hornby a4 osprey

[graham-1277071]

i am cosidering buying a hornby a4 osprey but have been told that they dont like going over curved points peco say they are fine and dont derail can anybody advise me thanks.

[Topcat2018]

I assume the model you are thinking of buying is second-hand. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think "Osprey" is currently in production.

Knowing the model number would be a good starting point. Is it R3438? That's the only version of "Osprey" I've been able to find, other contributors may know more.

If it is R3438 I don't see why it would be more prone to derailment on points than other A4s of a similar vintage. Or is the claim that all A4s of that vintage suffer from the problem?

What is the source of this information?

[Going Spare]

If it was in a YouTube review that you saw 'Osprey's' bogie derailing on the inner radius of a curved point, I do not think it was the loco entirely at fault. A little later in the review, you see the loco running through the same point in the opposite direction without derailing but the tender runs very roughly through the exit of the point and that makes me wonder whether the derailing issue was at least partly due to the standard of tracklaying. Others may have experience of running the loco but as it was a limited edition short run model, it may have been bought more by collectors than modellers.

[ColinB]

I build loads of A4s from spare parts as well as having several ones bought from new. They are probably one of Hornby's best chassis. None of mine derail on points, admittedly all my points are Peco electrofrog. There is a spring on the front bogie which if missing or is the wrong tension then that could cause issues or the infamous back to back spacing between the wheels on the bogie, but generally they are really good runners.

[The Doc]

Quite a few people have reported problems with Hornby curved points on this forum over the years. I have an A4 that happily runs around the "outer" branch of a curved point, but frequently derails when trying to go on the sharper inner radius curve, if that makes sense. It may be that my point is not laid perfectly, but I know I am not the only one to have had issues with Hornby curved points, and several forum members have advised against using them. Like Colin, I use almost exclusively Peco electrofrog points, and these are all much gentler in radius than the Hornby curved point. The Hornby curved point may look like a useful space saver, but may ultimately lead to disappointment.

[atom3624]

I've had some issues with Hornby Pacifics over points in the past.

Generally it's been corrected by checking the B2B (back-to-back) is ~14.3-14.5mm and occasionally, like with the rebuilt Merchant Navy Pacifics I've found I've had to 'increase the bogie contact' to the rails, finding they only just rest on the rails / are easily derailed.

It's typical of some less than ideal QC observed at final assembly of Hornby locomotives - quite inconsistent but easily corrected.

Al.

[mjb1961]

The Osprey is part of the limited Sir Nigel Gresley sets , I have that set and Osprey is very nice, but with reference to curved points I would suggest not having them on your layout,hornby anyway,i cannot comment on Peco because I have never used them..

[ColinB]

I have two sets off Peco curved points on my layout, my A4s traverse them perfectly ok. The only issue is that you have to make sure that there is a gentle curve going into them. It might be with me because I use flexi track. A4s are no worse that any other loco, if anything they are better than most.