thx712517

Ah, didn't know about EFE. Cheers!

Any chance if adapting this into an Austerity later on? I'm in need/desire of a quality Austerity that runs well at creeping speed.

Now that we're a few years down the line from introduction, how are they holding up? Still smooth reliable running? I've thinking of ordering one so I'm curious to know if people still think of them as a smooth running reliable little shunter or if they've been surpassed since the 2015 introduction.

I'm interested in buying a Hornby J94, preferably Lord Phil since I fancy the green paint. Can't find many details about it though! 3-pole or 5-pole motor? How much does it weigh? Does it have a flywheel or no? Good at low speed shunting on DC power, or a rocket? Is it a noisy runner or quiet? The only mentions I can find here are a few threads dealing with it once accidentally being advertised as DCC ready when it wasn't. That leads me to believe for all its new paint, this might be something old and crude underneath.

The screw on the side of the cast tower allows the weight block to slide off, revealing a plastic clip that holds the worm gear down. The worm gear has a friction-fit cap on one end, made of plastic, that has the clip that connects it to the flywheel. So I pulled it all off, cleaned and oiled the worm gear, then slowly rotated the driving wheels so I could pull bits of grease off the plastic gear. All clean, oiled lightly, and put it all back together. No change in noise from the unit. To be fair, the grease remaining on the gear was very soft so I think the earlier oil treatment did what it needed to do. The gears rotated smoothly while everything was apart. So I think I've hit the limit on what can be done with this unit, and accept that it's just going to be, at least to me, a noisy runner.

I don't have much in the way of a work bench, so I set up a loop of track, took off the shell, and removed the keeper plate from the bottom of the mechanism. Then I squirted in a liberal amount of light gear oil and ran it forward and back for some time. Used some canned air and shot it into the gear tower area as well. There was a bit of gel-like clear grease that I was able to remove with a bit of q-tip. Is there a way to get into the gear tower? It seems to be a cast metal block, with two screws on the top that hold the little circuit board that the DC/DCC chip sits in. There's a screw in the side of the gear tower block, but I'm not sure if that's holding a gear in place or not so I didn't try removing it.

I've got a Hornby R3484 Class 08. Locomotive runs well, has an hour and a half of run-in time all told, in half hour increments going forward or reverse throughout the throttle range. Running in was spread out over a few days to avoid overheating anything and causing issues. However, it's still a noisy thing. Gear groan I would say, if that makes sense. Are they known to be noisy, are my ears too sensitive, or should I be looking for an issue? How long does it take for it to be considered run in, compared to the estimated 100 hour lifespan of the motor?

I've got myself a newer Hornby Class 08 that pulls decently well and creeps at low speed. However the thing is quite noisy to me compared to other locomotives I've owned after four hours total of running in, usually in 25-30 minute segments in alternating directions without load on a large loop track. I came across High Level Kits a while back but I'm not quite sure how difficult or easy an installation is and if it would require a scratch chassis or if it can swap out the existing gear drive. It looks like I would want a LoadHauler Compact+ gearbox going by the following blurb on the site. "Meanwhile the LoadHauler Compact+ gives you a lot of gear reduction in the smallest possible space, with the narrower, straight option being an ideal size and shape to fit under the bonnet of an BR Class 08 diesel shunter." Ideally paired with a Mashima 1430 and either an 80:1 or 108:1 gearing. Alternately, is there some trick to running in that will quiet down the loco, are my expectations of silent operation unrealistic, or do they make alternate gearing for the Hornby mechanism to slow it further?

Thanks for the photo. Bought the book and I've been enjoying all the weird and wild locomotives BR experimented with.

I know it's been a while, but would you say it's worth $75? Are you able to share a picture of the contents page?

Places selling it list 80 pages, but I've not been able to find a table of contents. How many pages are spent on the 08?

I saw that in my initial searching, but from what I could see of the inside of the book it's photographs of particular engines. I'm looking for something more meat and potatoes, getting into the design process, why they made the decisions they did, how they performed in traffic, the introduction of the 09 variant, things like that.

I'm looking for a book or books that go into depth on the BR Class 08 diesel shunter. Something like GWR Pannier Tanks by Robin Jones that discusses design, construction, operation, modifications over time, and operation in preservation. I'm in the US so nothing on the shelves her I can flip through to judge before buying.

I've gone ahead and ordered the Class 08 in question as of this afternoon. I can't wait to get it and I'm praying it works as well as others have said. I was thoroughly humiliated at work today in a meeting in front of the entire building by some nasty coworkers and I need a win.

It's looking like my Class 03 may have some sort of construction issue. Lumpy/surging low speed, and after thorough cleaning and lubing little improvement. Also a bit of a burnt electrical smell after running in for a while. I've emailed Olivia's Trains about doing a partial exchange, waiting to hear back from them on it. I've had good luck with Hornby steam engines but I've never run a Hornby diesel before. I've also got a Bachmann GWR 64xx that took a good bit of fiddling to get running smoothly, so I'm a bit Bachmann-shy at the moment.

DC on Kato Unitrack for the moment. Since I'm in the US using HO scale track, I don't have a chance to test locos beforehand and international shipping is a bit expensive. I had a poor experience with a Bachmann BR Class 03 that's normally known as a good runner, so I'm trying to find something absolutely solid.

I edited my post. I apologize for the confusion. The R3484 I'm interested in is a Class 08. I was mistaken in thinking it was a Class 13. I had searched the Hornby number and found a database showing when it was built (2016+, so recent) ND it was labeled as a Class 13 there. I'm over in the United States so my knowledge of British locos is always in need of improving, and shipping overseas has me looking for as much info as possible before buying.

Hello all, I'm looking for a shunting locomotive that excels at low speed creeping for my Inglenook. I'm interested in Hornby's R3484, an 08/13 diesel and I'm assuming that the five-pole motor and small diameter wheels will make it a good creeper on a DC layout. Is that born out in the real world? Are they heavy as-built, or is there a way to add more weight for more confident performance?

My goal is to have an early BR diesel shunter that works amazingly well on DC at creeping speeds. Would an 08 have been a better choice since it doesn't have the jackshaft? Bachmann or Hornby?

https://www.oliviastrains.com/trains/mt/Bachmann-diesel/Bachmann-shunting-locomotives/Bachmann-31-364-class-03-d2383-in-br-green-late-crest-livery-with-wasp-stripes-weathered/ This one from Olivia's, sold as a new locomotive. My understanding is it's the Bachmann with the later type chassis. When I had checked the item number before buying it was the most recently produced type, anytime between 2013-2015. To say I was let down would be an understatement. Previous threads here have talked about what a great runner it is, so I had high hopes. It's for my GWR/Western Region themed Inglenook, so shunting speed is the only thing that matters to me, and that's just where this fellow falls down.

I never did see anything obvious, but after disassembly and reassembly it ran happily at express train speeds. Shunting speed however was lumpy and unhappy. I set up a loop and let it run forward and backward at various speeds and all I have to show for it is a faint burnt electronics smell and a lumpy low speed. I have the absolute worst luck with any UK outline loco I buy, and shipping costs always make it an expensive gamble. I really should just stop.

Thanks all for the advice. I didn't have a chance to look it over today but tomorrow I'll give it a thorough going over, especially the cranks under the cab.

Hello all, picked up a BR Class 03 diesel, the weathered green one, and it's not the best runner. Not stalling, but mechanical noise. I opened it and used isopropyl alcohol to brush the gears clean, thinking the stuff grease was the problem. Helped a bit. I applied some light oil to the gears and to the axles. Still got a gear noise, not quite a coffee grinder but close. Opened it up again and added a drop to the motor shaft. The motor itself is firmly mounted. I did notice the axles seem to just sit in slots cut into the frame, instead of being in a brass bearing like my 64xx. I had given the axles a wipe with the alcohol and used some of the light oil in the slots, but now I'm wondering if I should have used a grease instead. I'm at the point where high speed running has a low volume high pitched keening noise, and low speed running has a low volume....surge? It's quiet but sounds like it's binding somewhere in the revolution. I just don't see it when it's running.

This has been quite edifying! My little layout is a simple Inglenook, in Wales around 1948-1959. I'll stretch the truth to run the little 03 on it, but it's been great to learn more about the real thing.

Taken a sudden interest in the BR Class 03 diesel mechanical shunters. I'd like to learn more about their design and operation in general (book recommendations for early BR diesels?) and their use in the Western Region, specifically lines in Wales. Were they ever shedded at Ebbw or Pontypool? At 28.5 MPH top speed they wouldn't get anywhere fast, but would they have ever taken over a 74xx shunting job or goods train?