When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am i supposed to do with these?
I had the same pickup issue with my hornby hunslett austerity, and i found that there was a coating of sorts on the metal tire that affected the pickups. It worked fine after the inside of the wheels were scraped. @SamsTrains
I'm growing my own lemons from pips 🍋. After 2 years they are now 1ft high. Bloody slow growers and they have thorns too. Zero fruit so far. Belieeeeeeve!😂
Even the real life thing didn't randomly stop on curves, so their model is an even worse performer than the prototype. Safe to say, the "fell" fell foul of quality standards.
The Fell was quite a good performer, circumventing the downsides of a mechanical transmission with the superchargers and differentials. But it was far too complicated to be economically maintainable compared to an electric or hydraulic.
@@Thatspuremental Anything with 6 ICE's in 1951 had to be a recipe for disaster IMHO. That heavy and hard to make (never mind adjust) differential was never going to trouble a diesel electric and that was before their specific outputs double then tripled. Fascinating but as much of a cul de sac at the turf burner?
They’ve also managed to give their Leader a characteristic lean and totally mess it up like the real thing. It’s almost like drawings aren’t available…
Gotta say my experience with the Hornby black five was entirely positive if your interested in getting one get it from a place you can see and check the model before you buy it because you need to be careful but there are good ones out there’s
Oh here's a tale: One of my favourite designs of all time is the Hunslet saddle tank, and so when Rapido announced theirs I wanted to be first in line when they did arrive at the shops. I purchase mine from Hatton's (R.I.P.), the thing arrives in the Netherlands where I am based and the thing happily trundled around the track, couldn't even get it to stop on dead zones if I tried. Then, as one does, I switch the points to see whether it also makes it across that dead zone. However, the loco seemed to climb the frog and dramatically toppled over itself, laying sideways across the switch blades. And since then, without fail, the loco derails on any sort of pointwork. And I do mean *any* form of pointwork. Hornby, Fleischmann, Roco, you name it, the Hunslet disagreed with it. Naturally, I shot a video of it happening, uploaded it as an unlisted video and sent it to Rapido in a complaint form. However, due to the way RUclips displays the views, I can see that to this day nobody at Rapido has ever bothered to even open the link and watch the video. So you can imagine my utter white rage when after your review of your Metro tank came out, Rapido rushed to your aid to offer a replacement for something as, let's call it, ineffectual as a wonky chimney. I'm not blaming you of course, but it did make me put my foot down and I will never purchase a product so that Rapido sees the money I spent on that product in any way shape or form. If they deem this a way to treat a customer complaint, I won't be shy about my petty willingness to see them fail. You can imagine my reaction when their subsequent models all proved to be lackluster...
You know, I've never considered myself much of a stickler for detail on model trains. If a locomotive runs well and looks good from a distance, I'm generally happy with it (provided it's priced accordingly). But I don't think it's being a stickler for detail to expect that *all of the wheels touch the rails.*
I have 3 of the models you showed in this video, the W1, Fell and Black 5, surprisingly I have not had any issues with these, my Fell from KR was from the second batch which I have said before there were improvements made to the model from feedback from the 1st release, the original W1 I bought and it was fine, mine is actually perfect, finally the black 5 from hornby this is an incredible model, love my BR version which hasn’t given me any grief so it looks like the LMS one was affected and from the looks of it the amount of models affected was very low.
Thanks for sharing this David very interesting - what's the difference with the second batch of Fells out of interest? Is the paint finish better at least? Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains The Fell I got from the 2nd batch was the BR black one and overall the livery looked fine on it, the pickups to the wheels were also improved, can’t comment on the 2nd batch green ones when it comes to the livery because I don’t have one.
I have had some bad experiences with recent Hornby locos myself. My first Hush-Hush had the very same problems as yours, but and extra one that was far worse: it arrived with both smoke deflectors on the front of the boiler crushed in the factory during packing in the transparent sleeve (i.e. NOT in shipping to me across the Atlantic). The UK hobby shop simply blew me off. Then I bought the new Big Boy (Hornby/Rivarossi) from an American hobby shop, and THAT arrived with the funnel broken, also in the factory because the broken off pieces were not inside the box. The US Hornby representative simply blew me off, just as the UK hobby shop had done. Both were pretty expensive models (especially after shipping), so these were painful experiences that I will not forget.
I actually had a lemon N scale Percy. I had bought it from a brick and mortar shop so it was likely the fault of whoever shipped it over. The engine ran relatively fine backwards with a little clicking sound, but forwards it just refused to move. I thankfully got it swapped out for a different one and that one still works fine to this very day. It's weird, since I've bought other bachman N scale engines and they also ran fine.
I remember your original lemon locomotives video. I still watch it for my amusement. Its funny, but also helps to show us which models to avoid. Great video. Really like it 👍
If you prefer an N gauge Britannia with a decent mechanism, there is the vintage Hornby Minitrix model which would probably run forever on your test track and also negotiates tight radii. Tender motor Dapol steam locos don't like tough curves e.g. Setrack R1 and R2.
12:23 I recently picked up a model of 5200 at the Stafford Model Railway Exhibition for around £180 (it was already discounted to £195) Sunday just gone and it's an amazing model tbh. My model didn't have any issues with the loco-to-tender connection however my only issue with the model is the headcode lamps. They are a pain to reprosition and I have had to glue all the lamp-irons and lamps to the model to stop them from falling out so it is now permantly got the Class A (Express Passenger) headcode which I am fine with. If future Hornby steam locomotives are to have the working headcode lamps, Hornby needs to completely re-design them and actually inform the factory to stop gluing them in. I broke a lamp-iron whilst trying to replace it with a lamp.
I've got a pretty bad lemon in my fleet. I run primarily h0 and the loco in question is a Fleischmann BR 64 (2-6-2t). Despite it being second hand it runs well, that is until it reaches a set of points where it stops dead at any reasonable speed. Turns out only 2 of the driving axels pick up power, quite the lemon.
I emailed KR Models in the pre-production stage of the Fell because I was building my own from an ancient LJ company moulding. I noticed the KR version had an incorrect number of roof vents over the cab, as the real-life loco had several, from 2 to 4 per cab end, dependent on which stage period it was modelled from. But when I mentioned this fact to KR Models, I received a "well, we couldn't produce more moulds," which was a rather weak reply.
It's unbelievable that we *still* don't have a good model of the 14XX. It's such an iconic, attractive design, and the only models we get are defective tat. Shameful.
Dapol, God bless, is bringing in one sometime next year. Yes, yes, dapol steam engines can be rough but at least it's not a 40 year old mould being sold at brand new prices
Should add Rapido's American/Canadian engine factory in there too with the one's who built that Black 5. I ordered the undecorated Can Pac D-10 steamer so I can make Strasburg 972.... well I went to swap the parts needed around and wouldn't ya know it those louts glued the parts on, even a part required to be removed for decoder installation. Once I acquire decals to finally decorate it I might fix some of the issues but for now it's sitting in limbo.
Biggest lemon I've brought so far was the DJ models 14xx. I followed the running in instructions to the letter but it's never run well. I've written it off now and I'm glad dapol have come along with a new version to replace the DJM one. I had no issues with my 15xx.
Maybe You could 3d print a lemon wagon, And then If the model doesn’t run well or is total rubbish, It can get “Sam’s Lemon of Approval” and pull it around and go on a lemon list, we can see what was the worse lemon 😅😂 As always, interesting video 😊
Weirdly enough, it’s said the BR examples of the Black 5 are generally better than the LMS ones, but still. Shame such a beautiful model decides it doesn’t want to run.
@@tgeiii3554 Yep my BR one is fine and has been since I bought it, the problem the LMS ones had was only affecting a very small number of models from what I saw, there are versions of the LMS one that do work, look at some of the other reviewers on RUclips who bought one.
I've got a BR 'Glasgow Highlander' and it's been great. love it. It does look like there was a batch of dodgy LMS ones though. I know Little wicket had issues with his too. With regards to the loco-tender connection I've 9 locos in my collection with this: Five A4s, an A1 Flying Scotsman, Two P2s and the Black 5. All run fine with no probs. I also have A W1 Hush Hush, but mine's the LNER apple green version. Again no problems. It just seems to be the first batch of the grey ones that had a lot of issues.
@@speleokeir Mine is the Glasgow Highlander as well and as I have said it’s a fantastic model, it is currently my only Black 5 as I have never owned one of the previous tooled ones, the new tender connection hasn’t been an issue for me, currently its one of 2 models that I have with the new connector, the other one I have is the steam generator P2 Prince of Wales, yes there was a small batch of LMS ones that had issues but the important word here is Small, an example of someone who had a good one was Class47Peter, he got the LMS one and his was fine but that’s the nature of this hobby, in a big batch if models your always going to get a couple of duds in there, the important thing to remember with this though is that while someone may show a dud someone else may show a perfect example and when it comes to us and our own decisions it’s important that while we take their experience we also take others experience instead of just seeing a dud model and assuming every other one is exactly the same, with regards to the Hush Hush I got my grey one second hand and mine runs perfectly, like my rebuilt version, I only saw Sam have the issue with the W1 where it would seize up when running, never saw anyone else have that issue.
I have a Mantua Santa Fe pacific. It’s an older loco I got it for 60 US dollars at a train show. There are legit only *2* pickups on *1* rail! And it’s the tender wheels that pick power. They are metal wheels that pick up. It stalls easily and has very little tork. A real lemon
Intertingly when the 15xx released and i got mine I didn't find any issues people were reporting with them. mine does have a bit of a wobble but I don't mind it I think it makes it quircky. and interestingly my model preformed quite well when I ran it on my club track with about 3 or 4 Mk 3 coaches.
I’m into N gauge and my Dapol Britannia Oliver Cromwell runs smoothly and beautifully, much better than my other steam outline locos. I’ve had it about 11 years now. I did buy two GF steam locos, a WD which couldn’t pull much as it was so light and an A1 which was gorgeous to look at but ran sideways on the track as it was pushed along by the powered tender. The A1 couldn’t pull much either before slipping on curves.These locos were both sold back to the retailer
The N Gauge Peco Jubilee was my first last and only tender driven locomotive. Until Dapol changes their tender drive mechanisms I will stick with my Minitrix Britannia which still works!
A lemon I've encountered is the 2002 variant of Bachmann's Thomas model. He worked perfectly on the first few times I tested him, but then he began to die. It's not just me who's had this issue, too. 'TTTE Guy' has mentioned this problem in his recent video of model trains. Thankfully, Thomas works fine now. I've brought a more advanced set (a Coca-Cola one with the 2-speed controller) and he works perfectly on the "HI" setting. The same cannot be said for the "LO" setting, though. To round this comment off, I'd like to ask something: What's the worst and best model you're reviewed so far on the channel?
1:13 - Is it just Hornby that do this sort of thing over in the UK? having the rear truck as a part of the rest of the body instead of separate like the front truck? It's such a bizarre an old school feeling design. It looks like it's something from a model from the '70s or maybe even earlier.
Hornby models used to have it separate. However some people, mainly the ones who just display but don't run their models, complained it wasn't prototypical so Hornby changed it to make it more accurate.
I too have the Hornby hush hush and floating wheels easily sorted remove the plate that holds them in and gently file where the axles sit in a u shape slot on the plate make the slot 1.5 mm deeper on each one , the wheels now drop nicely on to the track no issues but should not really have mess with these models. I also have a KR models fell in black way to glossy so spent a while masking off the windows and sprayed it with Railmatch satin varnish looks a lot better did the whole model then spent a while cleaning the wheels sorted hope this helps others to deal with some of the issues
I think I've been lucky with my BR version of the black 5. Yes sane problems with the lamp brackets , but otherwise a great runner with immaculate crawling. I'm going to add some weights inside the boiler to improve haulage capacity. Love the videos sam 👍
For me the biggest and most expensive lemons I've invested money into this year were the Dapol Toplight Coaches. They look absolutely beautiful and the fact that they light up too for a relatively modest price was great. The issue, however, was the constant derailments of them. It is impossible for me to get these coaches from one side of my layout to the other without derailing and re-railing them to the track is a nightmare. I am so disappointed in these coaches.
I am old school when it comes to fine detail,I’d rather have something with less detail but a motor I know will run and last a few years.The other week someone gave me a old Hornby 060 loco it was made in the 1970s,yes it nothing special but guess what after sitting in a loft for many years it ran fine.
How did I know the Black 5 was going to be at the end. When you told the story admitting to tossing that locomotive, I was transported to about 20 years ago when I slammed an all-metal loco into floor after it took out a second test transformer after two more days of work on it. This Mantua 4-4-0 was made of brass and pot metal and ran great on the bench but would get to the track, run for 2 minutes like a raped ape, run with low amperage, then somehow short so bad that the little transformers I used for testing would just stop working. Needless to say, I was not as fortunate as you and the loco didn't go back together, lol. I didn't feel better and had to take a break from all thing's model railway related till my brain cells reactivated. Anyway, I like this type of rehash so great video, Jersey Bill.
haha yeah - had to feature the black 5 with all the issues. Oh dear that Mantua doesn't sound good - can't think whether I've ever tried one of those actually! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
My Fell also had dodgy pickups but the biggest issue from day one was the connecting rods becoming misaligned and it would not run. It was returned twice for this issue. Third time I returned it was for a refund when they kindly gave me.
I'm an N gauge modeller and have a few Dapol models in my hoard. All diesels. The main issue I've had with these is the head and tail lights failing. I've heard worse stories than this about Dapol models though and a couple of my local model shops will not sell Dapol models.
Concerning the last lemon video, I do have an H class. I don’t run it very often, but when I tested it, it didn’t seem to run well forwards, but did better in reverse. I mainly keep it because it has the best SECR green on the entire market. The dome is so shiny! Would love to own an OG Hush-Hush one day. Here’s hoping Hornby bring it back in the RailRoad range.
I was lucky enough to get the new Black 5 for half the price and it runs perfectly well, what was frustrating was fitting accessories because at least in my case they didn't fit! The screwlink coupling and the drain cocks were initially too big to fit in the holes (they did after a tiny bit of sanding). Apart from that, pretty satisfied with the model
I do understand your pain! I always trying to hold myself from hitting my Gützold BR 52 against the floor 😂 But when i was a kid I destroyed two cheap locos😢 and I remember this) Have a good day!
"Lemons?" The thought has just occurred to me, why do we say "lemons" when we mean poor quality goods? I think it's Cockney Rhyming Slang (lemon curds)
I had no problems with my Hornby 14XX once I changed the traction tires. You need to change the traction tires as this stops it from stalling. Also, I would tweak the fishplates on your layout as these loosen over time and cause the locos to stall.
As soon as I saw the new Black Five come out I started looking for a second hand last gen Black Five, found one at a show with 10% extra off so I got it for 80 quid and DCCed it, and now its one of my most reliable models. I also have a 15xx which is immaculate and great on DCC although I've seen two not run right on DC - might be the PCB and coreless motor. The Hush Hush is a blob and the Fell was horrid. The 14xx has always been a joke and I cant wait for the Dapol one.
Im in the us and my lemon experiences tend to come from bachmann steamers They are extremely underweighted and often dont seem to have much in the way of torque The only bachmann steamer i have seen that performs as one might expect the prototype to is the 4-4-0 American. Everything else from the little 0-6-0s to the big 2-10-2s can barely even handle thier own tenders muchless any cars behind them
Once upon a time I drilled holes with a cordless drill into a crappy laptop that I hated. The little blue light stayed on though, it was like I couldnt kill the ruddy thing. I threw it out onto the balcony in the snow (I'm in Canada), and I watched the blue light slowly fade and die but even then it took a couple of days!
I have an old Dapol 14xx that’s been converted to DCC and it’s perfect. So far Hornby haven’t been able to improve on something that’s around 40 years old!
Liked your post because it’s one of my pet gripes. In this day and age, locos should ALWAYS work !! Between 1966-69 I owned a Tri-ang Diesel Dock Shunter and also (from memory) a 4-6-0 loco and tender. These worked just fine. I sold them cheaply to a friend as I shifted to a place that simply had no space for a train set 😢. For all accounts the 2 engines were running fine many years later. Now Tri-ang had no exceptional reputation for excellence but these 2 locos did a serviceable job. So … what’s the excuse today? Is there some sort of competition among model railway manufacturers to produce the top lemon 🍋?
Yeah I had a bit of trouble with my Hush Hush as well, with some of my 4-6-2 Locos as they come off my Grand Suspension Bridge the front end start to lift off - so it De-rails!!! 🙁🚂🚂🚂
The real issue with the black 5 was that Hornby were never going to be able to make it for the price of taking an old one and improving it to a better than new tooled standard, so Hornby tried to put ever more bling and in the end, never really could live up to the standard necessary to make the price work.
Funny story about the 15xx Sam. I remember when they first released Hattons has some as pre-owned, some of them were even less than £100 and thats where I got mine. Cheers Jasper & Willow
Hi Sam, On a positive note - The Fell I received in April is a lot better than yours thankfully. A pleasant satin green finish (no super high gloss overcoat), all 8 pickups fine and still are. It crawls at speed 1 (in 28 steps DCC) when held stationary and after I added an extra 116g of lead for body weight. Handles my test track radius 1 curves no problems as plenty of side play in axles. Bonnet handrails look good. However on arrival one white LED was open circuit - a test escape (Rails promptly supplied me a replacement PCB) and one cab handrail was broken but repairable. The DCC sound F16 five step volume control does not work, it simply toggles volume on/ off - something I have yet to take up with KRM. The sound features and quality of sound are fine. Ditto the models level of detail; it’s a unique model (no excuses for any mistakes though - particularly given the price even when discounted). I hope this helps others if mine is from a later batch - perhaps KRM took notice of your review! You are right manufacturers make some real gaffs which wastes everyone’s time, and leads to much unnecessary frustration, but great lemon reviews! All the best Stephen
About 3 years ago my brother bought a hornby smokey joe brand new from a retailer and as soon as he put it on the track we found out that it has a smoke generator actually the smoke generator was a motor that was over oiled at hornby and the motor burned I'm experienced with hornby 0-4-0s by now and that's the only one we had go wrong and it was an epic fail
I have the Fell, the 14xx and the Black 5. I bought my 14xx with the intension of creating a realistic depiction of Oliver from the Railway Series books. Not on ly was the performance poor, but one of the traction tyres failed, so it just sits in the box inactive. My example of the Fell was from their second batch. I largely agree with the detailing issues, but the second batch did fix the pickup issues. I did have to adjust one of the counterweights, because it was popping out and causing the engine to lock up. Not much torque, but a decent running model of a weird engine. I was originally not going to buy the Black 5 after seeing numerous video reviews that demonstrated faulty drawbars. Then Hornby showed off the Caprotti version on Engine Shed and that piqued my interest. I love oddities, and a weird variant of an iconic loco is definitely that. I did a review of that on my channel. The detailing and build quality were largely immaculate, but the lamps were exactly as you described. It did run around with no electrical issues, so aside from the lamps and subpar slow speed I was happy with it. EDIT: I do own a Hush Hush, the same original version that you first reviewed. Runs beautifully. Steps broken out of the box. I did notice the weight distribution issue, but it has never been a major issue for me. As for personal lemons, I have a T9 (Mazak infested motor bracket) a Royal Scot (cracked gear) and an Athearn Challenger (engine does not articulate properly, causing derailments)
I had a few unresolved problems with KR over their GT3 and Fell locomotives. I also have a DHP1 locomotive on order (AND PAID FOR) for over 4 YEARS and still waiting. I was going to buy a Leader locomotive from them but I've decided against ever buying from them again. They seem to be trying to run before they can walk, releasing too many pre-orders before anything gets fulfilled.
That’s relatable, I too want to chuck my model trains into a wall. All though I usually throw a screwdriver and not the train itself. Thank you Sam for showing me I have some form of restraint… (but putting holes in the wall isn’t a good thing so 🤨)
My biggest lemon is the new-ish Hornby class 91. Absolutely no spring or give in the bogies and unless your layout is billiard table flat, it'll derail. Please review this total let down and you'll see.
even if the finish on the fell is applied far too thick i really really hope that the gloss finish is something that becomes more common. it seems to be a grand misconception held by rail modelers that locomotives have this plasticky satin or matte quality, when in reality if you've ever seen a steam locomotive in real life you would know that they are infact beautifully shiny, even the dirty ones. it is only the truly tired and never cleaned left to rust that are ever matte. the same applies to diesel and electric stock, atleast for the UK.
Hi Sam, maybe you should add a new category to your markings, The Splat test, find a nice piece of empty wall and you can examine the locos aerodynamics, structural strength and how well they go back together 😂
I thought I’d dodged a bullet with my B5 it ran well first time out, then it started to fail. Hornby’s customer service stepped up and replaced the tender chassis. It now runs well. I will not be attempting to remove the lights.
Apart from Heljan letting me down with their grey GWR saddle tank engine, I've only caused a few accidents myself. I accidentally wore out the motor of a Santa Express tank engine, Hornby not to blame, crashed Flying Scotsman who developed a sparking motor (thankfully, my own How to burn down your Model Railway episode was avoided altogether), and suffered my B2 Peckett with a broken rod on one side. Other than that, no lemons on my railway I'm happy to say. So, because of me, a few of my model steamies have had to be given up. It's not all doom and gloom, because new-build engine, Tornado, has permanently replaced Flying Scotsman. I'm the one to blame for those incidents, even though they were accidental.
haha that's good to hear Kelly - I think wearing out isn't too bad... no mis-use there, it just happens naturally. Thanks for sharing, Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I sent my Black 5 off to Hornby for repair and after more than six weeks it still wasn’t returned, despite several “Our engineers are assessing it” emails. After requesting a refund they conveniently asked if I wanted a replacement sent the same day, which I accepted. Thankfully this one is a lovely runner, but the experience was extremely poor.
Shame to see the Fell on this but yours not working properly I can get why... Had no issues with mine, though mine was in Black and wasn't as shiny looking :P
Hi Sam, a very interesting 🍋 review. In defence of the Fell, my black one has been perfect, I've not worried about the suggested detail problem because it looks like the Fell so is the Fell. Rapido loco worries me greatly as I have one of their E1s on order and I'd hate for that to be a 🍋. The new black five just looks wrong to me and the lamps are horrible.
Surely the biggest lemon of all-time is the Bachmann Climax, a beautiful looking engine with an almost 100% failure rate. A second hand climax that remains in working order is hard to find. Bachmann unfortunately used gears and mechanism that split and failed totally. Replacement parts were sold by Bachmann but a high level of skill and organisation is required rebuild the engine drive mechanism. If anybody knows of a greater failure, let me know.
I don’t have a problem with my Hornby Caprotti black 5,s working front lights because they have never worked anyway. If you have one which was fault free, cherish it, it will be a collector’s item. I get a fully working loco hit rate of about 50% with Hornby, which is a disgrace, but as a LMr modeller, I have little choice unless I choose to kit build 😟
Honestly, I don't think the common saying When life gives you lemons, make lemonade works here - these are utter scams if you ask me, as most are still very expensive. Instead, I believe it should be if Hornby and manufacturers give you lemons, then damn well roast them! Great video Sam, but I do think the glossy finish on the KR models the fell looks great, i have an NRM exclusive Mallard in a gloss finish, and she's beautiful - I've put loads of videos on my channel if you want to check her out ;) As always, great stuff Sam!
@@jackstrains4468 I put a coat of gloss varnish in a hornby Mallard and have to agree it looks fantastic, I was making my model as accurate as I could to how the real Mallard looks today in the Railway Museum.
@@davidstrains4910 ah nice mate! Yeah, the gloss does look stunning, have you used a sharpie or metallic paint to outline the polished wheel rims? I did this a while back on an old mallard, and it looked incredible!
@@jackstrains4468 I did use a sharpie to outline the wheel rims, might look at trying something else though at some point as it rubs off whenever the model is used, might make a video on my own channel showing the model at some point because it is one I’m very proud to have done.
@davidstrains4910 that'd be great man, we've done the same exact thing, I posted a somewhat cringe video a while back about it before my channel grew 😬, it shows the wheels and all the extra detail:) I'd love to see a video / community posy of yours:)
I bought the latest S&DJR 4F, was I disappointed. I then saw a review of yours 4 years ago where you highlighted all the things I was upset by. The big joke was you said it was a very old model 4 years ago, so what does it say of it now. I didn't even notice they hadn't glazed the windows until you highlighted it in your review. Then there was the pickups which you also highlighted and a very dodgy DCC socket. I bought the Fell, same issues as you had, sent it back to Rails who readjusted the pickups, still it was awful. I figured half the issue was the wheels needed perfectly flat track otherwise it pivoted on the the wheels, so only one wheel was touching the track. In the end I replaced the front and back bogies with Hornby ones that had pickups and at least it now runs. With the four wheels so close together it needed the front and back axles to be slightly sprung loaded.
Maybe if Walther’s (USA) were to make a Black 5, maybe it might redeem the name “Black 5” after this lemony example! That being said, I don’t think this will come about as I don’t know of Walther’s making ANY steam locos in HO scale here for the U.S. market; I think they only do diesel locomotive models. Maybe if Sam asks nicely, Accurascale might do a Black 5. 😌 Maybe they might even do a Hush-Hush.
Like I said on the review video, my Dapol N Britannia was a lemon as well, but for different reasons. Still not sure why you were having the derailment issues, that's not something I've encountered. Again, though, it's that stupid dogbone shaft that causes the stuttering. While the dogbone makes working on it a non-issue since it just slips right into place, when the tender pivots it causes the output side of the dogbone to pulse like any other universal shaft will. All locomotives that use universal shafts in their mechanisms do this, though the Dapol "motor in tender" designs are the only models where it becomes a noticeable issue.
Agree with the N gauge Britannia (if not it’s punishment!), and the drive shaft concept as a whole. However, Dapol have now abandoned this concept and shown three new tool tender locos with loco drive. Would love for your to review a future Battle of Britain, GWR Mogal or Manor in N gauge when the arrive!
@@adamwilliams192When it comes to N gauge my dad has that scale but one thing I can say is the drive shaft on the dapol n gauge locos seems to be fine on his southern Schools class and Q1 models.
When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade!
Make life take the lemons back!
Get mad!
I don't want your damn lemons, what am i supposed to do with these?
haha exactly - send the lemons back is a good one haha!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Lemons are good for my cholesterol!
- Cave Johnson Portal 2
@@kenjimaurerfromdisneyland2001 but not yer blood pressure!!
@@Nailhead401 When can the Hornby H4-P-012 Bluebell P Class be released?
When life gives you Lemons, make hornby have the lemons and then let the reviewer have the lemons
@@Microsave2 i couldnt resist laughing 😭🤙
hahahaha that's extremely poetic of you!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I had the same pickup issue with my hornby hunslett austerity, and i found that there was a coating of sorts on the metal tire that affected the pickups. It worked fine after the inside of the wheels were scraped. @SamsTrains
If I were Hornby or a Model Railroad expert id Fix these Lemons with all the time I need full hour Or an entire month
I'm growing my own lemons from pips 🍋. After 2 years they are now 1ft high. Bloody slow growers and they have thorns too. Zero fruit so far. Belieeeeeeve!😂
Maybe KR Models was going for historic/prototype accuracy when they made their Fell loco such a lemon of a performer?
In fairness the fell had great potential but terrible execution
Even the real life thing didn't randomly stop on curves, so their model is an even worse performer than the prototype. Safe to say, the "fell" fell foul of quality standards.
The Fell was quite a good performer, circumventing the downsides of a mechanical transmission with the superchargers and differentials. But it was far too complicated to be economically maintainable compared to an electric or hydraulic.
@@Thatspuremental Anything with 6 ICE's in 1951 had to be a recipe for disaster IMHO. That heavy and hard to make (never mind adjust) differential was never going to trouble a diesel electric and that was before their specific outputs double then tripled. Fascinating but as much of a cul de sac at the turf burner?
They’ve also managed to give their Leader a characteristic lean and totally mess it up like the real thing. It’s almost like drawings aren’t available…
Gotta say my experience with the Hornby black five was entirely positive if your interested in getting one get it from a place you can see and check the model before you buy it because you need to be careful but there are good ones out there’s
unfortunately for the price everyone should work correctly - acceptable performance is the requirement not an exception.
Oh here's a tale: One of my favourite designs of all time is the Hunslet saddle tank, and so when Rapido announced theirs I wanted to be first in line when they did arrive at the shops.
I purchase mine from Hatton's (R.I.P.), the thing arrives in the Netherlands where I am based and the thing happily trundled around the track, couldn't even get it to stop on dead zones if I tried.
Then, as one does, I switch the points to see whether it also makes it across that dead zone. However, the loco seemed to climb the frog and dramatically toppled over itself, laying sideways across the switch blades.
And since then, without fail, the loco derails on any sort of pointwork. And I do mean *any* form of pointwork. Hornby, Fleischmann, Roco, you name it, the Hunslet disagreed with it.
Naturally, I shot a video of it happening, uploaded it as an unlisted video and sent it to Rapido in a complaint form. However, due to the way RUclips displays the views, I can see that to this day nobody at Rapido has ever bothered to even open the link and watch the video.
So you can imagine my utter white rage when after your review of your Metro tank came out, Rapido rushed to your aid to offer a replacement for something as, let's call it, ineffectual as a wonky chimney. I'm not blaming you of course, but it did make me put my foot down and I will never purchase a product so that Rapido sees the money I spent on that product in any way shape or form.
If they deem this a way to treat a customer complaint, I won't be shy about my petty willingness to see them fail. You can imagine my reaction when their subsequent models all proved to be lackluster...
Hey, it's Flying Scott! Guys, he's here! (Class 1100 review soon?).
That's bloody criminal
Did you try emailing them, or phoning?
@@geobrower3069 Emailed them twice actually!
For the cost of these models, it's completely unacceptable.
You know, I've never considered myself much of a stickler for detail on model trains. If a locomotive runs well and looks good from a distance, I'm generally happy with it (provided it's priced accordingly).
But I don't think it's being a stickler for detail to expect that *all of the wheels touch the rails.*
I have 3 of the models you showed in this video, the W1, Fell and Black 5, surprisingly I have not had any issues with these, my Fell from KR was from the second batch which I have said before there were improvements made to the model from feedback from the 1st release, the original W1 I bought and it was fine, mine is actually perfect, finally the black 5 from hornby this is an incredible model, love my BR version which hasn’t given me any grief so it looks like the LMS one was affected and from the looks of it the amount of models affected was very low.
Thanks for sharing this David very interesting - what's the difference with the second batch of Fells out of interest? Is the paint finish better at least?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains The Fell I got from the 2nd batch was the BR black one and overall the livery looked fine on it, the pickups to the wheels were also improved, can’t comment on the 2nd batch green ones when it comes to the livery because I don’t have one.
Same here. I hv 3 on order all dcc fitted and keeping my powder dry...
I have had some bad experiences with recent Hornby locos myself. My first Hush-Hush had the very same problems as yours, but and extra one that was far worse: it arrived with both smoke deflectors on the front of the boiler crushed in the factory during packing in the transparent sleeve (i.e. NOT in shipping to me across the Atlantic). The UK hobby shop simply blew me off. Then I bought the new Big Boy (Hornby/Rivarossi) from an American hobby shop, and THAT arrived with the funnel broken, also in the factory because the broken off pieces were not inside the box. The US Hornby representative simply blew me off, just as the UK hobby shop had done. Both were pretty expensive models (especially after shipping), so these were painful experiences that I will not forget.
Those trains caused confusion and delay XD
haha they did!
I actually had a lemon N scale Percy. I had bought it from a brick and mortar shop so it was likely the fault of whoever shipped it over. The engine ran relatively fine backwards with a little clicking sound, but forwards it just refused to move. I thankfully got it swapped out for a different one and that one still works fine to this very day. It's weird, since I've bought other bachman N scale engines and they also ran fine.
I remember your original lemon locomotives video. I still watch it for my amusement. Its funny, but also helps to show us which models to avoid. Great video. Really like it 👍
If you prefer an N gauge Britannia with a decent mechanism, there is the vintage Hornby Minitrix model which would probably run forever on your test track and also negotiates tight radii. Tender motor Dapol steam locos don't like tough curves e.g. Setrack R1 and R2.
12:23 I recently picked up a model of 5200 at the Stafford Model Railway Exhibition for around £180 (it was already discounted to £195) Sunday just gone and it's an amazing model tbh. My model didn't have any issues with the loco-to-tender connection however my only issue with the model is the headcode lamps. They are a pain to reprosition and I have had to glue all the lamp-irons and lamps to the model to stop them from falling out so it is now permantly got the Class A (Express Passenger) headcode which I am fine with.
If future Hornby steam locomotives are to have the working headcode lamps, Hornby needs to completely re-design them and actually inform the factory to stop gluing them in. I broke a lamp-iron whilst trying to replace it with a lamp.
I've got a pretty bad lemon in my fleet. I run primarily h0 and the loco in question is a Fleischmann BR 64 (2-6-2t). Despite it being second hand it runs well, that is until it reaches a set of points where it stops dead at any reasonable speed. Turns out only 2 of the driving axels pick up power, quite the lemon.
I emailed KR Models in the pre-production stage of the Fell because I was building my own from an ancient LJ company moulding. I noticed the KR version had an incorrect number of roof vents over the cab, as the real-life loco had several, from 2 to 4 per cab end, dependent on which stage period it was modelled from. But when I mentioned this fact to KR Models, I received a "well, we couldn't produce more moulds," which was a rather weak reply.
Life May give you lemons but Hornby have been sipping lemonade for years
Sipping lemonade and shipping something that looks like lemonade but is actually its byproduct.
4:42 don’t give me flashbacks. (Flashbacks to Oliver)
It's unbelievable that we *still* don't have a good model of the 14XX. It's such an iconic, attractive design, and the only models we get are defective tat. Shameful.
Have you not seen the new Dapol 48xx and 517 press release and prototypes?
Couldn't agree more. I will only fit a single autocoach to mine.
I have stuck it in front of my very reliable 56XX as a double-headed train...
Tip: motorise the auto coach and buy a cheap Airfix 14XX and dummy it.
Dapol, God bless, is bringing in one sometime next year. Yes, yes, dapol steam engines can be rough but at least it's not a 40 year old mould being sold at brand new prices
Should add Rapido's American/Canadian engine factory in there too with the one's who built that Black 5. I ordered the undecorated Can Pac D-10 steamer so I can make Strasburg 972.... well I went to swap the parts needed around and wouldn't ya know it those louts glued the parts on, even a part required to be removed for decoder installation. Once I acquire decals to finally decorate it I might fix some of the issues but for now it's sitting in limbo.
Biggest lemon I've brought so far was the DJ models 14xx. I followed the running in instructions to the letter but it's never run well. I've written it off now and I'm glad dapol have come along with a new version to replace the DJM one.
I had no issues with my 15xx.
Maybe You could 3d print a lemon wagon,
And then If the model doesn’t run well or is total rubbish,
It can get
“Sam’s Lemon of Approval” and pull it around
and go on a lemon list, we can see what was the worse lemon 😅😂
As always, interesting video 😊
ur at least TRY to pull it round XD
Weirdly enough, it’s said the BR examples of the Black 5 are generally better than the LMS ones, but still. Shame such a beautiful model decides it doesn’t want to run.
Ahh interesting - never did try a BR one... I really wanted the lined LMS one!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@tgeiii3554 Yep my BR one is fine and has been since I bought it, the problem the LMS ones had was only affecting a very small number of models from what I saw, there are versions of the LMS one that do work, look at some of the other reviewers on RUclips who bought one.
@@SamsTrains fair enough, but to be fair the named BR ones look fantastic to me
I've got a BR 'Glasgow Highlander' and it's been great. love it. It does look like there was a batch of dodgy LMS ones though. I know Little wicket had issues with his too.
With regards to the loco-tender connection I've 9 locos in my collection with this: Five A4s, an A1 Flying Scotsman, Two P2s and the Black 5. All run fine with no probs.
I also have A W1 Hush Hush, but mine's the LNER apple green version. Again no problems. It just seems to be the first batch of the grey ones that had a lot of issues.
@@speleokeir Mine is the Glasgow Highlander as well and as I have said it’s a fantastic model, it is currently my only Black 5 as I have never owned one of the previous tooled ones, the new tender connection hasn’t been an issue for me, currently its one of 2 models that I have with the new connector, the other one I have is the steam generator P2 Prince of Wales, yes there was a small batch of LMS ones that had issues but the important word here is Small, an example of someone who had a good one was Class47Peter, he got the LMS one and his was fine but that’s the nature of this hobby, in a big batch if models your always going to get a couple of duds in there, the important thing to remember with this though is that while someone may show a dud someone else may show a perfect example and when it comes to us and our own decisions it’s important that while we take their experience we also take others experience instead of just seeing a dud model and assuming every other one is exactly the same, with regards to the Hush Hush I got my grey one second hand and mine runs perfectly, like my rebuilt version, I only saw Sam have the issue with the W1 where it would seize up when running, never saw anyone else have that issue.
I love looking at all the new good locos, but sometimes... It's entertaining to see the bad locos fail miserably and (often) entertainingly!
I have a Mantua Santa Fe pacific. It’s an older loco I got it for 60 US dollars at a train show. There are legit only *2* pickups on *1* rail! And it’s the tender wheels that pick power. They are metal wheels that pick up. It stalls easily and has very little tork. A real lemon
Intertingly when the 15xx released and i got mine I didn't find any issues people were reporting with them. mine does have a bit of a wobble but I don't mind it I think it makes it quircky. and interestingly my model preformed quite well when I ran it on my club track with about 3 or 4 Mk 3 coaches.
I’m into N gauge and my Dapol Britannia Oliver Cromwell runs smoothly and beautifully, much better than my other steam outline locos.
I’ve had it about 11 years now.
I did buy two GF steam locos, a WD which couldn’t pull much as it was so light and an A1 which was gorgeous to look at but ran sideways on the track as it was pushed along by the powered tender. The A1 couldn’t pull much either before slipping on curves.These locos were both sold back to the retailer
The N Gauge Peco Jubilee was my first last and only tender driven locomotive. Until Dapol changes their tender drive mechanisms I will stick with my Minitrix Britannia which still works!
A lemon I've encountered is the 2002 variant of Bachmann's Thomas model. He worked perfectly on the first few times I tested him, but then he began to die. It's not just me who's had this issue, too. 'TTTE Guy' has mentioned this problem in his recent video of model trains. Thankfully, Thomas works fine now. I've brought a more advanced set (a Coca-Cola one with the 2-speed controller) and he works perfectly on the "HI" setting. The same cannot be said for the "LO" setting, though.
To round this comment off, I'd like to ask something: What's the worst and best model you're reviewed so far on the channel?
Ah, another Sam’s Trains worst 5 video - yay! 💙💙 When it comes to product reviews, brutal honesty (and some sarcasm) are called for. Thanks, Sam! 😊
1:13 - Is it just Hornby that do this sort of thing over in the UK? having the rear truck as a part of the rest of the body instead of separate like the front truck? It's such a bizarre an old school feeling design. It looks like it's something from a model from the '70s or maybe even earlier.
Hornby models used to have it separate. However some people, mainly the ones who just display but don't run their models, complained it wasn't prototypical so Hornby changed it to make it more accurate.
I too have the Hornby hush hush and floating wheels easily sorted remove the plate that holds them in and gently file where the axles sit in a u shape slot on the plate make the slot 1.5 mm deeper on each one , the wheels now drop nicely on to the track no issues but should not really have mess with these models. I also have a KR models fell in black way to glossy so spent a while masking off the windows and sprayed it with Railmatch satin varnish looks a lot better did the whole model then spent a while cleaning the wheels sorted hope this helps others to deal with some of the issues
I think I've been lucky with my BR version of the black 5. Yes sane problems with the lamp brackets , but otherwise a great runner with immaculate crawling. I'm going to add some weights inside the boiler to improve haulage capacity. Love the videos sam 👍
For me the biggest and most expensive lemons I've invested money into this year were the Dapol Toplight Coaches. They look absolutely beautiful and the fact that they light up too for a relatively modest price was great. The issue, however, was the constant derailments of them. It is impossible for me to get these coaches from one side of my layout to the other without derailing and re-railing them to the track is a nightmare.
I am so disappointed in these coaches.
Yeah mine were complete lemons too - no good at all!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I am old school when it comes to fine detail,I’d rather have something with less detail but a motor I know will run and last a few years.The other week someone gave me a old Hornby 060 loco it was made in the 1970s,yes it nothing special but guess what after sitting in a loft for many years it ran fine.
How did I know the Black 5 was going to be at the end. When you told the story admitting to tossing that locomotive, I was transported to about 20 years ago when I slammed an all-metal loco into floor after it took out a second test transformer after two more days of work on it. This Mantua 4-4-0 was made of brass and pot metal and ran great on the bench but would get to the track, run for 2 minutes like a raped ape, run with low amperage, then somehow short so bad that the little transformers I used for testing would just stop working. Needless to say, I was not as fortunate as you and the loco didn't go back together, lol. I didn't feel better and had to take a break from all thing's model railway related till my brain cells reactivated. Anyway, I like this type of rehash so great video, Jersey Bill.
haha yeah - had to feature the black 5 with all the issues. Oh dear that Mantua doesn't sound good - can't think whether I've ever tried one of those actually!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
“Railroad minus” - hilarious, thanks for another great video. 😅
Excellent video. You don't outright blast makers but have ample proof to back up your dissatisfaction. Kudos!
My Fell also had dodgy pickups but the biggest issue from day one was the connecting rods becoming misaligned and it would not run. It was returned twice for this issue. Third time I returned it was for a refund when they kindly gave me.
5:00 I do agree with that one, half of the pickup plungers don’t even have springs.
Funnily enough, the airfix ones run better than the newer tools
I'm an N gauge modeller and have a few Dapol models in my hoard. All diesels. The main issue I've had with these is the head and tail lights failing. I've heard worse stories than this about Dapol models though and a couple of my local model shops will not sell Dapol models.
Concerning the last lemon video, I do have an H class. I don’t run it very often, but when I tested it, it didn’t seem to run well forwards, but did better in reverse. I mainly keep it because it has the best SECR green on the entire market. The dome is so shiny!
Would love to own an OG Hush-Hush one day. Here’s hoping Hornby bring it back in the RailRoad range.
I was lucky enough to get the new Black 5 for half the price and it runs perfectly well, what was frustrating was fitting accessories because at least in my case they didn't fit! The screwlink coupling and the drain cocks were initially too big to fit in the holes (they did after a tiny bit of sanding). Apart from that, pretty satisfied with the model
I do understand your pain! I always trying to hold myself from hitting my Gützold BR 52 against the floor 😂
But when i was a kid I destroyed two cheap locos😢 and I remember this)
Have a good day!
The original lemon locomotives videos was the first one of yours I ever watched. I was so exited when this popped into my recommended.
The first locomotive in the video looks like a worm from the movie Dune 😂😂😂 !
"Lemons?" The thought has just occurred to me, why do we say "lemons" when we mean poor quality goods? I think it's Cockney Rhyming Slang (lemon curds)
I had no problems with my Hornby 14XX once I changed the traction tires. You need to change the traction tires as this stops it from stalling. Also, I would tweak the fishplates on your layout as these loosen over time and cause the locos to stall.
As soon as I saw the new Black Five come out I started looking for a second hand last gen Black Five, found one at a show with 10% extra off so I got it for 80 quid and DCCed it, and now its one of my most reliable models. I also have a 15xx which is immaculate and great on DCC although I've seen two not run right on DC - might be the PCB and coreless motor. The Hush Hush is a blob and the Fell was horrid. The 14xx has always been a joke and I cant wait for the Dapol one.
Im in the us and my lemon experiences tend to come from bachmann steamers
They are extremely underweighted and often dont seem to have much in the way of torque
The only bachmann steamer i have seen that performs as one might expect the prototype to is the 4-4-0 American.
Everything else from the little 0-6-0s to the big 2-10-2s can barely even handle thier own tenders muchless any cars behind them
My Rapido 15xx was a true lemon. Not only the finish was bad, it stopped running after 2 months. Shorted motor.
Once upon a time I drilled holes with a cordless drill into a crappy laptop that I hated. The little blue light stayed on though, it was like I couldnt kill the ruddy thing. I threw it out onto the balcony in the snow (I'm in Canada), and I watched the blue light slowly fade and die but even then it took a couple of days!
I have an old Dapol 14xx that’s been converted to DCC and it’s perfect. So far Hornby haven’t been able to improve on something that’s around 40 years old!
Liked your post because it’s one of my pet gripes. In this day and age, locos should ALWAYS work !! Between 1966-69 I owned a Tri-ang Diesel Dock Shunter and also (from memory) a 4-6-0 loco and tender. These worked just fine. I sold them cheaply to a friend as I shifted to a place that simply had no space for a train set 😢. For all accounts the 2 engines were running fine many years later.
Now Tri-ang had no exceptional reputation for excellence but these 2 locos did a serviceable job.
So … what’s the excuse today? Is there some sort of competition among model railway manufacturers to produce the top lemon 🍋?
0:36 I love that song from Hans Zimmer since December 3.
10:08 New Haven Mark 1s
WHAT IN THE AMERICA ARE THOSE CURSED THINGS
Yeah I had a bit of trouble with my Hush Hush as well, with some of my 4-6-2 Locos as they come off my Grand Suspension Bridge the front end start to lift off - so it De-rails!!! 🙁🚂🚂🚂
The real issue with the black 5 was that Hornby were never going to be able to make it for the price of taking an old one and improving it to a better than new tooled standard, so Hornby tried to put ever more bling and in the end, never really could live up to the standard necessary to make the price work.
Funny story about the 15xx Sam. I remember when they first released Hattons has some as pre-owned, some of them were even less than £100 and thats where I got mine.
Cheers Jasper & Willow
Bachman N class 💀. They tried making a clever draw bar that keeps the loco and tender close together. It just causes it to derail on every bend
Would love to see an outtakes video, would be funny to see you lamping the N gauge up the wall lol
🎵Life is a lemon and I want my money back!🎵
Hi Sam, On a positive note - The Fell I received in April is a lot better than yours thankfully. A pleasant satin green finish (no super high gloss overcoat), all 8 pickups fine and still are. It crawls at speed 1 (in 28 steps DCC) when held stationary and after I added an extra 116g of lead for body weight. Handles my test track radius 1 curves no problems as plenty of side play in axles. Bonnet handrails look good. However on arrival one white LED was open circuit - a test escape (Rails promptly supplied me a replacement PCB) and one cab handrail was broken but repairable. The DCC sound F16 five step volume control does not work, it simply toggles volume on/ off - something I have yet to take up with KRM. The sound features and quality of sound are fine. Ditto the models level of detail; it’s a unique model (no excuses for any mistakes though - particularly given the price even when discounted). I hope this helps others if mine is from a later batch - perhaps KRM took notice of your review!
You are right manufacturers make some real gaffs which wastes everyone’s time, and leads to much unnecessary frustration, but great lemon reviews!
All the best Stephen
About 3 years ago my brother bought a hornby smokey joe brand new from a retailer and as soon as he put it on the track we found out that it has a smoke generator actually the smoke generator was a motor that was over oiled at hornby and the motor burned I'm experienced with hornby 0-4-0s by now and that's the only one we had go wrong and it was an epic fail
I have the Fell, the 14xx and the Black 5.
I bought my 14xx with the intension of creating a realistic depiction of Oliver from the Railway Series books. Not on ly was the performance poor, but one of the traction tyres failed, so it just sits in the box inactive.
My example of the Fell was from their second batch. I largely agree with the detailing issues, but the second batch did fix the pickup issues. I did have to adjust one of the counterweights, because it was popping out and causing the engine to lock up. Not much torque, but a decent running model of a weird engine.
I was originally not going to buy the Black 5 after seeing numerous video reviews that demonstrated faulty drawbars. Then Hornby showed off the Caprotti version on Engine Shed and that piqued my interest. I love oddities, and a weird variant of an iconic loco is definitely that. I did a review of that on my channel. The detailing and build quality were largely immaculate, but the lamps were exactly as you described. It did run around with no electrical issues, so aside from the lamps and subpar slow speed I was happy with it.
EDIT: I do own a Hush Hush, the same original version that you first reviewed. Runs beautifully. Steps broken out of the box. I did notice the weight distribution issue, but it has never been a major issue for me.
As for personal lemons, I have a T9 (Mazak infested motor bracket) a Royal Scot (cracked gear) and an Athearn Challenger (engine does not articulate properly, causing derailments)
We need Lemon-Aid:)
I had a few unresolved problems with KR over their GT3 and Fell locomotives.
I also have a DHP1 locomotive on order (AND PAID FOR) for over 4 YEARS and still waiting.
I was going to buy a Leader locomotive from them but I've decided against ever buying from them again.
They seem to be trying to run before they can walk, releasing too many pre-orders before anything gets fulfilled.
That’s relatable, I too want to chuck my model trains into a wall. All though I usually throw a screwdriver and not the train itself.
Thank you Sam for showing me I have some form of restraint… (but putting holes in the wall isn’t a good thing so 🤨)
You could do a spreadsheet on each loco as to how many people had lemons? What percentage of production are actually lemons?
Oooo, I love the original video, I’m happy to see a new one!
My biggest lemon is the new-ish Hornby class 91. Absolutely no spring or give in the bogies and unless your layout is billiard table flat, it'll derail. Please review this total let down and you'll see.
even if the finish on the fell is applied far too thick i really really hope that the gloss finish is something that becomes more common. it seems to be a grand misconception held by rail modelers that locomotives have this plasticky satin or matte quality, when in reality if you've ever seen a steam locomotive in real life you would know that they are infact beautifully shiny, even the dirty ones. it is only the truly tired and never cleaned left to rust that are ever matte. the same applies to diesel and electric stock, atleast for the UK.
Hi Sam, maybe you should add a new category to your markings, The Splat test, find a nice piece of empty wall and you can examine the locos aerodynamics, structural strength and how well they go back together 😂
hahahah I like it!!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I thought I’d dodged a bullet with my B5 it ran well first time out, then it started to fail. Hornby’s customer service stepped up and replaced the tender chassis. It now runs well. I will not be attempting to remove the lights.
I often wonder what these locos would cost if they were made in the UK or the EU, how much more and how much better?.
Apart from Heljan letting me down with their grey GWR saddle tank engine, I've only caused a few accidents myself. I accidentally wore out the motor of a Santa Express tank engine, Hornby not to blame, crashed Flying Scotsman who developed a sparking motor (thankfully, my own How to burn down your Model Railway episode was avoided altogether), and suffered my B2 Peckett with a broken rod on one side. Other than that, no lemons on my railway I'm happy to say. So, because of me, a few of my model steamies have had to be given up. It's not all doom and gloom, because new-build engine, Tornado, has permanently replaced Flying Scotsman. I'm the one to blame for those incidents, even though they were accidental.
haha that's good to hear Kelly - I think wearing out isn't too bad... no mis-use there, it just happens naturally. Thanks for sharing,
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
To be fair, the moulding on the Fell might look ok, but the paint is layered on so thick that you'd never know.....
You do know that they’re never wrong?
@@Bop7324 Huh?
I sent my Black 5 off to Hornby for repair and after more than six weeks it still wasn’t returned, despite several “Our engineers are assessing it” emails.
After requesting a refund they conveniently asked if I wanted a replacement sent the same day, which I accepted. Thankfully this one is a lovely runner, but the experience was extremely poor.
Shame to see the Fell on this but yours not working properly I can get why... Had no issues with mine, though mine was in Black and wasn't as shiny looking :P
Hi Sam, a very interesting 🍋 review. In defence of the Fell, my black one has been perfect, I've not worried about the suggested detail problem because it looks like the Fell so is the Fell. Rapido loco worries me greatly as I have one of their E1s on order and I'd hate for that to be a 🍋. The new black five just looks wrong to me and the lamps are horrible.
Surely the biggest lemon of all-time is the Bachmann Climax, a beautiful looking engine with an almost 100% failure rate. A second hand climax that remains in working order is hard to find. Bachmann unfortunately used gears and mechanism that split and failed totally. Replacement parts were sold by Bachmann but a high level of skill and organisation is required rebuild the engine drive mechanism. If anybody knows of a greater failure, let me know.
Lemon? Lemon!
When life gives you lemons...
Never think of Hornby's products nowadays.
I don’t have a problem with my Hornby Caprotti black 5,s working front lights because they have never worked anyway. If you have one which was fault free, cherish it, it will be a collector’s item. I get a fully working loco hit rate of about 50% with Hornby, which is a disgrace, but as a LMr modeller, I have little choice unless I choose to kit build 😟
Fortunately I only have one of those.... the 2024 GWR loco. Mine seems ok but not amazing.
'I Have a Dream, a fantasy
No lemons on my Oh-Oh scene
And my destination, makes it worth the while
No yellow perils, allowed to spoil our style..'
Is this from “Inside Every Locomotive Is a Rainbow?” XDXD
Honestly, I don't think the common saying When life gives you lemons, make lemonade works here - these are utter scams if you ask me, as most are still very expensive. Instead, I believe it should be if Hornby and manufacturers give you lemons, then damn well roast them! Great video Sam, but I do think the glossy finish on the KR models the fell looks great, i have an NRM exclusive Mallard in a gloss finish, and she's beautiful - I've put loads of videos on my channel if you want to check her out ;) As always, great stuff Sam!
Yeah absolutely Jack - some of these are crazy for what they cost.... and agree... damn well roast them is right hahahaha!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@jackstrains4468 I put a coat of gloss varnish in a hornby Mallard and have to agree it looks fantastic, I was making my model as accurate as I could to how the real Mallard looks today in the Railway Museum.
@@davidstrains4910 ah nice mate! Yeah, the gloss does look stunning, have you used a sharpie or metallic paint to outline the polished wheel rims? I did this a while back on an old mallard, and it looked incredible!
@@jackstrains4468 I did use a sharpie to outline the wheel rims, might look at trying something else though at some point as it rubs off whenever the model is used, might make a video on my own channel showing the model at some point because it is one I’m very proud to have done.
@davidstrains4910 that'd be great man, we've done the same exact thing, I posted a somewhat cringe video a while back about it before my channel grew 😬, it shows the wheels and all the extra detail:) I'd love to see a video / community posy of yours:)
You certainly know your lemons :D
If they were lemmings they could self dispose !
I've been waiting for this forever!
I bought the latest S&DJR 4F, was I disappointed. I then saw a review of yours 4 years ago where you highlighted all the things I was upset by. The big joke was you said it was a very old model 4 years ago, so what does it say of it now. I didn't even notice they hadn't glazed the windows until you highlighted it in your review. Then there was the pickups which you also highlighted and a very dodgy DCC socket.
I bought the Fell, same issues as you had, sent it back to Rails who readjusted the pickups, still it was awful. I figured half the issue was the wheels needed perfectly flat track otherwise it pivoted on the the wheels, so only one wheel was touching the track. In the end I replaced the front and back bogies with Hornby ones that had pickups and at least it now runs. With the four wheels so close together it needed the front and back axles to be slightly sprung loaded.
How am I drinking pink lemonade while watching this
Maybe if Walther’s (USA) were to make a Black 5, maybe it might redeem the name “Black 5” after this lemony example! That being said, I don’t think this will come about as I don’t know of Walther’s making ANY steam locos in HO scale here for the U.S. market; I think they only do diesel locomotive models. Maybe if Sam asks nicely, Accurascale might do a Black 5. 😌 Maybe they might even do a Hush-Hush.
Maybe the Hornby lemons are what made Simon Kohler so bitter
What's the bitter lemon? Probably the Black five! Unrelated or is it, Rails knocking out Hornby TT at massive discounts. Cheers as always Sam.
Like I said on the review video, my Dapol N Britannia was a lemon as well, but for different reasons. Still not sure why you were having the derailment issues, that's not something I've encountered.
Again, though, it's that stupid dogbone shaft that causes the stuttering. While the dogbone makes working on it a non-issue since it just slips right into place, when the tender pivots it causes the output side of the dogbone to pulse like any other universal shaft will. All locomotives that use universal shafts in their mechanisms do this, though the Dapol "motor in tender" designs are the only models where it becomes a noticeable issue.
6:45 it is not an lemon Sam, it is melon lemon 😂
Can you review the 2007 Caledonian Single from Hornby? It's considered to be a lemon by many model railroaders.
Agree with the N gauge Britannia (if not it’s punishment!), and the drive shaft concept as a whole.
However, Dapol have now abandoned this concept and shown three new tool tender locos with loco drive.
Would love for your to review a future Battle of Britain, GWR Mogal or Manor in N gauge when the arrive!
@@adamwilliams192When it comes to N gauge my dad has that scale but one thing I can say is the drive shaft on the dapol n gauge locos seems to be fine on his southern Schools class and Q1 models.
My favourite lemon was the thanet flyer
You could say hornby is a lemon producer
I feel bad for being amused with the story of Britannia's brutal fate.