I bought a 66 Sorrento after reading your review. I got it for £59 at Kernow. At that price it is fine and I’m pleased with my purchase. Looks good running around the track with a few freight wagons, no problems, about to fit a decoder.
I bought the original Lima Class 59s back in 1990s and at the time it was regarded as a good model. Bought a very similar Hornby Class 66 a few months back and not disappointed. Agree with Euvirail video, its provides a useful niche in the market.
Another great video with fair judgement. I have had two and would recommend a young enthusiast one as an early acquisition at the lower end of the pricing scale. TTS brings more fun than lights. They should be railroad marketed as should the 92.
This is a model for me. I´m a modeler who loves to upgrade basic or old models. Giving them a decent amount of weight, adding some details and giving them a nice weathering and they´re ready for the layout.
If I remember right. Most of the tooling except the motor and the addition of DCC is from the Lima range. Not bad for a model in its day but this Hornby Class 66 should be relegated to the Railroad range for those on a budget and newcomers into the Hobby. Hornby should also do the same with the dated Class 92 model once the Accurascale model comes out.
Hi Ash, yeah, I think there are 4 main changes to the original Lima models - motor, additional pickups, added weight and the DCC socket. It's still not much different to what it was 40 years ago! In terms of the branding I think Hornby are actually diluting their mainstream brand by not re-positioning the 66 and 92.
I really enjoy your videos, they are the standard to which everyone should be making reviews on OO gauge Trains. Excellent Audio, very good quailty video footage, and well informed takes. I hope you continue to add more reviews on what ever you have as they are very useful for informing my buying habits.
Yeah, it's a 40 year old model with an 8-pin DCC socket, some additional weight and pick-ups added to all wheels. That's it. At the right price it's fine but not at so at the more recent RRP levels.
I got one of these when this range was first introduced at around £65RRP and I think that was a fair price point for them. 3 years or so on and the RRP is now North of £90, I don't see the justification in that tbh. At the price you got it for, it's a bargain and probably worth the money as long as expectations are kept in reality. At £90, if you want to buy the lighting kit on top of that and then a decoder as well, well you might as well just go buy a Bachmann or Hatton 66. It's a good model to test out weathering techniques though without fear of ruining anything too expensive
You pay for a brand name, you pay for the "hornby" layout... or you pay for the bachmann one. If you feel comfy with your kid or as a big kid with having some detail. You buy the hattons one if you want to buy highly detailed junk. As to the price, justify any of it really, its all a bit expensive for something that doesn't engage you or your child in a practical learning experience or development of their skills. Other rhan as you say as a weathing test bed but even then, get a none runner lima loco and just strip and paint it over and over until you are confident on something else.
Absolutely Simon, at a particular price point it's fine but at £90+ it no longer makes sense as you start to hit the pricepoint of a second hand Bachmann.
Not sure why which range it sits in matters one bit. It just means the box is different it doesn't change the price or anything else... seems a little bit daft. Anyone buying it can already see it lacks some of the detail and features of other offerings on the market so what difference does that "railroad" printed on a box actually make? Does it cause offence to those who don't own railroad because it's for kids? Or the other way around people don't wanna buy "main range" out of principle and thus it not being "railroad" puts them off. All very strange behaviour if you ask me.
Hi there. new subscriber here! What i want to know is how do you service the motor ? As i have one i have had it a number of years now,but i would like to put some oil on the motor,but it's in one of those horrible sealed jobbies !
Hi Michael, unfortunately the Hornby service sheet for the Class 66 (support.hornby.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017046320-HSS-369E-Class-66) doesn't offer any guidance. In general, the guidance for modern day models is not to apply any lubrication to the motor itself and only some light lubrication to the gearing. I'd post the question in the Hornby Forum (uk.hornby.com/community/forum) and see what you get. Hornby monitor the forum so if no one else gets back to you then they will likely roll in. If it's a case your motor has started to sound a bit rough and/or has degraded performance wise then I'd contact Hornby support directly for help. While I criticise Hornby a bit on things like their pricing, their support has always been good when I contacted them. This is my first and only Hornby Class 66 and I've only had it a few months so haven't had to worry about any servicing it yet - apart from keeping the wheels clean.
I would say if Hornby were realistic with the price on these and just throw it into the railroad plus range it would be OK! But they just simply are not worth the £96 at time of writing, that Hornby are charging! I have the DB key workers version and over about a year it's shed,no pun intended, two sets of traction tyres! They are just not worth the money IMHO.
Hi Mike, I'm an advocate for low cost entry level models to facilitate new comers to the hobby but they need to be value for money and £96 for this model misses the mark alright. For a discounted £50 or £60 then perhaps it's a different story but that's 30-40% less than the RRP. Thanks for commenting.
I bought a 66 Sorrento after reading your review. I got it for £59 at Kernow. At that price it is fine and I’m pleased with my purchase. Looks good running around the track with a few freight wagons, no problems, about to fit a decoder.
Thanks for sharing that and I'm glad the review was of use. At that sort of price, it's hard to go wrong with these models.
I bought the original Lima Class 59s back in 1990s and at the time it was regarded as a good model. Bought a very similar Hornby Class 66 a few months back and not disappointed. Agree with Euvirail video, its provides a useful niche in the market.
Thanks Alan.
Another great video with fair judgement. I have had two and would recommend a young enthusiast one as an early acquisition at the lower end of the pricing scale. TTS brings more fun than lights. They should be railroad marketed as should the 92.
Thanks Stephen. Yeah, I'd have loved one of these when I starting out and putting them under the Railroad banner positions them appropriately.
This is a model for me.
I´m a modeler who loves to upgrade basic or old models.
Giving them a decent amount of weight, adding some details and giving them a nice weathering and they´re ready for the layout.
I love to hear that. I've always felt good about enhancing cheaper or older models into something I was happy to run on the layout.
If I remember right. Most of the tooling except the motor and the addition of DCC is from the Lima range. Not bad for a model in its day but this Hornby Class 66 should be relegated to the Railroad range for those on a budget and newcomers into the Hobby. Hornby should also do the same with the dated Class 92 model once the Accurascale model comes out.
Hi Ash, yeah, I think there are 4 main changes to the original Lima models - motor, additional pickups, added weight and the DCC socket. It's still not much different to what it was 40 years ago! In terms of the branding I think Hornby are actually diluting their mainstream brand by not re-positioning the 66 and 92.
Another good, honest review !
Thanks Andrew
I really enjoy your videos, they are the standard to which everyone should be making reviews on OO gauge Trains. Excellent Audio, very good quailty video footage, and well informed takes. I hope you continue to add more reviews on what ever you have as they are very useful for informing my buying habits.
Thanks for that. I have invested in improving the production values over time so it's good to see it acknowledged.
Useful review. You do get the feeling that this is an outdated model for an up-to-date price! Thanks for uploading.
Yeah, it's a 40 year old model with an 8-pin DCC socket, some additional weight and pick-ups added to all wheels. That's it. At the right price it's fine but not at so at the more recent RRP levels.
I got one of these when this range was first introduced at around £65RRP and I think that was a fair price point for them. 3 years or so on and the RRP is now North of £90, I don't see the justification in that tbh. At the price you got it for, it's a bargain and probably worth the money as long as expectations are kept in reality. At £90, if you want to buy the lighting kit on top of that and then a decoder as well, well you might as well just go buy a Bachmann or Hatton 66. It's a good model to test out weathering techniques though without fear of ruining anything too expensive
You pay for a brand name, you pay for the "hornby" layout... or you pay for the bachmann one. If you feel comfy with your kid or as a big kid with having some detail.
You buy the hattons one if you want to buy highly detailed junk.
As to the price, justify any of it really, its all a bit expensive for something that doesn't engage you or your child in a practical learning experience or development of their skills. Other rhan as you say as a weathing test bed but even then, get a none runner lima loco and just strip and paint it over and over until you are confident on something else.
Absolutely Simon, at a particular price point it's fine but at £90+ it no longer makes sense as you start to hit the pricepoint of a second hand Bachmann.
Agree. It would be lipstick on a pig.
Well thought out again . Good overview
Thanks Russell
The age of the Lima tooling is showing and it needs to be put into either the "railroad" range or retired entirely.
Not sure why which range it sits in matters one bit. It just means the box is different it doesn't change the price or anything else... seems a little bit daft. Anyone buying it can already see it lacks some of the detail and features of other offerings on the market so what difference does that "railroad" printed on a box actually make? Does it cause offence to those who don't own railroad because it's for kids? Or the other way around people don't wanna buy "main range" out of principle and thus it not being "railroad" puts them off. All very strange behaviour if you ask me.
I'm pretty sure the tooling for this model is from the old Lima tooling.
It is.
Hi there. new subscriber here! What i want to know is how do you service the motor ? As i have one i have had it a number of years now,but i would like to put some oil on the motor,but it's in one of those horrible sealed jobbies !
Hi Michael, unfortunately the Hornby service sheet for the Class 66 (support.hornby.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017046320-HSS-369E-Class-66) doesn't offer any guidance. In general, the guidance for modern day models is not to apply any lubrication to the motor itself and only some light lubrication to the gearing. I'd post the question in the Hornby Forum (uk.hornby.com/community/forum) and see what you get. Hornby monitor the forum so if no one else gets back to you then they will likely roll in. If it's a case your motor has started to sound a bit rough and/or has degraded performance wise then I'd contact Hornby support directly for help. While I criticise Hornby a bit on things like their pricing, their support has always been good when I contacted them. This is my first and only Hornby Class 66 and I've only had it a few months so haven't had to worry about any servicing it yet - apart from keeping the wheels clean.
@@EuviRail Thank's for the reply and a very good one at that! I won't bother Hornby i cant stand them now tbh!
I would say if Hornby were realistic with the price on these and just throw it into the railroad plus range it would be OK! But they just simply are not worth the £96 at time of writing, that Hornby are charging! I have the DB key workers version and over about a year it's shed,no pun intended, two sets of traction tyres! They are just not worth the money IMHO.
Hi Mike, I'm an advocate for low cost entry level models to facilitate new comers to the hobby but they need to be value for money and £96 for this model misses the mark alright. For a discounted £50 or £60 then perhaps it's a different story but that's 30-40% less than the RRP. Thanks for commenting.
Old Lima tooling…
Money for old rope as they say. The only real additions are all wheel pick-up, a DCC socket and a more contemporary livery.