deep. Dave. Dave.

I should count myself lucky then as I naively opened mine direct from Hornby rightly expecting to find everything pristine and in working order..it was! I suppose it makes up for the two Black 5s that destroyed their valve gear and continue to try my patience. Dave.

Which would suggest the original was more or less spot on. On the quality issues with the mail order locos did anyone have problems with locos supplied direct from Hornby? It sounded like all the ones mentioned had come via retailers or is this just coincidence? Dave.

Happy to oblige. Already posted pics earlier and on the 'Hornby' thread but another couple. It's still without the Gibsons on the front bogie plus the dreadful plastic cylinder drains hanging off in these pics have now been replaced by brass replacements. Dave.

We don't fit hooks to the locos only loops but tbh unless stock is rem,kved and replaced wrong way round we dont encounter the expected issue of loop- too loop or the reverse. We also have a couple of double ended wagons and a few brakevans with hooks on either end as they are the one thing that reverses. As there is also a few rakes of tension lock types amongst the hundred's of wagons we have match vans with a S&W on one end and a TL on the other. For exhibitions we keep fixed rakes like mineral tanks and van trains together and only shunt the mixed stock so the S&W is fitted to the latter for realistic shunting. Intention would be to have all stock 3 link for block minerals and S&W everything else..but with he amount we have I need break from it for a bit. Dave.

Dont ya just love rumours. D

Just a thought but maybe they have found the missing components to put the excellent Clan back into the catalogue. That would certainly make sense from a commercial point of view as they are superb models..perhaps the best ever by Hornby..and would be popular. And yes I know only half of them were Scottish but Kingmoor was really a Sc Region shed and off course was 68A until the LM claimed it! Dave.

You would have trouble justifying any Scottish loco on the GE! D

Black plasticard strips placed behind the front drivers will limit the side play just enough to hopefully avoid a disaster..because if it locks up you are facing a complete set of valve gear and probably slide bars too. You can bend them back of course if the damage is not too bad but the cause of the problem will still be there. There should be no interference with the rods and you should be able to upend the loco and move the drivers laterally to their limit and still be clear of the rods..if not try the plasticard strips. There is quite a bit of sideplay on these leading drivers to allow it to negotiate trainset curves in fiddles and so on but its a fine line between satisfactory clearance and none at all. Pay attention to any clicks! Dave.

..thats true!

Few words regarding the S & W. Spratt & Winkles are excellent and can be much improved Imo if you use a hook at only one end of a vehicle. We use them in 4mm but use 3mm frets as they are much less obvious plus only one hook and bar meaning that there is always only one chain hanging between wagons..a small point but its amazing how much you notice it. Just noticed that the bar on one wagon has received a knock and is slightly up..should be nose to nose but it doesn't really matter as they propel on the hook and very effectively. Long rakes of wagons can be propelled over reverse curves and points without drama and far better than tension locks. Coupling security is not compromised and if using magnets for uncoupling its much more reliable as you don't get the one hook dropped and one stuck syndrome. As a bonus one fret does twice the amount of wagons so very reasonable too. Also always use the hunting brackets and do not tack a wire across the buffers..why do people do this on an otherwise good quality layout which along with oversize 4mm hooks look like something fitted to early Tri-ang stock. Make up a simple jig and spends a fiver on a Bill Bedford bending jig and you will be knocking identical couplings up by the dozen and very cheaply. You will need to learn some basic soldering but with the jig its dead easy and I reckon my wife could do it! I have demo'd these couplings at the SECC for a few years now but was planning on doing something different to give the public a break but will still have the basics there so if you are attending Modelrail Scotland in Feb call by and you can ask any questions you might have. Anyway good luck with your projects. Dave.

Agree completely and a light weathering with some powders that can be washed off if not happy will work wonders. I give a pre wash with 'Humbrol Black Wash' boiler top down to the running plate and along same and all black smokebox and deflectors. Wipe most off with a cotton bud immediately and even then you will see a huge difference. It now has a good key for some powders and don't forget a little sand spillage around the fillers and generously brush black/brown mix in and around the ashpan and rear truck. Obvious things like coal and lamps on the brackets...I can recommend Lanarkshire Model Supplies square headlamps which are dead scale and well manufactured and can be drilled and placed over brackets. As the last post suggested treat it to a set of Gibsons and the picture is pretty well complete. You will still have what would be described as an immaculate clean red Duchess but how they actually looked in the 60s and it will look like a model ready to do justice to your layout and not just something to put in a display case. Dave.

Several J36s on the trainset so I suppose it was inevitable that after all the effort in kit building someone will produce a rtr! Maude on the table at Alloa..built by one of our members who also has an equally superb Caley Jumbo. I echo a previous poster in requesting a Caley 4-4-0 but whatever the forthcoming Scottish offering might be please choose a prototype that ran through until near the end of steam. This would make much more marketing sense as it would suit modellers of all eras rather than limit it to a restricted period. Caley Coaches are apparently to produce a 'Bogie' but of a class that was extinct by 1950!..why? Is it not obvious that it would appeal to many more if they chose one of the very similar and beautiful 4-4-0s that graced the rails not just from the 'first' blue era but right up until the 60s. Dave.

I would keep my eye on that..its a common fault on many Hornby locos. Check all rivets in the gear are tight ..the slidebars are completely parallel and true and the front drivers don't have excessive side play. Also if you are running this long wheelbase pacific on tight curves.. which you really shouldn't be..I would be very wary as it may negotiate them but pushing the front axle to its limit of side play will mean very little clearance around the rods. There are accepted mods to prevent this if fit looks like a problem..see post 1268. Dave.

Yep your spot on with this bending jig. Couldn't make up Spratt & Winkle couplings without one and ideal for handrails. Best fiver I ever spent. D.

Nice pair of locos and your '56' compares very favourably with Hornbys latest. D.

Oh dear sorry to hear that as once it manifests itself it seems to be a continuing issue. My two Black 5s both the latest models have destroyed their gear in dramatic fashion. Both have had replacement valve gear including slide bars and the tolerances were still far too close for comfort despite the fact that I have fitted black plasticard spacer strips behind the front drivers to limit the side movement as they only run on large radius curves. The definitive mod and one that I still have to do is to form a simple motion bracket from plasticard..if you have a Comet etch you can copy it but its an easy and self explanatory shape that sits behind the slide bars and keeps them parallel and at a constant distance from the moving parts. Strangely the Scots & Patriots have been ok and it looks an identical set up. A friend did experience this with earlier Duchesses though. Have to say it was the first thing I checked when unpacking Sir Wiliam but thankfully all was ok but I will keep my eye on it and the first sound of a 'click' and it will get modded. It was a poor show when so many guys had damaged locos through the post but it got me wondering did anyone who pre ordered and received one direct from Hornby experience this or were they all from retailers?

Old or new they all have one thing in common...without a degree of weathering they all look like toys.

I bet it was a Hornby Black 5! I have given up with the valve gear on these and stuffed them in a drawer until I get round to a decent set of etched.

A wee jig is what you need Dave..I'll make you one! D

2 down 36 to go ...not counting duplicates! Superb collection. D.

I'll mail him and ask him to send a few on. Hopefully a group shot...maybe he can pack them all unrealistically on to his personal and very good home layout. Watch this space. Dave.

I wont mention his name but one of our group has 39 of the things...yes I know ..but he has a duplicate of one because it ran in his period with a different tender! More impressive is that none of these are 'toys' as in early models only suitable to run round a train set for nostalgic reasons but all are properly detailed weathered coaled close coupled and accurate as in each one carries the correct livery tender and any other detail differences. All have Gibsons on the front bogies and the rear truck arrangement modified as required on earlier models to disguise the innacuracies. Each of the entire class has been researched and is individually accurate for the period depicted which I believe is 59-62. He brought over his converted Ivatt Stanier plus his DJH Salford for comparison with the new Hornby offering. Side by side with the new Hornby Stanier there was little to pick between his Hornby conversion and the new model which is a measure of his work and the quality of the former however the DJH kit I thought was inferior in many ways especially around the rear truck which of course Hornby has addressed by employing a 'fixed' example..and as we don't run pacifics on unrealistic curves like some of the ridiculous train set images recently posted it works very well and looks superb. It has been suggested we have a whip round to get him some professional help but so far we have only raised £3/17/6d! Dave.