[Gary]

It would be fair to say that the Hornby version can be purchased new and currently has a 5 pole motor for improved performance and has the reliable Hornby running gear and pick ups. The current Hornby body printing and detailing standards are definitely much better with no blurriness of definition.

Dapol have not sold this model for 10 years and the Dapol version had the Mainline running gear.

Mainline, Dapol and Hornby all use the same body tooling.

I have no personal experience of the Dapol or Mainline examples.

Basically unless you have a need to pick up a specific loco livery and number made by Dapol or Mainline all those years ago I would stick with the Hornby one.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

If you read my initial reply:-

QUOTE Mainline, Dapol and Hornby all use the same body tooling.

However, having now taken my Class 56 body off to reveal the chassis it does appear to have a motor housing unique to this model. And when I checked the service sheet on the Hornby website the list of spares also appear to be unique to this model. So it could well be that the chassis design is identical to that produced by Dapol and next time I see one I will definitely take more of an interest than I normally do.

Now Hornby do claim that this model has a 5 pole motor in their catalogue and on their website. However, the Hornby service sheet shows a 3 pole motor!

Notwithstanding all this it cannot be denied that my Hornby Class 56 is a top performer and a smooth runner, and with directional lighting at both ends.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

Getting back to the Class 56 what type of controller do you have?

My Class 56 is as smooth as any other Hornby loco and definitely no noisier that any of the other Hornby locomotives I have with a ringfield motor.

The real point is motors are built to a manufacturing tolerance and the resistance in one motor can be different to the resistance in another. What you may need is a controller that can compensate for this.

I would highly recommend a Hammant and Morgan Duette analogue controller if you can pick one up secondhand. Good ones go on Ebay for about £25 normally plus shipping and local dealers who have secondhand equipment may have these in stock. That will give you all the fine control that you need. Gaugemaster may well do something which permits you to alter the resistance but I have never needed to research this.

It sounds as if you have a controller with too low a resistance built into it and a control knob with a course graduation. If you increase the resistance then that means that less power is getting to the motor as you turn the control knob giving you a more graduated control and better slow speed running. I have not used the Hornby HM2000 so I cannot comment but I do know that I would never part with my Hammant and Morgan Duette as it gives me this ability to change the resistance at the flick of a switch.

If you do get one you will understand why. They just don't make them like this anymore and you get the control that you need to make sure every loco that you have can pull away realistically.

Doug knows how they perform. He saw how well it handled the Hornby Class 09 Loco while I was playing on his layout. Doug had to admit defeat when he saw that my Duette controller allowed the Class 09 Loco to move more slowly on his layout than setting 1 on his DCC control unit! Although to be fair my memory has faded a bit on this point so Doug may correct me if I am wrong!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

I did take it that the main issue was how it performed relative to the Class 47. My Class 56 performs differently to my Class 47 and my solution works for me.

Paul does make reference to a "lumpy" motor. Not quite sure what is meant by this but motors should not feel lumpy and whilst running in for an hour or so should help if this lumpiness is preventing the loco from operating smoothly then it should be investigated. Maybe something needs lubricating or there could be a sliver of debris within the motor housing. I would not recommend taking the motor housing apart and this should be returned to the dealer or Hornby for examination as it is a new motor. If it was secondhand with no gaurantee then I would recommend taking it apart! What does the motor go like when it is wired up directly to the controller? Is there any noticable sparking in the motor that you can hear? This would indicate debris in the motor.

Paul does say that the loco does operate on his layout and the main issue is that it has little or no slow speed control. This may not be related to the lumpiness. When you test 100's of locomotives a year you will understand that you cannot rule out the controller. Every locomotive has a different feel (even within the same model as there may be production tweaks each year that go unanounced) and the Class 56 may have different gearing to the Class 47 and definitely has a different motor. The Class 56 has lights which draw power so this can affect things. The Class 47 does not. A controller that allows you to change the resistance is a must have if you run a range of locomotives designed over a period of years and one that has a pulse mode is even better.

The fact is the Hornby set controller is hopeless but it does its job which is to get people started.

Noise issue aside, if Paul takes the action I have suggested I gaurantee he will be a happy man!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

It does say "Type 7" in the Hornby catalogue. This is probably what is meant.

The Class 58 is a 3 pole motor and I have these models aswell!

Now my Class 56 is a marginally better performer than my Class 58 and the Class 58 is noisier.

These are all the Hornby lower priced vintage models in the range of course.

It has to be said that the new generation of Hornby diesels (Class 50, Class 31 and Class 08) are stunning performers by comparison. And the Class 60 no doubt will be when it is released shortly.

However, getting back to controllers, the right controller can help to even things up a bit between the old and new generation Hornby.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

The thing is its Xmas and everybody is getting new train set and wants a proper controller!

And visitors to Model Rail Forum have probably read this thread!

Summer is a better time for this sort of thing. Can anybody think of any alternatives to a Duette?

It looks like I am not the only one who is a fan:-

http://www.metromodels.net/controllers.htm

Gaugemaster do feedback controllers and these are said to give good slow speed running but I have no experience with these.

Happy modelling
Gary