GWR-fan

I recently purchased a Hornby "Signature" train pack pre-owned from Hattons that is supplied with a Hornby HM2000 twin track power unit. While awaiting it to arrive I spotted a left hand slave unit (HM2000+) for sale on the site and purchased it. Unbeknown to me the later power units do not have the serial ports to accommodate slave units so the purchased slave unit was basically useless to me. Having nothing to lose, I decided to investigate a standalone power supply for the slave and removed the two security screws in the case and removed the circuit board. There are five connections utilised on the serial port connection. Two direct power through the unit to power another slave and are not connected to the slave control board. One connection is not utilised. Two connections are used to power the rotary controller and associated circuitry. I know just enough about electrics to get me into trouble but noted the four "ganged" diodes (bridge rectifier) so assumed that the board most likely was powered by 16 - 17VAC and not DC power. I soldered two wires to the left hand serial port connections that are utilised by the circuit board and fed them out through a hole drilled in the case adjacent the track connections on the case. The case was then reassembled. Fingers crossed, I connected the wires to a 17V AC power supply and switched on the mains. No smoke was emitted so I hooked up a multimeter and rotated the dial on the case. Magically it seems all worked and I had a controllable DC output up to around 13 volts. I then hooked it up to the track and noted very smooth control of a basic Hornby Jinty type chassis. This may be some help to others who perhaps require a reasonable quality controller. The slave unit cost me GBP16.00. Edit: as an after thought I feel that possibly additional slave units could be connected and the individual slave unit rotary controllers would work independently of each other thus giving multi track operation..

It is always a case of shoot the messenger. When Hornby under supplied pre-orders to its dealer base, it seems that Hattons was the store that received the most flak. At the time Hornby came in for little criticism over its actions. As has been stated, is a pre-order a guarantee of supply? In these times simply getting a new product to its customers is fraught with problems. Since the initial announcement of a delivery date it has been stalled several times. Obviously, all is not well in the model railway business as supply relies on a supplier being able to deliver the goods as planned. If a miscalculation has been made or a supply issue, then in reality, these are merely toys. As yet I have not received the email, but understand that there are bigger problems in the world than me not receiving what I want. I do not need them but consider them a nice to have. Like others I based my order on full rakes of coaches. If some are not supplied then I will make do with what I actually receive. We really do need to lighten up the rhetoric and enjoy the hobby rather than calling for apologies and laying blame.

This was a pack that I also had ordered. Pre-ordered back in January 2021. Still showing as sold out on pre-order on my account.

Could you please advise when you received this email as after an enquiry a week or two ago about an order that had not been sent, I was advised that I only had one open order on the books and that was for six Genesis Southern coaches. Nothing was said about my pre-order on twenty GWR coaches and a few departmental coaches. Perhaps I may receive such a cancellation email as well. The items still show as pre-orders but not as open orders. Last year I purchased a rake of the Hornby version in case of a potential cancellation. Perhaps I have jinxed myself. Personally, I prefer the Genesis version.

I also like the sentimental value of these wagons as they have character and history. I acquired a few plus the dropside wagon as well. Other "sentimental" choices are the Weltrol and the Trestol bogie wagons. With the wheels replaced with more modern metal type and a nice load added, these give me a smile when I see them running. I also like the metal chassis Wren four-wheel stock for a bit of history in my modelling. I am not fazed if it is not the latest high quality fully detailed (expensive) rolling stock of today (I have enough of them).

I had been considering these on special at Kernow but like many others was probably put off by all the "bad reports" of poor running. Several times I thought that for the price it was worth the risk but always shied away and then I saw Jenny Kirk's video and thought what have I to lose, so picked up one of each available. My experience with the Heljan models most likely was a factor in my delayed decision to purchase the Kernow model. Straight out of the box the locomotives ran well, with "1362" an extremely smooth runner. "1361" was perhaps a little less smooth but still had very acceptable running quality. Out of the box I did not detect the motor noise mentioned in the Jenny Kirk video review. I now need to run them in. Why did I hesitate so long to pick up these gems?

I had never heard of this store until a few bargains showed up in a sale. I have recently dealt with the site on several occasions and the service and shipping were impeccable. The goods were shipped immediately and arrived downunder within days of purchase. If I have an issue it is the stream of emails following purchase offering discount codes on top of the existing sale items plus emails requesting me to review the items purchased ()something that I never do). A few extra emails in my inbox is not a big deal but what it does do is entice me to check their latest sale items. If I add an item to my cart to estimate a shipping cost and do not delete the item from the cart then an email is received requesting me to complete my purchase. Overall I am very impressed with both the service and the quality of items received.

lt will find a market. I have a lot of the latest and greatest locomotives and super detail rolling stock, but of late I have found the old Hornby Holden #101 quirky but interesting. One arrived the other day in an old trainset, "107" and after testing it, it started to grow on me. I then purchased another two old trainsets with the Holden loco in the unprototypical "LSWR" livery, intending them to be inexpensive running chassis as spares. Then another cheap early BR crest showed up and finally the latest GWR "101" Railroad model. Yes, very little detail and a toy but like those who purchase the ex-Thomas SECR model, it does have appeal to those who still recall the basic trainsets they had so many years ago.

That is answered in the first paragraph.

I am a little curious and apprehensive. I recently had an issue where two items in my trunk were unable to be located and this delayed the shipment of this order. My order was still showing as "open" and so I questioned as to when the order would be shipped. I had a response that the order had been shipped and that I only had one open order on the books and that was for a few Genesis coaches in Southern livery (due November 2022). This had me wondering as there were numerous pre-orders in for around twenty Genesis coaches in GWR livery. A check of my pre-orders shows that all the GWR livery Genesis coaches are sold out on pre-order. Now if I only have one "open" pre-order on the books does that indicate that all my pre-orders for the GWR Genesis coaches have been cancelled?

I had always wanted a Q1 with the mechanical lubricator drive but every model seen would have the actuating rod broken off however, my favourite store had such a loco in the pre-owned section at a very nice price. Described as a poor runner and cosmetically damaged, what was obvious was the lubricator rod adrift and an image showing a "scratch" on the side of the tender. Well, the scratch simply wiped away with a moistened tissue and the lubricator pivot was replaced with a dressmaker's panel pin and the lubricator block reattached. Subsequent testing showed there was more to the poor running than the lubricator rod adrift. The loco ran fine in reverse but in the forward direction there was the sound of grinding gear teeth. My first thought was a dreaded split axle driven gear, so I removed the body (a single screw inside the funnel) to determine if other internal damage. What became obvious was that the motor was not aligned longitudinally. During assembly at some point one of the tender pickup wires had been pinched between the motor casing and the chassis block causing the motor worm to be disengaged in the forward direction. Perhaps there was enough shaft deflection so that when reverse was selected the worm moved a minute amount and engaged the idler gear. I am surprised the very fine pickup wire was not severed. End result was a very inexpensive locomotive that runs extremely well.

Odd how the pendulum can swing the other way. The store described as cosmetically damaged with corrosion on the water pipes and glue on the front of one tender, this afternoon the courier delivered a year 2000? limited edition Bachmann Branchline Cambrian Coast Express with a Manor class, a 43XX and six Mk1 coaches, including the Autobuffet car. Both locomotives ran superbly. If I had to quibble about anything the brake rod pack for the Manor was missing, however, the 43XX and coach coupling packs were intact, along with Cambrian coast nameplates for the locomotives. The "cosmetic damage" was a very good glue repair on the Manor tender handbrake handle and the corrosion on the coach water pipes changed the pipe colour to a grey rather than black. This could be easily repaired/repainted. All up cost including airmail postage was around GBP180.00 (the package weighed around 4 kgs). I was initially reluctant to press the buy now, but when I considered the individual pieces, a Manor sells for around GBP50.00 - 60.00, a 43XX around GBP50.00 and Mk1 Bachmann coaches at least GBP25.00 each. The "Autobuffet" was only available with this trainpack so what price could you place on this car alone. Even if one loco was a dud, I still felt that I would be in front. The coaches were all perfect but for the greying of the water pipes.

Reminds me of a now departed elderly friend, Bill, who upon seeing an advertisement for two mint brass NSWGR locomotives made an offer on them which was way below the price that the seller wanted. At first the seller was hesitant to accept the offer until his wife pipped in and said, "Dear accept the man's offer, that is a lot more than you told me that you paid for those models".

In the not so distant past there was an American company, Aristocraft who historically made all manner of toys, however, recently they concentrated on 1/29 scale model railroads. Prior commencing a production run of a predetermined total, every single part had to be ready so that the run could proceed smoothly. If a run was 1000 items then every part needed to make those items had to be available and onhand. It was not simply a matter of extending a production run to make a few more if demand was there as additional parts were not available. That however, does not excuse the total lack of Hornby management for many years to estimate the potential demand for a new item and cater production to suit that demand. It was either feast or famine. With Aristocraft the items were made and then placed in a container awaiting payment prior shipping. Does Hornby need to make upfront payments prior the production run, thus possibly limiting the size of the run if finance is unavailable for additional items?

Simple case of supply and demand. Restrict supply so price increases to recommended retail pricing level through their online store. Seems more an issue of if you discount you get your allocation slashed. Discounting financially disadvantages the online direct sales of the company, so rather than join the team the company take the ball and run home.

The store has responded and offered a partial refund should I not return the item. The apparent aim of the new process is to avoid possible damage to newer mint item and their packaging, as removing the items to photograph could cause some damage and it seems the process is aimed at the collector market, (quote) "The majority of items we have had under this new process have had no issues and are as described by the previous owners. We have started this to prevent any damage from newer items and boxes as we know that collectors want the boxes in mint condition." (end quote). Personally, how the store is able to gauge the actual condition of an item without removing it from its packaging and test running it does astound me. The system relies on the integrity of the person trading in the item and the ability of the store to magically make the decision that the item is fit for sale. It seems the better the quality of the packaging the less scrutiny that an item will receive prior listing for sale. It is ironic that a GBP25.00 locomotive will receive more listing images and actually be test run prior sale and yet a GBP120.00 model in a mint package will not even be removed from its box.

Refer this listing, a Bachmann A4 "Golden Eagle", never run, cosmetically pristine. https://www.hattons.co.uk/938583/bachmann_branchline_31_956_po18_class_a4_4_6_2_4482_golden_eagle_in_lner_green_pre_owned_like_new_box/stockdetail This no doubt is one of those "unrun" gems that the store does not remove from its box to photograph or to test run. Effectively, the potential buyer is firstly relying on the integrity of the person who traded in the item and secondly as the store did not remove from its packaging, then as is the case with many unrun split chassis models from Bachmann, how many axle muffs have deteriorated? The buyer is now the guinea pig. I may have been unlucky in the past but the A4's that I have purchased all required remedial action to correct misaligned quartering due plastic muff deterioration. This is one model that I will leave on the shelf, although I do have a soft spot for the LNER green "Golden Eagle" having had models from both Hornby and Bachmann. Of cause a potential buyer may request that the item be removed, inspected and possibly tested, but would they do this as it complicates their new streamlined listing regime? If you went to your local hobby store and saw a model that a previous owner had traded in then you would want to know that the store owner had tested the model prior offering it to you for sale. Of late, the store has listed numerous trainsets and trainpacks, in many cases stating that the contents are still "factory sealed". Simply seeing a bit of thin tissue paper wrapped around a model does not guarantee that the item was not removed by the previous owner even just to inspect it upon receiving it. When I receive a trainset or trainpack I always remove the contents, inspect the items and then rewrap the items in the supplied tissue paper. Could I still make the claim that the contents are still "factory sealed"? I am awaiting a response from the store regarding my latest "catastrophe", although all I really expect is a simple apology. To safeguard any future dramas then perhaps I will limit my purchases to just those items that the listing shows at least two images of the model and not just a photo of a pristine pretty packaging obscuring the loco or rolling stock inside. Hopefully, the store abandons this folly and returns to the method they have used for many years previously. The new method aligns the store with the chances that one takes when buying on eBay. Edit: many items now in reference to the running condition of a loco state, quote: "Running : Fine When Last Run" Did the store test the running condition or is the store relying on the word of the person who traded the model in? "How does it run?", "Oh, it ran fine last time I was running it". As if the person would tell the store that the model did not run properly, thus decreasing the financial return on the model.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/174045112333 The seller also lists 12 wheels in a pack. The solid wheels on his site are for "h.o." applications as the axle length is not 26.5mm.

Well, if you get a short circuit then a new axle replacement might be a good place to start.

To date I have purchased around 150 of these spoked wheelsets from a Chinese eBay store that I have dealt with many times and consider him to be utmostly trustworthy and honest. In all I have never had an issue with the quality of the wheelsets until today. I fitted some Ratio archbar bogies to an old Hornby "Brick" wagon that originally had cast metal open axled bogies and replaced the supplied plastic wheels with the Chinese spoked wheels. All was well until I went to run the wagon. Prior placing on the track a loco had run superbly until I placed the wagon on the track resulting in a short circuit. As the loco ran fine previously the short had to have been the wagon, so one by one, I removed each wheelset until the short went away. The defective wheel set was replaced and all was well. Obviously, the insulated wheel on that axle was not insulated.

I do not subscribe to email alerts so was unaware of this recent statement. As I stated in my second post it seems that if the box looks to be in very good to excellent condition then the store assumes that the contents are in a similar condition. How many times on eBay has a private seller sold an item as new condition/unused only to receive the same item in poor condition? I find it hard to believe that a store would take a condition report purely on the word of the person trading in the item. With my damaged Janus loco the box looked like new (but missing the inner clear sleeve), however, the contents had been butchered through mishandling or neglect and a poor attempt at rectification.

There does seem more store interest in the condition of the packaging rather than that of the model inside. In the past the store has rarely failed to achieve my full satisfaction, however, of late I am becoming quite jaded. I am awaiting a Bachmann O4 Robinson which the listing only had one image of a boxed loco so my fingers are crossed.. I believe that someone looks at the packaging and if in very good to excellent condition then they see no reason to remove an item from the box and assume the loco or rolling stock condition matches the box condition. Perhaps I should just purchase unboxed items, although a recent purchase of an unboxed Hornby bogie wagon failed to reveal in the two images provided that a relatively large chunk had been previously broken out of the end of the wagon. No broken pieces were in the shipping package supplied so not intransit damage. I quite often copy the image and magnify it to get a better view of the item's condition but failed on this occasion to spot the damage.

I admit that I purchase many more pre-owned items, both locomotives and rolling stock than a typical Hattons customer so perhaps I see more defective items than most. Of late Hattons in many instances will show a single image of an item for sale whether a locomotive or a piece of rolling stock and typically the item is still packaged. One then must rely on the store revealing any defects in the model. Of late though I have been receiving items based on a single image with the item still packaged and no description of damage to the item. In the past one received at least two images and if an item had a defect then this was usually disclosed in a third image. Alas damaged/defective pre-owned item are becoming more regular, leaving me to wonder if the store actually removes an item from its package prior to listing. Common defects are rolling stock bodies or undeframes that have prior damage as the pieces missing are not present in the packaging so not intransit damage. to find a piece of rolling stock with a chunk missing from the body or the sides of the item bowed or distorted is unfortunately becoming more common. Simply providing one image of an item still packaged gives no clue as to the state of the model. Today as well as a coach and GWR Siphon van having damage, I received a Golden Valley Hobbies Janus diesel in the blue NCB livery. I was eagerly awaiting this locomotive and was extremely disappointed that the model was missing a buffer plus endsill detail, but more importantly every handrail was broken or adrift with previous unsuccessful attempts to glue the rails back on. None of this was revealed prior purchase and the listing showed just one image of a boxed item. If two images had been shown of the loco unboxed then I would not have touched with a barge pole. The end result is that the body is useless to me and I am left with a spare well run chassis. The loco was not inexpensive so in reality I should return it, however, the return process would take around six to eight weeks. Pre-owned purchases are now becoming a risky proposition as unlike a couple of years ago when prices were far lower and the quality of the items usually blemish free, many pre-owned items are matching relatively recent new prices. The store is economising on its previously superb listing practices and possibly the personnel who usually listed the items in the past have changed. I suggest that one not rely on either a single image of a packaged item or the listing description as a true indicator of the quality of the item that one will receive. The purchaser relies on a true description of a potential purchase and failure to reveal defects or damage or just provide one sometimes blurred or fuzzy image or light of the flash reflecting off the clear packaging of an item in a box does not do the customer any favours. I will continue to buy pre-owned items from the store but will definitely be more aware that what is seen and described may not truly reflect the state of the item received. Edit: as well as the damage to the Janus locomotive, half the body mount screws are missing, careless glue marks on the body and the loco runs reverse polarity. All this seemed to escape the attention of the person who listed the item. did the loco even leave its packaging prior listing. This is the verbatim description on the listing: Quote: "YEC Janus 0-6-0DE shunter 6 "Roger H Bennett" in National Coal Board NCB blue - Pre-owned - Very good box"

The last few years have seen all my dollars spent on Hattons pre-owned items with very occasional new item purchases from Rails. Some years ago I purchased some Hornby concession only weathered Gresley BR teaks to complement other BR teaks that I had and only then available on the Hornby website. The high postage cost and non-negotiable full pricing killed off any further direct dealings with the company. Covid did see some discount pricing on new Hornby items downunder which I did purchase. For me the rot set in some years ago when in an attempt to ban grey sales to Australia (and protect or perhaps appease its local dealer/distribution network) the company forbid any UK dealer from selling new Hornby items downunder. In the main this directive was ignored by the dealers but the bullying left a sour taste in my mouth. Personally, if the company falters due its poor mismanagement of its production/distribution network then I say karma settles all scores. Rails and Hattons do not seem to be financially disadvantaged due not being able to sell newly announced or released Hornby items, so the bullying has backfired on them. Hornby is slowly seeing the fate of most dictatorial regimes. They selfishly thought that they owned the model railway market and like a spoiled little brat they are throwing a tantrum for not getting their own way. Even the public "apology" (for want of a better term) to Studio Canal shows that they saw no wrong in abusing another company's copyright protection and seemingly grudgingly complied to the minimum with their statement. They "accepted" their wrong doing but seemingly did not apologise. Dictatorial regimes do not generally have happy endings.

Just a shout out for the brilliant service offered by Hattons trunk service. It works perfectly for international buyers. Of late I have been using the service quite a bit. With Royal Mail pricing in many cases exceeding the cost of using DHL or DPD courier/freight company prices, I have been adding to my trunk each time to get the maximum amount/weight within a specific weight range. In many cases if the weight of goods purchased has just entered the next weight range then several items may be added for no extra weight cost. Maybe not so important for local UK purchasers but for international customers the trunk has saved me a lot in postage costs. When I feel that I have achieved the maximum number of items in my trunk (within weight considerations), I then process my order and empty the trunk making it ready for a new round of purchases.