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Loco Drive


Alessio

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Could someone tell me approximately when/which year Hornby started moving back towards loco-driven models rather than tender drive?

 

I don't buy much Hornby these days due to space and finances but when I do I'd like to start purchasing loco-driven engines because I think the result is more realistic - otherwise all locos have the same tractive effort because it's the same ringfield powering the same number of wheels of the same size on each loco!

I'm specifically thinking Staniers - Patriots, Black 5s, Lizzies, Princess Royals, 8Fs etc.

Cheers.

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You'll find that you can get  recent Hornby motor drive versions of all the classes you mentioned, Alessio. As Vespa says, ask the seller if whatever you're interested in is loco drive. I say this because I have at least one of all those classes myself. I got rid of all my old tender drive locos because I didn't really like them.

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Not strictly Hornby, I know, but I purchased a Wrenn Bullied Pacific a couple of years ago on heebay, as I wanted one, and couldn't afford the HD version.  It was priced very reasonably, because the owner, who apparently ran a model railway exhibition layout, converted it to tender drive!  The reasoning was that with all wheel pickup it was more reliable than the original loco drive. I don't know if that is so, as all my HD loco with the 1/2" motor run beautifully, but have to say my Bulleid does run very smoothly.  The tender drive was, of course, Hornby.  So, perhaps, sometimes, the tender drives were not so bad

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I don't see what putting the motor into the tender has to do with all wheel pick-ups. You can add them to a loco drive version.

I had a tender drive loco. Sometimes the wheels on the loco got stuck and it looked really silly being pushed along with no wheels moving.

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In my experience some of the loco drive models are not as smooth as they should be. After a while they deteriorate and become a bit jerky. The tender drive A3 models I have are a bit noisier but are just as smooth -all with 5 pole motors and much easier to service and repair. All they ever seem to need are new traction tyres.  As poliss says, occasionally they look silly if the chassis sticks (usually due to bent valve gear) but a loco drive model in the same situation is likely to do itself more damage.

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I don't see what putting the motor into the tender has to do with all wheel pick-ups. You can add them to a loco drive version.

 

That is perhaps so, but this loco was built in the 1970s and he obviously had problems, I can only go by what he told me, and it was obviously more reliable for him  once he changed the drive over to the tender.  Of course, it was his decision, And  It meant I got the loco for a reasonable price, it looks good and goes well.  I know it won't be a collectible, but that's ok

 

Rod

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My Wrenn 'Clan Line' was one of the most reliable and powerful loco I ever had.  At a model railway exhibition we managed to get 36 bogie coaches behind her which she pulled without slipping.  I would not change them to tender drive, because tender drives depend upon traction tyres which can deteriorate with use.

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