TT:120 Class 50

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, smr248 said:

It's not the track, the body isn't sitting on the chassis properly...  

Hopefully they'll sort it before they go into production.

In the very first picture Phil posted, it IS the track!! The piece the front bogie is on isn't level with the pieces behind - run a straight edge along the photo following the rail edge, I have. The front piece rises up.

Edited November 12, 2023 by F-UnitMad

[smr248]

I see what you mean.  That's pretty poor track - I remember a comment from months back about Hornby's approach to track laying being to put the ballast down before the track (I'm not making this up...).

I still say that the body isn't on the chassis correctly though - there's a gap above the front step that shouldn't be there.

[natterjack]

4 minutes ago, smr248 said:

I see what you mean.  That's pretty poor track - I remember a comment from months back about Hornby's approach to track laying being to put the ballast down before the track (I'm not making this up...).

I still say that the body isn't on the chassis correctly though - there's a gap above the front step that shouldn't be there.

A rushed photo shoot with a loosely assembled test example?

[AY Mod]

2 minutes ago, natterjack said:

A rushed photo shoot

 

I take it you have extensive experience of getting product pictures in show environments?

[smr248]

4 minutes ago, natterjack said:

A rushed photo shoot with a loosely assembled test example?

Hopefully it'll be fixed on the production models and everyone will be happy.  OK perhaps not the latter...

[Les1952]

48 minutes ago, natterjack said:

A rushed photo shoot with a loosely assembled test example?

 

Photoshoot won't be the issue so much as the loco being a livery sample.

 

These get handled by all sorts of folk, and from what experience I have of them, not always handled too carefully.  Based on one that came my way it is lucky to still have both bogies attached to it.....

 

Les

 

[natterjack]

45 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

I take it you have extensive experience of getting product pictures in show environments?

Experience? Yes, and I was intending to be sympathetic to the situation.

[dj_crisp]

Always nice to see a 50 hence why I've ended up browsing this thread.

 

I reckon they're taking a different approach to the challenge of producing a EE model to go round tight curves. On the OO one they used smaller wheels (which I think Accurascale did with the Deltic... I dont fully know as I haven't bought one).

 

On this one it looks like their solution is to raise the body as the wheel size looks good to me. You can see this on the front as there's too much bufferbeam showing and a gap between the buffer beam step and bottom of the body. I think (but hard to tell) there is the same gap between the bogie and body but it looks a little tighter to me

 

So this will look tall Vs coaches and the HST next to it ;)

 

Debatable whether this option or smaller wheels is better but I understand why they have to do it. 

[Phil Parker]

21 hours ago, Les1952 said:

 

Photoshoot won't be the issue so much as the loco being a livery sample.

 

These get handled by all sorts of folk, and from what experience I have of them, not always handled too carefully.  Based on one that came my way it is lucky to still have both bogies attached to it.....

 

Les

 

 

I did say they are deco samples, and yes, the shoot was rushed, so I didn't check it was put together properly and not damaged. One of the TTA tanks has a mashed buffer, I just didn't take show a photo of it. 

[Chris M]

10 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I did say they are deco samples, and yes, the shoot was rushed, so I didn't check it was put together properly and not damaged. One of the TTA tanks has a mashed buffer, I just didn't take show a photo of it. 

The camera is cruel to models.

[bradfordbuffer]

3 hours ago, Chris M said:

The camera is cruel to models.

So are rm web subscriber's! 

[Les1952]

These appear to have arrived and are now in stock.

 

As there is also a multiple-points promotion on "in stock items" at the moment I've ordered a green one Bregstadt doesn't really need....

 

Les

 

Another preserved loco for Plandampf Sundays......

Edited May 23 by Les1952
typos as usual

[montyburns56]

Have Hornby said why they are not doing a Rail Blue one in the initial batch as it seems a strange omission.

[Red Devil]

2 hours ago, Les1952 said:

These appear to have arrived and are now in stock.

 

As there is also a multiple-points promotion on "in stock items" at the moment I've ordered a green one Bregstadt doesn't really need....

 

Les

 

Another preserved loco for Plandampf Sundays......

A little heads up for anyone ordering, HERITAGE5 as a promo code normally saves you a further 5%, £8.40 on one of the 50s, obviously less points 'cos you've spent less but it's a few quid off. 

[Porfuera]

1 hour ago, montyburns56 said:

Have Hornby said why they are not doing a Rail Blue one in the initial batch as it seems a strange omission.

 

What is Rail Blue - I'm not familiar with that term, is that pre-TOPS?

 

If so then I believe that the current releases are refurbished versions (one of them was planned to be a GBRf livery in Era 11, although that is now delayed) so maybe that livery wouldn't apply to these versions?

[froobyone]

4 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

 

What is Rail Blue - I'm not familiar with that term, is that pre-TOPS?

 

If so then I believe that the current releases are refurbished versions (one of them was planned to be a GBRf livery in Era 11, although that is now delayed) so maybe that livery wouldn't apply to these versions?

This was my initial thought also, but further investigation revealed that some of the refurbished ones were also outshopped in Corporate Blue livery, albeit only about six out of the fifty.

Best

Dan

[F-UnitMad]

2 hours ago, Porfuera said:

What is Rail Blue - I'm not familiar with that term, is that pre-TOPS?

Rail Blue is just another term for standard BR Blue - often derided these days as Banger Blue. 

You had to be there I reckon, to really appreciate it.

[montyburns56]

21 hours ago, froobyone said:

This was my initial thought also, but further investigation revealed that some of the refurbished ones were also outshopped in Corporate Blue livery, albeit only about six out of the fifty.

Best

Dan

 

Yeah, I did wonder if it was due to the modified body work, but I would have still thought that it would be more popular than one in GBRF livery.

[irishmail]

23 hours ago, froobyone said:

This was my initial thought also, but further investigation revealed that some of the refurbished ones were also outshopped in Corporate Blue livery, albeit only about six out of the fifty.

Best

Dan

Yes there were six,

50001, 50006, 50013, 50017, 50019, 50047 I think were the ones.  Lima done some (I have 50013) however Hornby have not released a refurbised one in BR Blue.  Hopefully they will do one in TT eventuallty 😁.

[jonnyuk]

My 50 arrived today and whilst at my local, a Hornby delivery arrived, in said box was a set of m2 coaches so it would have been rude not to pick some up. Say what you will of the scale but the models are stunning. The 50 includes etched plates and a whole host of pipe work.

 

Edited May 25 by jonnyuk

[moawkwrd]

Can finally re-enact this in TT!

 

 

Just waiting on my mk2s from RoS.

[That Model Railway Guy]

Speedy delivery from Hornby meant I've been able to play with my Class 50 all weekend and even managed to film a video review too. I'm certainly impressed so far, I'm not usually a big diesel guy but TT seems to be bringing out that side of me 😅

 

For anyone who just wants to see the loco running (with HM7000 sound) skip ahead to 08:44 

 

 

[Taigatrommel]

I received my 50007 today.  I've given it a test on DC, it runs the same direction as my 08.  All the rest of my TT traction is DCC fitted, so I can't say for sure if that's the same as Piko, Tillig, Roco et al!

 

Current draw is good and low, less than 80mA at full whack when light engine, rising to 160mA when wheelspinning against a stop.  Stall current is about 800mA.  It starts moving at just under 4v on a Trix controller, but the marker lights don't illuminate enough to really see until 8v, the headlight being visible a bit sooner.  Movement is smooth, and the loco rides very steadily - on a rolling road there's no wobble at all.  It handles the transition from flat straight track to a canted curve without problems.  I haven't had it through pointwork yet as those layout boards have been put away for now.  DCC fitting was pretty easy, four screws accessed by turning the bogies slightly, but the ETH jumpers need to be detached from the chassis.  One was very firmly in and unfortunately the cable broke when it did finally let go.  The Next18 socket is on top of the circuit board, refreshing when quite a few of my continental locos have their DCC sockets in awkward places that often need the circuit board to be unscrewed for fitting.

 

 

Visually it's somehow better than in pictures, the glazing seems to create refractions and relections through a lens which aren't nearly so apparant looking at the actual model.  Similarly, the fan grille looks a little coarse in photographs but isn't at all offputting to me when it's on the layout.  I'm not especially a 50 fan so I'm not well placed to give a full review of how well the model captures the prototype.  The cab front looks a little better than the Hornby OO model, there seem to have been tweaks to that.  I'm not 100% about the bodyside grilles, I'm not sure if the set of three aren't too tall, certainly I think there should be a bit more gap between them and the lower bodyside side tumblehome starting.  It's not enough for me to think about trying to change it though.   "Normal viewing angles" may be a bit of a cliché, but at such this loco looks fine.

 

 

The cab front handrails seem a bit chunky, possibly by virtue of being painted.  I don't know which I'd prefer, chunky separate handrails or finer moulded ones.  The windscreen wipers are also a little basic.  The bogie sides are quite shallow and the brakes don't line up with the wheels, though of course I'm used to continental models with a wider loading gauge giving more room for moulding depth!  There's a full set of etched plates, arrows and crests, plus pipes and snowploughs.  The ploughs simply plug into the NEM socket and seem to sit in the right place to me.

 

 

These close ups are cruel.  It's easy to forget just how small these models are in pictures.  Really, it's generally a pleasing loco.

 

While the model is a bit more basic than contemporary OO modells, it certainly compares well with what I'm used to in TT.  Except for the close coupling.  NEM 355 coupling heads should have their fronts 6mm behind the buffer faces for close coupling.  The furthest back on this loco is 4.9mm from the buffer faces.  Here it is coupled to a Piko coach which has one end at 6.1mm back and the other 5.9mm.

 

 

Not a big deal really, I actually think having loco couplings further foward than coaching stock facilitates easier shunting for run-rounds etc.  You can also see the slightly higher buffer height on the 50 here, something that is of course a difficulty with 50s.  As the wheels go up within the bodyside, it's elevate the ride or utilise smaller wheels.  I'm ambivalent about which is the best option.  However, it tickles me slightly that the couplings on the 50 are further forwards than on my Roco Ludmillas which do not have close coupling!

 

 

Anyway, for all my apparant griping I'm not at all unhappy with the 50.  It's not quite as pleasing a model as the 08 but is good enough for me.  It seems better put together than my Tillig models, and has more separate parts than my Piko ones.  Will I take up British TT?  I'm feeling like it's getting more likely.  It could share the fiddle yard boards with my German...

[Les1952]

the class 50 did a full day of exhibition duty on "Bregstadt" at Sleaford show yesterday with no issues, other than being a lot longer to fit in the storage sidings than the normally rostered V100.  It ran smoothly and near silently as seen in this short video clip.  It also romped round the R2 corners at the ends with no effort whatsoever.  Well pleased.

 

Note the difference in height between UK and Continental stock.   The 2-10-0 it passes is also a Hornby group product, a Class 58 in Prussian livery.

 

 

The miked-up child you can hear is doing the draw for the show raffle....

 

Why a class 50 on a German layout?  Post-preservation European tour, and it was a "Plandampf" day- anything goes.

 

Les

 

Edited June 2 by Les1952
typos as usual

[lyneux]

Having just obtained one of these I'm also struck by how much higher the roof seems to be than the Mk2f stock. However, looking up some numbers it would appear that the height difference is at least (in part) prototypical.

 

From the Harris Mk2 book the Mk2d/e/f are 12ft 5 1/4 inches from rail to over vents. The vents are Roevacs which are around 2 inches high making the actual roof line more like 12ft 3 1/4 inches. For the Class 50 roof I have found a couple of measurements which look consistent: 12ft 9 1/16 inch from rail to roof line and 12ft 11 3/4 inch for max height over vents (from the diagram book).

 

So just taking the roof line measurements there's around 6 inches difference between a Class 50 and an aircon Mk2 roof line. This is 1.27mm in 1:120 scale.

 

This picture of 50008 illustrates the height difference well: http://www.hondawanderer.com/50008_Church_Fenton_2019.htm

 

Nevertheless, this doesn't account for the full height difference. I would agree that the model also appears to ride a little high on its bogies (presumably to stop the wheels fouling the bodysides on tight curves). Measuring the Hornby model I get 33.2mm from rail height to roof line (not over vents). 12ft 9 1/16 inch is 32.4mm in 1/120 scale. So that looks to be potentially 0.8mm added to the ride height by Hornby to allow the model to go round tight curves. I'm hoping that the loco can be lowered but haven't had it apart yet.

 

So these two things together add up to the observed ~2mm of height difference on the models.

 

I hope that helps!

 

Guy

 

EDIT: For what it's worth, I think Hornby have the bogie side frames slightly too high compared to the wheel centres. Presumably this is to make the gap between the body and bogie side frame look more prototypical and take up some of the 'slack' in the additional height they have had to raise the body. This would also need adjusting as well if the body is to be lowered.

Edited September 18 by lyneux