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Hornby Class 423 4-VEP


Adam1701D
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I have tried to attach a photo I took on Saturday at DEMU with a new camera (hence its not very good) which show the VEP. Looking at it now I am worried by the position of the curtains but hopefully they will get them right before release!

Godfrey

post-138-0-53140200-1308081447_thumb.jpg

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I reckon the curtains are in the right place based on where the seating in a VEP is.

 

Can't wait to get hands on an NSE one!

 

I think you (and Hornby) are absolutely right, I didn't look carefully enough, thanks for putting me right. The NSE version did look very attractive but my photo of that isn't good enough to share.

 

Godfrey

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The blue VEP on shw at DEMU looked great, apart from the cutrains, which seemed much too bright and regular. I'm sure they are correct for the unit modelled but they could with toning down.

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Those curtains were a very bright orange when brand new. Judging only from the posted image they seem to be right for an ex-works unit. They quickly faded with constant exposure to daylight. Occasional replacements for damaged curtains soon stood out due to the bright colour against the faded ones. They were restrained by curved aluminium mouldings centrally between the seating bays so are correctly represented on the illustrated model. In daily use the curtains were not always "dressed" neatly and sometimes were found hanging loose or even flapping out of open windows. There are limitations as to what can be accurately modelled! I don't know of a technique for fading painted curtains though perhaps leaving a plastic model out in the sun is not the best idea to try.

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The curtains in the VEP are in the correct place as the seat backs "split" the windows in 2nd class - I used to stuff my coat in the gap and use it a pillow - and the curtains were very, very bright orange too......until they got taken out - I think at the same time as the sliding vents were sealed up - someone clearly had decided that the forced ventilation around the door seals was enough....... :laugh:

 

Is anybody thinking those 5-BEL coaches look the part ?????? Is there definately a Blue/grey version of it in the offing ????

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Pardon my ignorance, but what are the black vehicles in the background, top left of the shot, beyond the Pullmans?

 

EDIT: Godfrey - I can see very little wrong with your pic, which has good focus and exposure.

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Good question Ian.

 

I'd say they look like BR suburbans, EPB trailers or a Thumper. I don't believe Hornby have any of these in their forthcoming range.

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Pardon my ignorance, but what are the black vehicles in the background, top left of the shot, beyond the Pullmans?

 

EDIT: Godfrey - I can see very little wrong with your pic, which has good focus and exposure.

 

Could be a reissue of the old Airfix GWR B-Set.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Having seen the advert in Model Rail and the glimpse of it in one of the above pictures I have a question about the NSE unit.

Is it in early lighter blue with BR double arrow NSE or later darker blue without BR double arrow?

The advert in Model Rail has the 'artist impression' of the full set, as seen on the Hornby website, in early style but the unit in the main body of the picture appears to have darker blue and no BR arrow????

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They've based their final choice of NSE livery as shown in the main photo, not the mini artists impression below.

 

This confirms what I saw in Hornby Magazine a few months ago when they published in their news section another photo of the DTC.

 

3588 was one of the last units to be refurbished and it has the headcode 44, according to the SEMG website, it either represents Charing Cross - Gravesend or Maidstone West via Sidcup, or, Victoria - Three Bridges or Brighton via Redhill (semi fast) I don't know where this unit was allocated after refurbishment.

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So later style then, excellent. Shall be getting one to re-number and slap some South West Trains logos on the side to represent a unit just before the withdrawal of the slam door stock.

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I don't ever recall 3588 being on Brighton's books so suspect it was a South Western area one. I do hope Fox Transfers can be persuaded to make the different NSE area logos as mine will be getting a pair of Sussex Coast emblems on it.

 

EDIT - 3588 was a Ramsgate example, should have guessed they would pick the number of one that has passed through Margate really...

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3588 was a Ramsgate example, should have guessed they would pick the number of one that has passed through Margate really...

 

Which still makes the choice of headcode 44 unusual. Codes divisible by 11 were originally not allocated to electric stock or only for routes they might very seldom work. The logic lay in that these codes needed two identical numbered stencil plates on older types and avoidance of 11, 22 etc. minimised the numbers of stencils needed in each cab. "Doubles" were normally allocated to diesel-worked routes.

 

The issue disappeared with the advent of roller blinds but until stencil plates vanished (with the last Subs) "doubles" such as 44 were still seldom seen on electrified routes. The use of such codes has become more widespread in recent years but it would still be unusual to see a Vep on a Charing Cross - Gravesend via Sidcup working. Very few trains (if any) ran through to the Medway Valley by that route.

 

For those of us who wish to represent a particular route I hope the headcodes from Hornby are more easily changed than on the Bachmann emus. I would have thought plain 4 might be more appropriate for a unit coming through Margate (Charing Cross - Tonbridge - Dover - Margate)

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The issue disappeared with the advent of roller blinds but until stencil plates vanished (with the last Subs) "doubles" such as 44 were still seldom seen on electrified routes. The use of such codes has become more widespread in recent years but it would still be unusual to see a Vep on a Charing Cross - Gravesend via Sidcup working. Very few trains (if any) ran through to the Medway Valley by that route.

While that's true for the period depicted by the VEP in question, up to sometime around 1980-ish, there were rush-hour trains, headcode 44/42, that went CX-Sidcup-split at Strood for Gillingham/Maidstone W. But they were normally 10-EPB (last 4 for Maidstone I think, so the 44 was only displayed from Strood by the back unit).

 

You're right though, that 44 is an odd headcode choice for that VEP, and a VEP would be pretty unusual on a Gravesend terminating service.

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Hmm. Looking at the advert in Model Rail for August 2011 (page 27), a few of things struck me as odd.

 

Firstly, the dropped buckeye that was visible in the pre-prod shot on the first page of this thread is missing. Having looked at the SEMG website, it seems to have been the practice to have the buckeye in the up position most of the time. I wonder if the buckeye will be provided as a detail part in the unit's pack?

 

Secondly, the driving end corridor connector is entirely black, whereas in all the prototype pics on SEMG the base of the connection nearest the end itself always seems to be yellow. It does however get quite dirty.

 

Thirdly (following on from secondly above), the distance between the cab windows & pipe recesses and the side of the unit seems a little wide. It's truly difficult to tell just by how much, but if there is a drift from the prototype in this measurement, it seems to be being made more obvious by the black colour of the base of the corridor connection.

 

Lastly, a minor gripe on my part. Hornby in their recent coach releases have 'gone to town' with the detailing of grab handles and the like. It appears to my eye that the grab handles on the VEP are moulded onto the body. From the advert picture it doesn't look too bad, but it does seem to be a step backwards from the level of detail on the likes of the Hawksworths and Maunsells.

 

However, I'm not going to let the above stop me from buying a unit if/when they come out in Blue/Grey and the budget allows a purchase. Such things as the corridor connection colour I can sort out myself, and I will live with the moulded on grab handles.

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Was in Kernow Models at lunchtime, they looked at the Hornby trade site for me and the due date is now 5th September at Hornby!

 

Well assuming that the one Model Rail are currently playing with was air freighted over, stands to reason that the production run is done and being loaded onto the boat around about now. Allow the standard six weeks to get here and early September sounds pretty much on the money.

 

[braces wallet...]

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I saw the 4VEP at DEMU Showcase and really thought the blue one looked great the only thing to i and my colleagues questioned was the the front corridor connection, it just didn't look quite right however did I pay that much attention to the real units when they were in service - most likely not!

 

Xerces Fobe

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