[Gary]

Hornby have followed up the recent released of the 2 new superdetailed Class 08 locomotives with R2419 civil engineers Class 09 012 'Dick Hardy' diesel shunter loco. The larger image below permits more detail to be shown. With this release Hornby have covered virtually the whole prototype period with the model and 90% of modellers who cover the period from 1948 should be happy with at least one of the examples. These new Hornby class 08 models have taken the model world by storm with shortages reported across the land. And this is even before the modelling press have had an opportunity to review them. "Dick Hardy" may well prove to be the most popular of the new generation Class 08/09 models yet!

Those who are unable to obtain a new Class 08/09 shunter could consider these other two recent releases from Hornby, the R2444 BR maroon 'City of Carlisle' Princess Coronation Class Loco and the R2494 BR green 'Guillemot' Class A4 4-6-2 Locomotive. Both are released in liveries offering a wide appeal. I would remind readers that Model Rail Forum has a review of the Hornby Class A4 which includes an easy to follow DCC chip installation:-

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

My Dick Hardy has arrived and it went straight on the test track. The Bachmann Ez-Board control unit has now shown up a major flaw. The slowest control increment is too high as the Hornby Class 08/09 can go a lot slower than the first digital increment permits.

So I switched to my analogue H & M Duette controller and altered the resistance setting to high and the cycle of the pulse to 50% and wow!

The loco crawls so slowly that you think it is not moving but it is. It is just so slow that unless you know it is moving you would believe it was stationary. It fooled wifey as I told her it was stationary and she looked at it and after 30 seconds said it was moving! Fantastic stuff. The Bachmann 08 simple cannot operate at these speeds and stalls (and nor can digital control. Analogue possibly still rules for very slow speed running!)

I'll put together a report/review over the weekend. If I do a comparison with the Bachmann 08, then Bachmann may never sell another loco!

You will see if I decide to do a comparison when the review is published later.

I can now see why the model is a sell out. Once word gets around then folk rush to the shops to try this unprecedented slow running for themselves.

It simply takes British outline locomotive modelling to levels even beyond those of the continent and the USA!

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Dennis David]

QUOTE It simply takes British outline locomotive modelling to levels even beyond those of the continent and the USA!

Not sure if I would go that far. The fact that it won't crawl in Digital is a major problem, can't that not be fixed in programming? If not I would think that this is a flaw that deserves a recall.

 

[Doug]

Gary, correct me if I'm wrong, but your using the loco on the "0" setting or "10" in EZ Command. i.e you ar using it as a non-digital loco on the digital set-up. This will not allow you to control it with the same fine control as by using a decoder. The analog train control on digital circuits is notoriously 'klunky' so I wouldn't worry about it. Fit a decoder to it to see it's true potential.

 

[Gary]

QUOTE Not sure if I would go that far.

I would!

Doug may be right about the EZ-Board control console as I was using it in analogue mode. However I have not noticed this issue with previous locomotives when using the console in analogue mode and it seems that the engineering of the Hornby Class 08 has caught it out as it can run much slower than anything I have prviously experianced. You have to try it to experience it.

The H & M Duette controller (British engineering no longer available as a result of cheap imports from the far east killing off the British company) is recognised as one of the best in the business in the UK for analogue control with infinitely variable control and wave and resistance switching and for locomotives that have the ability to run slowly it could be that analogue has an advantage over a stepped digital set up. Top digital systems have 128 steps in their control settings and this may not be enough to offer fine control at slow speed.

Gary

 

[Dennis David]

This is some interesting information. I have always thought that 128 steps is more than enough. I don't mean to hijack this thread but I also thought that on my system (Twin Center) that you cannot run analog trains. Gary and Doug is the system you are using different in that respect?

 

[Doug]

Yes Dennis, on most NMRA systems, you can run one analog loco on the address "0" ("10" for Bachmann). The loco makes a racket though as the AC causes the motor to switch back and forth at the frequency of the system. Some say that it's not good to do this for long periods. I sometimes use it for testing a loco on the mainline, but as the control is not the same as with a chipped loco, there is not much point.

 

[Dennis David]

Sounds like your playing with fire. I'll keep mine in the roundhouse.