Pete the Elaner

It will be a Hornby R8249 inside. If you're happy with that, then I guess it will be worth it. I would rather have a Zimo running it, so will prefer a non-fitted one.

Yes, definitely. Once done, they should remain running fine. Don't be watching them do it or you'll be wanting to upgrade your Select! I have a couple of chipped Hornby Ringfield motor locos. Different chips, different results. As mentioned the Hornby R8249 & TTS have limited adjustment for running. They are fine for some motors so maybe they could be re-used? Better decoders are very tweakable.

You earlier made it sound like you just threw the socket away by default, without even thinking about it. This would seem a little pointless in a tender loco where the socket sits in a relatively empty tender. If space is tight then this makes a big difference. I have chipped locos with decoders I later found I don't like too much (My 2 Bachmann ones totally ignore CV3 & Hornby R8249 which don't give particularly good motor control), replacing them with something different at a later date (eg a Zimo or a sound decoder). Keeping the socket makes this very easy to do.

I admit I have skimmed over the Hornby 66 but if it is less than £120, it will be a Railroad version so older tooling. I believe the Hornby Railroad models no longer have a Ringfield, but it is only 1 bogie which is powered. I am not 100% about this though. A 66 would usually be too new for me, but occasionally a model comes along which looks so exceptional that I can't resist. Hattons' 66 is such a model. Having seen pre-production examples, it looks very highly detailed including details like rotating axle boxes, which is an unusual feature of the prototype. Expect all wheel drive on this. It also has space in the chassis for an 'EM2' speaker as marketed by DC Kits/Legomanbiffo. Fitting these usually involves cutting the chassis so it is nice to see they have thought of it. DCC sound fitted models will be provided with these & an updated project from Legomanbiffo. If DCC sound appeals to you, then the Hattons model will score well on this.

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That sounds plausible too. I remember DBSOs in Anglia. The train often snatched quite violently when leaving Liverpool St when the class 86 was propelling, but never in the other direction. I was told this is because the driver had limited instrumentation, causing them to guess how much power the loco could apply. If they applied too much it would cut out, causing the snatch.

It makes sense to do the more common varieties like TSO & FO which were more widespread & appeared several times in each rake before something more unusual like an RFB. If these sell well, then Hornby may well release an RFB.

I accept that it is iconic & popular enough to justify both high-detail & Railroad ranges, but to retain 3 different toolings seems a bit odd to me. I am surprised they have not thrown 1 away.

I assume you mean their original one which springs both up & down? I refuse to call it a Faiveley because it looks nothing like it. I replaced loads with Sommerfeldt ones but I think I threw all the originals away. I am sorting through some of my old stuff at the moment so will put any aside if I see them.

Odd choice, yes. It is not 87101 though. 87001 was originally named Stephenson but this was later changed to Royal Scot with Stephenson being transferred to 87101. 87101 was later scrapped & its name was re-applied to 1 side only of 87001. I believe this was after it was preserved. It is in this condition which the model is being depicted.

The plates from InterCity Royal Sovreign removed very easily with T cut & a cotton bud, leaving only a slightly shiny surface where the rubbing took place. If 87001's names are printed the same, then a light coat of varnish should finish removing any sign that they were ever there at all.

So it can never be found again?

You will need to make it in sections. I guess the issue is hiding the joins between each one? I was at a club some time ago & a layout there features a large hill which the line passed through. They cut large holes in the baseboard so you could reach from below & grab anything you could feel. The drawbacks of this were that stock could derail & hit the floor and that daylight would be visible through the tunnel, which is a pet hate of mine. Adding some form of cover or door beneath the holes would address these issues though.

That would include me then

I had not heard that. I have quite a few Duchesses so they will all look skinny in comparison.

6200 & 6201 were effectively prototypes with some differences from 6203-6212. 1 had strengthening bars fitted for a while. I can't remember if this was 6205 or 6206 without having to look it up.

I wasn't surprised at all, because it has been missing from the catalogue for the last couple of years. I am sure this version will be an improvement although I think the last version was pretty good & the 2 won't look out of place together. Hornby may produce more alternative name & numbers this time around. They seem to be more in this mindset now.

87002 looks a bit light to me, but I think dark blue varies a lot on the ambient light. I usually see it from about 3-4 platforms away at the north end of a sleeper in Euston at about 0715, so probably not the best lighting to make a harsh judgment!

No. I prefer cycling so usually choose this over parkrun. Saturday was an exception because I am a bit cautious about hitting black ice on my bike (especially after doing so 3 weeks ago when I considered it too warm to be a risk ). Willen is just under 3km from me so I run there & back to increase my distance. Driving to another one defeats that.

I agree about being forced to have TTS. I would prefer to choose a decoder & sound project. If the printing is anything like last year's InterCity 87, the name & number will come off easily with some T cut on a cotton bud.

Yes, in that order. It is the 3rd time I have done both. They are less than 3 miles apart so ideal for running between, which many did. Both broke their own attendance records: 640 at Linford Wood then 908 at Willen Lake, which was the 4th best attended in the country. I heard talk that a 3rd MK parkrun may be on the way, probably in Bletchley. I doubt all 3 would be a NYD option though.

I disagree. Old tooling for 47 & 66 does not bring them into direct competition with Hattons & Bachmann. They are lower priced so should appeal to a different market. Not everyone want to pay a fortune for a highly detailed model, so they still have a choice. Bachmann already do nicely detailed 37s & 47s. Why would Hornby re-tool to compete with these when they can work on something different?

According to the technical detail, it is in LMS Crimson Lake. The description just states that it was painted in 1946 lined black in August 1947. I believe this is the correct decision. I am sure that more modellers will prefer to have it in crimson lake than 1946 black, although I model both.

I can understand why not. Only a limited amount of new models can be produced each year, so do something different for 2019 then maybe return to this for 2020. A bunch of Mk2Fs? The price has brought this into direct competition with the well-regarded Bachmann ones. Mk2D may have been a better option. Railroad blue LMS Coronation coaches. This is a signal that they will NOT be doing accurate ones any time soon. I am not surprised by this. Nice to see them maximising liveries from the new class 87 tooling. Re-liveries on existing tooling is a trick they have not made the most of in the past so I really hope this works out well for them.

That is unnecessary hard work. The socket allows you to easily swap decoders in case of a fault/failure or if you want to upgrade for any reason, or revert to DC should you ever decide to sell the loco. Hard wiring abandons this flexibility.