mossdp

Not been following this thread closely, but is this what happens if you cross an HST power car and a Class 128 diesel parcels unit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-Motorised-Coach-/282416580999?

That would be one of the un-numbered ones and 92023 with SNCF cab markings.  92030 Ashford was delivered with the name De Falla and no RfD markings.

Many thanks for that clarification. Will order one

Quick check before I place my order - which 00 models are suitable for class 92s as initially delivered? I know they will be grey ones, but not sure whether additional adornments listed came later.

 

OK so here is the update, considering it's taken so long I am double  with them.

 

After much pressing for a tiny update a lady called here today while I was at work and said that my 31 was too far gone so they would do me the massive favour of ending it back to me and would send me £100 to 'buy another train'

Is that all they think I am worth?

 

This was robustly rejected by my new wife and she was told that I would have to speak with a Mr Mark Lodge.

 

In a email to him I have explained that this is totally unacceptable.

The 31 has not worn out and nowhere does it say that Hornby locomotives sold for collectors and runners alike will only last 7 years before needing to be thrown out. If they are going to say that I would imagine the bottom would fall out of the market for them.

This is a known manufacturing fault and I am entitled to be put back as I was or compensated to the tune of replacing the loco.

As R3262 is on the books at £163 that is what I need minimum, however I still make the point that I want my original loco back with new chassis

 

Deeply fed up with this result to be honest and will not be letting it lay at that.

 

Will update once I have a reply gutted

 

 

I'll make you a really cheeky offer mikesndbs. I returned a broken class 31 chassis block to Hornby about six months ago or possibly more I think. They sent me a replacement new chassis block in exchange - maybe one of the last new blocks that they had. However, I did not fit it as this class 31 has many other problems and bits missing. Take Hornby up on their offer of a £100 voucher code and return of your complete 31. I'll send you the new chassis block in return for the £100 voucher code - told you it was cheeky. You can rebuild your class 31 and I can replace mine using the voucher code with something that isn't a class 31 from the Hornby website. That way we each end up with an operational loco where neither of us has one at the moment. Note: make sure if Hornby return your 31 and they want to retain the damaged chassis that they do return absolutely all other parts from it including the lighting contacts, buffers and fuel tank as I think some parts vary between different models.

well, in pure panic I just dug out my Bachmann N and two Heljan 47s from 2005/7 and all are fine! thank the lord.

This has really shaken me however. I take the very best of care of my locos and to think that some may be sitting there rotting away makes my blood run cold

Will report back on Hornby's response.

I suggest sending just the chassis block back to Hornby after removing absolutely everything from it. You may get a new block although I believe they are now out of stock. If you send the whole loco and you get a £100 voucher (only valid direct with Hornby), you do not get the loco back. The £100 will not buy a new super detail 31 from Hornby (they are more than £160) even if there were any for sale. Sending the block only, you may end up having to improvise a chassis for your 31 and have £100 to spend on the Hornby website. Not ideal, but unless they have the chassis blocks available, this will be the best outcome.

 

Are other loco types affected the same, this is a terrifying development

- Certain Hornby Bulleid Pacifics have suffered from crumbling front bogies. From the Hornby Thomas range, Toby and possibly Bill and Ben.

- Quite a variety of different Heljan 47s but not all those of any particular batch - it seems to be rather random. The very earliest and very latest Heljan 47s seem OK (so far). There is at least one thread about this on this forum I think.

- From Bachmann, the running plate of BR black N class 31813 and the bogies towers of BR blue Warship D804 "Avenger". I think there are threads on here about these as well. Possibly some of the earlier Junior series of models.

- Back in the mists of time in the 1950s when Graham Farish made 00 models, the streamlined Merchant Navy, King, Black 5, early production GWR Prairies, early Pullman cars with cast chassis, and some wagons were affected.

- Before the war, some of the earliest Hornby Dublo locos suffered from disintegrating wheels.

There are reports of other different models suffering as well, but they appear to be more isolated incidents.

Received this reply 13 Jan 2015 from Hornby after a few weeks on the subject of the missing vents on the Mk3 buffet car roof:

"Thank you for your enquiry, and apologies for the delay in replying to you.

We can confirm that we have spoken to our Engineering Dept about this matter, and they have confirmed that it is not a Q.C. issue. As you may be aware, Hornby has been in the process of moving it's manufacturing from one supplier to several others. During the course of this, a number of toolings have been found to no longer be available. When the run of Mk3 coaches was commissioned, it was not appreciated at the time that the buffet car roof was one of these toolings. When it became apparent, a decision was taken to manufacture the coach with the roof that was available, rather than hold up the entire run of Mk3's for an indefinite period.

As a result, the buffet car does indeed have an incorrect roof. We have checked with Engineering, and there is no intention at present to produce a replacement body for this vehicle. It is anticipated that the buffet car roof will be re-tooled in the future."

I have received an Intercity liveried Mk3 buffet but there are none of the catering vents on the roof around the buffet area. Are these separate fittings that have been missed off (I doubt) or has the tooling been wrongly assembled in the factory with the plainer roof of the TS/TF coaches, or did the real things not have these vents? Does it affect the blue grey ones as well I wonder? Previous Hornby Mk3 buffets seem to have them: http://www.ehattons.com/8357/Hornby_R4098_MK3_Virgin_Trains_Buffet_car/StockDetail.aspx

6

These are the 2 coaches. The GWR type has little pin doorknobs. There are card running boards and vacuum pipes of a covered brass type and 1 red lamp.

20140703_190219.jpg

 

The green Southern coach is a 3rd/guards with card running boards, vacuum pipes and 1 red lightbut no door knobs.

20140703_190226.jpg

The green is Hambling paper lithos - not sure about the other. Hamblings made a quite a range of paper sides for coaches and EMUs.

The K3 is now illustrated on the website http://www.greatbritishlocomotive.co.uk/the-models/

There is some information on miniature traction motors here http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gray.hickson/traction-motor.html and from pages linked from this site.

Looks good and very promising. I am wondering how you got the rivet detail - scribe in small circle on the cutter and then turn over to use the part so that it appears raised rather than embossed?

I have certainly heard about the Toby chassis having the same problem as a common occurrence.

It seems they are still accepting returns. I have now returned three at different time as they became faulty over a long period. In no case did I have a receipt:

- A green one returned complete several years ago - I received, after a very long time, a completely rebuilt or new green model

- A grey yellow one returned complete within the last two years I think. After a time, I received a 20% off voucher from their website when they sent me an update letter to say they were still waiting for parts. Eventually they sent me another letter saying the model could not be repaired and I received an offer code for £125 from their website (new - class 31 is around £149). They kept the model.

- A blue one where I returned a chassis block only in January 2014. After about a month, I received a replacement chassis block only

Some models that appear fine can six months later crack up. I thought my grey yellow one was fine when I sent the green one back but it eventually went the same way.

Quite a large number of Fulgurex unpainted Kings and a smaller number of the BritRail Jubilees appeared from a single seller on ebay a few years ago. The seller explained to me when I asked how he had so many that he had bought large numbers when produced and they had sat in his loft for decades. For the modest sums they made, they must have been a terrible investment!

Many thanks for the advice. I will investigate before sending it back.

Does anyone know if the inner working couplings on the Hornby 2BIL should both spring back to the centre? Those on the power car do, but those on the trailer car do not. There is also something rattling around in the trailer car on a new model.

Many thanks for the confirmation that they did exist in plain green with revised windows and that only one was blue. I was wondering which to order from Hattons. Is the picture of D5700 appears in plain green with revised windows in a publication or online I wonder.

Having looked at many of the pages of this thread and tried searching for images, but still unsure of the definitive answer, I would be grateful if someone could enlighten me on:

- Did any plain green locos CoBos without yellow ends get the revised window arrangement

- Was only one loco painted blue

Many thanks

Competition for the new Dapol 00 Western? Not surprised there were no bidders even at a low start price - "some of the details have been very well executed and has real potential":

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kit-built-Class-52-loco-OO-/400393734304?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5d395388a0&nma=true&si=XrSqUaBg6ASK2kexfbhGv1%252Fy0DE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

As I wrote somewhere on this thread or another similar, I received my green D5512 model returned in May suitably rebuilt with new chassis and body but now my other class 31, Dutch liveried 31110 has started to suffer in the same way. A tell-tale crack has now appeared at a cab corner. When I examined it before I returned the green one, probably almost a year ago, there was no evidence of a problem but now there is.

Previous to this as reported on here it was green D5512 and blue 31270 that were effected with only one or few reports of Dutch 31110. All these models were from the first batch of Chinese made 31s made towards the end of 2004 or early 2005. To the best of my knowledge, no other later made 31s have been effected. It seems this problem is still developing in these first batch models and that those that did not seem to be effected before may turn out to be. Might be time to have another check of your class 31s if you have D5512, 31270, or 31110.

Many thanks for your suggestions. Video is helpful and I will see if Hornby has the instructions available.

I was wondering if someone has a summary of how to use this controller or an electronic copy of the instructions. Hornby make their service sheets freely available for download, but this is not among them. You may wonder why such is needed, but this controller has a brake simulator for smooth starts and stops and numerous coloured LEDs.

It is a double controller and each side has an isolator button and LED, brake button and LED that can either be continous red or flashing red, a drive red LED, a speed yellow LED, a slider control in addition to the normal direction (also indicated with LEDs) and speed controls as well as an overall power inicator LED.

The few references to this controller I can find on the Internet are requests for help and comments on its lack of reliability so maybe that is why it was discontinued. You would not of thought that it was possible to make the interface to a straight DC controller confusing! Many thanks for any help yo are able to give.

They do run well and were made in quite a variety of types. Are these Arco or Acro? There was also Nucro and Teaness who all seemed to be the same products. Maybe you know more and can give more details as would be interested to hear.