REVIEW. Hornby Railroad 'Jinty' 'R2882'

[markS&D]

Hornby Railroad Jinty 'R2882'.


This model can be sourced very cheaply over the internet, so one has no problems in sourcing a low price tank engine.

The model arrived promptly. The loco box uses the older style of Hornby packaging, where we have a single piece polystyrene tray, and have to try and lift the model out without damaging it (although in this case it is easier being an 0-6-0 tank engine.

First Impressions:

Loco Body:

The example I bought is finished in the Dark Blue 'Somerset and Dorset' Livery, the finish is actually very good, and the livery is nicely applied. The body also features seperately applied handrails (in some areas), and a small detail pack is provided with a 'loco crew' and front and rear 'vacuum pipes'.
The body is let down by the fact that it is handed down from the old 'Triang/Hornby' days in that it sits too high on the chassis, and has a filled in section under the boiler (behind the smokebox), and is absent of quite a few detail parts. Sprung buffers are not fitted to this model, but then it is in the Railroad Range.

Loco Chassis:

This example has a 'China made' chassis, however, there are no sprung axles in this particular example. The chassis is not too bad in appearance (for the cost), it has brake shoes near the wheels, the wheels are darkened, and the coupling rods are divided on the centre axle. On closer examination, there are 'electrical wiper contacts' on all 6 wheels. So far So Good you might say.

Now we come to the bad points of the chassis! It is fitted with the older 'type 7' throw away '3 pole motor', this is not the best sort of motor, for what is escentially a low speed shunting/short distance loco.
The loco does not like 'insulfrog points' or 'insulfrog Diamond Crossings, I found that you can spend hours trying to get the loco to run over these types of points/crossings, it will stop very randomly, this is partly due to the wheel spacing, partly due to the solid chassis, with no 'give' in the axles, and partly due to the poor motor.

In summary I have to say this:

.."It is a cheap model that looks like a jinty".

Dont expect miracles from the model, it is not engineered that way. If you can afford the 'Bachmann' model, then I would buy it without question, it is far superior in every regard.

In Summary.

Yes the loco looks like a jinty, nicely applied livery, it is however too unreliable to make it a worthy contender to the Bachmann model, this model is nowhere near as good as the Railroad 9F, which ironically can be purchased for not that much more!

Body: 4/10, Reworked 'Triang' so dont expect too much.
Chassis: 3/10 , nice try, but too unreliable.
Value for Money: 5/10, it does what it says on the tin, a budget model, but thats about it.

[Brossard]

It does look quite attractive but, as you say suffers from it's Margate heritage. I particularly don't like the lack of external brake rodding. A far better model is the Bachmann version - but I expect you know that.

I actually have a very old body (in crimson lake) that I plan to pretty up with the Brassmasters detailing pack and a Comet chassis.

John

[markS&D]

It is quite attractive, but when placed side by side with the 'Bachmann' model, you can see why you spent the extra money.

After spending hour upon hour trying to get the loco to run without stopping on pointwork, I have restricted it to a shunter, which only has to pass over 2 points.

It could be down to the way I have laid the points, but the fact that every other loco I own will happily run over these points without stopping, leads me to blame the loco itself.

[tornado64]

don't understand the point behind these reviews !! hornbys jinty is what it is an old toy improved over the years

it caters fantasticly for its aimed market at a reasonable price

yes bachmans will be better but it is aimed at modellers rather than catering for all levels

i have one and can't say i find it that bad at slow running , granted not one of the best but also eons away from being one of the worst !