# Hornby kitbash



## Cab1 (Jul 26, 2009)

Okay, so I'm digging through my "orphan stash": you know, that collection of oddball locos you buy on a whim, every now and then, at a train show? Then when you get home you realize it doesn't fit into anything you would be remotely interested in? Maybe it's too toy like or it doesn't have enough detail or it's just plain wrong as a prototype of anything that actually pulled itself along a track? So you throw it into a box full of other regrettable loco acquisitions and it sits there under your bench collecting dust for years and years?

Anyway, I'm digging through my stash, for no particular reason, and I find this Hornby Schools class 4-4-0 steamer brand new in its box. I find the matching set of passenger cars to go with it too. I'm thinking, hey, this is a cool little loco - maroon in color with gold pin striping and good boiler detail. It's a very charming rendition of the L-M-S daytime livery service. This would make a great Christmas train for the holidays.

Then I look at the drive linkage and realize why it ended up in "orphan stash". It has a single drive rod connecting the main drive wheels, that's it - no steam boxes and no drive geometry connected to drive rods. If this was a real loco it would be impossible for it to move under its own power on a track.

This kind of thing tightens my jaws. They went through all the trouble of making this neat little engine with all the boiler detail - it even has the correct sand nozzles for the brakes pointing at the drive wheels - yet they fall down on the job when it comes to drive linkage geometry. 

I'm thinking of kit bashing this thing. I'd like to replace the drive unite with a powered 4-4-0 frame with steam boxes and a generic drive linkage geometry. Any ideas how to go about this?


----------



## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

no idea... but do it and post lots of pics. sounds like a great project


----------



## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

go for it!!! Im interested in this type of thread!!!


----------



## EMD_GP9 (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi, I think what you have there is a Hornby class 2P of the old LMS railway.
Power classification 2 for Passenger use.
These locos had inside cylinders (steam boxes as you call them).
I cannot find a photo of a maroon version but they were made for a long time so it is possible.
Photo shows a black one.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=ho...w=145&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:76

I live near the line that these were used on and can just remember them in the 50's on local trains, at that time near the end of their days.

It is not a "Schools class" as these had outside cylinders and would be green or black and be lettered for the Southern Railway or British Railways.
Hope this helps.
Colin.


----------



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Yup, inside cylinders...odd to us Yanks but quite correct to a Brit. I have a home for it...


----------



## Cab1 (Jul 26, 2009)

You're right on target, Colin. That's exactly what I have; except for the maroon and gold pin striping - which is very subdue. It's a charming loco. Looking at it at face value I would never have guessed they'd put the cylinders inside. But hey, they drive on the wrong side of the road too. Must be real fun to service the real thing. I'm real happy I don't have to pull the feathers out of this thing. That kind of thing really bugs me. Oh, by the way, I went back to my stash and found a black "Schools class" loco that you described with outside cylinders. It too is new in the box with a matching set of passenger cars to go with it. There's no road name, just some sort of emblem that my 60 year old eyes can't make out. It has smoke deflectors up front on the boiler. So for some odd reason, I have both - but the little maroon loco is still my favorite. The only thing that bothers me now is it's a pusher - the motor and drive wheels are in the tender. I guess I can live with that. It is what it is.


----------



## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

Cab1 said:


> You're right on target, Colin. That's exactly what I have; except for the maroon and gold pin striping - which is very subdue. It's a charming loco. Looking at it at face value I would never have guessed they'd put the cylinders inside. But hey, they drive on the wrong side of the road too. Must be real fun to service the real thing. I'm real happy I don't have to pull the feathers out of this thing. That kind of thing really bugs me. Oh, by the way, I went back to my stash and found a black "Schools class" loco that you described with outside cylinders. It too is new in the box with a matching set of passenger cars to go with it. There's no road name, just some sort of emblem that my 60 year old eyes can't make out. It has smoke deflectors up front on the boiler. So for some odd reason, I have both - but the little maroon loco is still my favorite. The only thing that bothers me now is it's a pusher - the motor and drive wheels are in the tender. I guess I can live with that. It is what it is.



Cool, I just love them euro steamers, and wish I could get my hands on more euro steamers and locos!! especially ones with the NEM boxes so I can swap them to what I use here (or have a few converted with a mix up)


----------



## EMD_GP9 (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi Cab, glad we sorted that out.
I forgot the "Schools class" had smoke deflectors - they ran in the south of the UK so not near where I live so I have not actually seen a real one.

The emblem could be a lion on top of a wheel ( bicycling ferret ) or a circle with a bar at each side with "British () Railways.
Like me (with 64 year old eyes) you will need a magnifier to see it !!

You seem to have a liking for British railways - sorry Railroads whereas I model Union Pacific here in the UK.
Regards, Colin.


----------



## Cab1 (Jul 26, 2009)

Actually I only have three British locos (the two 4-4-0's and a Flying Scotsman - which is green). They're all Hornby pushers. I only have two matching teak wood coaches for that one. I'll have to hunt around for at least one more. 

I had a look inside my Hornby class 2P for a possible conversion to DCC and found the boiler is empty. I can fit a baby grand piano in there. There's a black and a red wire running under the draw bar to the boiler. Since this loco has no lights that means it has two separate pickup points. Perfect for a DCC conversion.

By the way, I was wrong about the sand nozzles being used for the brakes. They're for traction when the loco is under wheel slip. The ones on this loco hang pretty low, so I'll have to run it on code 100 track only. 

One of your Australian cousins down under makes HO scale lanterns that would be perfect for this loco. He must be a kid. I don't know any "geezers" like us who have the eye sight to make a working lantern that small. I got six of them awhile back for $50. I was going to put thee of them on my Flying Scotsman - which has no lights as well. 

Right now I'm more of a collector of steamers. The wilder and more outlandish they are the better. I look at some of these things and scratch my head thinking: Where did they come up with this stuff - were they drinking? It just so happens most of my locos carry the Union Pacific road name. I didn't plan it that way, that's just the way it worked out.

Michael


----------



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Motors in the tender are primarilly a European thing though one or two of ours featured that in the past. It actually provides room for a larger motor and flywheels, and allows for the proper see thru effect under the engine boiler. The left over space is usually packed with weight. It works much better but never really caught on over here.


----------



## Cab1 (Jul 26, 2009)

I know what you mean, Dispatcher. I like the pre-war German steamers that Marklin puts out in HO. They're all over ebay. The problem is they won't work on American track. Marklin locos run on a three rail setup, like lionel trains. One of these days I'm going to buy one and pull it a part. I think the biggest problem would be to isolate the wheels so they don't short out on the track.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've never seen a US train with motors in the tender, sounds like a good idea. OTOH, with the two totally different wheel sizes, keeping them in sync would be a challenge.


----------



## mgwsy (Aug 14, 2012)

Cab1 said:


> I know what you mean, Dispatcher. I like the pre-war German steamers that Marklin puts out in HO. They're all over ebay. The problem is they won't work on American track. Marklin locos run on a three rail setup, like lionel trains. One of these days I'm going to buy one and pull it a part. I think the biggest problem would be to isolate the wheels so they don't short out on the track.


Why not just look for Marklin 2 rail trains under the TRIX brandname?


----------



## Lee_R (May 30, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I've never seen a US train with motors in the tender, sounds like a good idea. OTOH, with the two totally different wheel sizes, keeping them in sync would be a challenge.


I've got a Tyco "Clementine" (0-8-0, don't know if it's based on any "real" train) that I'm working with that's a pusher, I'm not sure about any of their other steamers. Okay, okay, I know - "Tyco". But you asked!  Not sure what you mean by "keeping them in sync" though - the wheels on the loco are free-wheeling (except the third set that has a sort of "cammish" like thing that operates a piston for "puffing" smoke).


----------



## Smokinapankake (Sep 8, 2011)

mgwsy said:


> Why not just look for Marklin 2 rail trains under the TRIX brandname?


This is the solution. If you can afford it. 

I believe Marklin is AC, not DC but don't quote me on that.....

Having had some old Marklins from the 70's I gotta say I wasn't all that impressed. Growly old fellow. Class 89 0-6-0 with a few ore hopper cars. It was jerky, too. And this was after the local Marklin expert serviced it and declared it was tip-top. 

Although I've often dreamed of rigging up a center slider pick up shoe to my Athearn BB stuff so as to simplify reversing loops in the track work; also it would make converting to working overhead catenary easier. I really like the idea of Marklin's C track with the stainless steel rails. 

Too rich for my blood, however. That's why I got rid of the Marklin stuff I did have. Would have cost three fortunes to build what I want to build with it.....


----------

