Help Needed Re: Broken NEM Pocket

[TT-Man]

At the end of January I received a new loco from Hornby that had a broken NEM Pocket. I contacted Hornby on the 3rd February to report the problem with a full description and photos. Yesterday I received a packet with some new tension lock couplers in it. Obviously of no use as it is not the tension lock coupler that is broken.

I contacted Hornby again and to my surprise got an immediate reply. However, the reaction was disappointing. It said their spares department don't have any of this part available and that was that. Now this type of NEM Pocket is fitted on quite a number of Hornby and Oxford Rail models, so it is by no means unique. It seems odd that they are completely unavailable and rather poor that Hornby seem to be just dismissing the matter. They still have models for sale that have these fitted.

Does anyone in the community know where I might obtain one of these? The photos show the broken part and where it fits between the coupler and the loco.

[P-Henny]

The pocket on its own (X6354 pack of 10) has been shown out of stock in some spares retailers for some time. New Modellers have stock of X9289 (Qty 50+) which is the pocket including the coupling at 60p each.

https://www.newmodellersshop.co.uk/hornby_spares_couplings.htm

Scroll down the page to X9289. Note that the triangular bit on the pocket is shaped to fit into the chassis recess one way round. If fitted the wrong way round, it becomes lose and falls out.

P.S. Some 'Hornby X6354' are listed as available on ebay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Hornby+X6354&_trksid=m5467.l1311

[TT-Man]

@P-Henny, many thanks for that very useful information and links. I didn't know the part number so it would have been very hard to track these down without it.

[P-Henny]

Re part number.

That's precisely why I have this very useful New Modellers page bookmarked in my browser. All the various Hornby couplings are listed as images, then once I identify the part by its image, that then gives me the part number to make a more wider search if out of stock at N.M.

[Topcat1707821625]

@TT-Man

Don't mess around trying to fix the problem. Your rights under the Sale of Goods Act are that if a new item is damaged or unfit for purpose you are entitled to a full refund or a replacement from the retailer. If you still want the loco ask Hornby (or the retailer if it wasn't direct from Hornby) to replace it. You may accept a repair but you are not obliged to so so. I personally would not accept a replacement part in the case of NEM couplings (even if Hornby had sent your the correct one) as these couplings are a nightmare to get into the pocket and frequently break at the narrow neck.

I find that NEM couplings are completely useless anyway and a case of form over function as they aren't easy to couple or decouple. I find that the hook frequently sticks in an up position unless it has a return spring like some Bachmann rolling stock.

Fortunately most of my locos and rolling stock have tension lock couplings that may not look great but at least work reliably.

[81F]

On the other hand For something so minor as a NEM pocket, returning a loco can be a real pain especially if you have to fund the return and your local post office closed down. There is also a danger the loco may get lost in the post.

Although this sort of thing should not happen with a new loco consider the cost of how much the spare would cost to get with that of returning the loco and getting to the post office. Also bear in mind it doesn't hurt to have a few spare pockets, I've lost around six that have just dropped out and gone missing after a while.

[TT-Man]

On the other hand For something so minor as a NEM pocket, returning a loco can be a real pain especially if you have to fund the return and your local post office closed down. There is also a danger the loco may get lost in the post.

Although this sort of thing should not happen with a new loco consider the cost of how much the spare would cost to get with that of returning the loco and getting to the post office. Also bear in mind it doesn't hurt to have a few spare pockets, I've lost around six that have just dropped out and gone missing after a while.

 

 

Yes I completely agree with your comments. Returning this loco would be a real pain for me, as I am in Bulgaria. Also it is no longer in stock. I got one of the last few from the Hornby webshop. I have ordered a few of these NEM pockets using the info kindly given by P-Henny above. As you say it's good to have a few spares. Yes it is a small extra expense, and I would have hoped that Hornby could have sorted it out. But in the great scheme of things it's not the biggest problem.

 

 

[Going Spare]

Out of interest, which couplings did Hornby send you?

[TT-Man]

Out of interest, which couplings did Hornby send you?

 

 

They sent a pack of 8 X9289 Tension Lock Couplers. Looking at the New Modellers Shop website referred to by P-Henny above, I think these are normally sold with the NEM coupling pocket included. However, the ones I received only had the coupler and not the pocket.

[Going Spare]

Yes, couplings in pack X9289 should include the pocket. Just the coupling heads are in pack R8219.

[TT-Man]

I suspect that what may have happened is that someone in the parts department raided the packet for the NEM pockets as they were out stock as a separate item. Then when someone came to deal with my issue they just grabbed the pack that says X9289 on it, not realising that it had been previously cannibalised.

It seems like bad logistics planning to let parts that are installed in currently for sale locos go out of stock. Not a good sign for direct sale only TT models where it is not possible to fall back on other suppliers.

[TT-Man]

Well this is confusing. After having apparently washed their hands of the matter I have today received this from Customer Care.

"Many thanks for the information that you have supplied. I have now made sure the spares team locate the correct part.

I have passed the request through to our spares team at the warehouse. Assuming that the part is available the part will be sent out to you as soon as possible."

So is the part available or not? Let's see.

[Brew Man]

I wonder if they've been reading this thread thinking_face

[ColinB]

Hornby are always running out of them, also I found the Bachmann ones although they look the same don't always fit. I think the last lot were genuine ones, I got off a woman on EBay. They are very fragile I just brushed the one on my 9f and it broke. I would recommend the magnetic ones from Hornby but they still use the same pockets.

[TT-Man]

Hornby are always running out of them, also I found the Bachmann ones although they look the same don't always fit. I think the last lot were genuine ones, I got off a woman on EBay. They are very fragile I just brushed the one on my 9f and it broke. I would recommend the magnetic ones from Hornby but they still use the same pockets.

 

 

I think you must have misread this thread. There was nothing wrong with the coupling and Hornby hadn't run of those. It is the pocket they didn't have.