Hornby APT (2020 tooling)

[Wolf27]

On 22/06/2022 at 09:34, newbryford said:

 

I think further upthread, there's a post that mentions hiding them under the seats/lower body

Yes, I did that but I don’t proclaim bragging rights on it. I added wires to the circuit board connections and solder the capacitor to these and put them under the seating units

[newbryford]

Just now, Wolf27 said:

Yes, I did that but I don’t proclaim bragging rights on it. I added wires to the circuit board connections and solder the capacitor to these and put them under the seating units

 

Brave man - doing some M word....

[GordonC]

Just now, newbryford said:

 

Brave man - doing some M word....

 

to be fair .... its a 'bit' less modelling than cut'n'shutting a full APT in the past

[Cheshire Lines.]

Hi all, a few people have asked me how I took the coaches apart so I’ve made a short video explaining the disassembly process. Hope it helps. 

 

[WestRail642fan]

wait, the APT has cab lights?! the cab light on my one doesn't light up

[Cheshire Lines.]

8 hours ago, WestRail642fan said:

wait, the APT has cab lights?! the cab light on my one doesn't light up

On my APT , the cab lights work on F1 in the direction of travel, but they only work if F0, the headlights, are also on - they work independently of the headlights but they don’t work if F0 is off. 

[WestRail642fan]

1 hour ago, Cheshire Lines. said:

On my APT , the cab lights work on F1 in the direction of travel, but they only work if F0, the headlights, are also on - they work independently of the headlights but they don’t work if F0 is off. 

i dont run DCC so thats probably way

[nswgr1855]

On 19/10/2021 at 00:47, St. Simon said:

 

I think that this comment is at best harsh and at worst down right insulting to the designer and doesn't need to be said. 

 

I accept it isn't the best of designs and it might need changing. However, to imply that it is purely down to the apparent stupidity of the designer is an incredibly simplistic view of the situation. We don't know the requirements or restrictions the designer was working to, so it could be that it is simply the only option due to restrictions imposed by someone / something. I'm not saying that it is the case, I'm saying that we don't know the full story to pass full judgement.

 

The fact is, designers don't get it right all the time, but that doesn't mean they are stupid. I've had my signalling designs criticised on this forum without knowing the full extent of the restrictions etc. that was I working under, so it is quite hurtful to people to read comments like the above.

 

Simon

This model shares many poor mechanical and electrical design features Hornby has used on other models. It does this to save tooling costs or assembly costs. Not using pinpoint bearings on the dummy power car is one, and using wipers on the backs of wheels is the worst solution for increased rolling resistance. The end result is a  7 car APT-P that cannot go up grades typically used on model railways. It just makes it up my 1 in 70 grade on a 914mm radius curve. Another poor design is the excessive axle endplay on the 4 wheel bogies of the power cars. All it does is increase the chance of derailments and stops the tilt mechanism working consistently on sensible curves. I also note Hornby uses one of the worst flange profiles on the market, and has no coning on the APT wheels. These last issues cost no extra to get right. It's about time Hornby started to use magnetic couplers for fixed train sets, the couplers supplied on the APT are terrible to put together and pull apart and can easily be damaged.

Edited July 7, 2022 by nswgr1855
spelling

[miles73128]

23 hours ago, nswgr1855 said:

This model shares many poor mechanical and electrical design features Hornby has used on other models. It does this to save tooling costs or assembly costs. Not using pinpoint bearings on the dummy power car is one, and using wipers on the backs of wheels is the worst solution for increased rolling resistance. The end result is a  7 car APT-P that cannot go up grades typically used on model railways. It just makes it up my 1 in 70 grade on a 914mm radius curve. Another poor design is the excessive axle endplay on the 4 wheel bogies. All it does is increase the chance of derailments and stops the tilt mechanism working consistently on cusensible curves. I also note Hornby uses one of the worst flange profiles on the market, and has no coning on the APT wheels. These last issues cost no extra to get right. It's about time Hornby started to use magnetic couplers for fixed train sets, the couplers supplied on the APT are terrible to put together and pull apart and can easily be damaged.

If you look at the service sheet for the APT on the Hornby website, it shows the ‘22 announced versions will have magnetic couplings. I’ve fitted Hunt’s to mine-which has transformed it. 

[Pete the Elaner]

On 03/07/2022 at 08:50, WestRail642fan said:

i dont run DCC so thats probably way

Cab lights while running is not prototypical.

Cab lights while stationary is but with DC, there is no power available if the train is not moving, so no way of powering the lights.

Cab lighting is therefore a function made available by DCC.

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, miles73128 said:

If you look at the service sheet for the APT on the Hornby website, it shows the ‘22 announced versions will have magnetic couplings. I’ve fitted Hunt’s to mine-which has transformed it. 

Me too. I found the original couplings very fiddly. The Hunts are so much better. I was a bit concerned about them pulling apart but that has not happened at all.

[nswgr1855]

On 06/07/2022 at 15:02, miles73128 said:

If you look at the service sheet for the APT on the Hornby website, it shows the ‘22 announced versions will have magnetic couplings. I’ve fitted Hunt’s to mine-which has transformed it. 

Good to hear, I hope Hornby will have the magnetic couplers as a spare part.

 

[Pete the Elaner]

11 hours ago, nswgr1855 said:

Good to hear, I hope Hornby will have the magnetic couplers as a spare part.

 

 

Have a word with West Hill Wagon Works. Among their huge range of 3d printed useful items are kits to help out, specifically tailored for the APT-P (the NDM itself needs a different length coupler to its adjacent vehicle so tell them what you need & they'll sort out what you need).

I saw them at a show & mentioned that I had a 7 car unit with an additional, powered NDM. They sold me everything I needed at a decent price.

[marcusd666]

22 hours ago, nswgr1855 said:

Good to hear, I hope Hornby will have the magnetic couplers as a spare part.

 

I have a set of west hill wagon works for mine work ok but a bit tight on my 2nd radius curve.

[JSpencer]

On 06/07/2022 at 08:57, Pete the Elaner said:

Me too. I found the original couplings very fiddly. The Hunts are so much better. I was a bit concerned about them pulling apart but that has not happened at all.

I found them slightly less fiddly when I changed the Hornby ones around so that those facing set on were up and those facing set 2 were down. I then always know one slides on top of 2. 

[RyanN91]

To mark their outstanding achievement and the centenary of the BBC. They have now released a huge large amount of their television archive BBC Rewind Online, here is a feature on the APT-P. 

Look North West: Advanced Passenger Train  Preston Station, Lancashire, England  Monday, 7 December 1981

[Timsouth47]

19 hours ago, RyanN91 said:

To mark their outstanding achievement and the centenary of the BBC. They have now released a huge large amount of their television archive BBC Rewind Online, here is a feature on the APT-P. 

Look North West: Advanced Passenger Train  Preston Station, Lancashire, England  Monday, 7 December 1981

Shame the sound was out of sync at the end when it went past. A good bit of history, only a shame it didn't make it to full operation across the network.

It's funny, todays trains don't look half as fast or futuristic when standing still, let alone going at full speed. RIP APT. :-(

[RyanN91]

1 hour ago, Timsouth47 said:

Shame the sound was out of sync at the end when it went past. A good bit of history, only a shame it didn't make it to full operation across the network.

It's funny, todays trains don't look half as fast or futuristic when standing still, let alone going at full speed. RIP APT. :-(

Yes I did notice the audio isn't in synch. unfortunately. Bearing in mind that this is probably the first time this has being digitised from possible its original format master. That it was filmed on, edited on and originally transmitted from, after sitting on the shelf in one of their vaults at Perivale, West London. Well it is of broadcast quality.

The tape wasn't wipped and reused after it was broadcasted leaving only a domestic recording on VHS or betamax home telerecording, (not of broadcast quality) or the 16mm film wasn't junked.

The rest might explain why its in such a bad state. 

 

I have seen other short documentaries about the BBC Archives, contains over 3.7 million items, film video tape CD VInyl Wax cynilders. The vaults all fire proof, and are all stored in climate controlled vaults at different temperatures in fridges best to suite the material thats kept in them.

 

About how where and when they remaster the digitisated copies before they enter their digital archive. Very technical with films reels suffering from vinegar syndrome to 16mm film reels and the heat generated caused from the millions of D3 video tapes when they play them on the obsolute formats and the machines used to play them to digitise them. All of their original master material from the 1970s were on huge expensive video tapes were migrated on to the D3s in the 1990s and the problems they caused. For example They do this via if the audio fades out if it's a sport event and the clapping from the audience is muted inbetween they'll insert audio in the gap from another sport event where there is clapping. Perhaps the BBC will go through all of their over 33.000 clips on the BBC Archive Rewind page and fix the out of sync audio problems. I have seen under the categories of local BBC News from the various different regions that the audio is of a poor quality. The feature clip from the 1979 referendums about Scottish and Welsh devolution are in an awful state with visible tape damage and muffed audio. Due to the age of the original matterials It's just so happens  that they only happen to be the best available psychical copies that they have in their archives.

[GordonC]

It looks like Winwick Junction with the old Vulcan Foundry in the background in the clip of the APT at the end

[Mr_Tilt]

I was on board the train at the time that vid was shot. Coming into Preston Station was like Moses crossing the Red Sea, there was a WALL of people on the platform, but as only a very few actually boarded there all the rest must have come along just to see the train!

 

A memorable day indeed. 

[APT-P]

A new website has just been launched by Owen Hodgson detailing the Faces and Formations of APT-P over its time in service.

 

See

 

http://25kV.uk/APT

 

[Mr_Tilt]

VERY interesting!

 

I'll have to put him right about Hastings Coach though...... 🙂

[ColinK]

4 hours ago, APT-P said:

A new website has just been launched by Owen Hodgson detailing the Faces and Formations of APT-P over its time in service.

 

See

 

http://25kV.uk/APT

 

Thanks for the link to that very interesting website.

 

It helps make the case for prototype HST power cars in OO.  Thanks to a kind person on here I’ve got a unpowered power car, so I just need test cars 8 and 9 to diesel haul  it on my layout which has no overhead.

[Ducking Giraffe]

Clearly, what the world needs right now is more apt videos....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Ducking Giraffe

[JSpencer]

On 04/08/2022 at 19:42, APT-P said:

A new website has just been launched by Owen Hodgson detailing the Faces and Formations of APT-P over its time in service.

 

See

 

http://25kV.uk/APT

 

 

Brilliant site. Shows a full 14 car set was a rare beast (and here we are buying pairs of coaches from 2 different sets with little chance of both being in service on an actual train historically) and none ever ran with an in sequence numbered set (it was pretty much mix and match).

Basically Hornby allow you to do various might have beens...