[Matt Baker]

A Thomas fan at heart with James my favorite engine but my dillema,
Bachmann or Hornby
I wish to use him on a realisticly scaled layout
I know the Bachmann is close to the Brit Allcroft TV James but the Hornby is as Rev Awdry intended and is the same as James in the original books!
Has any one any information on the Bachmann James, Hornby James are all over but Bachmanns I have not come across, what is the Bachmann like? whats inside the cab like? any shots?
If you was to purchase either what would be your choice?
Money is not an issue as i know the Bachmann is cheaper!

Regards
Matt

 

[alibuchan]

the bachmann one may be cheeper but you will probably need to buy it from the states as bachmann hold the blicence for USA and Hornby for UK. I do know that the bachmann one has moving eyes thike their undergroung ernie models.

there is one on ebay USA at the moment http://cgi.ebay.com/Bachmann-James-Engine-...2QQcmdZViewItem

cant find many pics other that the full loco shot. the other thing to concider is that it is in HO scale so when moving near other loco's it will look shorter that is if you run it with british stock (which i assume you will be).

hope this helps

Alistair

 

[Matt Baker]

Yes thank you! and I will be using british stock

 

[7113]

As a matter of interest the Mid Hants painted their N1 into Thomas livery a few years ago.

Regards

John

 

[Jonathan P]

I'm an Edward fan - much the most Useful of the engines.

 

[PaulRhB]

Here's a UK supplier

https://sslrelay.com/www.thomas-rocks.co.uk...ndex.shopscript

go to - product overview - electric trainsets - then Bachmann

 

[ozwarrior]

Oliver for me! He gets a rough deal from those trucks!
Bachmann seem to aiming theirs at a lower price band with the tenders in particular looking a bit cheap. I think it's often good with these things to start with one manufacturer and stick with it to ensure things like coupling compatibility.

 

[ironduke]

QUOTE I know the Bachmann is close to the Brit Allcroft TV James but the Hornby is as Rev Awdry intended and is the same as James in the original books!

The reverend never was that happy with the accuracy of the illustrations in his books. I bet he'd be much happier with an accurate scale model of the engine he intended James to represent (but don't ask me). You could always make a face for it from modelling clay.

 

[7113]

I think I would go for Percy - ideal for those small shunting layouts and tight curves.

Regards

John

 

[Mercator II]

I am more of a Donald and Douglas fan for the big engines, I remember my mum reading book 15 'the Troublesome Twins' to me when I was alot younger than I am now (31 on Sunday) and trying to do a Scottish accent but not very well! I still have all my books, stopped collecting them at book 35, started to get funny looks when a tennager is buying them, also at over £5 each it was a bit step, book 1 has a price tag of 35 1/2p

Other favs' are the 'little engines' Scarlooie (spelt wrong I know) and Reiness and who can forget the sad story of 'Duke the lost Engine'

On a slightly side step, in the story with Trevor the Traction Engine, the vicar who rescued Trevor from the scrap yard was Rev. W. Audry himself and the boy on the bunker ride at the end of the book was a young lad called Robert Moore, he is known to many of us I am sure for his lining pens, he was the C.O for the local ATC of 1279 Sqn in Melton Mowbray where my brother and sister both first meet him, and I am pround to still call him a friend, Bob now owns Trevor and keeps Him at his Forge at Stapleford, Rutland. So the REV has an effect on us all

Brian

 

[alastairq]

we have a bachman james....the tender is very much modelled on the tv models..being simplistic,with a very short wheelbase.

the cab eetc is blank....

the eyes do move well....

it seems scaled to HO proportions....[scale is academic]

the main chassis is the same as their thomas, with a leading pony truck attached....they both run well,better for a youngster than the hornby thomas, which has traction tyres, thus cannot be pushed along 'dead' without severe risk of damaging the wheelsets /axles/crankpins.

as such i think the hornby james is better looking.

but their thomas is too large a loco.

to give some idea of relative sizes, the little bachman 0-6-0 industrial tank, in green, is the thomas model in disguise.

 

[alastairq]

btw..........doesn't the hornby toby have the same chassis as the J94 hunslet austerity tank?

 

[thetriangman]

Did you know the Hornby version of James started life as the Tri-ang R.251 Midland 3F tender loco. Hornby just chopped the front off and added a face and a new front extension to it. The tender for James is the Hornby Schools tender and the chassis is of the type fitted to the Hornby Jinty and J83

 

[thetriangman]

Hi Brian,

Is the station Melton Mowbray Joint and viaduct still in place at Melton Mowbray for the old Joint main Line which ran from the ECML through Cotham to Bottesford North, down to Bottesford South, through John'O gaunt and through Melton down to Market Harborough?

 

[5696Arethusa]

QUOTE (thetriangman @ 6 Jul 2007, 06:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Brian,

Is the station Melton Mowbray Joint and viaduct still in place at Melton Mowbray for the old Joint main Line which ran from the ECML through Cotham to Bottesford North, down to Bottesford South, through John'O gaunt and through Melton down to Market Harborough?

Hi Triangman
The line that used to run to John O'Gaunt is long gone. Some of the embankment that carried it to Melton North station is still in place but with all the bridges removed and is used by my old High Schoo, Longfield, as their crosss-country corse. what joy it was running down the ends of the embankment where the bridges had been removed.
If the viaduct you mention is the Harringworth Viaduct then yes it's still in place and used by freight traffic only with the exception of an annual steam rail-tour, usually headed by Rood Ashton Hall, though others have been over it.


71000 on 24/08/2006

 

[lner8556]

I'd pick hornby.
Looks are less toy-like. And the performance is brilliant.
I just got my little sister a bachmann thomas set for her b'day and it is one of the worst models i've ever seen. I don't know how their james model fares, but if it's anything like the thomas model, then run! run fast and run far!