WEST ORTON

[Steve M]

My Collectors Club edition of Hornby’s new P2 has arrived at West Orton. I’m not one for ‘unboxing videos’ but this model does exhibit some of the recent changes Hornby have made which may be of interest.
It seems Hornby have learnt from the W1 packaging debacle where many locos arrived damaged due to very poor packaging. Now the box is a sturdy two part offering lined with black foam. Additionally it has two outer foam cradles to hold it secure in a second box which in turn sits in a third box for shipping.

20230808_094234 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

The accessories pack contains the usual bits and bobs including a poorly painted crew (mine have just gone back through my paint shop) and etched plates - in reality these are oblong slabs of brass with painted shading which I shall replace in time. The loco also has Hornby’s new drawbar arrangement that includes electrical connections between loco and tender - the locking pip doesn’t look to be particularly robust.

20230808_094637 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

20230808_094808 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

Opening up the tender reveals a completely new design to suit the latest TXS decoders. The ballast weight has a bespoke cavity to fit the sugarcube speakers Hornby now use with a 21 pin socket at the rear that positions the decoder over the top of the speaker.

20230808_095829 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

But there is no space for a powerbank! I know that a loco with this many wheels should not need one, but I fit them as a matter of course - it can’t do any harm - and I would have thought that a bespoke cavity in that sloping piece of plastic in front of the decoder would have made sense. As it is, I have fitted mine under the imitation coal load by running the wires through existing holes in the front of the tender.

20230808_101023 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

I’ve loaded mine with the P2 sound profile on the HM7K system without any issues at all and started running it in before I add the detailing parts and crew.

20230808_110146 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Walkingthedog]

That is a handsome loco Steve.

Hornby have adopted the type of box used by O gauge manufacturers.

[sandy]

Lovely looking loco Steve. I have the older P2 Cock O the North. Does the new one have an articulating rear pony like the older locos had. I don't like the new idea of the solid pony trucks built part of the chassis. Wish they would bring back the old articulated rear trucks.

[Steve M]

No Sandy, it’s a solid pony truck but a different design to the one they have used in the past on their Pacifics.

[bulleidboy]

Great looking loco - I resisted the temptation as a Club Member to purchase. The method of packaging you describe has been used on the last couple of loco's I bought - a very secure method.

[Steve M]

Hornby long wheelbase locos really show up how bad some of my tracklaying is. There’s a definite hump across the baseboard joint on my lift pit section that I seem going to need some attention.

Edit: why does every new loco I buy reveal another piece of track that has to be replaced? The trend of long wheelbase locos from Hornby definitely need billiard tables to run on.

[Carl L]

Six coupled test my patience, a shed full of bo-bo’s seems the easy way out

[Steve M]

Six coupled test my patience, a shed full of bo-bo’s seems the easy way out

This particular stretch of track would seem to struggle with a unicycle.

I seem to have these issues each year as the temperature and humidity rise - no amount of bracing seems to stave off the effects of gravity. It always shows itself at board joints, most of which I have now made continuous rather than having a break in the rails.

I don’t have this luxury as this luxury as it’s the lift out section. I have now lifted the track for about 12” either side of the joint and will lay a continuous section of pre-bent flexi tomorrow. Once it is in I will check for levels and adjust and support as necessary with some spacers that have just come out of the 3D printer. Assuming I can get it levelled and running true I will fix it in place before cutting the rails themselves.

Failing that a hobby in tiddlywinks beckons.

[Carl L]

Lift out sections, hmmm - knocked, no tapped, mine the other day and now have a nine foot dead section on one of the main running lines. Tap it again and it’s live and the other line is dead.

Then there’s brand new six coupled locos stalling on points - I must get my head round ‘stay alive’.

Moan over.

When does your tiddlywinks league start

[Steve M]

These should keep me busy.

2023-09-03_10-07-02 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr