Is hornby still making the harry potter and the half blood prince train set?

[HPFAN101]

Just wondering because I wanted to buy a hogwarts express that is DCC ready and has a light. I've wanted a hogwarts express like hornby has made, also please give ideas on building layouts.

 

Also, what is the best DCC steam locomotive decoder there

 

is? Please answer!

 

[walkingthedog]

Hi HPFAN welcome to the forum I can only answer the first part, no. You can still get it from some outlets. Have a look on Amazon they have it.

[Fishmanoz]

Can't see any on Amazon right now but they show up on eBay from time to time - they are not a current model and the later version with light and 5-pole motor is not as common as the earlier one without light.

You can find a broken body with light at

 

the moment and new bodies non-light version also. Conversion from one version to the other is not the easiest. The smoke box door with hole for the light and the light itself are about all that's useful on the broken body. The rear post for connecting chassis

 

to body is broken so it can't be used easily to complete the loco, and the Hogwarts name board also seems to be missing from the smoke box.

Yes, I have the non-light version working at the moment and the light version parts I'm hoping to assemble and dispose

 

of maybe - not just locos, complete sets.

[walkingthedog]

There is one (or two) on Amazon unless I've found the wrong thing.

 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hornby-Gauge-R1128-Potter-Prince/dp/B002P3KGWW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1340188113&sr=8-5

 

 

[Fishmanoz]

That's the one WTD, my mistake. Obviously my search from Oz missed Amazon UK.

[walkingthedog]

That's OK Fishmanoz. My mate in Perth WA can never find anything on line. Mind you he's originally from the UK.

[2e0dtoeric]

Is that why he's in Perth? He took a wrong turn at Liverpool Lime street! :-)

[HPFAN101]

Thanks but also how much Australian dollars is the British dollar worth though,thats the problem I have at the moment, can't find any answers on google and other search engines.

[HPFAN101]

Oh and also so what is the best DCC decoder in your opinions? And I'll try get a sample of its sounds.

[poliss]

The British dollar is worth five bob. Do you mean the British Pound?

[Fishmanoz]

Exchange rate is currently 1 British Pound = $1.54, meaning your set will be a little over $300 plus postage - not a bad price.

[Fishmanoz]

Yes, other sets are cheaper but you are paying a premium to the HP J.K. Rowling retirement fund, plus all the other hangers-on between her and Hornby including Warner Bros I think.

[HPFAN101]

Yes and thank you, but do you have a best DCC sound decoder in your mind?

[Fishmanoz]

HPFAN, I think that this part of your question may have been lost in the Hogwarts Express part and you may be better off asking the question in a new thread.

I'm no sound expert, haven't dabbled there yet. However, I do know Hornby use Loksound decoders

 

and people seem to be happy with them. You might also Google DCC Concepts in Perth as they do sound too. Also, while you should have no problem getting a sound file for a Castle Class, I doubt you'll get anywhere with anything specific to the Hogwarts.

And,

 

to fit a sound decoder, the speaker will have to go in the tender as there is no romm in the loco at all, only just enough room to get a decoder in. Running a wire link back to the loco shouldn't be a problem as tender and loco are permanently attached once

 

assembled.