No.24 Castled – An Appendage or an Achilles Heel?

Following from my earlier Blog I have been asked by a friend whether I have had any problems with the front bogie of the latest Hornby Super Detail Castles.  In short the answer is 'no'.



Seemingly there is a recent review in the model railway press that says that on first removal from the box, the front bogie was detached.  I have included a few pictures here of the bogie on my Castle highlighting what I would describe as Hornby's cheap and cheerful means of attachment.


Underside of Castle




Bogie Disassembled


The Pivot Pin with Retaining Collar



When the engine is lifted from the track Hornby have provided a tiny plastic collar glued to the top of the bogie pivot pin to stop the bogie dropping off.  I guess the success of this system relies heavily on the  amount of glue originally used.  However I would say that the design is easily repairable.  For example if the plastic collar is missing, all that is required is a piece of plastic insulation say from off the conductor of some relatively heavy copper cable (ring main).

The use of plastic insulation brings to mind another Hornby 'success' story - Speedo Cables:



Upgraded Speedo Cable



In my opinion the nylon Speedo Cable as supplied by Hornby is  rather too rough and ready!  As well as lacking a credible appearance it seems to me to be not fit for purpose, being brittle and likely to break whilst at the same time being too rigid and affecting the smooth running of the locomotive.  After replacing the cable on my Super Detail Princess Royal for the second time I decided to look at cheaper and I think visually better alternatives.  Why not use very thin plastic insulation?  I don't think I even needed any glue, simply poking the broken ends of the Hornby Speedo Cable into the hollow plastic tube left after stripping the wire.




I guess any suitable fine wire will do.  If it means anything to anyone, the label on my reel of wire was as follows:

Location: Dumfries and Galloway, UK

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