ColinB Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 I have 3 Hornby Schools locos (4 if you include the tender driven one). Anyway on one of the 3 I noticed it has a a better pickup system, than the the other two. The pickups come out from the centre and are then bent at 90 degrees to touch the wheels, does anyone know if this is the latest design. The other ones have just a long piece of straight copper that doesn't work very well. I don't know how I acquired 3, it must have been because they were cheap, I now know why. They are the worst designed locos I own, plus Hornby don't seem to have any spares for them even though it is still a current model. Looking at the posts on this site front bogies haven't been available since 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Spare Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 If the loco with the improved pick-ups has the highest R-number, chances are it is a running change to the specification, assuming it was bought new and not modified by a previous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Duke 71000 Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Colin B,I have a handful of Schools class locos, because they are very powerful. Very helpful on my large layout ! However one of the models I bought a couple of years back had a minor issue with the front bogie not behaving properly. I disassembled the bogie, compared it to another, and realised the bogie mounting had simply been assembled incorrectly. I therefore reassembled it the way it was supposed to be, and I have had no further problems. From memory the wiring for the bogie pickup had been threaded the wrong way, causing one axle to try lifting as the loco moved along the track, it therefore derailed at points. I like these models, and I just wish Hornby would put traction tyres on more models. As traction tyres are virtually a standard on European and Japanese ranges.... The Duke 71000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 I was looking throught my box of bits and I found some pickups that could be soldered to match the loco with the decent pickups on the front bogie. They are now run a lot better, the one thing that I have noticed is on all my 3 locos the drawbar is too short, on the layout it stops the tender sitting properly, causing the loco to derail, have wheel spin and derail. Fortunately I had one for a king which is slightly longer, surprisingly it fixed all the issues. The tender sort of gets jammed under the cab running board with the short drawbar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted July 12, 2020 Author Share Posted July 12, 2020 I have just watched Sam's Trains review of this model and yes they did redesign the front bogie pickups. Funny everything in his review was correct, except the drawbar is too short causing the loco to derail. I fitted a GWR King which is slightly longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 Strange!What radius curves are you running - Brighton has no problems for me. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo1707820979 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 and "Haileybury" glides round some 1.5 radiuses without taking a nosedive. But carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted July 12, 2020 Author Share Posted July 12, 2020 There are two issues with my Brighton loco, both fixed now. The drawbar was too short stopping the tender sitting properly which affects the other fault that the pick ups on the front bogie don't always touch the wheels. If you watch Sam's Train's video it is one of the first things he pointed out. They changed the style of pickups on later models. This model has one of the axles with traction tyres, so basically as a pickup it is useless, so if your tender pickups don't work you are reliant on one axle and the front bogie. As I said, I have fixed mine now and it runs pefectly round my long sweeping bends, so no longer an issue. I bought all mine second hand, the tender gets caught under the the loco floorpan extension with the short drawbar, perhaps on some of them it is not fitted, so no need for the longer drawbar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 I think all loco-powered ones have one axle with traction tyres. I replaced mine with 'normal' wheels, but was having such a hard job setting up the locomotive to permit hauling 7 carriages, I decided to bow to convention, and returned to the tyred drivers. Never had problems with that locomotive - https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/2256106870That's the same as mine - never had a drawbar problem, or any other. Great and powerful little locomotive. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted July 12, 2020 Author Share Posted July 12, 2020 No, only 4-4-0 locos have traction tyres. As the review says bits keep dropping off, as does mine. I think someone on this site also complained about that, I suspect you have been lucky, I have 3 of them. Have a look to see what holds the front bogie on. On all three of mine it is a bit of pvc tubing, which if you are unlucky eventually pings off. As I say the front bogie pickups on two of them needed constant attention, perhaps they had fixed that on yours. All three of mine now work perfectly, so perhaps I was just unlucky. You probably run DC so have never had to take it apart, I have sound in two of them, which meant taking the tender apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Hi Colin, my 'I think all loco powered ones had traction tyres' referred to the opening title - Schools 4-4-0.I'm very aware of the 6-, 8-, 10-coupled locomotives etc.., being steel / metal only. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now