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Hornby's Best Ever Models


robmcg
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Was it not the case that Bulleid tinkered with the design to avoid the patents? Hence BFB (Bulleid-Firth-Brown) wheels on Southern stuff.

 

On US engines the cast wheels were better for high speeds and balancing, less risk of tyres moving on spokes, as I understand it.

 

On the more popular subject of Hornby Duchesses, or Princess Coronations, I see that people are beginning to realise that the cylinder angles are not always quite right, nor are the slidebars, nor is the vertical valve gear drop arm to the slidebars, etc etc just like the old models... and there are no front brakes, just like the old models...

 

I have just photographed my 2005-6 model 'City of Chester' which wasn't a bad model, even has a touch of sheen in the Brunswick,  but the new models are I'm sure much better in many details, driving wheel shapes, front bogie design tender frames, and so on..   

 

This is relatively untouched by editing.

 

post-7929-0-34938200-1509398807_thumb.jpg

 

/When I dabbled in model railways again in 2004 after about 36 years away from the hobby it was a Hornby City of Glasgow in LMS lined black which got me hooked, great detail, silent running, what a revelation!

 

I can't resist it! Can't help myself!  Here is the same photo after some PSP6 magic.  The MiM will have to be appeased...

 

post-7929-0-30764000-1509398337_thumb.jpg

 

cheers

 

edited to fix errors in my uploading, got size wrong at first.   

 

..

Edited by robmcg
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I don't know about 'best ever' but my SECR H Class arrived today and it's very nicely painted and printed. Certainly one of the best in that respect.

 

I had one of these on pre-order but withdrew on the grounds that half a second Duchess was more appealing....

 

I look forward to seeing photos of these 0-4-4Ts in their full SECR glory.

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On US engines the cast wheels were better for high speeds and balancing, less risk of tyres moving on spokes, as I understand it.

 

On the more popular subject of Hornby Duchesses, or Princess Coronations, I see that people are beginning to realise that the cylinder angles are not always quite right, nor are the slidebars, nor is the vertical valve gear drop arm to the slidebars, etc etc just like the old models... and there are no front brakes, just like the old models...

 

I have just photographed my 2005-6 model 'City of Chester' which wasn't a bad model, even has a touch of sheen in the Brunswick,  but the new models are I'm sure much better in many details, driving wheel shapes, front bogie design tender frames, and so on..   

 

This is relatively untouched by editing.

 

attachicon.gif46239_Stanier_portrait1_10a_r1200.jpg

 

/When I dabbled in model railways again in 2004 after about 36 years away from the hobby it was a Hornby City of Glasgow in LMS lined black which got me hooked, great detail, silent running, what a revelation!

 

I can't resist it! Can't help myself!  Here is the same photo after some PSP6 magic.  The MiM will have to be appeased...

 

attachicon.gif46239_Stanier_portrait1_3a_r1200.jpg

 

cheers

 

edited to fix errors in my uploading, got size wrong at first.   

 

..

The previous Duchess is certainly not a bad model. Your photo enhancements plus the fact that the new Duchess are unlikely to drop below the £150 mark are inspiring me towards an upgrade program of my existing models rather than wholesale replacement. Apart from 46256 which arrived yesterday and is absolutely magnificent :)

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The previous Duchess is certainly not a bad model. Your photo enhancements plus the fact that the new Duchess are unlikely to drop below the £150 mark are inspiring me towards an upgrade program of my existing models rather than wholesale replacement. Apart from 46256 which arrived yesterday and is absolutely magnificent :)

 

Indeed and I have both crimson Staniers en route...  then someone says there is an LMS semi  limited production at Rails?   (A bit early in the morning for me to read something and actually absorb it, coffee yet to kick in!)

 

I fully agree however that the new models are better, especially for me the front bogie, and the driving wheels. If Iwas making any point it was that both old and new versions are assembled with the same degree of accuracy, cylinder/slidebar angles and such .. and FWIW I prefer the later trailing truck arrangement over the pre-2008? type.

 

Cheers

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Here is the Rails photo of 46229 in post-war lined black...

 

How can you resist!  This is the same as the 'City of Glasgow' which got be back into model railways in 2004!

 

Grateful acknowledgements to Rails.

 

post-7929-0-42198300-1509482415_thumb.jpg

 

cheers

 

 

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here is a final pic of 46239...

 

post-7929-0-36698200-1509483065_thumb.jpg

 

considerably edited, in one of those patches of sunlight which happened from time to time when you were changing film.... 

 

But just moving on from Duchesses, I have made pics of ex-GCR B2 4-6-0s 'Sir Sam Fay' class and wondered in the light of the upcoming Brighton Marsh Atlantics if anyone will ever make an RTR GCR C4 Atlantic?

 

post-7929-0-36664100-1509483280_thumb.jpg

 

A stirring departure for London via the Great Central...  5427 probably standing-in for a D11/1...    :)

 

edit;  relevance to Hornby?  the above based on a B12 of course!

Edited by robmcg
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ok ok here is the source of the previous pic...

 

Nobody ever talks about the B12 anymore....

 

what a beauty!

 

post-7929-0-45495800-1509486748_thumb.jpg

 

pic edited...  now to work out a way to illustrate an ex-GCR C4 Atlantic, and in what colours?  (Ignoring for a moment the Union Pacific 2-10-2 locos which are awaiting attention)

 

 

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Looking for all the world like Lord Kitchener, the driver of ex-GCR LNER C4 5265 poses, express headcode, the glory days of Marylebone-Sheffield express trains with keen crews, thrashed engines, and 60mph averages with maxima around 90mph...  according to O S Nock's excellent accounts in 'British Locomotives at Work' (1947).

 

I must find out what liveries the C4s had, GCR, LNER, post-war, and so on, some wore BR colours too, not sure if they ever got crests.

 

I had a feeling that some may have been painted in a darker sage green at some early post-grouping point, but I may be confusing this with GCR colours.

 

Weathered black with red lining here, though, as per LNER pre-war (unlike the D11 4-4-0s and Ivatt 4-4-2s).

 

post-7929-0-42753000-1509504425_thumb.jpg

 

pic edited

 

Robinson forever! And if they aren't made RTR, devise a picture anyway. :)

Edited by robmcg
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here is a final pic of 46239...

 

attachicon.gif46239_duchess_portrait21_2ab_r1200.jpg

 

considerably edited, in one of those patches of sunlight which happened from time to time when you were changing film.... 

 

But just moving on from Duchesses, I have made pics of ex-GCR B2 4-6-0s 'Sir Sam Fay' class and wondered in the light of the upcoming Brighton Marsh Atlantics if anyone will ever make an RTR GCR C4 Atlantic?

 

attachicon.gif5427_B2_GCR_departing_portrait1_5ab_r1200a.jpg

 

A stirring departure for London via the Great Central...  5427 probably standing-in for a D11/1...    :)

 

edit;  relevance to Hornby?  the above based on a B12 of course!

Rob,

I seem to remember Ks kits doing Sir Sam Fay in the dim and distant past.

A lovely looking loco.

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I think we can endure the fact that 'best ever models' can encompass 'what ifs' and 'maybes' and WW2 bombers, or garden gnomes for that matter..

 

The more pertinent question is, are Hornby planning an RTR Lord Nelson?  (I sincerely doubt GCR 4-coupled engines are high on the list. Even Bachmann with its 2-8-0s is taking so long with its Brighton Atlantics that I don't expect to see such).

 

If a LN was made to the standard on the Arthurs that would be nice.

 

On the other hand wish-lists are frowned-upon round here...  

 

Putting all that aside, I have bought several O S Nock books recently including the 1947 'British Locomotives at Work' and what a lovely book it is! Gradient profiles, maps, good b+w photos, text with colourful atmosphere, names of drivers and firemen generally included, call me shallow but I like his style of writing.  In particular he described the style of engineering exemplified by Drummond, Stroudley, Urie and Maunsell, and Robinson engines, and noted their ability to be worked hard even when run-down.   So pics of Arthurs are likely soon. :)  The Urie Arthurs were thought to run faster and the Maunsells better at slogging.

 

Ossie gets severely criticised by some reviewers for repeating things in several books, etc, and not giving sources, and not being totally authoritative. And the great crime of including anecdotes, descriptions of the countryside, weather, and so on well excuse me  ...  that's like criticising Thomas Hardy for including stories about people!

 

Rant over.

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The H class is a lovely looking loco, Hornby has got a nice shiny brass effect on the dome, unlike the Oxford effort on the Dean Goods.  I hope the forthcoming Hattons P class has an equally shiny dome......

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The H class is a lovely looking loco, Hornby has got a nice shiny brass effect on the dome, unlike the Oxford effort on the Dean Goods.  I hope the forthcoming Hattons P class has an equally shiny dome......

 

To me the main thing is the exquisite modelling, I find it quite astounding for the price.

 

Same with this much edited photo of the Rails Duchess of Hamilton in 1948...  backing up for another express turn on the WCML.

 

post-7929-0-71331500-1509656646_thumb.jpg

 

Meanwhile, my attentions turn to the hard-working N15s on the Southern, and the differences between the Urie and Maunsell locos, after reading more O S Nock anecdotes about them, I used to think the le Maitre funnels looked a bit odd on an N15 but in reading about how fast these engines actually were, my opinion has changed.

 

post-7929-0-01392700-1509656970_thumb.jpg

 

Actually, who could doubt the magnificence of Hornby RTR modelling in 2008, and the many variations on this superb class of engines?

 

post-7929-0-06954900-1509658659_thumb.jpg

 

cheers

Edited by robmcg
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Who said anything about Hornby making a Lord Nelson?

 

Rumours, lies, prevarications, blurred pictures...

 

post-7929-0-86580200-1509741166_thumb.jpg

 

post-7929-0-61028500-1509749550_thumb.jpg

 

cheers,

 

edit; when I made these pics a couple of years ago I got exceedingly confused about subtle details like tender types, even with the Irwell book! 

 

If Hornby make one as good as the N15 they will be on a winner.  Just like the GWR King.   Ah    no,    .... wait....    :)

Edited by robmcg
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Hornby's Best Ever Models?    GCR Sir Sam Fay and a GCR Atlantic ?   :scratchhead:    

 

Why does idle speculation and wishful thinking and general conversation about RTR models, weathering them, and pictures, (usually modified in my case), perplex you (and others), given that the title is a question?

No mention in your short double question of kitset aeroplanes, which are perfectly welcome in this thread, and very interesting as well.

 

I think both of the locomotive examples you cite appear on wish-lists. I suppose that for some readers the thread has to be about existing Hornby models only, and not about what might be, but for me and some others it could be about WW2 railway operating practices.... or whether the le Maitre exhaust system was the only thing which made Lord Nelsons locos work... or whether the ability of N15s to sustain 1,300-1,400 hp at 60mph was true.... or anything remotely relevant to Hornby models.

 

It's intended as enjoyment of models and different subjects. Sorry if that deviation from thread-title perplexes you.

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To me the main thing is the exquisite modelling, I find it quite astounding for the price.

 

Same with this much edited photo of the Rails Duchess of Hamilton in 1948...  backing up for another express turn on the WCML.

 

attachicon.gif46229_duchess_portrait50_1948_2abcd_r1200.jpg

 

Meanwhile, my attentions turn to the hard-working N15s on the Southern, and the differences between the Urie and Maunsell locos, after reading more O S Nock anecdotes about them, I used to think the le Maitre funnels looked a bit odd on an N15 but in reading about how fast these engines actually were, my opinion has changed.

 

attachicon.gif30737_N15_portrait1_1a_full_r1200.jpg

 

Actually, who could doubt the magnificence of Hornby RTR modelling in 2008, and the many variations on this superb class of engines?

 

attachicon.gif785_N15_portrait2_2abcde_full_r1200.jpg

 

cheers

The N15 is rather special for me. Many, many years ago, Hornby brought out an awful model, so bad that even I, who wanted one, wouldn’t touch it. Then it was re-tooled. Beautiful! I have three and have kept an eye open for another variation in case Hornby decided to make it.

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Why does idle speculation and wishful thinking and general conversation about RTR models, weathering them, and pictures, (usually modified in my case), perplex you (and others), given that the title is a question?

No mention in your short double question of kitset aeroplanes, which are perfectly welcome in this thread, and very interesting as well.

 

I think both of the locomotive examples you cite appear on wish-lists. I suppose that for some readers the thread has to be about existing Hornby models only.

 

It's intended as enjoyment of models and different subjects. Sorry if that deviation from thread-title perplexes you.

Surely then, if we go by thread title, this thread should only be about Hornby OO Gauge UK Models. Rivarossi, Jouef etc may fall under the Hornby umbrella, but they are all still other models. Similarly, Airfix and Scalextric should not appear. I definitely agree that no wishlisting should be allowed though.

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Surely then, if we go by thread title, this thread should only be about Hornby OO Gauge UK Models. Rivarossi, Jouef etc may fall under the Hornby umbrella, but they are all still other models. Similarly, Airfix and Scalextric should not appear. I definitely agree that no wishlisting should be allowed though.

 

This thread has never taken itself to seriously and lets just leave it at that... if you don't like it you can always always use the 'Ignore Topic' button.

 

Also be advised today is the day every year that the Admins and the Mods dread - the anniversary of my father's death (it's the 10th and I'm having to deal with a very emotional Mum)

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Well, it's definitely a toss-up between the King Arthur and Gresley B17 for me.

 

Isn't it strange how poorly-regarded the B17 has become given the apparent over-supply of the model and deep discounting. I presume that most people who want one now have at least one, and quite possibly several.

 

Both the N15 and the B17 could be regarded as very successful 4-6-0s, the N15 according to O S Nock could be driven with variable regulator or cutoff  and still produce power, the B17 OTOH seemed to thrive on the ex-GCR least on full regulator and variable cut-off, reaching 80-90mph at times on 15%... 

 

Note. The term B17 has nothing to do with any aeroplane.  :)  No such idea is allowed!

 

Handsome engines though...

 

post-7929-0-41746800-1509820219_thumb.jpg

 

post-7929-0-05232100-1509820270_thumb.jpg

 

post-7929-0-73704600-1509820320_thumb.jpg

 

 

edit; sorry Hilux, I hope Hornby does produce a Lord Nelson..... equally, I enjoy the aeroplanes.

 

Hope you get through the day, toboldlygo.

 

cheers

Edited by robmcg
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