http://www.hornbyrailways.com/img/lvestm/movie.wmv
Too bad they aren’t producing any North American engines, because this setup looks fantastic! Download the video at the above address and see for yourself.
Can you say “kitbash?”
The boiler part looks like it can be removed and a different one fabricated and installed. It may only restrict you by the wheel arrangement. [:D]
They’ve been around for a while now - I really wouldn’t want to try to modify one though. The mechanism fills the loco boiler (which is moulded in a special heat-resistant plastic - normal polystyrene would melt!) and the boiler is in the tender. Give it a while, I suspect Hornby may be looking at the US market and considering options. Pulling power is apparently pretty decent, they’ll handle as many coaches as the prototype could. The snags are price (£500 for the set) and the fact that it won’t co-exist with other locos that aren’t live steamers (it uses neither DC nor DCC, but instead a specially-designed control system). I suspect if Hornby managed to make them DCC compatible they’d sell far more of them.
Hope they don’t come out with scale humans. You never know what those working on nanotechnology may come up with.[:)] That scene with loco coupling to passengers cars would definitely toss the passengers around! [:)]
They did run a steam ad in recent MRR.
Marketing in U.S. would probably require a Hornby release from liability form for boiler explosions.[:D] We do tend to litigate more than most countries. [V]
Can you imagine their first diesels? Ah, the real smell of diesel exhaust. That’ll go over big with the spouse.
Any structure firms gearing up for true working trackside water tanks?
How about track pans for replenishing on the run?
Wonder if they have a water testing kit so that loco doesn’t get resupplied with hard water or water with unacceptable trace chemicals in it?
For those of us with layout grades do the locos have sanding capability?
Joking aside, interesting. Thanks for link to video. [8D]
Jon
very cool !
i wonder if their control system allows more than one engine on the tracks at once . if not i guess it’s back to some form of block control , but with the capability to easily overrun the block limits i don’t know how well it will work
Ereimer’s post brought an interesting question to mind: Does it have a failsafe that will shut down the loco if it loses the signal or control input? Hard to tell how far it will drift if it loses the power, but still has steam pressure.
I’ve had the chance to drive one and it’s fun but you need to be easy as it can be slow to respond and then leaps away. Not much good at slow speeds but the sound is fantastic when really going with 8 coaches and you’ve never seen such realistic exhaust in 1/76 scale.
If it loses power or flies off through over enthusiastic throttle it stops quickly but beware of grabbing it without thinking, it’s HOT! Hornby supply a pair of cotton gloves to protect your fingers.
Nice to play with but I’m sticking to G scale for live steam and DCC in HO for sound.
Reminds me of the MR item from the late 70’s or early 80’s - Hornby had a #1 gauge live steam Rocket that they tested in product reviews. But that didn;t tell the whole story, rather that was related in Bull Session. Seems they could;t find a place to test it at Andy S’s house, other than on his pool deck. Long story short, live steam locos most definitely do NOT float. But no damage was done to the loco, they later fired it back up and it ran fine. Look up the issue in the index, it’s kinda funny to read.
–Randy