Roy L S

The J94 in N is an inspired choice and is bound to be popular as a place can be found for it on practically any post-nationalisation layout. I have been hoping for a long time that a manufacturer would pick up this model following the withdrawal of the very long in the tooth old Farish model and the unsurprising "no-show" of the touted DJM one. It is a model with so many potential variations both in detail and livery that it will provide EFE with an almost limitless pool of potential future releases, and the price-point with the usually allowed 15% discount pitches it at a very realistic (for most people in this day and age) £106 ish. I will certainly be ordering a couple as soon as they are listed by my chosen retailer, in my case the BR one with the hopper bunker and an NCB green one will do very nicely. Well done to all involved! Roy

As Ed Says, it is described as having a 6 pin DCC socket and there is no mention of loco-drive or DCC sound so this will be a re-run of the 2010 version with tender-drive, and in fact you can see in the picture there is an inner chassis within the tender which confirms it. I have a couple, and find that as long as pickups are properly adjusted and motion/crankpins kept free from fluff and fibres they operate quite nicely.

Maroon Thompsons - what's not to like about that, I shall definitely be adding a few of those to my layout! The Black Five is bound to be popular, I had wondered if this loco might be one that would be retooled with loco-drive and sound, but to be fair it is still a very nice model as it is in existing tender-driven form. Roy

In terms of back-to backs in N, in the spirit of trying to be helpful, here is a link to N Brass: - N Brass Locos, Kits in N, 3mm, OO and O, Standard and Narrow Gauge Reference 23992 if you search the alphabetical list of headings it comes under "gauge" (sorry, I can't seem to post a direct link). This sets B2Bs at 7.45mm and when I have needed to check and reset back-to backs I have found it very good. Best wishes Roy

I wasn't using the RM Web demographic as any kind of benchmark, and perhaps I could have worded what I said better on reflection. Amongst those in the model railway club I belong to the overwhelming majority of models owned are of British prototype and this is what gets operated on a layout representing British practice. Of course in the "safety" of the Clubroom in particular anything goes, and I confess to having a couple of continental models myself, so perhaps what I would have been more accurate saying is the majority don't routinely run British and overseas models together on the same layout. For sure, if having consistently scaled models from different countries on the same layout is your "thing" then TT120 becomes the best if not only option in the Ready to Run space. Roy

Hi Les I appreciate and respect your enthusiasm for the new scale, but it really is a bit of a stretch to categorise A1 and A3 as "different" models. Hornby have been clever (and due credit to them) by producing an A3 and A4 that utilise what is essentially a common chassis to maximise return on investment. Comparing progress to Graham Farish/Bachmann N isn't really comparing apples with apples, British N is a well established scale with a number of manufacturers, they aren't therefore under the same "pressure". In terms of slow delivery of new products or re-runs of existing it would have to be said that Bachmann have had their fair share of criticism, and I have been amongst those doing so, they have hardly got off scot free. I have absolutely no desire to run British and Continental/American trains on the same layout in any scale, and I suspect this is true of the majority, so nice as it may be for some like yourself, in most cases arguably that isn't a primary or overriding reason for electing to go with Hornby's TT120 models. Regards Roy

If you are selective with the "facts" you can make them fit your chosen agenda/outcome quite easily and and TT120 wheel and track standards are no way "considerably better" than N. Firstly, you ignore the fact that pretty much all modern British Outline N will perfectly happily run on British Finescale Code 40 track without issue. Secondly, you seem to hail the "coherent consitant" TT120 wheel/track standard as something revolutionary, whereas it simply follows existing standards in use elsewhere and in terms of look and dimensions is actually pretty coarse. I have just physically compared my new N Gauge Sonic J50 and my TT120 Hornby 08 (the only thing TT120 I haven't boxed up for storage), N is visibly finer both in terms of tread width and flange-depth. If your N Gauge "bumps and lurches all over the shop" then perhaps you should look at your tracklaying because mine doesn't and I run locos and stock from a variety of manufacturers including Farish, Dapol, RevolutioN, Rapido, EFE and Sonic. The only place where it is inarguable that TT120 has an advantage in terms of track is in the scale/gauge ratio where it correctly scales at 4ft 8.5 inches, whereas British N scales out at a tad over 4ft 4 inches so this is a matter of fact. However, let's put that into perspective, 4 inches in scale terms is just over 0.5mm in N which is miniscule and from any normal viewpoint not noticeable. There is a counter argument that there are those who seem just as intent on "bashing" other scales in order to in some cases almost fanatically "defend" TT120. The reality I have seen from the TT120 models I have bought is that in terms of quality, the TT120 items released to date are competent but no more than that, certainly not ground breaking in any respect other than being a new scale and not all free from fault. The hype and "spin" during the TT120 launch phase hasn't played out in reality and has for many stretched credibility, lead times for the initial product range have slipped significantly. In terms of the mentioned Class 37, maybe if we were shown a CAD or EP people would get excited and be inclined to open up a specific thread. However to date it, along with other Phase 3/4 items at this stage, in terms of visible progress, appear little more than a statement of intent. Roy

No Les, Hornby have over-promised and under-delivered as far as TT120 is concerned it is as simple as that, nobody forced them to, they are as aware of prevailing manufacturing headwinds and market conditions as anyone else. Regards Roy

Having made my initial investment in TT120 I have since reached the conclusion that the very "hard sell" initially with promises of a rapidly widening range was to get people engaged, purchasing sets and buying into the scale. As time has passed, it has become increasingly clear to me that those early promises were never truly realistic, and it has got to the point where it is now anyone's guess when we will see phases 2, 3 and 4 products, never mind anything beyond that. About three months ago I therefore reached the conclusion that as no locos and little stock that I would really wish to run will be available at all for probably another two or three years (and then only possibly just a few) there was really little point in continuing with building a layout where I have nothing but an 08 to use on it. I have for that reason parked the idea of a TT120 side-project and for now boxed up and stored the purchases I have made to date, and depending on how things progress will decide in maybe 12 months whether it is worth keeping them or selling them on. Disappointing, but then if Hornby's target market is more those people wanting to run an A3 pulling 3 coaches round an oval of track on a track mat, that isn't me anyway. Roy

I did, a matter of using a manual "pin vice" type hand-drill (obvs not a dremel!) and a drill just larger that the threaded part of the screw. Locate the drill in the centre of what is left of the x-head and carefully and slowly drill it away with the loco inverted in a soft cradle of some kind. What you will be left with is effectively a stud, which I didn't try to remove, the three remaining fixing screws are more than adequate to hold the body securely in place. Hope this helps. Roy

The motor is in the loco and directly drives the loco wheels so there is no need for a drive shaft. From the picture the issue appears to be attaching the drawbar to the tender. From memory there should be a simple plastic spigot as part of the tender chassis that the drawbar fits onto and then a plastic top that should rotate over the spigot to hold the drawbar in position. This is the very early version of the Farish Hall chassis, used between approx 1973 and 1978 by both the early plastic can-motor chassis and the later metal chassis with integral motor shown here, it has wheels that locate in pinpoints in the outer frames, later ones had an internal metal chassis block. You do still see the occasional early loco come up as "spares or repair" on eBay and the like, but there isn't any official source of spares after all this time. Personally I would have a go at making something to do the job, I think it should be pretty straightforward. Roy

For diesels it was my understanding that the correct protocol to follow for "forward" for anything without a "nose end" should always be the fan end which works for the majority of British diesels (but not all - e.g. Deltic) because it is easily identifiable when a model is on the track - it is certainly the way I do it.

For info to those like me who have orders for these models, the RevolutioN website has now been updated as regards the 128. Current status: - "In production replacing faulty PCBs" Est UK delivery: - "September 2023" Roy

Hi Ben As we are approaching the middle of June and the RevolutioN website hasn't been updated (still showing June/July delivery) given your comments above, is there any further news on whether the PCBs arrived and the stated date is likely to be achieved? I appreciate no news isn't necessarily bad news... Regards Roy

Mechanically speaking there is nothing revolutionary in the design, it fairly simple, and is in fact very reminiscent of Farish coreless motor tank locos, my only slight reservation is that there appears to be no positive location for the motor, it seems to simply be clamped in place by the top- plate and that's it which feels a bit crude. With no ancillary functions absolutely no need to go for Next 18, the 6-pin is just fine for this type of model. Overall, in design terms I would describe the model as competent mechanically but there isn't anything exceptional about it. My experience of running two of them resulted in one running well after a suitable period of running in, and while the other one worked OK on initial testing, once I started running it in on my layout problems emerged, a "thumping" sound could be heard with each rotation of the wheel, I suspect the problem to be either a quartering issue or a non-concentric wheel. Inevitably there will always be a small number of locos that aren't right, and to be fair to Rails they didn't quibble, and confirmed I should return it. In terms of detail and finish, both locos are very nice indeed. Overall, especially considering the price (£109.95) I think Sonic have done a great job, and I foresee it being an extremely popular model for them/Rails. Roy

My two have arrived, very nice models and lovely sweet runners, the only issue I have found is that loco body screws are very tight, so tight in fact that I managed to inadvertently grind the head of one screw away, so as it was my screw up ended up carefully drilling the head off the screw to get the body off. Not an issue as it has four retaining screws and three will be enough, but more a warning to others to be careful! Other thoughts, they run very sweetly, but if looking to chip them like me, a right-angled of "micro" decoder will be needed, bog standard size can't be made to fit (or at least I couldn't find a way). I think DCC sound even using a Zimo MS 500 would be very challenging - I'll leave someone else to figure that out and share! Roy

Looks like my credit card has been charged too. Roy

They do, here it is under a 3D printed N Gauge L&Y Pug from Shapeways, it has been on my "to do" pile to finish for a while, but I am mad enough to want to chip it with a micro-decoder and add a runner wagon to provide extra pickups. Roy

I would welcome a summary of how it works on analogue.

That's a bit of a blow, we can but hope Hornby come up with a solution, I feel sure they will with other small 0-6-0 types in the process of development.

A stay alive will only work on DCC not analogue, but if it can be done in an N 08 then the larger volume of the TT120 one should make it even easier to do I would have thought.

Tested mine on analogue on a short piece of track, slow running is very good and the mechanism is commendably sweet running. Looking at the diagram of the internals I would have thought that fitting DCC sound using a small 6pin Zimo MS500 and sugar-cube speaker could be achieved without intrusion into the cab.

Mine was delivered lunchtime, disappointingly one of the buffers was broken, but rather than return the loco for that I decided to glue it back in place. Overall, my first impression of the model is pretty favourable, there are nice touches like an open roof-ventilator and cab window, the finish is very good and it has a reasonable level of detail. The rods are very fine indeed with tiny crankpins, I hope they transpire to be robust enough in use. It does seem fairly light for it's size and so how much it will be able to haul will be interesting, hopefully sufficient for reasonable shunting duties. Someone mentioned how tiny they think it is, and that is I would expect from someone more used to OO. For an N Gauge modeller it isn't, and by way of another comparison, here it is next to one of my Farish 08s. As can be seen on the Farish loco the rods and crankpins are a bit chunkier, but in other areas it actually has better levels of detail than the TT120 model, with more separate handrails and lighting conduits. Of course what really sets the Farish loco apart is internal, this one has a Next 18 DCC socket, Zimo sound-chip and a speaker, so in a different league to the basic DCC spec of the Hornby model, however it is early days for TT120 and maybe a sound version will come in time. Roy

If Hornby haven't even seen the first Engineering Prototype yet as I recall the mag saying then I would suggest there is zero prospect of the Duchess arriving in September. When the first EP does arrive they will need to review it, very likely tweak the tooling, further EP, then deco samples to review and approve before production can even be contemplated. Then 6 weeks for shipping on top of that, so is all likely to take many months and I would think it may actually be well into 2024 before they arrive.

And....I too have just received e-mail notification that my BR blue 08 has arrived in stock and will shortly be prepared for despatch....