Finding service sheets

[Tay00]

I never seem to be able to find service sheets.

i type in "Intercity 225 service sheet" and get no results.

what do I need to do to find it?

thanks

[DEREK123]

Hi

Try entering "Class 91" .... for your example and " Class XX " as necessary ( where XX is the class of loco ) .. this sometimes is better.

Good luck and take care

Derek

[Chrissaf]

Searching for the Class as Derek says can work, as does searching for the R number. In the case of the "Intercity 125 & 225" that is a train branding name and not a loco class or type. Same as searching for "Orient Express" that is a branding name too. Intercitys are easier to find searching for HST.

.

Regardless of the search term used, I find not using the Hornby Service Sheet site and using the Lendon's site instead is more effective, as the Lendons site covers a wider range of manufacturing dates and best of all, clicking the SS download link opens the SS on screen, whereas the Hornby site doesn't.

[96RAF]

Less is more when using the Hornby site service sheet search facility.

e.g. Mallard, A4, Class A4. HSS2, all produce different results.

You have to be a bit creative at times to find the one you want.

 

Also the Hornby site starts at 200 so if you have an earlier model you have to go external for those service sheets.

Hornbyguide.com is another site but searching can be a bit iffy, however they also list train sets and rolling stock.

 

You can find service sheets at this link but they download in big lumps - http://www.halton96th.org.uk/service-sheets.html

I have included a spreadsheet for download on that page which can help find a service sheet number for a particular loco.

[Tay00]

Hi and thanks for your replies.

so I guess my real issue is being able to identify the class/type of loco rather than model name.

while my op was for a recently acquired 225 I have a number of locos from the 70/80's i need service sheets for.

so I guess my question should have been how do I identify the class of my locos when I don't have original boxes.

any advise?

[DEREK123]

Hi

I am sure this is not right but sometimes it has worked for me  ( I am only a hobbyist !! ) If you use the first 2 digits of the loco run number then that is ( I THINK !! ) the class number  ( or am I just dreaming again ? ) . It seems to be right for most diesels.

an example would be your Inter City 225 which would have a run no of say 91XXX ....  (  ie class 91 )

Derek

Stay safe

( R numbers are normally on documentation and boxes )

[Ruffnut Thorston]

If you can post a photo on a forum, such as here...

 

Then someone will likely be able to supply the information.

 

There's a lot of knowledge lurking out there!

 

😀

[96RAF]

Some of the lists allow you to search on the loco cab side (running) number.

[ColinB]

It is a nightmare sometimes especially for older locos, like I did a search for my old Ringfield based Duchess and A4. When I eventually find the right service sheet it doesn't include the tender. Also there is a bug on the Hornby site, if you select the latest Duchess it just returns to the service sheet selection. The thing I do find surprising is sometimes a part doesn't have a part number. I suppose it is because they don't want to sell it as a spare, but it is like the speaker enclosure for the latest Duchess, you can buy the updated tender bottom and pickup plate for the speaker fitted tender, but not the weight (it doesn't have a part number). The reason I noticed was I decided to upgrade my earlier loco driven Duchess that was not DCC ready, so I thought I would just buy a new tender bottom and fit the bits in there. In the end I had to "bodge" the existing weight.

[Rog RJ]

You can often find comprehensive details about a loco, including the class, by googling "locomotive xyz" or "locomotive 123" or whatever.  Wikipedia lists many loco details and running numbers.

[Going Spare]

Hornby's Service Sheets generally, but not consistently, have shown the full mechanical/electrical make-up of a particular model but part numbers are shown publicly only for parts that are (or now were) made available for purchase as replacements.  Hornby's philosophy was that chassis blocks, weights and the like should never need replacing because they would not wear out or get damaged or lost.  When production was in the UK, it was comparatively easy to supply individual parts either direct or through Service Dealers, but with the move to China, the availability diminished/disappeared and for ease of handling, packs of the smaller parts became the order of the day if they were to be offered at all.  Technical developments have continued at an ever increasing pace resulting in parts for comparatively recent models - tender drives, for example - becoming obsolete far quicker than was the case say twenty years ago.  And with production no longer 'under Hornby's roof', undertaking runs of obsolete parts is financially and logistically prohibitive.  The problem is exacerbated by the Service Sheet and replacement parts systems not being maintained in Hornby's traditional comprehensive manner - perhaps we were looked after too well in the past!.

[ColinB]

@Going Spare I could sort of believe your argument if they as a company were consistant but they are not, sometimes they list weights and things as parts, other times they do not and although moving production to China has an effect that does not explain it all. I can buy a tender weight for a pre sound Duchess but not for a sound one, they both are Chinese models. It is probably more to do with trying to save costs cutting down on spare parts means you don't have to store them, unfortunately long term it usually spells the death of a company.

[Chrissaf]

Colin, you are in danger of straying into 'egg on face' territory. My understanding is that 'Going Spare' is either a current or ex trade Hornby Service Centre repairer. On that basis, I would tend to treat his posts as 'talking from the horses mouth'.

[ColinB]

I did wonder, his posts have that tone. We all know that when you move production to another country the same system will exist as in the UK, it is just your sub suppliers are just from that country, that is why when a major firm goes bust it usually kills all the firms around it. Surprisingly, it is no different in China, I doubt you would be making valve gear on the production line I hope, it would be too expensive, it is probably a sub process either in the same factory or by a supplier, he is right they only order enough for the current production run, which probably costs them more money (if it is CAD you still pay the same setup time). We already know the motors are bought in. Either way, you are in to Service Sheets, compare them as I do and you will see sometimes they list a part, sometimes they don't, there is no consistancy. It probably as he says, sometimes they want to list a part sometimes they don't, they are not going to change it, it was just an observation.

[Going Spare]

I can but agree with much of what Colin says.  His frustration was/is shared!  There is a good bit more that could be added but Hornby put food on our table for 22 years as a Service Dealer and I still have much admiration for what they have managed to achieve through some extremely challenging times. 

[Ruffnut Thorston]

RE: Duchess of Sutherland, the original tender drive Duchess, etc...

 

The earlier Service Sheets split the tender drive and motor bogies with Ringfield motors from the locomotives.

 

The Locomotive Service Sheets carry a reference to see Service Sheet XXX for the motor...

 

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RE: Parts not available...

 

One part that was officially not available separately, was the actual casting for the Ringfield motors.

 

It is even stated on some service sheets...

 

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Not that this means that supplies didn't find their way to some Service Dealers... 😉

[ColinB]

Thank you Sarahagain I spent hours looking for the tender service sheet. At least the inconsistancy is not new, because they must have listed the Motor Block as a spare part for A3 as Peters Spares seems to have loads of new 3 pole ones, unless Hornby made too many and just sold them on. It was like yesterday I received an order for con rods on a J13, I had looked on the Service Sheet for the part and found it came with the screws. Part arrives minus screws when I enquired about the screws, it was because I ordered the part with an "a" at the end, which means no screws. I didn't even see a reference to this part on the Service Sheet all I saw were different suffixes for colour. Of course there is no part number for the screws, so in the end I buy another part with a part number minus the "a". I suppose the part is on a Service Sheet somewhere, I probably never noticed. Fortunately, I am coming to the end of updating my really old locos and the new ones I just accept I cannot get spare parts for, so perhaps I won't need to use them very often in the future.