[morrycook]

Hi.
I purchased a new Hornby M7 a few months ago, it took 2 goes to get one that worked properly,I picked it up today and the cab roof came off,and fixed to the underside of the roof where 2 front cab spectacle windows,fixed to the roof by little mouldings in the roof,I had not noticed that there wasn't glazing in the front cab windows,my sight is not to good these days.
Has anyone else had this problem? it would be interesting to know.

From Morry

 

[black 5 man]

Morry,

I think you have been very unlucky!

I have three M7s including the longer wheelbase version and they all perform faultlessly. One of them I did have a problem with, a wheel had moved on an axle changing the gauge, but I easily rectified this and it snapped back into its proper place and has ran well since. Never known a problem with the cab coming off - sounds a bit odd to me.

Black 5 Man

 

[Takeshi]

Morry,
Sorry to hear about your problems with the Hornby M7.
I had to say my SR M7 runs flawlessly and hauls 5 Maunsell coaches and baggage van effortlessly.
As to the cab roof.Adding crew is better facilitated by [very][very carefully removing roof with a one sided razor blade.
I read this in one of the press reviews and now I leave it unglued for easy removal to view the cab details for friends and myself.
It seats itself back on well.So I'll keep it that way now.
You looked at the cab roof and saw the spectacle lenses are attached to the underside of the roof in the open position.
These are are hard to see with the cab roof attached.
A nice Hornby touch I thought.
Hence no spectacle lens with roof on as you said.
Perhaps they can be moved to the closed position.
Best regards,
Bryan.

 

[barrymx5]

My two M7s run very smoothly. The DCC fitted one is great. The DCC ready was a B to fit the chip (a weight has to be removed from the water tank) and is giving me a little trouble in DCC mode but still runs beautifully in analogue. My transponder installation is probably at fault!
I think these are great models - particularly when I position them against my original Triang M7 from 197?

 

[SRman]

The cab roofs on my three M7s don't seem to be glued particularly strongly - I deliberately removed one to move the spectacle glasses to the closed position then reglued the roof. I really don't see this as a huge problem as it's not that hard to glue the roof back in place, and in the meantime you can admire the superb cab detail that Hornby have modelled,or even add a crew!

One of mine was a little stiffer running than the others but all are good smooth runners. Hauling power is not brilliant but fine for my needs.

Barrymx5: I used direct plug-in decoders to avoid having to remove the weight from one tank - they need all of the weight you can keep in them. Originally I used ZTC 4007 decoders but swapped them for the much better TCS DP2X-UK.

One problem I documented elsewhere occurred when I put the TCS decoders in and one surged uncontrollably in one direction only - turning off the Back EMF on this locomotive only cured the problem.

 

[Torrington]

Hi
I have on of the hornby M7 early crest, the only thing i do not like about it is the fact it is far to light.
my one has problems trying to pull more that three coaches ,slips like mad.

Hornby should have made it a but more on the heavy side ,as the weights they have put in the side tanks are very small !!!.
I have heard of some pepole putting more weight into them but i worry that this will brun out the moter.
I have seen film of them at waterloo pulling up to nine coaches (empty stock) but try this with the hornby on !!!
Other than the fact it could not pull the skin off a rice pudding ,she is a fabulous model

 

[SRman]

Something I've considered, but not yet tried, is replacing the Hornby weights with real lead. That should make at least some improvement.

 

[34C]

QUOTE (Torrington @ 17 Dec 2008, 03:53) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have heard of some pepole putting more weight into them but i worry that this will burn out the motor.
Don't worry about that, the same motor unit is used in all the new Hornby including diesels which weigh well over a pound and pull very well in consequence.

It is notoriously difficult to get an 0-4-4T to perform anything like realistically, because it is difficult to get enough weight in over the coupled wheels. Substitute lead for Hornby's mazak ballast, and rearrange the wiring to have the decoder somewhere like the bunker, so that the space in the smokebox can take a lead block, is the best you can do. Hornby's chassis design is a commercial production job, rather than thought out for optimum traction: the best arrangement is the motor behind the trailing coupled axle, leaving the entire space above the coupled wheels thus able to be solid with ballast, ideally screw attached so that lead can be substituted.

If I wanted an M7 on a heavy ECS move, then the cheat in DCC is simple: fit a black beetle motor bogie in one of the coaches, and run it as a consist with the M7, and train engine, as appropriate.

 

[barrymx5]

QUOTE Barrymx5: I used direct plug-in decoders to avoid having to remove the weight from one tank - they need all of the weight you can keep in them. Originally I used ZTC 4007 decoders but swapped them for the much better TCS DP2X-UK.

Thanks SR man. If I cannot get the existing chip to work I will try your option. I also like the idea of adding real lead (of which I have a good selection at present).