Here's a little delight, been on sale a year now and relatively little comment about it, but what there is typically favourable. Not much to say really, when it's this good all around. I haven't a drawing so must take the dimensions on trust, but it looks right. The mechanism runs beautifully, my old H&M Duette which is my DC test unit ahead of decoder fitting, produced a steady dead slow crawl.
Hornby have given this model a hinged fallplate, which properly bridges the gap to the tender step when the drawbar is moved to the short position, and have also represented the weather sheet detail on the rear of the cab roof. This is all very good indeed. (Since the opportunity offered over the weekend, I gave it a try on a set track layout and it will - just - go round R2 with the drawbar in the short position. It's tight, but relatively little out of view modification, or substitution of a DIY drawbar just a half millimetre longer, will make it 'easy' on R2.)
Decoder fitting would have been very simple, except that I had a salvaged Lenz Silver 8 pin decoder handy, on which the plug is rather chunky, so the tender top wouldn't go back on, as Hornby have mounted the socket rather high. Now internally fiddled with so the decoder plug fits, and performance is everything it should be on DCC, as expected given the way it ran on DC.
I hope someone has pointed out to La Sturgeon that now Hornby have produced a 'current standard' pre-group Scottish railway company loco model, it's an absolute belter. This may well be the best RTR 0-6-0 seen to date, I do hope that those who wanted some 'character traction' for the steam scene in Scotland are ponying up the cash for these. Selfish motives, I'd love a D34 of the same quality, (an extremely handsome mixed traffic 4-4-0, even by the usual high standards of CR and NBR loco design) and there are plenty more very elegant machines from Cowlairs and St Rollox that would make splendid models.
Hornby J36
Re: Hornby J36
I have one and another I'm waiting for due to it's name being somewhat appropriate for me LOL. Mine is a fantastic runner, and doesn't suffer from light footedness like my J11's do. Obviously not made in the same factory as the A1,2,4 etc are either because it's very well build and hasn't fallen to bits. Not sure who Hornby's manufactuers are, but one of them at least makes fabulously well built and decorated models.
Re: Hornby J36
Hornby have stolen a march over Bachmann on the 'small black loco' front of late. It took Hornby quite a while to realise that their main competitor was winning customers by a focus on the smaller steam traction, but they are competing now. The quite recent move to near all metal loco bodies (which I first saw on the J15) makes all the difference to the weight of smaller tender loco models, and the four I now have with this feature from Hornby are all winners for traction as a result. (Real fun is the B12/3. A small 4-6-0, and it will outhaul any currently manufactured plastic bodied 4-6-0 that I have sampled.)D605Eagle wrote:...Mine is a fantastic runner, and doesn't suffer from light footedness like my J11's do...
The factory identifier on the packaging for three of the four Hornby metal bodied locos I have including the J36, is 'LOT01'. The D16/3 is CHL01. (Not bought any Hornby pacifics since production finished at Sanda Kan (SK) so cannot make a comparison there.) I have seen or heard of at least twelve factory identifiers since Hornby finished with Sanda Kan: TEC, TEC01, REF, REF05, CHL, CHL01, TAL, TAL05, EXG, SEN, SEN59, in addition to LOT01.D605Eagle wrote:... Obviously not made in the same factory as the A1,2,4 etc are either because it's very well built and hasn't fallen to bits. Not sure who Hornby's manufacturers are...
Quite what all these exactly represent isn't clear, and also I may not have a full list as I don't buy all of Hornby's output, only a small selection of their locos and rolling stock!
Indeed, I am on 4 out of 4 with LOT01. Excellent drive trains, and plenty of weight supplied by cast metal; the one exception to the largely metal body is the J50 which being a large 'block' of a tank loco has ample space for weight inside, covered by a conventional plastic body shell. The D16/3 from CHL01 is equally as good as the LOT01 product, so that's two factories at least that can do the largely metal loco body to a good standard. That said, all the loco product from yet further of the factories Hornby use has also been good: B1, B17, K1, L1, O1; no real complaints about any of these as they stand. But I would like the tender locos yet more if the loco bodies were largely metal, (the L1 tank loco like the J50 has ample space for weight within which has been well utilised) this would certainly help the traction on the B1 and B17 in particular, which are a little light footed.D605Eagle wrote:... one of them at least makes fabulously well built and decorated models.
Amidst all the complaints about Hornby's various quality problems, I do seem to be on a winning streak: ten LNER design loco models with no problems of any significance to report, from a total of 17 locos in operation. (The pony trucks of the L1's needed to be converted from the horrible two pivot camming thing that Hornby install, I have added weight to the B1, B17 and O1, installed soft springs on bogie pivots, fiddled around with some of the loco to tender couplings to give the scale gap which my 30" minimum radius layout allows, altered a few decoder location arrangements, is all. Simple stuff in other words, to slightly improve something otherwise very satisfactory, and no issues with construction or reliability on the layout...)
And also: I see that as part of the centenary job Hornby are releasing a limited edition Duchess with metal body. I would like to see Hornby move to metal bodies on tender locos as standard construction. Clearly it is now fully possible with no impact to detail, and everything else positive in the way of loco weight for good traction and electrical pick up.
- luckymucklebackit
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Re: Hornby J36
If you get one marked COVID-19, I would handle with extreme care!Bigmet wrote: The factory identifier on the packaging for three of the four Hornby metal bodied locos I have including the J36, is 'LOT01'. The D16/3 is CHL01. (Not bought any Hornby pacifics since production finished at Sanda Kan (SK) so cannot make a comparison there.) I have seen or heard of at least twelve factory identifiers since Hornby finished with Sanda Kan: TEC, TEC01, REF, REF05, CHL, CHL01, TAL, TAL05, EXG, SEN, SEN59, in addition to LOT01.
Quite what all these exactly represent isn't clear, and also I may not have a full list as I don't buy all of Hornby's output, only a small selection of their locos and rolling stock!
This Signature Left Intentionally Blank, but since I have written this and I intended to do it, this Signature is intentionally not blank. Paradox or What?
My layout - Gateside and Northbridge
My layout - Gateside and Northbridge