I had a similar issue with a sound decoder in an Accurascale manor. I put it on the rolling road to run in. It ran for 10 minutes, I stopped it for a second and it wouldn't start back up, all dead. I had bought it locally (West Australia), took it back to the shop and they got the chip replaced under warranty from Accurascale. I have a number of the Accurascale SF Manors and all the others have been ok so far. I also have this Hornby Scotsman but haven't run it yet as only just picked it up so fingers crossed.
A small trick i discovered here in Western Australia. A lot of places ask you return in original box for warranty claim. I bought a train set which pretty much confirmed. Some track joints were damaged. The box is so they can put straight back on shelf and resell. Eventually someone will just put in trash and not take bake. I actually returned to a different store as nearest but original had nil stock. Next day they had one in stock.
I'm sorry to see you're having issues. I too had a similar issue under bluetooth control through the app. I had to completely remove the decoder from the app (delete loco and decoder) and go through setup again. I contacted hornby, and that's exactly what they advised me to do. I hope Hornby can sort it for you.
Until it stopped, it looked magnificent and sounded nice too. A real shame. I had so much trouble with a Hornby HM7000 decoder, even with it going back to Hornby, that it still wouldn't work properly and eventually died completely. I gave up in the end and fitted a Laisdcc decoder to my Q1 and it now runs smoothly, albeit without sound. I have had a couple of derailments on my layout, but each time the controller reacted and cut the track power. I often wondered if I should have stuck to dc analog control, where everything worked fine, but after persevering and fitting stay-alives to all locos, it is now OK. Your layout looked great, BTW.
Thanks for that, yes I agree DCC is great when it all works perfectly but like yourself I ended up fitting Stay-Alives to most of the Locos to get better performance.
Well! I could not afford to go DCC, and the more I read about the problems, the happier I am! I have about 24 steam locomotives of Hornby and Bachmann ranges. They all run very well, I am using a 60+ year old Hammant & Morgan "Clipper" power unit. That has transformer control and works very well with modern motors right down to slow speed and no jerky stops. The worst locomotive I have is a Dapol Class 73, it is a very poor runner. I have several SR EMU's and they are all excellent models and runners.
Thanks for that, Believe me there are a lot of days when I totally agree with you. DCC is great when it all works but one small problem like some dirt on the track and everything stops, but once you have gone down the DCC route you have spent too much to turn back.
Hi there, this reminds me of a problem I had with HM7000 decoders fitted in my TT locos. My decoders would pair with the app and connect, but would not move nor play sounds. This turned out to be due to issues with the power supply (I was using an analogue controller set to full as per the original advice), which disappeared once I used a DCC power supply
Have you tried a decoder reset on the programming track ? Usually CV8 to value 8 does the trick. Worth a try in every case of an apparent fault. If the decoder seems to respond to re loading but won't drive on the track then it could just be confused rather than dead.
Thanks for that, yes I tried reprogramming the decoder a couple of times but it didn't work because I think it still has corrupted info in it so next I am going to try and clear out all the information if I can and start again from scratch.
Oh, I was enjoying that Richard. Very disappointed for you. P.s. my grandad was a fireman on the Flying Scotsman. I'd like to have heard Scotland the brave! You'll crack it.
Sorry to hear about the decoder. I have only just gotten into DCC recently, but from my understanding, Hornby has never been great with DCC from a hardware angle. It is a shame because she would be an amazing model if she worked properly. My only Hornby DCC chip is an old TTS sound decoder, and it works, but sometimes it doesn't like to respond to commands, and you have to hit the button a few times. I hope your loco gets sorted out soon.
I'll just complain, return and ask for a replacement (or money back). You likely have spend several hundred pound on that loco. Its falling apart from the start. Then the chip goes 'BANG'. I'm guessing Peter your a feller not like to kick up a fuss. However if they can't deliver a product after charging you that much, its just robbery.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
i opened my version of it and it had exactly the same issue with the wheel not being attached and mine also shorts on points at a slow speed. as much as i love the model the shorting makes for poor running at times.
Hi, that's such a shame that the enjoyment of what should have been an excellent model is ruined by bad workmanship in the production process. Have you tried checking the back to back measurements of the wheels, if any of them are out the most likely place they will cause problems is when crossing points.
Hi. Mines stopped working aswell, tried to get it back on bluetooth nothing. Tried to use normal dcc controller, nothing. Emailing back and fourth eventually i called hornby. They managed to get someone to talk over the phone and we finally after about 40mins get it up and running. Touch wood had no problems. Hopefully you get you model fixed. It is alot of money to fork out.
Thanks for that, luckily I did manage to get it working and I'm just putting a follow up video out about it but it is on test at the moment and I haven't fitted the accessories yet in case it has to go back.
I do hope you can get it sorted and can let us know of a successful outcome. Hornby raise people's expectations with such high prices but they do still seem to have a rather patchy record with some models over the reliability. Speaking to my local model shop though suggests that Hornby are no worse than several other manufacturers. Hornby's repair service can be quite good as well providing there is not the difficulty you have due to being abroad. I do wonder, like some others here, if the problem here is simply to do with the chip but, as a person who only runs their models on analogue, I am surprised that a simple derailment can cause such a drastic reset.
Thanks very much for that excellent advice, I am going to reprogram the decoder next but because it won't accept an update I will have to clear out the existing information before that can be done. That's really the last option open so we'll try that then post an update with the result.
You say return it on your next trip to UK so I understand it is tempting to try fixing it yourself but as someone said in another video if that was your mobile phone or PC you would not start looking for the problem and trying to fix it you would want it replaced. Hornby and others have no quality control these days and sell us models at huge prices that have bits falling off or just don't work. I have got fed up of Hornby now and hardly bought anything last year. I want a steaming Black 5 and was offered a Scotsman at a good price but declined, at one time I would not of hesitated getting it and the Black 5. They seem to make things more for collectors to display rather than models with a bit less detail that actually work for years.
Thanks for that, your absolutely right, I could have just reported it and arranged to return it on my next visit to the UK I have done that occasionally before because everything has a minimum 12month warranty now, but of course once I had started tinkering with it you become determined to solve it. I pre-ordered this Loco when it was first announced because I expected them to have limited availability and sell out quickly but that hasn't happened there are still plenty for sale. Like yourself I really wanted the Black 5 model but I am not going to pre-order that, instead I will wait until it is released and see what the reviews are like before even considering it.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 I haven't ordered the Black 5 either for that reason. Hoping my local shop will be able to get one although Hornby said one per shop like they did for Scotsman, I am sure there will be more. Something Bachmann have told the shop is the warranty now begins when the shop gets the model delivered so most of their stock has no warranty now. I have not asked if Hornby are also doing that now but something to bare in mind.
@@cedarcam Thanks that's worth knowing and checking before you buy. The last item I sent back was from Hornby bought from Hattons and Hattons told me that all their items had a 12 month guarantee but of course everything could have changed now, maybe why Hattons closed down, too honest.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 I am not sure what happened at Hattons. Some said they took on too much going into USA. I was surprised a year before they closed watching a live webcam at a show in USA and saw a Hattons stall. I did not buy a huge amount from them but sad to see them go, never had a problem with them apart from the class 66 I returned with a twisted chassis which they replaced. It was during Covid lockdown and I was unable to return it right away, they agreed I could return it when I could next get out to a post office. While here I really like your layout
That's the worry really, the Loco had already done a few circuits of the track without problems when it derailed. Afterwards I could find no damage or debris on the track and no faults with the chassis so if a simple random derailment caused these problems what is to stop it happening again.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 unfortunately from the viewers viewpoint we don't see the initiation of the derailment and if it could be attributable to the loco or any other part of the train. The loose bogie wheels did obviously spring to mind especially if they had lost gauging during running or indeed if it was triggered by the rear pony truck which has been seen as a cause on some derailments. I assume all of the coach bogies are free running and pivoting and not causing any undue drag during a run?
INSANE PACKAGING OF BRITISH OUTLINE !!! First grouch I've always had with British outline OO has been the packaging. Why they can't use the simple clear plastic cases used by European & Japanese manufacturers, which means the model can be on the rails in seconds, I don't know. What this all means is that with large exhibition layouts you literally need HOURS just to get the stock unpacked and on the rails. Meaning you have no choice but to build special carrying trays. My 4 track mainline layout has 130 locos 450 coaches, along with 290 wagons !!!!
Hi, sad to see it all go wrong so soon. If you replace the decoder for anything other than another Hornby one, do you risk the smoke being out of sync? I commented on your video because I recently had an A4 tts decoder that reset itself to 3 after a short like you had crossing a point. I had it in pieces trying to figure out why nothing would work before it dawned on me what had happened. All the best, hope you get it sorted soon.
Thanks for the info, I'm going to have a look into it in a couple of days when I've had time to think about it and decide what to do next but I'm getting helpful advice from your comments first.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
@@darrenhillman8396 Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and also I could not do a test run with it anyway brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
The reason you had so much trouble with a grand new model is because it's made by HORNBY and as such is ABSOLUTELY CRAP made in China by schoolgirls 13 -14 yr old getting $5 a week if they are lucky then it's sent to UK and Hornby charge ridiculous prices for it even though there is little or no quality control I bought 2 locos from them ONE DIDNT EVEN RUN 1 foot this meant a complete strip down to repair faulty wiring and re-alligning the gear drive so it meshed correctly the other ran superbly in a forward direction the only trouble was it wouldn't run in reverse faulty wiring was problem WHAT I SUGGEST HORNBY DO IS TO INCLUDE A COMPLETE WIRING DIAGRAM AND A SET OOF TOOLS AND SPARE PARTS IN EVERY MODEL THEY TRY TO SELL WHAT A crappy product the consumer derserves more
THE PROBLEM BEGINS AT THE HORNBY BOARD LEVEL ! It isn't made by Hornby, their loco range at least is made by PIKO (ex East German model train manufacturer) at their plant near Canton PRC. The problem is Hornby have absolutely nobody on the Board of Directors who has qualifications in Railway History, railway equipment or even a knowledge of what technologies are actually available for Model production. I was Importing, wholesaling & retailing Japanese ranges across Europe 30 years ago. Those ranges had numerous practical technologies included in them, that NO European manufacturer has yet woken up too. And the Japanese models were only around 35% of the retail cost of British outline then & now ! Even Japanese N Gauge outline, included such accessories as: Rotating illuminated destination blinds; Automatic self uncoupling of locomotives; Real life scale working couplings including Buckeye & Scharfenburg types; High quality 5 Pole Skew armature motors with DOUBLE flywheel drives; Clip out Quick clean motor bogies; Coaches with seats that changed direction (many Jap trains have such seats). In OO (1:80) scale, steam locomotives Reversing gear actually changed position automatically when the model changed direction; Again they all had high grade motors with large double flywheel drives, so you actually had to "drive" the train. They were pure 12v DC, but using real life controllers, modelled on the desk of a real life Drivers desk, with power handle, brake handle, speedometer, ammeter etc. And these controllers could control more than one train at a time on one or more tracks, without the necessity for expensive chips. And all that was available back in the early 1990's. N Gauge locos retailed in my British based business at £30-50, and Jap OO scale at £80-£110. The very good prices were a result of the fact that there are MORE modellers in Japan than the whole of the rest of the World put together 3.5 times over. Indeed just in N scale their were known to be over 12 Million regular users, itself more than the whole of the rest of the World !!!
Please excuse my ignorance.... I honestly didn't know that rolling stock, locomotives etc by Hornby were made in China... I honestly thought that EVERYTHING that Hornby manufacturers was made in Britain.
I haven't bought any Hornby Locos for a while as I already have enough and they seem to be getting expensive now but I did want to try this new one with the Steam Generator. But, from this example, what you say seems to be correct so I probably won't be buying anymore.
I used to have a layout, garden and loft. Long since packed away. I even bought a loco a few years ago, that was selling for half price, in a drunken stupor, and has never been run. While I can see the advantage of DCC the sounds would drive me mad after a few minutes. OK you probable can turn them off, but you are paying a lot of money for something I personally wouldn't want.
I know of people who are on number three and number four total replacement. This project is going to cost Hornby dearly; as their reputation is shot to total shit-house!
Thanks for that, I'm out here in Spain virtually on my own so I don't get much feedback on what's happening generally in the modelling world but it has certainly opened my eyes to the drop in Hornby's standards
I would just like to say I have a long list of Hornby locos spanning from 1990s to the latest Tyne dock 9f. I have around 35 or 40 .with the exception of ages related failures and minor issues they have all provided hours days weeks months years and decades in some cases of fun and joy.i have been medically retired for 4 years and run my locos daily and before that for at least an hour a day. It's true the latest models are having issues but that's due in part to making them into over complicated models. I think it's unfair to say they are crap because there made by 14 and 15 year olds. Chine makes billions of items and spares for all manner of things and failures rates are very low on the whole .they are too costly but that's because they are adding more and more gimmicks that modellers don't really need.
I'd dispute the spare parts for Hornby locos for when they went back to loco drive from tender drive they have a bad habit of fracturing the double plastic gear wheel which sits beneath the worm gear on steam models. Many of those double geared wheels aren't available and they differ from model to model. When they fracture the motor spins but there's no movement and without the right spare part it consigns the loco to the dust bin. Also their electrical systems are bad as over time the pick ups fail to make contact with a small ring on the chassis to take power to the motor. Some hard wire the pick ups to the motor and others place a tiny amount of solder on the pick up so that when the keeper plate is screwed back onto the model it provides more downward pressure on that contact ring. All these problems have come about since they moved production to China where there's little to no quality control. Others have used different double gear wheels from the one stated for the model and have to trim the double geared wheel with a sharp hobby knife to get that gear wheel to rotate freely.
Loco looks beautiful.... but fails totally during the first try out....What a bummer...But then, what can you expect from a British company like Hornby ? As someone else already commented, cheap Chinese crap sold for high price.... you truly deserve better.... Try to get a replacement, or your money back...Trying to repair it yourself might be elusive, expensive, with no guaranteed success.....
Absolutely right! And this yet another classic example of the arrogant and complacent attitude that still exists within our increasingly expensive hobby. I have been closely involved with trains and model railways for nearly 50 years. I have learned much and gained real confidence from many years of self employment and retail experience, backed by years of professional business training. My portfolio includes 12+ years of model trains retailing. I totally agree with the general consensus from your respondents. We love our hobby, but for years we have accepted breathtakingly poor standards in quality and customer service that would be deemed totally unacceptable in any other industry or retail business in the UK or anywhere else! Think about it. Would you accept any other product like a washing machine, TV, Computer that didn't work, or arrived with parts missing or required you to do the repairs yourself? I don't think so! Or maybe you're been waiting for years for it to arrive and you feel that although it wasn't what you hoped for, something holds you back from returning it. You tell yourself 'its OK, I'll fix it, I can live with it. Does that sound familiar? I does to me. As a conscientious retailer, I spent hundreds of hours of my time making countless repairs, modifications or adjustments to brand new locomotives from all the main manufacturers. They were all as bad as each other. My wife used remind me that if I had charged for my countless labour in the prices of the models, I wouldn't have sold a single item. Or If I had to,pay someone else to do it, I would have gone out of business within a couple of weeks! So, why do we do it? Good question! We need to understand that by unwittingly accepting a form 'co-ownership' of the faulty item and not challenging the manufactures poor standards of service, which implies a level disrespect bordering on contempt. We need to accept that we must take the necessary action to end our further 'acceptance' and 'encouragement' that justifies and supports manufacturers sloppy practices. Indeed, by not challenging them directly and consistently, we could easily end up with our hobby being crushed and crippled by conflicting system of dysfunctional attitudes and values that ultimately benefits no-one. Do what you think is right. If you are not happy with the standards of service you are getting, in any activity that you pay good money for. Then remind yourself that the we in the UK are defended and protected by a robust framework of Consumer Laws and Standards and our rights within them. At the end of the day in so many ways, Just remember this timeless and most sacred admonition: Caveat Emptor! Thank you and Good Luck.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and also of course I had nowhere to test it there so brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
I bought one. Sent it back it leaked and would not move. They sent a new one. The steam stopped working. Now I can’t switch to DCC. It’s now running badly. Going to scrap it. Cant afford postage to send it back as I’m a pensioner. I saved for this it’s rubbish I have a railroad loco far superior to this.
Hi, sorry to hear that, the quality and after sales service you have received from Hornby is very poor, no wonder you are annoyed. Based on your experience and others I will be careful before I purchase any future items from Hornby.
Ring them , if you bought it direct from them and have them pick it up,by their own carrier they will do so . If for some reason they refuse utilise your credit card company and ask for a chargeback .
I bought one. Sent it back it leaked and would not move. They sent a new one. The steam stopped working. Now I can’t switch to DCC. It’s now running badly. Going to scrap it. Cant afford postage to send it back as I’m a pensioner. I saved for this it’s rubbish I have a railroad loco far superior to this.
That's the exact reason I don't do DCC. Cheers from eastern TN
Big hi to the Appalachian.
I had a similar issue with a sound decoder in an Accurascale manor. I put it on the rolling road to run in. It ran for 10 minutes, I stopped it for a second and it wouldn't start back up, all dead. I had bought it locally (West Australia), took it back to the shop and they got the chip replaced under warranty from Accurascale. I have a number of the Accurascale SF Manors and all the others have been ok so far. I also have this Hornby Scotsman but haven't run it yet as only just picked it up so fingers crossed.
Thanks for that and the best of luck with your model.
A small trick i discovered here in Western Australia.
A lot of places ask you return in original box for warranty claim.
I bought a train set which pretty much confirmed. Some track joints were damaged.
The box is so they can put straight back on shelf and resell. Eventually someone will just put in trash and not take bake.
I actually returned to a different store as nearest but original had nil stock. Next day they had one in stock.
That’s disappointing, hope you can get a quick resolution. Cheers Peter.
I'm sorry to see you're having issues. I too had a similar issue under bluetooth control through the app. I had to completely remove the decoder from the app (delete loco and decoder) and go through setup again. I contacted hornby, and that's exactly what they advised me to do. I hope Hornby can sort it for you.
Thank you, that sounds promising and it's probably what i will end up trying next.
I'd return it to where you brought it. The retailer should have a postage paid option.
Until it stopped, it looked magnificent and sounded nice too. A real shame.
I had so much trouble with a Hornby HM7000 decoder, even with it going back to Hornby, that it still wouldn't work properly and eventually died completely. I gave up in the end and fitted a Laisdcc decoder to my Q1 and it now runs smoothly, albeit without sound.
I have had a couple of derailments on my layout, but each time the controller reacted and cut the track power. I often wondered if I should have stuck to dc analog control, where everything worked fine, but after persevering and fitting stay-alives to all locos, it is now OK.
Your layout looked great, BTW.
Thanks for that, yes I agree DCC is great when it all works perfectly but like yourself I ended up fitting Stay-Alives to most of the Locos to get better performance.
Well! I could not afford to go DCC, and the more I read about the problems, the happier I am! I have about 24 steam locomotives of Hornby and Bachmann ranges. They all run very well, I am using a 60+ year old Hammant & Morgan "Clipper" power unit. That has transformer control and works very well with modern motors right down to slow speed and no jerky stops. The worst locomotive I have is a Dapol Class 73, it is a very poor runner.
I have several SR EMU's and they are all excellent models and runners.
Thanks for that, Believe me there are a lot of days when I totally agree with you.
DCC is great when it all works but one small problem like some dirt on the track and everything stops, but once you have gone down the DCC route you have spent too much to turn back.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 very true.
Hi there, this reminds me of a problem I had with HM7000 decoders fitted in my TT locos. My decoders would pair with the app and connect, but would not move nor play sounds. This turned out to be due to issues with the power supply (I was using an analogue controller set to full as per the original advice), which disappeared once I used a DCC power supply
Yes, they are tricky to get working if everything isn't exactly right they won't run.
Sorry to see you had bad luck with the Scotsman hope you will be able to sort it out cheers Patrick Quinn IRL
Have you tried a decoder reset on the programming track ? Usually CV8 to value 8 does the trick. Worth a try in every case of an apparent fault. If the decoder seems to respond to re loading but won't drive on the track then it could just be confused rather than dead.
Thanks for that, yes I tried reprogramming the decoder a couple of times but it didn't work because I think it still has corrupted info in it so next I am going to try and clear out all the information if I can and start again from scratch.
Oh, I was enjoying that Richard. Very disappointed for you. P.s. my grandad was a fireman on the Flying Scotsman. I'd like to have heard Scotland the brave! You'll crack it.
Hi Julie, Thanks for that, I did try Scotland the Brave but wasn't very impressed with it so haven' used it since.
Sorry to hear about the decoder. I have only just gotten into DCC recently, but from my understanding, Hornby has never been great with DCC from a hardware angle. It is a shame because she would be an amazing model if she worked properly. My only Hornby DCC chip is an old TTS sound decoder, and it works, but sometimes it doesn't like to respond to commands, and you have to hit the button a few times. I hope your loco gets sorted out soon.
I'll just complain, return and ask for a replacement (or money back). You likely have spend several hundred pound on that loco. Its falling apart from the start. Then the chip goes 'BANG'. I'm guessing Peter your a feller not like to kick up a fuss. However if they can't deliver a product after charging you that much, its just robbery.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
Waow bella!!!..... 😮
i opened my version of it and it had exactly the same issue with the wheel not being attached and mine also shorts on points at a slow speed. as much as i love the model the shorting makes for poor running at times.
Hi, that's such a shame that the enjoyment of what should have been an excellent model is ruined by bad workmanship in the production process.
Have you tried checking the back to back measurements of the wheels, if any of them are out the most likely place they will cause problems is when crossing points.
Hi. Mines stopped working aswell, tried to get it back on bluetooth nothing. Tried to use normal dcc controller, nothing. Emailing back and fourth eventually i called hornby. They managed to get someone to talk over the phone and we finally after about 40mins get it up and running. Touch wood had no problems. Hopefully you get you model fixed. It is alot of money to fork out.
Thanks for that, luckily I did manage to get it working and I'm just putting a follow up video out about it but it is on test at the moment and I haven't fitted the accessories yet in case it has to go back.
Is the smokebox door properly mounted? It looks off to me.
A few seem to have that issue, I just checked mine and its also out at the bottom a little
Thanks, yes it does look fractionally out , I will have a proper look at it in the morning
I would want my money back.
I do hope you can get it sorted and can let us know of a successful outcome.
Hornby raise people's expectations with such high prices but they do still seem to have a rather patchy record with some models over the reliability. Speaking to my local model shop though suggests that Hornby are no worse than several other manufacturers. Hornby's repair service can be quite good as well providing there is not the difficulty you have due to being abroad.
I do wonder, like some others here, if the problem here is simply to do with the chip but, as a person who only runs their models on analogue, I am surprised that a simple derailment can cause such a drastic reset.
Thanks very much for that excellent advice, I am going to reprogram the decoder next but because it won't accept an update I will have to clear out the existing information before that can be done.
That's really the last option open so we'll try that then post an update with the result.
You say return it on your next trip to UK so I understand it is tempting to try fixing it yourself but as someone said in another video if that was your mobile phone or PC you would not start looking for the problem and trying to fix it you would want it replaced. Hornby and others have no quality control these days and sell us models at huge prices that have bits falling off or just don't work. I have got fed up of Hornby now and hardly bought anything last year. I want a steaming Black 5 and was offered a Scotsman at a good price but declined, at one time I would not of hesitated getting it and the Black 5. They seem to make things more for collectors to display rather than models with a bit less detail that actually work for years.
Thanks for that, your absolutely right, I could have just reported it and arranged to return it on my next visit to the UK I have done that occasionally before because everything has a minimum 12month warranty now, but of course once I had started tinkering with it you become determined to solve it.
I pre-ordered this Loco when it was first announced because I expected them to have limited availability and sell out quickly but that hasn't happened there are still plenty for sale.
Like yourself I really wanted the Black 5 model but I am not going to pre-order that, instead I will wait until it is released and see what the reviews are like before even considering it.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 I haven't ordered the Black 5 either for that reason. Hoping my local shop will be able to get one although Hornby said one per shop like they did for Scotsman, I am sure there will be more. Something Bachmann have told the shop is the warranty now begins when the shop gets the model delivered so most of their stock has no warranty now. I have not asked if Hornby are also doing that now but something to bare in mind.
@@cedarcam Thanks that's worth knowing and checking before you buy. The last item I sent back was from Hornby bought from Hattons and Hattons told me that all their items had a 12 month guarantee but of course everything could have changed now, maybe why Hattons closed down, too honest.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 I am not sure what happened at Hattons. Some said they took on too much going into USA. I was surprised a year before they closed watching a live webcam at a show in USA and saw a Hattons stall. I did not buy a huge amount from them but sad to see them go, never had a problem with them apart from the class 66 I returned with a twisted chassis which they replaced. It was during Covid lockdown and I was unable to return it right away, they agreed I could return it when I could next get out to a post office. While here I really like your layout
Yep I would unassign then delete the decoder rescan and reload the sound profile I had to do this for mine although for a difference reason
Thanks for that, I've checked into it and it does look like it's the best thing to try if I'm going to solve it.
More expensive Hornby crap
What caused the initial derailing?
That's the worry really, the Loco had already done a few circuits of the track without problems when it derailed.
Afterwards I could find no damage or debris on the track and no faults with the chassis so if a simple random derailment caused these problems what is to stop it happening again.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 unfortunately from the viewers viewpoint we don't see the initiation of the derailment and if it could be attributable to the loco or any other part of the train.
The loose bogie wheels did obviously spring to mind especially if they had lost gauging during running or indeed if it was triggered by the rear pony truck which has been seen as a cause on some derailments.
I assume all of the coach bogies are free running and pivoting and not causing any undue drag during a run?
INSANE PACKAGING OF BRITISH OUTLINE !!!
First grouch I've always had with British outline OO has been the packaging. Why they can't use the simple clear plastic cases used by European & Japanese manufacturers, which means the model can be on the rails in seconds, I don't know. What this all means is that with large exhibition layouts you literally need HOURS just to get the stock unpacked and on the rails. Meaning you have no choice but to build special carrying trays. My 4 track mainline layout has 130 locos 450 coaches, along with 290 wagons !!!!
Hi, sad to see it all go wrong so soon. If you replace the decoder for anything other than another Hornby one, do you risk the smoke being out of sync? I commented on your video because I recently had an A4 tts decoder that reset itself to 3 after a short like you had crossing a point. I had it in pieces trying to figure out why nothing would work before it dawned on me what had happened. All the best, hope you get it sorted soon.
Thanks for the info, I'm going to have a look into it in a couple of days when I've had time to think about it and decide what to do next but I'm getting helpful advice from your comments first.
Send it back for a replacement or refund.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
Such a shame!
I am sure you were eagerly awaiting delivery only to be thoroughly disappointed.
Send it back and get a refund.
@@darrenhillman8396 Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and also I could not do a test run with it anyway brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago.
Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
The reason you had so much trouble with a grand new model is because it's made by HORNBY and as such is ABSOLUTELY CRAP made in China by schoolgirls 13 -14 yr old getting $5 a week if they are lucky then it's sent to UK and Hornby charge ridiculous prices for it even though there is little or no quality control I bought 2 locos from them ONE DIDNT EVEN RUN 1 foot this meant a complete strip down to repair faulty wiring and re-alligning the gear drive so it meshed correctly the other ran superbly in a forward direction the only trouble was it wouldn't run in reverse faulty wiring was problem WHAT I SUGGEST HORNBY DO IS TO INCLUDE A COMPLETE WIRING DIAGRAM AND A SET OOF TOOLS AND SPARE PARTS IN EVERY MODEL THEY TRY TO SELL WHAT A crappy product the consumer derserves more
THE PROBLEM BEGINS AT THE HORNBY BOARD LEVEL !
It isn't made by Hornby, their loco range at least is made by PIKO (ex East German model train manufacturer) at their plant near Canton PRC. The problem is Hornby have absolutely nobody on the Board of Directors who has qualifications in Railway History, railway equipment or even a knowledge of what technologies are actually available for Model production.
I was Importing, wholesaling & retailing Japanese ranges across Europe 30 years ago. Those ranges had numerous practical technologies included in them, that NO European manufacturer has yet woken up too. And the Japanese models were only around 35% of the retail cost of British outline then & now !
Even Japanese N Gauge outline, included such accessories as: Rotating illuminated destination blinds; Automatic self uncoupling of locomotives; Real life scale working couplings including Buckeye & Scharfenburg types; High quality 5 Pole Skew armature motors with DOUBLE flywheel drives; Clip out Quick clean motor bogies; Coaches with seats that changed direction (many Jap trains have such seats). In OO (1:80) scale, steam locomotives Reversing gear actually changed position automatically when the model changed direction; Again they all had high grade motors with large double flywheel drives, so you actually had to "drive" the train. They were pure 12v DC, but using real life controllers, modelled on the desk of a real life Drivers desk, with power handle, brake handle, speedometer, ammeter etc. And these controllers could control more than one train at a time on one or more tracks, without the necessity for expensive chips. And all that was available back in the early 1990's. N Gauge locos retailed in my British based business at £30-50, and Jap OO scale at £80-£110. The very good prices were a result of the fact that there are MORE modellers in Japan than the whole of the rest of the World put together 3.5 times over. Indeed just in N scale their were known to be over 12 Million regular users, itself more than the whole of the rest of the World !!!
Or you could have sent straight back to them, rather than trying to mess around and fix it yourself for the money they charge.
Didn't know how many people in Japan are railway modellers but makes sense now.@@railwaymechanicalengineer4587
@@railwaymechanicalengineer4587 I won’t buy another Hornby loco.
Please excuse my ignorance.... I honestly didn't know that rolling stock, locomotives etc by Hornby were made in China... I honestly thought that EVERYTHING that Hornby manufacturers was made in Britain.
i wont buy hornby locos anymore as the quality is very bad to say the least.
I haven't bought any Hornby Locos for a while as I already have enough and they seem to be getting expensive now but I did want to try this new one with the Steam Generator.
But, from this example, what you say seems to be correct so I probably won't be buying anymore.
I used to have a layout, garden and loft. Long since packed away. I even bought a loco a few years ago, that was selling for half price, in a drunken stupor, and has never been run. While I can see the advantage of DCC the sounds would drive me mad after a few minutes. OK you probable can turn them off, but you are paying a lot of money for something I personally wouldn't want.
I know of people who are on number three and number four total replacement. This project is going to cost Hornby dearly; as their reputation is shot to total shit-house!
Thanks for that, I'm out here in Spain virtually on my own so I don't get much feedback on what's happening generally in the modelling world but it has certainly opened my eyes to the drop in Hornby's standards
I would just like to say I have a long list of Hornby locos spanning from 1990s to the latest Tyne dock 9f. I have around 35 or 40 .with the exception of ages related failures and minor issues they have all provided hours days weeks months years and decades in some cases of fun and joy.i have been medically retired for 4 years and run my locos daily and before that for at least an hour a day. It's true the latest models are having issues but that's due in part to making them into over complicated models. I think it's unfair to say they are crap because there made by 14 and 15 year olds. Chine makes billions of items and spares for all manner of things and failures rates are very low on the whole .they are too costly but that's because they are adding more and more gimmicks that modellers don't really need.
I'd dispute the spare parts for Hornby locos for when they went back to loco drive from tender drive they have a bad habit of fracturing the double plastic gear wheel which sits beneath the worm gear on steam models. Many of those double geared wheels aren't available and they differ from model to model. When they fracture the motor spins but there's no movement and without the right spare part it consigns the loco to the dust bin. Also their electrical systems are bad as over time the pick ups fail to make contact with a small ring on the chassis to take power to the motor. Some hard wire the pick ups to the motor and others place a tiny amount of solder on the pick up so that when the keeper plate is screwed back onto the model it provides more downward pressure on that contact ring. All these problems have come about since they moved production to China where there's little to no quality control. Others have used different double gear wheels from the one stated for the model and have to trim the double geared wheel with a sharp hobby knife to get that gear wheel to rotate freely.
Loco looks beautiful.... but fails totally during the first try out....What a bummer...But then, what can you expect from a British company like Hornby ? As someone else already commented, cheap Chinese crap sold for high price.... you truly deserve better.... Try to get a replacement, or your money back...Trying to repair it yourself might be elusive, expensive, with no guaranteed success.....
Absolutely right! And this yet another classic example of the arrogant and complacent attitude that still exists within our increasingly expensive hobby. I have been closely involved with trains and model railways for nearly 50 years. I have learned much and gained real confidence from many years of self employment and retail experience, backed by years of professional business training. My portfolio includes 12+ years of model trains retailing.
I totally agree with the general consensus from your respondents. We love our hobby, but for years we have accepted breathtakingly poor standards in quality and customer service that would be deemed totally unacceptable in any other industry or retail business in the UK or anywhere else! Think about it. Would you accept any other product like a washing machine, TV, Computer that didn't work, or arrived with parts missing or required you to do the repairs yourself? I don't think so! Or maybe you're been waiting for years for it to arrive and you feel that although it wasn't what you hoped for, something holds you back from returning it. You tell yourself 'its OK, I'll fix it, I can live with it. Does that sound familiar? I does to me. As a conscientious retailer, I spent hundreds of hours of my time making countless repairs, modifications or adjustments to brand new locomotives from all the main manufacturers. They were all as bad as each other. My wife used remind me that if I had charged for my countless labour in the prices of the models, I wouldn't have sold a single item. Or If I had to,pay someone else to do it, I would have gone out of business within a couple of weeks! So, why do we do it? Good question!
We need to understand that by unwittingly accepting a form 'co-ownership' of the faulty item and not challenging the manufactures poor standards of service, which implies a level disrespect bordering on contempt. We need to accept that we must take the necessary action to end our further 'acceptance' and 'encouragement' that justifies and supports manufacturers sloppy practices. Indeed, by not challenging them directly and consistently, we could easily end up with our hobby being crushed and crippled by conflicting system of dysfunctional attitudes and values that ultimately benefits no-one.
Do what you think is right. If you are not happy with the standards of service you are getting, in any activity that you pay good money for. Then remind yourself that the we in the UK are defended and protected by a robust framework of Consumer Laws and Standards and our rights within them.
At the end of the day in so many ways, Just remember this timeless and most sacred admonition: Caveat Emptor!
Thank you and Good Luck.
It's the curse of the over complicated DCC fad.
Bachmann is much better
Send it back
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
For the amount of money you paid, it should have gone straight back as soon as you saw it, rather than trying to sort it.
Thanks for that, I bought the Loco in England on my Summer Holidays but didn't open it because I didn't want to lose anything and also of course I had nowhere to test it there so brought it back to Spain with me a couple of weeks ago. Returning items from here is quite difficult especially after Brexit so I am going to have one more try at getting it running and if that fails it will be in my bag back to the UK next month.
I bought one. Sent it back it leaked and would not move. They sent a new one. The steam stopped working. Now I can’t switch to DCC. It’s now running badly. Going to scrap it. Cant afford postage to send it back as I’m a pensioner. I saved for this it’s rubbish I have a railroad loco far superior to this.
Hi, sorry to hear that, the quality and after sales service you have received from Hornby is very poor, no wonder you are annoyed.
Based on your experience and others I will be careful before I purchase any future items from Hornby.
@@byfordmodelrailway786 Thank you. All I can do is send it to them and see what happens.
Ring them , if you bought it direct from them and have them pick it up,by their own carrier they will do so . If for some reason they refuse utilise your credit card company and ask for a chargeback .
I bought one. Sent it back it leaked and would not move. They sent a new one. The steam stopped working. Now I can’t switch to DCC. It’s now running badly. Going to scrap it. Cant afford postage to send it back as I’m a pensioner. I saved for this it’s rubbish I have a railroad loco far superior to this.