No.133 The Hornby RailRoad County – any good?

This Post is well over due, but then so is the repainting of our outside paintwork - the white house walls.

Hawksworth County Class engines were designed during wartime conditions for handling difficult work in Devon and Cornwall. The locomotive Power Classification was 6MTwhich fits neatly between 7P for a Castle and 5MT for a Hall. The engine’s main purpose was ‘fast mixed traffic’, hence the Counties’ 6’- 3” driving wheels, smaller than the 6’- 8 1/2” of a Castle and larger than the 6’- 0” of a Hall. Altogether a very useful engine that no ex GWR layout should be without.

County of Dorset – ex Dapol D4 from 1984 with added detail and tender drive

Over the years my model railway layout has hosted a number of County Class engines of the Dapol / Hornby variety. My original model, County of Stafford - Dapol D4, dates from May 1984. It was purchased from the Oxford Publishing Company for the then not inconsiderable sum of £34.50. I think it was the first ready to run engine with a tender fall plate. I do believe the shape of the cab roof was wrong and that the fire box detail incorrect. Dapol products from the 1980s were not renowned for their durability and my model suffered from cracked main drive gear. As a consequence it was converted to Tender Drive and continues to share workings with Hornby’s latest super detail Castles.

Hornby RailRoad ‘County of Hants’ R3279’

Fast forward to spring 2016 and Hornby’s latest RailRoad County is available at reduced price from the usual suspects.

Hornby RailRoad County Mechanism

In contrast to the Dapol / early Hornby models with their rather noisy Ringfield mechanism the new RailRoad model comes with a ‘can’ motor and worm drive, and is DCC ready.

Dapol / early Hornby Ringfield Mechanism

Being DCC ready comes with a big loss in haulage capacity. The Dapol /early Hornby models came with a huge lump of lead – stuffed part way into the smoke box. I even added further lead shot in front of the proprietary lead weight which brought the engine weight up to 385gm. The RailRoad model doesn’t have space for a lump of lead and instead there are some bits of ‘Mazak’ type material. Hornby are obviously aware of the issue and have added tiny pieces of punched steel plate beneath the cab floor bringing the total weight of the RailRoad model up to 260gm. Because of the shaped Mazak casting in the smokebox there is no scope to add any extra lead shot. The only possibility might be to dispense with the blanking plate and DCC socket and to fill the resulting space with a lump of lead. However the difference between 385gm and 260gm is 125gm, which is a big lump of lead. I have concluded that the RailRoad County is too lightweight for the gradients on my layout and I will need to find another home for it.

Hornby Ringfield County of Salop R2392

How does the appearance of the RailRoad model compare with previous editions?

Cab close up, County of Salop top, County of Hants bottom

I was disappointed with the appearance the RailRoad model which has been cheapened. I think the technical term is ‘value engineered’. Firstly the cab ‘fall plate’ which was a Dapol innovation back in 1984 has been dispensed with. The orange lining on the cab has also been stepped backwards. On the RailRoad edition, the centre black line has been omitted on the cab to let the underlying green paint show through – just as on the 1984 Dapol model. There is no gilding to the cab windows and there are no route availability symbols shown on the cab side. The handrail supporting the cab roof is no longer picked out in black and has been left 'cab' green.

Front view, County of Salop left, County of Hants right

'Front on' my RailRoad model sit high compared to its older cousin – maybe for ease of access to the front coupling? The vacuum pipe on the RailRoad edition has reverted to the simplified type as fitted to the first Dapol models rather than the more authentic version fitted to County of Salop and borrowed from the super detail Castles and Granges. The chimneys are different but I think that might be a correct prototype variation where the RailRoad model is an Early Emblem and my County of Salop is a Late Crest. On a more positive note the RailRoad model comes with a proper number plate on the smokebox door. Previous Hornby / Dapol models have either come without a number on the door, or it has been stencilled on the curved door surface in a most unprototypical manner. The RailRoad edition has however lost its shed code plate.

Facing, County of Salop left, County of Hants right

The view above confirms the difference in height between the front buffers of the two models and shows the lack of lining on the cylinders for the RailRoad model.

Cab to cab, County of Salop left, County of Hants right

The view above is a close up of the two cabs. This suggests that the RailRoad edition has been tilted up at the front which has resulted in the cab being slightly lowered. I have an issue with the colour of the RailRoad model which I think is too light but that is just a personal view.

When purchasing my RailRoad model I had to return the first engine for a replacement which then still needed work doing on it so that it would stay on the track! Below are some views of problems with the rejected engine.

Bent Slide Bars

Ill fitting chimney

Wonky coupling hook

Backwards leaning nameplate

Soldered connection to motor - broke when removing body shell

I tested the replacement engine on some straight track – it ran perfectly. Sometime later a coupled it up to some coaches and tried to run it through a set of points – where upon it jumped off the track.

Centre Pair of Driving wheels squashed together

On closer inspection it was apparent that the centre pair of driving wheel had been closed up by over 1mm.

Another view showing centre driving axle poking through the face of the wheel

Whilst on the theme of faults, the view below shows another so called brand new model received 12 months ago from one of the smaller model shops.

Brand new model purchased 2015 with cab attached at a jaunty angle

In this case the cab was attached at a jaunty angle to the firebox. I think some retailers do themselves no credit posting out items in this condition – and then there is the expense of the return postage.

A much better model - Hornby Ringfield County of Salop R2392

A lot of food for thought? My experience with the purchase of RailRoad County of Hants indicates a poorly detailed model as compared to previous editions, and an almost total lack of quality control. I do think that if you want a Hornby County – then perhaps you have to look very seriously at pre-loved items!