It's a safe way of holding a loco one handed without applying any lateral force to the drawbar... they're designed for longitudinal force like that! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Another commenter also said this, but I would very highly recommend listening to/watching Railway Mania’s podcast episode on Edward Thompson or reading Peter Grafton’s “Edward Thompson of the LNER.” Both are examinations of Thompson and his engines using contemporary reference material such as actual archived records from LNER/BR days on the engines’ availability figures and time spent in the works. Both are insightful and unbiased, and give the listener/reader a lot to consider on whether or not Thompson is deserving of being remembered the way he is. Also, great review, as usual.😉
Been watching your videos over the years and you are progressing wonderfully! The enthusiasm is great dont loose it as you get older! I love the concern over the price. Here on the other side of the pond a pacific is $300.00 on up! The concern over the paint glossiness is fantastic in my mind. Here in the USA even if only one steam engine example remains from a large fleet, unless there is dull paint, lots of rust, blow down residue all over, then there is hell to pay for not looking as it did near end of steam or as delivered all black. Now if you paint the smoke box silver as they did for safety, and looks when shops had time, trim paint the tires /running boards white, then that is a sign of poor restoration. For me, it is a treat to see UK surviving steam engines dressed up! Great videos
Thanks so much Clint, really appreciate that! Yes I think it's important to talk about these issues - hopefully we'll see some improvements as a result! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, great video! If you want more info on the Thompson Pacific’s check out Railway Manias video featuring Simon A.C Martin. It’s very interesting. It’s called Edward Thompson hero or villain. I thoroughly recommend it! The reasons behind the rebuild are very interesting. Especially when the prototypes availability figures (time available for service) improved after the rebuild. Anyways keep up the great work, Ross.
I was going to recommend this video too! It's a fascinating interview, esp. for someone like me who didn't understand what the furor against Thompson was about.
@@sharkymcsharknose2979 it’s a brilliant insight into Edward Thompson and honestly anything Simon Martin doesn’t know about the LNER isn’t worth knowing. I’m currently awaiting my A2/2 and A2/3 so whilst I’m waiting I’m building a kit of an A2/1 and the A1/1 great northern.
Great review Sam, and another example of inconsistent production from one of the Big Boys...it's such a shame, as it would take relatively little effort to get these models to be top class....They'll get them right one day, but losing potential customers in the meantime....Bob
Sam this is sort of off topic for this type of video but I just wanted to say that I love your videos and I’m happy that you seem to be happy doing what your doing, you are one of the many reasons I got into model railroading and I highly appreciate that :)
Great review. I was sitting tight on making a decision on this. While I'm pleased this unusual loco has been made in model form, the price, quality and livery are a problem. All the other BR Green models in the siding have much better representations of BR Green than the A2/2. Maybe if the price comes down in the future, then I may consider buying it. Thoroughly enjoyed yet again. Can't wait for the next new model to be reviewed by you! :)
Looking at the footage, they seemed to be damaged on arrival, but I didn't notice until I took off the body... fortunately they were very easy to fix, but had I not noticed, the loco could have self-destructed if I'd tested it in that condition! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, interesting review and once again sad to see you have been hit by assembly issues. Are you able to fix these or is it a case of sending the loco back for a replacement? You really should contact Simon Kohler at Hornby and let him know your findings. It is a shame that a lovely model (with a significant price tag) has been let down like this.
Some of the issues you could fix... but short of a repaint, I can't see how I'd fix the livery! Hornby's is bad, but I'm not saying I could do better! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The cylinders set back further than normal seems to upset many people, but I've never heard GWR fans complain that Castles and Kings are ugly even though their cylinders are set back in exactly the same way (though not quite so far). Same goes for the Stanier Princess Elizabeth class. Having cylinders between the first and second bogie wheels just looks more natural (Gresley and Peppercorn Pacifics, Collet Hall and Manor classes).
@@richardhiggins6471 Thompson pacifics had divided drive, with the centre cylinder driving the front axle. Gresley's locos all drove on the second axle, with the centre cylinder much higher to allow the con rod to clear the front axle. Thompson was a 'martinet', who was not missed by his staff when he left the LNER.
I enjoy your content, I’m Mexican American and live in America, and I got to say I love your content, it’s really interesting learning more about trains from the UK, and models, I really hope you get to 100k in the next month, you are very underrated, and need MORE ATTENTION......anyways nice review as always!
Hi Sam brilliant video once again My grandad used to be a lampboy on the ecml and he remembers seeing this exact loco and laughing so much he threw up all over the signal. He never laughed at it again!
Honestly I have plunged deeper and I hope to get as high popularity as you. You’ve done an amazing job making videos and there are locos I recommend such as the 262 prairie steam loco
We always hope the latest model is the best yet, disappointing when it isn't. You provide a valuable service in showing the models in an unbiased review. Thanks
Thanks Sam , I agree entirely with your review ; I sent my A2/2 Thane of Fife back... Smoke box door was loose within the box , gaps in the cab to plate (could see the fitting lugs) and the same issues with the banding application etc. as you pointed out on this version and i have noticed the photos on Kernows website it has a missing lamp iron on the smoke box door ( Thane of Fife) and missing hand rail to the tender and the C O' N nameplate droops .. seriously considering cancelling my Hornby pre-orders ..this loco was hailed as the best ready to run model to date ..... agree it runs nicely mine never got that far ...Think if you can find a well built one ,keep hold of it ...there may not be many ....
Thanks very much Rob, really sorry to hear that - no, not good enough for what we paid at all. I don't know who hailed this as the best rtr model to date, but they don't know what they're talking about! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
As you know, I already own the Hornby P2 in its non Railroad posh form. I was both miffed and pleased at the same time when they announced two completely new hi-fi toolings of the P2 as the streamlined and the new build Prince of Wales 2007. I missed the fact that this A2/2 was yet a third version this year. I've ordered the first two. Now Hornby have been creating some lovely quality products lately, so this looks like a build quality and paint application disaster. I saw many more wonky components than you actually mentioned. That lining was awful. Someone built yours on a Friday afternoon, after they'd had a pint or three at lunchtime. Now in theory, paint of a said type, colour and lustre, whether applied to smooth plastic or metal, as long as its over a suitable paint primer, should look identical. That's should but isn't apparently. Some quality control issues going wrong here and Hornby should not have let your example out of the factory, but did ? I must say I quite like its appearance, it has some gravitas, but not as much as a P2.
Thanks Andrew - yeah I was confused by the new P2 announcement too... but bring it on I say! You're right - there were many more than I mentioned, quality sucked unfortunately! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
In a way, I prefer the muted green over the Bachmann gloss green- it, to me at least, looks much more realistic and would fit better with other Hornby and Bachmann BR green locos in my collection. (Also, the Hornby website pics are usually only a representation- I really wish they weren't!)
I’m glad the A1 steam loco trust are building a new P2, so that those who didn’t experience them in real life (and seeing as no one has seen one since the 1930s or something, I don’t think there are that many people who are still alive that saw these in LNER days) can do now. Models are one thing but the real thing is just unbeatable. Anyway great video Sam!
Me too - can't wait until it's done - very few people alive today got to experience the real thing (or at least can remember them!) Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains I also want to see that idea too but I also want to see a video on how to change a valve gear if it breaks. Another idea could be how to add a flywheel to a loco that doesn't have one. (If possible)
26.20 Just look at the overhang of the trailing truck on that curve... I am totally amazed that in this day and age Hornby were still prepared to produce a rigid rear end. Maybe somebody in their design office despises Cartazzi trucks. Excellent and honest review, as always, many thanks for the clarity of your comments.
First time have seen you a bit annoyed this year Sam and I can’t say I blame you. That’s a fair wedge of cash for something that has this issues you point out, especially annoying when older models have something this doesn’t (gauge details etc). Well done for giving a fair review though, and I can’t recall seeing a big steamer running that well from new on your layout before.
Thanks mate, yeah this is the first time - certainly felt this one on the cash side... disappointed with the results! That's right - easily one of the best runners! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam do you feel that Hornby models are not worrying about quality control just lately? . Similar with the Flying Scotsman? I've had something similar with the class 60 tts db version and came with a broken whistle (the was cloae to £180)
There does seem to have been a lot of quality issues from Hornby recently - strange, as they've been spot on over 2020 (in my experience!) Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Those "fin"-style deflectors are unusual in Britain (where either full-height or Witte [aka "German"-style] deflectors seem to be the norm), but are fairly common on steam engines in Poland and Romania (such as the Polish Ty 51, and Romanian 142).
If you're going to conduct an "accurate" history of this class, please take a look at the Railway Mania Podcast Featuring Simon AC Martin regarding Edward Thompson, you will find why Thompson rebuilt these locomotives due to their lack of availability and continuing problems as P2's.
Yes i know why Thompson rebuilt them,but what a mess he made of them,just take one figure of 60501,total mileage 978,597,before rebuilding 616,461.after rebuilding 362,136 and it was more or less the same for the rest of others,heres another 60506 between 1945 to 1959 was shopped 30 times,compared to the then veteran Flying Scotsman with 11 visits in the same time,need any more be said,they were the worst LNER pacifics by far.
@@ericholmes8665 I certainly wouldn't argue with the figures, the only thing you can argue with the figures is that 2001-60501 was the first built and will have more mileage overall. But I think with BR the policy was to start removing weaker classes and the A2/2 certainly wasn't on the top of the list. I feel the standing issue is that on any other of the 4 companies the P2's would have been scrapped. But I would like to have known why they didn't think to beef up the crank axle to try and achieve a better performance for the Locos...Guess we will never know.
Hello Norton,i think if not for the war and Gresleys untimely death they may have made them better engines out of them,their haulage capacity was huge,its going to be so interesting to see the new P2 in action,its not fair to slam Thompson has he took over at a bad time,but his pacific designs were not good,but he more than made up with the superb B1,cheers
Just had a quick look for some photos of the reail locos, and I am NOT convinced by the large gap in the seam that runs along the top of the boiler. I think that either Hornby have mucked this up, or you have not been lucky and have got a 'friday night special' as it were! And what happened with the broken valve gear on the thing? Did you somehow manage to get it fixed?
Thanks Mike - I'm not convinced at all - did you find any decent photos of the top of the boiler? I reckon they mucked it up - too many issues! :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Found a photo of one that had derailed and was on its; side, so you had a very good view of the top of the loco. no sign of a big split in the top of the boiler casing.
An amazing video sam. Great history of the locomotive . An amazing locomotive and a great variety of locomotive around the layout. Can not wait to see more videos like this
Surprisingly, I don't hate the looks of the Thompson A2/2 as much as I thought I would. It pales (like the model's paint) in comparison to the P2 & the wheel spacing is funky-looking but I don't think its too awful. I like the smoke lifters near the chimney. It's great that it performs well, but unfortunately, it seems like Hornby missed the marks on the pricing & build quality.
haha yeah quite a few people are saying that - and I don't mind those smoke lifters either, quite interesting to look at! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The new A2/3 seems to be available now. A TH-cam vid of R3835 Sun Castle has been posted a few hours ago. The owner is pleased to report that his model had the numerous problems of the A2/2 have been addressed. Seems likely Hornby have had some useful interchange with the China factory as to what quality level is expected. Thanks Sam for your part in improving the quality level. Much more useful than reviews that always say everything is superb all the time. Might be too much of a step for you to buy the A2/3 for review as they are so similar to look at and expensive. I could provide a link to the new vid if you wanted to see it.
Waiting on my A2/3, looking forward to it and hoping the LNER green is better. You’re absolutely right about the finish on this, it looks very flat, a bit like the Heljan GWR green. Those small smoke deflectors were an experiment. The LNER tried all sorts before settling on the Peppercorn type, look up the A3 Humorist. Oh, and was the theme early crest BR locos?
Sounds good Jim - usually Hornby do better with LNER green, so fingers crossed for you! Cool on the deflectors - never have seen those before! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Noo not quite - they're not this far back on the Royals or the Kings! Look at the photos - the cylinders line up with the back bogie wheels on those! With the A2, the cylinders are way clear of the back bogie wheels! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hornby seems to really not be able to do Brunsick green poperly. The green is too drab, the orange too bright. I've stood next to, hell, I've been ON Brunswick green locos and that orange line across the running plate is nowhere near as noticable as Hornby makes it out to be. Here's to hoping the LNER liveried A2/3s are a tad less flat though!
Sam are you going to review the Dapol o gauge pannier tank? Also can you race your o gauge locomotives you already own. (but not at full speed, we don't want you to destroy them.)
Hi Sam, this is a very well executed video and goes straight to those areas that are poorly done especially for the price. You are absolutely right about Thompson's carve up of Gresley's P2 which he seemed to think was a problem because of the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement amongst other things. It begs the question of whether he actually understood what was going on in France, Germany and North America at the time when they all built hundreds of mikados to pull passenger and freight. Still, he did do some good, the B1 being one example. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Thanks very much Keith! Yeah it's a pity isn't it? To think one may have been preserved if they'd been kept as P2s... never mind! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Hi Sam, the P2 that is being built will be quite a site running on the main line. For me, it's the most exciting new loco project I've ever seen. There's quite a history to the 2-8-2 saga that also involves Bullied.
Wow it really stayed true to its original form by being a big disappointment Edited: I would have been a lot meaner to this model but it did allow me to make a Thompson joke
Yeah, but the P2s only spent 37% of their time in revenue earning service, the remainder being spent in workshops. The P2 looked nice but it was mechanically crap so had to be rebuilt. The Thompson A2s spent 97% of their time in revenue earning service.
@@DavidRobinson-rj2sp true but when the a2/2 were rebuilt they developed more problems besides I always say the p2s having problems that have to have fixing more than the other Gresley locomotives
The divided drive was also done as it was simpler to maintain when compared to Gresleys conjugated valve gear (the valves of the inside cylinders where connected to and driven by the outside valve gear), whereas the divided drive had a seperate set of valve gear for each cylinder, with I think the inside cylinder(s) driving the leading axle.
God mine today! Couple parts were loose like the front lamp iron and the water scoop, as well as some copious glue marks but I'm quite happy. Personally I don't have much against the green but the BR number is much too yellow, so I'll be changing that out with new decals as well as etched name plates for Thane of Fife
The LNER P2 locos that this was rebuilt from was not that well known until recently. However the LNER P1 earlier freight 2-8-2 booster equipped pair are even less well known but scrapped by Thomspson during the war. I you do a search for the LNER P1 locos you may be surprised by the attractive look of them. In the race to make everything powerful, I wonder how long it will take until models are made of the P1 class?
Yep send it back! - totally unacceptable - cheap and nasty junk from China 🤢 - though at least Hornby hasn’t failed in providing a decent mechanism (which touch wood - they never fail to do irrespective of the range these days)
Another great video Sam! I have long thought that Hornby's green livered locos look flat, plasticy, anaemic and toylike. I also seem to see a number of Hornby locos with warped running plates. Bachmann locos have diecast running plates, so don't suffer this problem.
Thanks a lot Peter - yeah I've started to really notice it lately... probably because other manufacturers are starting to get the finish much better. The Bachmann running plates look much better, not to mention the lack of warping as you say! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
For a long time the "Merchant Navy" was my strongest pacific (4-6-2), but 2.5 years ago i brought one of the new tooled A1 (limited) train set, and I think that loco is stronger. For the strongest 2-10-0; and 2-6-2; goes to my Roco "shaft drive" steamers, and I have a nice 2-10-2 US loco with high pulling power (not good on curves tough), and my favorite anomaly: the Trix 0-8-8-0T with a metal body!
Hi Sam, nice review, as usual. I've received mine during this week. I didn't observe the assembly 'issues' you had and when reviewed after this review, mine is fine - so different to yours. Running, mine is absolutely superb as well - super smooth when very slow and a really fantastic top end. I'm absolutely made up there's no flywheel - creates inertia, and puts more strain on the motor unnecessarily - makes a slow start continued much easier without - we'll agree to differ. Paint - yeuch! Boiler bands - what happened? !! There's a huge void in front of the chassis inside the body - smokebox - which is blanked off - room for more weight. I actually find there's no problems with traction - pulls very well. Tender needed a lot of lead - now much better. I've fitted Springside lamps, Fox's nameplates, and have painted around the smokebox matt black - all makes a big difference - with a Springside crew as well. 'All detailed up' you nearly ignore the paint colour, but not quite!! Do you think this may have been a little 'rushed out' before CNY? Al.
Thanks so much Alan - really glad to hear yours was put together properly - I can't understand why I keep getting lumbered with the Friday afternoon jobs! But yes, no complaints on the pulling power - that's true! Your upgrades sound great, fantastic work! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
From what I have heard from people who lived through the BR Green era, there was considerable variation in the shades used at different times in different sheds. And then add wear and weathering from almost constant exposure.... So it could be fine with a bit of muck & grime added to dull the plasticky look.
Yeah that's right Ewan - given that fact, I find it strange that Hornby went for such a ghastly shade... but sure, with some work it could look better! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Hehe, if you’re modeling the late steam era, much of the steam fleet would have looked pretty ghastly anyway.... Perhaps that is the market they are aiming for? 🤣 Hornby could have released it with a bit of weathering, which could have helped to justify the price!
I think if you remove the tender body and put it back on it will fit better. Maybe the front splasher will be the same? But you already removed the main body.
Having watched your review I’m glad I cancelled my order for an A2 a while ago that green is disappointing! It’s like their BR blue/grey coaches the blues far too dark compared to the likes of Bachmann. I’m having doubts about the midland Pullman hst I’ve got on order whether they’ll get the colour of that right as it’s a lot of money to spend?!
Excellent review Sam 👍 but not so excellent of this model and I feel sorry for to spend so much to buy a loco from Hornby that you were excited to have. You could have bought those four & six wheel carriages from Hornby instead or go for wagon from... well... Bachmann or Hornby. I was interested to get one of these loco, but with so much plastic all over the model, I decided to buy something else like a B17 or Q6 or another Peckett 0-4-0 instead. On a happy note, I’m running my latest model of Bachmann GWR 9400 Class and it running so perfectly and I love it. Now there a model that looks so much impressive.
Thanks so much Joe - ahh don't feel sorry for me - you win some and lose some! Ooh fantastic - really glad to hear it's perfect for you!! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review Sam. Way more than I would spend on a loco - but as you point out quite worrying that Hornby can follow some superb models with this almost backwards step at a premium price.
Thanks so much - yeah it's a pity about that isn't it? I'll be more careful about spending that kind of money with them in the future! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Me again, Expat Geordie, Canada. Have you ever made a video explaining the different HO tack layout elements such as points, crossovers, Diamond crossings, curves ( radius’s 2, 3,, 4, 5. ) etcetera. Best regards from Nova Scotia.
Hi sam. Just watching your video. I bought A2/2 thane of fife from hattons and i was looking at mine and it has none of the bad fittings of your model. Apart from the colour which i agree with you its a nice looking and good running engine.
I wonder why Edward Thompson decided to rebuild all six of the P2s. Couldn't he have left one in original condition? Do you happen to know why there was no Gresley A2 Class? Seems strange that Sir Nigel jumped from A1 to A3 (same with LB&SCR's E-tanks, with the E2 being produced after the E3 through E6) Very nice model, but pity Hornby were so frugal with the design considering the price.
Yeah I know - I guess he vehemently felt the design was no good! Yeah that's true, I don't know how they chose their classifications - there must be a logic to it?! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The Gresley pacific designs went from A1 to A3 because the NER Raven pacific design was given the A2 designation they were mainly built after Grouping. Interestingly they had a similar performance to the A1 in fact apparently steamed better but the A1 was considered ( rightly as it turned out) to have more potential the Raven design was a stretched version of his successful Atlantics with a massive boiler and firebox and pushed that envelope a bit too far, looked very elegant and would make a lovely model Raven and Gresley were supposed to be joint CMEs but Raven was very much the junior partner, Thompson being his son in law may have been miffed by that. Thompson got a lot of bad press , the reason why the P2s got rebuilt instead of building new was that during Ww2 the building of new express locos was banned but rebuilding was OK
Hi Sam, another good loco review video. Looking at the tender rear three quarter view, the buffer beam seems to be distorted/twisted towards the near side, making the buffer look downwards. I don't think you mentioned that, sorry if you did. As an observation, as to the running tests you do, I think that you load the locos rather lightly. As an example, in steam days, the train "The Royal Scot" used to consist of 13 coaches. Regards, Alan.
The A2/2 is one of those locos where I've never really thought about it much, just a loco I knew about, theres just something interesting especially the look it has
Is the theme "locos subsequently rebuilt uglier"? Some of Bulleid's Spamcans were rebuilt by (I think) Riddles into less distinguished outlines, and some of Collett's Castles (whilst themselves rebuilds of earlier Churchward Star designs) were also modified by Hawksworth with double chimneys and welded tenders.
Thank you! I was on the fence about this model. Thankfully your review swayed me to wait till its hopefully cheaper somewhere Is the siding theme BR Green?
Thanks a lot Charlie - no not for me, I wouldn't recommend this unless the price was considerably reduced... not worth the money in my opinion! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I don't plan to Robert - I own quite a few bad locos, they're all part of the collection. If a loco doesn't work, then I'll return it! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I saw a Bulleid and a few Western and Std 4-6-0s, so not region or wheel arrangement, (express) passenger? I could say green though that doesn't really work with the blue Tornado.
Thank you for this honest review, was thinking about skipping the video after all the issues you mentioned... I want the chassis with a quality body for the price. Anyway money saved! Stay safe, don't stay too grumpy... 😁
It's a pleasure mate - yeah the chassis is the best aspect of the model, but it's not enough to make this a compelling purchase sadly! :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam I have an idea for the next video maybe a series for it I’m thinking o a shunting contest with shunting trains you and some of the fans pick, the instructions are you need 4 random cargo cars and a random brake van you may switch points to get cars but you need to do it in a way like taking the car from another engine I hope you do it and hope you like it.
Hi sam have you ever thought of putting a dvd together of all the maintenance streams you have ever done because if you did they would be well worth buying and I bet a lot of people would want them dave
Looks like an A1 pacific was coupled to two 9F's one infront of the A1 and one behind then both 9Fs drove in opposit directions to stretch the A1 out Great video as always sam
Thank you for the review Sam i have been looking forward to this model,i did see all of these engines most of them on the dony scrapline i had just started spotting about that time,you know i like to get my details right so here goes,just two minus points this engine should not have the backing plates to the sandbox covers,these were gone by 1950,and to me the front of the tender coping is too high,these were reduced in 1948,look at the bachmann A2 you compared it with you will see what i mean.Plus points the cab side sheets curve in to match tender thats correct for the first two fitted with the new type non corridor tender,handrails same height,the four others had straight side sheets to match the streamlined non corridors fitted to them with uneven height handrails,tender nos were 5565,5575 to79,of interest 5565 fitted to 60501 was the only all welded 8 wheel tender built by the LNER,the boiler is the correct 118 type,the smokebox front is correct for the period,the numberplate was lowered later in 1956 to the top hinge.So the model looks very accurate.But like you say it looks to be poorly made,i thought the mech would be like the new princess with carden shaft separate gearbox and flywheel which i thought was going to be the norm for new engines,has the princeses ( i have 3 of them all fitted with tts and they run so well) so it looks like Hornby are going backwards,the cab fittings are disapointing no spare wheel or front coupling,the Princess is a superb model in every way worth every penny,so this looks a bit disapointing.One final point the other model 60505, in 1957 it got the new BR crest like a lot of engines at this time it was put on the right hand side wrongly with the lion facing forward (you can see this on hornbys publicity photo) it was never corrected along with 60503 they both went for scrap in disgrace,now i have told hornby 3 times about this point but they have done it wrong,a small point maybe, they never listen, so i will not be buying it.After your review il think about 60501,so thanks again young man.
Hey Eric, many thanks for the comment and for sharing your expertise on the real things - quite incredible that you've actually seen some of these!! Thanks for pointing these things out, Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Cheers Sam,yes i started spotting in 1958 in Barnsley my hometown,we had a steam shed then,no glamour engines,so i tagged on to some older kids for trips to Dony the spotters paradise thats when the bug stuck,its a long time ago but some memories stay,we used to bunk round the works at 4 on a saturday afternoon, in those days it was easy to sneak round there was never anybody about at that time,i do remember seeing 60501 on the scrap line,it was the name what i remember it by,it would be sometime in 1960 it hung around for a while before it was broken up,thats how we copped the elusive scottish pacifics as they all came for repair to dony ,the only chance to see them,except in summer when the non stop saw a haymarket A4 pass,happy days!
Not excusing the lack of quality but a friend of mine who is in the PPE business was paying £1600 to import a container from China to the UK in January 2020, he is now paying £12000 to ship a container. So shipping costs have increased massively - his business has passed on all the increase to the customer so I imagine Hornby have too.
Yes Sam, they are Smoke Deflectors, XD.... The Union Pacific Challanger Model on OO and O gauge, i Think.. have Removable Smoke Deflectors, idk for sure, but thats what i heard on Lionels website
You were more generous than I would have been. The step back in cab detail would have warranted another star off in my mind, and the fact that major components like the boiler supports and running plate didn't line up properly would have automatically been a 1 star for quality.
"Notice how much more careful I am being with a model costing nearly £200"
6:55 *Dangles loco by tender*
hahaa... what you said, ! ( see above )
It's a safe way of holding a loco one handed without applying any lateral force to the drawbar... they're designed for longitudinal force like that! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
That tender doesn't fit with that loco well.
@@EC-ms1jr Indeed. We’re probably all used to Gordon’s tender by now!
Hahaha, I was about to comment that lmao 😆
I never knew "Mucus Green" was a British Railways livery ! spoils it for me.
haha mucus green - that's exactly what it is!! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Snot green. Hahaha
U wouldn't like gwr then
Garry Martin would you fancy Great Eastern green then? Or Great Northern green?
Another commenter also said this, but I would very highly recommend listening to/watching Railway Mania’s podcast episode on Edward Thompson or reading Peter Grafton’s “Edward Thompson of the LNER.” Both are examinations of Thompson and his engines using contemporary reference material such as actual archived records from LNER/BR days on the engines’ availability figures and time spent in the works. Both are insightful and unbiased, and give the listener/reader a lot to consider on whether or not Thompson is deserving of being remembered the way he is.
Also, great review, as usual.😉
I will definitely look into that Bennett, it sounds like a good watch! Thanks a lot for sharing,
Cheers,
Sam :)
Been watching your videos over the years and you are progressing wonderfully! The enthusiasm is great dont loose it as you get older! I love the concern over the price. Here on the other side of the pond a pacific is $300.00 on up! The concern over the paint glossiness is fantastic in my mind. Here in the USA even if only one steam engine example remains from a large fleet, unless there is dull paint, lots of rust, blow down residue all over, then there is hell to pay for not looking as it did near end of steam or as delivered all black. Now if you paint the smoke box silver as they did for safety, and looks when shops had time, trim paint the tires /running boards white, then that is a sign of poor restoration. For me, it is a treat to see UK surviving steam engines dressed up! Great videos
Thanks so much Clint, really appreciate that! Yes I think it's important to talk about these issues - hopefully we'll see some improvements as a result!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, great video!
If you want more info on the Thompson Pacific’s check out Railway Manias video featuring Simon A.C Martin. It’s very interesting. It’s called Edward Thompson hero or villain. I thoroughly recommend it!
The reasons behind the rebuild are very interesting. Especially when the prototypes availability figures (time available for service) improved after the rebuild.
Anyways keep up the great work,
Ross.
Hey Ross, thanks so much for this - that sounds great! It rings a bell actually - I may have even seen it!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I was going to recommend this video too! It's a fascinating interview, esp. for someone like me who didn't understand what the furor against Thompson was about.
@@sharkymcsharknose2979 it’s a brilliant insight into Edward Thompson and honestly anything Simon Martin doesn’t know about the LNER isn’t worth knowing.
I’m currently awaiting my A2/2 and A2/3 so whilst I’m waiting I’m building a kit of an A2/1 and the A1/1 great northern.
Was going to buy, glab I saw this 1st and don't think I will now.
So, thanks Sam you just saved me £200
No worries mate - yeah overall I can't recommend this one! :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have to say the same
Great review Sam, and another example of inconsistent production from one of the Big Boys...it's such a shame, as it would take relatively little effort to get these models to be top class....They'll get them right one day, but losing potential customers in the meantime....Bob
Thanks a lot Bob - yeah it's a great pity isn't it? Gutted with this one really! :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam this is sort of off topic for this type of video but I just wanted to say that I love your videos and I’m happy that you seem to be happy doing what your doing, you are one of the many reasons I got into model railroading and I highly appreciate that :)
Thanks so much for your kind comment mate, I really do appreciate that! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review. I was sitting tight on making a decision on this. While I'm pleased this unusual loco has been made in model form, the price, quality and livery are a problem. All the other BR Green models in the siding have much better representations of BR Green than the A2/2. Maybe if the price comes down in the future, then I may consider buying it.
Thoroughly enjoyed yet again. Can't wait for the next new model to be reviewed by you! :)
Thanks for sharing mate - yeah that's right, those are a problem really! So glad you liked the review though,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
currently there are some for sale on hatton's for 109 pounds if you are interested
How did the side rods get damaged? Was the you or was it delivered like that?
Looking at the footage, they seemed to be damaged on arrival, but I didn't notice until I took off the body... fortunately they were very easy to fix, but had I not noticed, the loco could have self-destructed if I'd tested it in that condition!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, interesting review and once again sad to see you have been hit by assembly issues. Are you able to fix these or is it a case of sending the loco back for a replacement? You really should contact Simon Kohler at Hornby and let him know your findings. It is a shame that a lovely model (with a significant price tag) has been let down like this.
Some of the issues you could fix... but short of a repaint, I can't see how I'd fix the livery! Hornby's is bad, but I'm not saying I could do better! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I’m curious if the driving wheels can be swapped out for A3 or A4 wheels if you want to make an A1/1
Thompson had a 'thing' about all three con rods being the same length, making for some weird-looking engines :-)
haha yeah - it's definitely a weird one isn't it?!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The cylinders set back further than normal seems to upset many people, but I've never heard GWR fans complain that Castles and Kings are ugly even though their cylinders are set back in exactly the same way (though not quite so far). Same goes for the Stanier Princess Elizabeth class. Having cylinders between the first and second bogie wheels just looks more natural (Gresley and Peppercorn Pacifics, Collet Hall and Manor classes).
@@richardhiggins6471 the kings castles stars and lizzies needed the cylinders far back
@@richardhiggins6471 Thompson pacifics had divided drive, with the centre cylinder driving the front axle. Gresley's locos all drove on the second axle, with the centre cylinder much higher to allow the con rod to clear the front axle. Thompson was a 'martinet', who was not missed by his staff when he left the LNER.
So Thompson picked Gresley's first baby - The A1 'Great Northern'. Not seen as a coincidence.
I enjoy your content, I’m Mexican American and live in America, and I got to say I love your content, it’s really interesting learning more about trains from the UK, and models, I really hope you get to 100k in the next month, you are very underrated, and need MORE ATTENTION......anyways nice review as always!
Thanks so much - really glad you like the videos! That would be amazing, really appreciate your support!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hello UP
@@halfofacouch2397 hello!
Great video Sam. Would love to see you do a review on the hornby pullman observation car. keep up the great work.
Thanks Ryan, I'd like that too - might be one I'll try some day! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam brilliant video once again
My grandad used to be a lampboy on the ecml and he remembers seeing this exact loco and laughing so much he threw up all over the signal. He never laughed at it again!
Thanks so much mate - ahh good god, that sounds rough, lol! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Oh my goodness, these are amazing! They’ll definitely sell out quickly.
Thanks mate, you may be right there!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
More coming later in the year with another variant in the form of Earl Marshal.
Honestly I have plunged deeper and I hope to get as high popularity as you. You’ve done an amazing job making videos and there are locos I recommend such as the 262 prairie steam loco
Ahh you're very kind mate - I wish you all the luck!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I really hope he opens the next video with a skeleton prop, standing in for him.
haha, dammit - didn't think of that! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains do it
No one.
We always hope the latest model is the best yet, disappointing when it isn't. You provide a valuable service in showing the models in an unbiased review. Thanks
Yeah that's it Peter, really appreciate the kind words though - thanks very much!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
That one of the coolest models I’ve ever seen !!!
I know - it's super unusual isn't it?! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
It’s an ugly beast compared to the Peppercorn.
You’ve obviously never seen models such as the Peckett W4 or B4? Or B1?
When P2 and A1/A3 had a kid
@@SamsTrains Could You Please Give Me Bachmann Henry + Tracks and Trucks Please I am Begging You
Thanks Sam , I agree entirely with your review ; I sent my A2/2 Thane of Fife back... Smoke box door was loose within the box , gaps in the cab to plate (could see the fitting lugs) and the same issues with the banding application etc. as you pointed out on this version and i have noticed the photos on Kernows website it has a missing lamp iron on the smoke box door ( Thane of Fife) and missing hand rail to the tender and the C O' N nameplate droops .. seriously considering cancelling my Hornby pre-orders ..this loco was hailed as the best ready to run model to date ..... agree it runs nicely mine never got that far ...Think if you can find a well built one ,keep hold of it ...there may not be many ....
Thanks very much Rob, really sorry to hear that - no, not good enough for what we paid at all. I don't know who hailed this as the best rtr model to date, but they don't know what they're talking about! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
As you know, I already own the Hornby P2 in its non Railroad posh form. I was both miffed and pleased at the same time when they announced two completely new hi-fi toolings of the P2 as the streamlined and the new build Prince of Wales 2007. I missed the fact that this A2/2 was yet a third version this year. I've ordered the first two.
Now Hornby have been creating some lovely quality products lately, so this looks like a build quality and paint application disaster. I saw many more wonky components than you actually mentioned. That lining was awful. Someone built yours on a Friday afternoon, after they'd had a pint or three at lunchtime.
Now in theory, paint of a said type, colour and lustre, whether applied to smooth plastic or metal, as long as its over a suitable paint primer, should look identical. That's should but isn't apparently. Some quality control issues going wrong here and Hornby should not have let your example out of the factory, but did ?
I must say I quite like its appearance, it has some gravitas, but not as much as a P2.
Thanks Andrew - yeah I was confused by the new P2 announcement too... but bring it on I say! You're right - there were many more than I mentioned, quality sucked unfortunately!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I confess your teaching me what to look for in a good model, with your reviews
haha glad to hear that mate!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains You are welcome Sam.
In a way, I prefer the muted green over the Bachmann gloss green- it, to me at least, looks much more realistic and would fit better with other Hornby and Bachmann BR green locos in my collection. (Also, the Hornby website pics are usually only a representation- I really wish they weren't!)
Yeah one or two people have said that - in that case, it's a much better model for those who like it! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I’m glad the A1 steam loco trust are building a new P2, so that those who didn’t experience them in real life (and seeing as no one has seen one since the 1930s or something, I don’t think there are that many people who are still alive that saw these in LNER days) can do now. Models are one thing but the real thing is just unbeatable. Anyway great video Sam!
Me too - can't wait until it's done - very few people alive today got to experience the real thing (or at least can remember them!)
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Could you do a video exchanging a 3 pole motor with 5 pole one? just an idea, great vid by the way
I am thinking about doing that - great idea! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains I also want to see that idea too but I also want to see a video on how to change a valve gear if it breaks. Another idea could be how to add a flywheel to a loco that doesn't have one. (If possible)
26.20 Just look at the overhang of the trailing truck on that curve... I am totally amazed that in this day and age Hornby were still prepared to produce a rigid rear end. Maybe somebody in their design office despises Cartazzi trucks. Excellent and honest review, as always, many thanks for the clarity of your comments.
haha I know - it looks bad doesn't it? They obviously think it'd look worse with a moving one!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
First time have seen you a bit annoyed this year Sam and I can’t say I blame you.
That’s a fair wedge of cash for something that has this issues you point out, especially annoying when older models have something this doesn’t (gauge details etc).
Well done for giving a fair review though, and I can’t recall seeing a big steamer running that well from new on your layout before.
Thanks mate, yeah this is the first time - certainly felt this one on the cash side... disappointed with the results! That's right - easily one of the best runners!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Your channel gives me an insight into the prices and quality of model railway products.
Thanks so much - that's good to hear! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
love the details,is there a tiny bit of streamlining on the smokebox?-Ben
Yeah! I'm guessing it's for smoke deflection though! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Yes they are indeed Smoke Deflectors, although rather strange looking
Sam do you feel that Hornby models are not worrying about quality control just lately? . Similar with the Flying Scotsman? I've had something similar with the class 60 tts db version and came with a broken whistle (the was cloae to £180)
There does seem to have been a lot of quality issues from Hornby recently - strange, as they've been spot on over 2020 (in my experience!)
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Me: The detail on this model is disappointing 3/10 for detail.
*Model has sprung buffers*
Me: 10/10 for detail.
haha that's pretty much me too! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Those "fin"-style deflectors are unusual in Britain (where either full-height or Witte [aka "German"-style] deflectors seem to be the norm), but are fairly common on steam engines in Poland and Romania (such as the Polish Ty 51, and Romanian 142).
If you're going to conduct an "accurate" history of this class, please take a look at the Railway Mania Podcast Featuring Simon AC Martin regarding Edward Thompson, you will find why Thompson rebuilt these locomotives due to their lack of availability and continuing problems as P2's.
Thanks very much for sharing - I will look into this! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yes i know why Thompson rebuilt them,but what a mess he made of them,just take one figure of 60501,total mileage 978,597,before rebuilding 616,461.after rebuilding 362,136 and it was more or less the same for the rest of others,heres another 60506 between 1945 to 1959 was shopped 30 times,compared to the then veteran Flying Scotsman with 11 visits in the same time,need any more be said,they were the worst LNER pacifics by far.
@@ericholmes8665 I certainly wouldn't argue with the figures, the only thing you can argue with the figures is that 2001-60501 was the first built and will have more mileage overall. But I think with BR the policy was to start removing weaker classes and the A2/2 certainly wasn't on the top of the list. I feel the standing issue is that on any other of the 4 companies the P2's would have been scrapped. But I would like to have known why they didn't think to beef up the crank axle to try and achieve a better performance for the Locos...Guess we will never know.
Hello Norton,i think if not for the war and Gresleys untimely death they may have made them better engines out of them,their haulage capacity was huge,its going to be so interesting to see the new P2 in action,its not fair to slam Thompson has he took over at a bad time,but his pacific designs were not good,but he more than made up with the superb B1,cheers
I sprayed mine with gloss varnish which brought the colour out beautifully
I like that one it’s one of my favorites
Awesome! Glad you like it! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Just had a quick look for some photos of the reail locos, and I am NOT convinced by the large gap in the seam that runs along the top of the boiler. I think that either Hornby have mucked this up, or you have not been lucky and have got a 'friday night special' as it were! And what happened with the broken valve gear on the thing? Did you somehow manage to get it fixed?
Thanks Mike - I'm not convinced at all - did you find any decent photos of the top of the boiler? I reckon they mucked it up - too many issues! :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Found a photo of one that had derailed and was on its; side, so you had a very good view of the top of the loco. no sign of a big split in the top of the boiler casing.
Sam'sTrains: An incredibly high price commands an incredibly impressive model
Hornby: *Counting their large stash of gold coins* Lmao gf
haha, probably very accurate!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
An amazing video sam. Great history of the locomotive . An amazing locomotive and a great variety of locomotive around the layout. Can not wait to see more videos like this
Thanks very much Luke - I can't wait to try more of these new locos too! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review Sam I’m definitely going to look at these one day
Thanks a lot David, I hope you do! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Surprisingly, I don't hate the looks of the Thompson A2/2 as much as I thought I would. It pales (like the model's paint) in comparison to the P2 & the wheel spacing is funky-looking but I don't think its too awful. I like the smoke lifters near the chimney.
It's great that it performs well, but unfortunately, it seems like Hornby missed the marks on the pricing & build quality.
haha yeah quite a few people are saying that - and I don't mind those smoke lifters either, quite interesting to look at! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
"Let's see how it handles my curves, oh that sounds kinky"
*I beg your pardon Sam*
haha sorry about that one, lol! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Haha!
The new A2/3 seems to be available now. A TH-cam vid of R3835 Sun Castle has been posted a few hours ago. The owner is pleased to report that his model had the numerous problems of the A2/2 have been addressed.
Seems likely Hornby have had some useful interchange with the China factory as to what quality level is expected.
Thanks Sam for your part in improving the quality level. Much more useful than reviews that always say everything is superb all the time.
Might be too much of a step for you to buy the A2/3 for review as they are so similar to look at and expensive.
I could provide a link to the new vid if you wanted to see it.
Thanks a lot for sharing John - that's very good news indeed, I may look into getting one of those some time then!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Even before this review, I thought this green was pretty plasticy and flat.
Same
haha yeah... and that's with me trying to make the thumbnail look as good as possible! xD
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Waiting on my A2/3, looking forward to it and hoping the LNER green is better. You’re absolutely right about the finish on this, it looks very flat, a bit like the Heljan GWR green.
Those small smoke deflectors were an experiment. The LNER tried all sorts before settling on the Peppercorn type, look up the A3 Humorist.
Oh, and was the theme early crest BR locos?
Sounds good Jim - usually Hornby do better with LNER green, so fingers crossed for you! Cool on the deflectors - never have seen those before!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam: looks weird with that cylinder placement
Me: That's where the cylinders are placed on the princess royals.........
And the Stars, Castles and Kings
Yes but the body doesn’t tend to overhang so far past them
Noo not quite - they're not this far back on the Royals or the Kings! Look at the photos - the cylinders line up with the back bogie wheels on those! With the A2, the cylinders are way clear of the back bogie wheels!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hornby seems to really not be able to do Brunsick green poperly. The green is too drab, the orange too bright. I've stood next to, hell, I've been ON Brunswick green locos and that orange line across the running plate is nowhere near as noticable as Hornby makes it out to be. Here's to hoping the LNER liveried A2/3s are a tad less flat though!
Yeah that does seem true - can't understand it... the orange doesn't even look orange... that's red if you ask me!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I'd rather have that king you've got on the turntable!
Oh sure, the King is way better than this! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Sam are you going to review the Dapol o gauge pannier tank? Also can you race your o gauge locomotives you already own. (but not at full speed, we don't want you to destroy them.)
I've thought about it - they do look really cool! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Prepare for Seeing People Make fun of the Engine's Actual Name
haha I know - I made a childish remark about it, but cut it out the video ;)
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Wait,there's a Cock O' The North so....... Why can't there be a Cock O' The South,Cock O' The West and a Cock O' The East?
Ye get ready and grab popcorn
Is the cock means other things or literally, a cock?
Oh gonna comment a joke when I just saw this
What is your favourite bachmann Thomas engine that you have and why do you like it?
Hope you don’t mind me asking this question....
Ooh tricky! I think probably Rosie, as she's the best quality one in my opinion! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains That’s a good choice I’ll have to agree with you on that.
I see Hornby have got their Highwayman mask on again re. the price....
Their Bachmann mask you mean!
haha yeah, their Bachmann mask!! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains oops! my mistake but yes both companies are much the same (imo) when it comes to ripping off (I use those words advisedly) customers
Hi Sam, this is a very well executed video and goes straight to those areas that are poorly done especially for the price. You are absolutely right about Thompson's carve up of Gresley's P2 which he seemed to think was a problem because of the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement amongst other things. It begs the question of whether he actually understood what was going on in France, Germany and North America at the time when they all built hundreds of mikados to pull passenger and freight. Still, he did do some good, the B1 being one example. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Well the 2 presrved b1 are thompsons only servicing locomotives
Thanks very much Keith! Yeah it's a pity isn't it? To think one may have been preserved if they'd been kept as P2s... never mind!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Hi Sam, the P2 that is being built will be quite a site running on the main line. For me, it's the most exciting new loco project I've ever seen. There's quite a history to the 2-8-2 saga that also involves Bullied.
Wow it really stayed true to its original form by being a big disappointment
Edited: I would have been a lot meaner to this model but it did allow me to make a Thompson joke
haha absolutely true! I'm trying not to be too mean... but hopefully my feelings were made clear! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yeah, but the P2s only spent 37% of their time in revenue earning service, the remainder being spent in workshops. The P2 looked nice but it was mechanically crap so had to be rebuilt. The Thompson A2s spent 97% of their time in revenue earning service.
@@DavidRobinson-rj2sp true but when the a2/2 were rebuilt they developed more problems besides I always say the p2s having problems that have to have fixing more than the other Gresley locomotives
The divided drive was also done as it was simpler to maintain when compared to Gresleys conjugated valve gear (the valves of the inside cylinders where connected to and driven by the outside valve gear), whereas the divided drive had a seperate set of valve gear for each cylinder, with I think the inside cylinder(s) driving the leading axle.
Duly noted Matt, thanks a lot for the info on those!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I must stare at 60103 Flying Scotsman to clean my eyes
haha! That's a good antidote! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
God mine today! Couple parts were loose like the front lamp iron and the water scoop, as well as some copious glue marks but I'm quite happy. Personally I don't have much against the green but the BR number is much too yellow, so I'll be changing that out with new decals as well as etched name plates for Thane of Fife
Thanks a lot for sharing - yes those lamp irons and scoops are a common issue aren't they?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I wouldn’t by it way to expensive for me
And me mate - I regret buying this one! :/
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The LNER P2 locos that this was rebuilt from was not that well known until recently.
However the LNER P1 earlier freight 2-8-2 booster equipped pair are even less well known but scrapped by Thomspson during the war.
I you do a search for the LNER P1 locos you may be surprised by the attractive look of them.
In the race to make everything powerful, I wonder how long it will take until models are made of the P1 class?
Yeah I guess that's true - lots of publicity around the rebuilds and Hornby's models - good point John!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I would send this one back. Too many quality issues
Given the price you’d expect more from the industry leader aye?
Yep send it back! - totally unacceptable - cheap and nasty junk from China 🤢 - though at least Hornby hasn’t failed in providing a decent mechanism (which touch wood - they never fail to do irrespective of the range these days)
@@peterdriffill7950 if only all could reach the level of the King class. That model was spectacular
@@connorrobinson1909 I just ordered a king class! I live in America and it’s coming from Hong Kong s o it’s going to be quite the wait unfortunately.
Yeah, it crossed my mind! The King was superb (and considerably better value too!) pity more models aren't like those!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
As of early February 2023, I see that Kernow Model Centre is offering a few A2/3s in LNER livery at £120!
How many locos do you need? I think I know the answer...
A L L O F T H E M
haha that'd be my answer for sure! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
That’s true - it’s so difficult to stop collecting rolling stock 😀
Another great video Sam! I have long thought that Hornby's green livered locos look flat, plasticy, anaemic and toylike. I also seem to see a number of Hornby locos with warped running plates. Bachmann locos have diecast running plates, so don't suffer this problem.
Thanks a lot Peter - yeah I've started to really notice it lately... probably because other manufacturers are starting to get the finish much better. The Bachmann running plates look much better, not to mention the lack of warping as you say!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I see your luck is still true to form, BAD ! ! !
Yep - though the last handful I reviewed were fantastic, so I don't feel too unlucky!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
"let's see how it handles my curves, Oh that sounds kinky" bloody hell Sam, that caught me of guard. These jokes are why I love this channel
haha!! Thanks mate! xD
Hey Sam. Did you know that the LNER was one of only two railways in the UK used the 2-8-2's. The other being the GWR which used 2-8-2 Tank Engines.
No I didn't realise that actually - that's a cool fun fact!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
For a long time the "Merchant Navy" was my strongest pacific (4-6-2), but 2.5 years ago i brought one of the new tooled A1 (limited) train set, and I think that loco is stronger. For the strongest 2-10-0; and 2-6-2; goes to my Roco "shaft drive" steamers, and I have a nice 2-10-2 US loco with high pulling power (not good on curves tough), and my favorite anomaly: the Trix 0-8-8-0T with a metal body!
Thanks for sharing Tom, yeah the MNs are very powerful... but the A1s are mighty, that's for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, nice review, as usual.
I've received mine during this week.
I didn't observe the assembly 'issues' you had and when reviewed after this review, mine is fine - so different to yours.
Running, mine is absolutely superb as well - super smooth when very slow and a really fantastic top end.
I'm absolutely made up there's no flywheel - creates inertia, and puts more strain on the motor unnecessarily - makes a slow start continued much easier without - we'll agree to differ.
Paint - yeuch! Boiler bands - what happened? !!
There's a huge void in front of the chassis inside the body - smokebox - which is blanked off - room for more weight.
I actually find there's no problems with traction - pulls very well.
Tender needed a lot of lead - now much better.
I've fitted Springside lamps, Fox's nameplates, and have painted around the smokebox matt black - all makes a big difference - with a Springside crew as well.
'All detailed up' you nearly ignore the paint colour, but not quite!!
Do you think this may have been a little 'rushed out' before CNY?
Al.
Thanks so much Alan - really glad to hear yours was put together properly - I can't understand why I keep getting lumbered with the Friday afternoon jobs! But yes, no complaints on the pulling power - that's true! Your upgrades sound great, fantastic work!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Thanks Sam. Photos in the RMWeb thread.
Very nice video. Have you ever considered reviewing any of the Hornby DC sets like 'The Mallard Pullman'?
Thank you! I have thought about it - maybe some day! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
At this point with lockdown, my entire life is spent waiting to watch the next review. Thank you for being such a fantastic reviewer 🙏🙏
haha thanks so much Max, really glad you like the videos!! :3
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
From what I have heard from people who lived through the BR Green era, there was considerable variation in the shades used at different times in different sheds. And then add wear and weathering from almost constant exposure....
So it could be fine with a bit of muck & grime added to dull the plasticky look.
Yeah that's right Ewan - given that fact, I find it strange that Hornby went for such a ghastly shade... but sure, with some work it could look better! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Hehe, if you’re modeling the late steam era, much of the steam fleet would have looked pretty ghastly anyway.... Perhaps that is the market they are aiming for? 🤣
Hornby could have released it with a bit of weathering, which could have helped to justify the price!
I think its a bit sad that it isn't as good as it should be.
Let's hope the W1 is what we need for the high price.
Did you order the A2/3?
Yeah I think so too - fingers crossed the W1 is better! And no A2/3... I have the feeling it'll be too similar to this!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I think if you remove the tender body and put it back on it will fit better. Maybe the front splasher will be the same? But you already removed the main body.
Yes you're probably right, I will give that a try at some point!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Having watched your review I’m glad I cancelled my order for an A2 a while ago that green is disappointing! It’s like their BR blue/grey coaches the blues far too dark compared to the likes of Bachmann. I’m having doubts about the midland Pullman hst I’ve got on order whether they’ll get the colour of that right as it’s a lot of money to spend?!
I don't blame you Ryan, definitely not worth the money sadly! :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Excellent review Sam 👍 but not so excellent of this model and I feel sorry for to spend so much to buy a loco from Hornby that you were excited to have.
You could have bought those four & six wheel carriages from Hornby instead or go for wagon from... well... Bachmann or Hornby.
I was interested to get one of these loco, but with so much plastic all over the model, I decided to buy something else like a B17 or Q6 or another Peckett 0-4-0 instead.
On a happy note, I’m running my latest model of Bachmann GWR 9400 Class and it running so perfectly and I love it. Now there a model that looks so much impressive.
Thanks so much Joe - ahh don't feel sorry for me - you win some and lose some! Ooh fantastic - really glad to hear it's perfect for you!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Great review Sam. Way more than I would spend on a loco - but as you point out quite worrying that Hornby can follow some superb models with this almost backwards step at a premium price.
Thanks so much - yeah it's a pity about that isn't it? I'll be more careful about spending that kind of money with them in the future!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Me again, Expat Geordie, Canada. Have you ever made a video explaining the different HO tack layout elements such as points, crossovers, Diamond crossings, curves ( radius’s 2, 3,, 4, 5. ) etcetera. Best regards from Nova Scotia.
Hi sam. Just watching your video. I bought A2/2 thane of fife from hattons and i was looking at mine and it has none of the bad fittings of your model. Apart from the colour which i agree with you its a nice looking and good running engine.
Thanks for sharing Colin - glad to hear yours arrived in better shape! Yes it's a pity about the colour isn't it?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I wonder why Edward Thompson decided to rebuild all six of the P2s. Couldn't he have left one in original condition?
Do you happen to know why there was no Gresley A2 Class? Seems strange that Sir Nigel jumped from A1 to A3 (same with LB&SCR's E-tanks, with the E2 being produced after the E3 through E6)
Very nice model, but pity Hornby were so frugal with the design considering the price.
Yeah I know - I guess he vehemently felt the design was no good! Yeah that's true, I don't know how they chose their classifications - there must be a logic to it?!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The Gresley pacific designs went from A1 to A3 because the NER Raven pacific design was given the A2 designation they were mainly built after Grouping. Interestingly they had a similar performance to the A1 in fact apparently steamed better but the A1 was considered ( rightly as it turned out) to have more potential the Raven design was a stretched version of his successful Atlantics with a massive boiler and firebox and pushed that envelope a bit too far, looked very elegant and would make a lovely model
Raven and Gresley were supposed to be joint CMEs but Raven was very much the junior partner, Thompson being his son in law may have been miffed by that. Thompson got a lot of bad press , the reason why the P2s got rebuilt instead of building new was that during Ww2 the building of new express locos was banned but rebuilding was OK
Hi Sam, another good loco review video. Looking at the tender rear three quarter view, the buffer beam seems to be distorted/twisted towards the near side, making the buffer look downwards. I don't think you mentioned that, sorry if you did. As an observation, as to the running tests you do, I think that you load the locos rather lightly. As an example, in steam days, the train "The Royal Scot" used to consist of 13 coaches. Regards, Alan.
Thanks a lot Alan - well spotted, yes that is another issue - it's definitely on the wonk!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The A2/2 is one of those locos where I've never really thought about it much, just a loco I knew about, theres just something interesting especially the look it has
haha yeah me neither - I've started thinking about it much more now though! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Is the theme "locos subsequently rebuilt uglier"? Some of Bulleid's Spamcans were rebuilt by (I think) Riddles into less distinguished outlines, and some of Collett's Castles (whilst themselves rebuilds of earlier Churchward Star designs) were also modified by Hawksworth with double chimneys and welded tenders.
haha it wasn't, but that's actually true, haha!! ;D
Thanks for watching - Sam :)
Got my yesterday but my is thane of fife thing it’s a fantastic locomotive. Runs fantastic it.
Ahh great to hear yours runs well too - very pleased with the way mine performs!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you! I was on the fence about this model. Thankfully your review swayed me to wait till its hopefully cheaper somewhere
Is the siding theme BR Green?
Thanks mate, yeah I think you're doing the right thing! And it was indeed - well spotted! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I just ordered Thane of fife from the model Centre yesterday. I can’t wait for it to arrive
Ooh nice - hope it's good for you mate! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
hi sam amazing video as always, would you say this is one to get? thanks, charlie
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Thanks a lot Charlie - no not for me, I wouldn't recommend this unless the price was considerably reduced... not worth the money in my opinion!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Because this model is disappointing are you going to send it back? Also how bad does model have to be to be returned?
I don't plan to Robert - I own quite a few bad locos, they're all part of the collection. If a loco doesn't work, then I'll return it!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I saw a Bulleid and a few Western and Std 4-6-0s, so not region or wheel arrangement, (express) passenger? I could say green though that doesn't really work with the blue Tornado.
Yeah that's right - Tornado was the odd one out! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you for this honest review, was thinking about skipping the video after all the issues you mentioned...
I want the chassis with a quality body for the price. Anyway money saved!
Stay safe, don't stay too grumpy... 😁
It's a pleasure mate - yeah the chassis is the best aspect of the model, but it's not enough to make this a compelling purchase sadly! :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam I have an idea for the next video maybe a series for it I’m thinking o a shunting contest with shunting trains you and some of the fans pick, the instructions are you need 4 random cargo cars and a random brake van you may switch points to get cars but you need to do it in a way like taking the car from another engine I hope you do it and hope you like it.
That sounds really interesting Gregory, I love the idea - I've added it to my ideas list! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi sam have you ever thought of putting a dvd together of all the maintenance streams you have ever done because if you did they would be well worth buying and I bet a lot of people would want them dave
I have thought about it Dave - maybe one day!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Looks like an A1 pacific was coupled to two 9F's one infront of the A1 and one behind then both 9Fs drove in opposit directions to stretch the A1 out
Great video as always sam
I was really optimistic for this, mostly because i have pre-ordered the W1 as i got a bit excited, now im a little worried. Good review :)
Thanks mate - yeah I'm worried too - I hope the W1 will be much better, fingers crossed!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you for the review Sam i have been looking forward to this model,i did see all of these engines most of them on the dony scrapline i had just started spotting about that time,you know i like to get my details right so here goes,just two minus points this engine should not have the backing plates to the sandbox covers,these were gone by 1950,and to me the front of the tender coping is too high,these were reduced in 1948,look at the bachmann A2 you compared it with you will see what i mean.Plus points the cab side sheets curve in to match tender thats correct for the first two fitted with the new type non corridor tender,handrails same height,the four others had straight side sheets to match the streamlined non corridors fitted to them with uneven height handrails,tender nos were 5565,5575 to79,of interest 5565 fitted to 60501 was the only all welded 8 wheel tender built by the LNER,the boiler is the correct 118 type,the smokebox front is correct for the period,the numberplate was lowered later in 1956 to the top hinge.So the model looks very accurate.But like you say it looks to be poorly made,i thought the mech would be like the new princess with carden shaft separate gearbox and flywheel which i thought was going to be the norm for new engines,has the princeses ( i have 3 of them all fitted with tts and they run so well) so it looks like Hornby are going backwards,the cab fittings are disapointing no spare wheel or front coupling,the Princess is a superb model in every way worth every penny,so this looks a bit disapointing.One final point the other model 60505, in 1957 it got the new BR crest like a lot of engines at this time it was put on the right hand side wrongly with the lion facing forward (you can see this on hornbys publicity photo) it was never corrected along with 60503 they both went for scrap in disgrace,now i have told hornby 3 times about this point but they have done it wrong,a small point maybe, they never listen, so i will not be buying it.After your review il think about 60501,so thanks again young man.
Hey Eric, many thanks for the comment and for sharing your expertise on the real things - quite incredible that you've actually seen some of these!! Thanks for pointing these things out,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Cheers Sam,yes i started spotting in 1958 in Barnsley my hometown,we had a steam shed then,no glamour engines,so i tagged on to some older kids for trips to Dony the spotters paradise thats when the bug stuck,its a long time ago but some memories stay,we used to bunk round the works at 4 on a saturday afternoon, in those days it was easy to sneak round there was never anybody about at that time,i do remember seeing 60501 on the scrap line,it was the name what i remember it by,it would be sometime in 1960 it hung around for a while before it was broken up,thats how we copped the elusive scottish pacifics as they all came for repair to dony ,the only chance to see them,except in summer when the non stop saw a haymarket A4 pass,happy days!
Some shots in this video are quite interesting, like that one when we can see the whole loft.
Thank you! I'm trying to do a few different angles!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Not excusing the lack of quality but a friend of mine who is in the PPE business was paying £1600 to import a container from China to the UK in January 2020, he is now paying £12000 to ship a container. So shipping costs have increased massively - his business has passed on all the increase to the customer so I imagine Hornby have too.
Thanks a lot for sharing - I wonder if that is a factor then? Very tricky!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yes Sam, they are Smoke Deflectors, XD.... The Union Pacific Challanger Model on OO and O gauge, i Think.. have Removable Smoke Deflectors, idk for sure, but thats what i heard on Lionels website
Thanks for sharing Jayse, and awesome - that sounds cool!! :O
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I had to write this quickly as I was so disapointed at the negative points and needed to leave this video, omg!!
You were more generous than I would have been. The step back in cab detail would have warranted another star off in my mind, and the fact that major components like the boiler supports and running plate didn't line up properly would have automatically been a 1 star for quality.
haha maybe you're right - the cab wasn't the best, and actually looked quite sloppy in the closeups!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)