Really useful video. I appreciate the fact that you go into great detail with locomotive mechanisms/chassis and are upfront and honest when one does not perform as it should. We need more of this. There are other reviewers who wax lyrical over detail and finish but gloss over mechanisms and performance, claiming for example that a locomotive 'performs really well' without providing clear evidence or a detailed appraisal. For most of us running qualities are the single most important aspect because locomotives are there to be used, not stuck in display cabinets. Well done Sam!

Spot on Sam - review the actual model you buy, as you always have. Your integrity in these matters is beyond reproach, much valued by your viewers and long may it continue like that.

Since Daniel Defoe published the first review ever, many reviewers have fairly done their job, but within them our Sam is certainly top notch and his work can be described with a literary title, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Hi Sam, As usual a great video! Bit of an N7 nutter as my late Grandad was a 30A fireman 1948-53, but I can't bring myself to buy one of these later versions despite the keen price, sadly.🙁 Oxford's earlier era N7/0 (or /GE) versions are near enough _spot on_ , but on the later era versions like this and their early-BR livery N7/4 69612, general issues for me are: •They've kept the sharper inner curve of the front spectacles meant to fit around the square firebox shoulders, whereas these were swapped for *noticeably* bigger spectacles that curved parallel to the round firebox during those rebuilds. •Likewise, that cab detailing shows a square backhead, complette with the GER style regulator like the J15 (round topped N7 boilers had an LNER style one more like a B1's), on all models too. •That rodding on the lower left of the smokebox was for the diverting valve for the tank-top condensing gear and got removed with that apparatus from all locos by the mid-1930s, but Oxford inexplicably keep sticking it to all N7 models, with or without condensers. •Last and least, the railings protecting the rear spectacles at 15:15 were _very_ rarely placed that high up, only usually protecting the bottom half, like preserved 7999/69621's still do, yet they are this high on all Oxford's models. It gets worse on this particular loco though 😬, sorry Sam: at 16:31 I see it says 'N7/4' on the front buffer beam, and is in righthand drive configuration where you highlight the reverser (the wheel) at 15:38. That /4 sub-class only applied to the 22 righthand drive Stratford built /0 engines after rebuilding with round-topped boilers, last of which I know off-by-heart was now preserved 7999/69621 of 1924. So... A look in my Yeadon's Vol 27 tells me 69670 was built by R Stephenson &Co in 1926 as a _lefthand drive_ N7/1 with a square firebox (the printed RS&Co worksplates on the splashers are accurate, at least), so would have become an _N7/5_ after getting this later boiler. Hope this is of some interest?😬 I'm still finishing a Nucast kit of the earlier version on a Triang/Hornby chassis (the Thomas/E2 kind) as 7999 with a square firebox. Nowhere near as much detail altogether, and - as said earlier - Oxford's N7s from those earlier eras are all perfectly accurate, but this is more fun!😅 Take Care,😀

Ordered one of these fro Christmas. Even with the slight issues it is one of the best models in my price range, and won out against the J27 becuase im a great eastern fan. Also, I am a rare breed who loves the plain lner black livery, so some should be left from hattons stock in 2019 :)!

Hi Sam, I bought an N7 a couple of years ago on the back of your review, and it was a lemon with the wheels keep jamming up. I sent it back for a refund - and in the process lost £8 (£4 x 2) postage costs. I do wonder how many lemons are out there. As for 'review what is in front of you, not what it is supposed to be,' that's been the golden rule in my game for all the years Ive been doing it, so kudos to you for your integrity.

Hi Sam I think the brackets on the bunker above the lamp irons are to fit destination boards when running in reverse there are counterparts on the smokebox door at the front. They were used on the London suburban services

Hello Sam. Love your videos. Keep up the amazing work. P.S hopefully you never have to use that scrap man

Great review Sam! I think I might take a chance as it seems good value for money. The loose screw issue was a feature inside the H Class's motor cowling (not the only problem as the original motor failed and it's replacement while running in!). It might just be a factory Q C issue as you suggest.

Wow, just wow 😮 Excellent review of this amazing N7 Sam 👍👍 Now this is the one that I’m planning to buy next month as long they’re still in stock.

Your new style of dividing the video up is awesome! I love the mechanism part and I will never buy a model that doesn’t have at least Metal Bearings, a 5 pole motor and a fly wheel is a wonderful bonus. You really are the king of model railways with your scientific approach etc. I’ll always watch your vids forever!

I'm glad you sent back the lemon and got a new one and told us so in the video

Was gonna make a joke about how the paint issue on the rear at 11:42 was just an unexpected bit of weathering, giving a bit of a visual detail of rust, but jeez, that model was definitely at least somewhat bad all over, at least outside of the decoration... Glad to hear the replacement worked much, much better. Hopefully the inconsistent quality issues get ironed-out as more of the models are produced. BTW, would the better replacement effect the score any?

Such a lovely locomotive. I don't recall there ever being tank locomotives operating on the US railroads. Even in the US market sometimes shotty low-quality stuff makes it through quality control. But it is extremely rare. Hats off to Oxford rail for sending you another one. Maybe there was some sort of mix-up in the factory, or maybe it was a slip of a night. Who knows? And you are spot-on when you said I expect to spend money for an item that is high-quality not one that looks like it's straight out of a garbage can.

Just dug out my childhood train sets. One is the pre-merger Santa Fe of the early 90s, while the other is a 1950s-era New York Central. I'll be looking for more up-to-date versions of those engines (both sets are vintage 90s).

Nice review on the new Oxford Rail N7! Looks pretty solid! The mechanism and quality could be better tho. However, I like the gray version better!

It was really nice to see the follow up with the replacement model. What do you think will happen to the faulty model you sent back, do they have to completely scrap it?

Hatton s is very good at replacing faulty items. I had purchased Dapol O gauge B4 O-4-OT tank locomotives but 2 of them had the chimneys fitted at an angle. They were replaced with very little fuss. I found them very cooperative. They are a very good company to deal with that I can recommend them. I think that your way of assessing with faulty items is a good approach. I have found that staff in many stores are not aware of the customers rights and try to get the customers to send the items back to the manufacturer. Keep up the good work. Sam.

If you play Train Sim 22 or Classic as it’s now called, you can get the N7 (GER L77), along with the J15 (GER Y14). Both packs contain the preserved example of each class.

Another great review, and happy your replacement was up to scratch with regard to running and wheel contact with the rails. I guess the rating for value for money initially was too high, but with the replacement could probably have made it to an 8 overall. Well done for keeping the suppliers on their toes with regard to quality issues. Thank you for posting.

Another fabulous review, thanks Sam 👍

I got one of these today (£78!) in the same livery and the base keeper plate issue mentioned here isn't a problem in mine. The screws came tight out of the factory and the wheels move perfectly fine. The smokebox door on mine is also fitted much better. I run on DCC and it ran totally fine straight out of the box. Mine looks to run a lot more like Sam's grey version and runs at a similar speed to that one too

I have one of these coming my way. Seems I get to have a tinker with it. Thank you for the review and heads-up! 😁

Hi Sam. I have three N7s ( 2 late; BR 1 early BR) and after your review thought that I had better have a closer look. Glad to report no problems with retaining plates or painting. I did notice that your faulty N7 seemed to have silver buffers? Odd, all mine are blackened. Glad you got a decent replacement and thanks for the review/heads up!

Good video Sam do you think you will get 1 of the new Hornby dublo locos they are bringing out? I brought 1 the other week

OOoooOOOoh. Visually, that is one of the best models I think Sam has ever reviewed.

Thank you for your great review. I am always interested in seeing your results and your honesty. Yes you are correct to only review that one model, and changing the review using the replacement would have detrimental effect to your integrity. Well done Sam. Keep safe and healthy, your reviews are better than magazine reviews.

Brilliant Sam just what wanted to see your videos are getting very professional now really like that

These are my new favourite small steam engine 😁. There's a great video from the Churnet Valley railway showing the prototype. The deep chuff and offbeat exhaust note are incredibly characterful - no doubt due to the Walschaerts valve gear?

Great videos Sam! Have watched your reviews of this one the j27 and Q6 and all are available for under 100 quid. Which would you go for? Have also seen the d16 for under 100 quid and I know you rate it..

great to see reviews again.

That was like a pre production sample had slipped through the net, glad the second one was a lot better. I doubt that Oxford or any of the others see all the production models before they are shipped out it is down to the actual sub manufacturer for quality control, it seems they now don’t care as much as they have the monopoly over the sector. It’s a shame all the brands just sub contract rather than have total control. Bachmann probably an exception as they are owned buy their manufacturer. As for wheel centres, I have seen plenty of real prototypes with bare unpainted axles including the Flying Scotsman’s front bogey wheels, the metal is just not as bright.

Lovely little locomotive!! It’s an absolutely gorgeous engine. Are you sure they’re as good as the older model?

By the way, I have checked the details on mine : no problems with the screws, and I have not the problems you have on the boiler's band, and the die cast surface at the rear.

The N7 was my first favorite tank engine

I think the loose screws and non-fitting smokebox door and bent splasher plates are evidence of vibration in transit. The theory that the loco had been shipped with loose screws from the factory is disproved by the replacement loco. This would be a good loco for small layouts with 2nd radius curves. Thanks for uploading another fascinating review.

Hi Sam, I'm having a similar screw problem with my Hornby Lord Nelson at the moment with the wheels seized up! Hope you are well, Thomas

I know it's a pet peeve of yours, the visible axles, but I have photos of N7s laid up with visible axles. Also, the boiler line is not right, bit many locos did have a visible line on the cladding right at the top (where many models have it). It does bear looking at the prototype for your model.

It does this by presenting a very low resistance to the peak voltages, effectively limiting them. Most manufacturers using cordless motors include warnings against these types of controllers in the instructions.

Great honest review as ever Sam,i only have one Oxford Rail loco and that's the Janus Shunter which up to now has been great.I agree Hatton's are great on delivery and service 9/10 if i place a order by lunch time one day,it's with me the following morning,Stay well Sam and please keep up the top videos :)

About time you did replacements please do it more often it sends an message to the manufactures

Quick question, Does the Coreless motor Turn?? Coz i think mine did, and it ripped the Red Wire off the Motor

Good honest review. A comment re the capacitor - 100uF isn’t a large capacitor, it would have minimal effect as a “stay alive”. It is physically big for a relatively low capacitance as ( as far as I can see from the video) a bipolar capacitor, this type can withstand voltages in either direction I.e forward or reverse, which is not possible with the types of capacities used in stay a lives which can only be used in one voltage direction - I.e not for DC. I believe that the purpose of this capacitor in this model is to protect the cordless motor from the high peak voltages produced by PWM or some full wave DC (FWDC) controllers. It does this by

Are the j36's meant to come into stock in hattons?

I was stuck between this one and the grey one, but i know which im going for now - the grey one!

Having heard that Hornby Bought out Oxford Rail, this makes sense," why put pressure on the main company when they can just slack the quality of the one they just bought?" is most likely the lazy thinking behind the move they made, rather than use them as a learning point to bring their own price down to a competitive level

Bizarre that there were so many faults with one model in different parts of the manufacturing process.

Hi sam some steam locomotives just have the ends of the axels unpainted and are just sliver its different from loco to loco and the owners decision if there painted or not

Sam! Hi! Can you review a locomotive with one driven axle, like the Stirling Single

Sam, one appearance detail which I'm not sure you pick up on, generally but especially for this model, is the extent to which the couplings protrude beyond the buffers. Here the front coupling bar is a full 9mm in front, the rear one not much less. That makes for not just an un-necessarily (in my view) cluttered appearance but wildly unrealistic distances between loco and any rolling stock. This manufacturer is not the only offender here, but it's odd that this problem co-exists with great efforts to achieve close coupling between rolling stock, multiple units especially. The impression is that the stark inconsistencies in how snug, or otherwise, the couplings sit under the buffers is a reflection of afterthought rather than conscious design decision early enough to minimise the protrusion to the most that's operationally necessary to avoid buffers locking on reverse curves. Interested in your thoughts.

I am so glad it turned out to be what seems like an exception rather than the rule, as I am a bit keen on getting one 🤔 I actually have a Quad-art set that I bought years ago from a retired Vicar who was converting to O Gauge. I coupled it up with my N2s but I really should get an N7 to recreate the “Jazz” service that once ran out of Liverpool Street 😎 Cheers Sam, excellent review again 👍🍻🍀

Good one Sam . Tell it like it is . I know one Modrl Railway editor has said if he got a bad one he’d would give the manufacturer a chance to correct . All very well but not really telling it as it is . And it is a pain returning models . That’s why I like using the likes of Rails snd Hattons - just in case!

I would be interested to know when Hornby bought out Oxford Rail, I purchased the Grey N7 after watching,a and based upon your review, and it is perfect, I also (about a year ago ) purchased another N7, this time with sound fitted in black livery. That one is also perfect. I wonder what is going on?

Awesome video today Sam such a shame about the quality of the locomotive I’m going to get the grey one

13:53 djm 1361

Ah warped chassis I had an auscision walker railcar with that issue you'd put it on the bench and she'd rock side to side. Was wondering why I had a stutter and constant derailing issues auscision were really good replaced the loco no problem

I have the same problem with my OXFORD J27 from Hattons, been returned to Hattons

16:10 Even has painted over rust along the body / bufferbeam join.

Top notch review again Sam, you are quite the internets most reputable reviewer in my opinion. Shame about this N7 being below the expected standard. I wonder if the die-cast zinc chassis has a zinc-pest problem as we’ve seen in other brands over the past decades? A subtle ‘warp’ causing the wheels to not align as they should? Very concerning as Oxford are expert with Mazak models

Very often, there’s a minor problem with reversing at low speeds rather than forwards.

i think a great video would be you going to china to visit some of the factories that make model trains and talking to the engineers and assembly line workers and then working in quality control for a few days

sam good vid keep; up the good vid sam on the channel thanks four the good vids lee

Sam, perhaps the issue was caused by the fact the bearings did not sit properly in the chassis and I could see they were sitting proud. This then is the result and why they loosened the screws. As you said someone knew about it. This center axle fault is also why the loco derails in reverse as the wheels are already above the rail and so in reverse that axle is riding up and off the track. Remember that the space between the rear axle and the center axle is greater that between the center and the front axle. This is to do with laws of physics and forces which although they are miniatures the laws do not change because something is smaller. Good to hear you are sending it back. I hope the next one is fixed so please let us know. Great that the replacement has resolved most of the issues and I have also bought locos from Hattons and they are good to deal with.

Ive noticed the same problem with the base keeper plate and the loose screws on some Adams Radial Tank models I have which may be responsible for the terrible reputation they have acquired over the years. If you tighten them up then the wheels do no turn freely. Must be a bearing alignment issue in manufacture. PS I purchased the grey N7 after watching your review and mine runs perfectly.

Hey sam, can I just recommend Hornby Railway's collet coaches, just purchased one, and its amazing sprung buffers, separately painted seats, pretty high quality printing, separately fitted handrails and door handles, painted axleboxes and- oh my god they're amazing just wanted to recommend them - I got R4874 which sold out on Hattons, but I'm sure the other ones such as the brake coaches will be just as good.

i received my J27 a few weeks ago, and although visually its a nice clean model, it has some running issues.....hopefully that will resolve with more running (in?) but watching this video with the N2 reminded me of the J27performance.....

Very good video Sam, i enjoyed this video immensely. Hattons are first class with their customer service replacing the original locomotive or should i say lemon. Thank you Sam 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👍

Very odd this one should have issues as the earlier version was just fine. Well done for sending it back. Let's hope the replacement is perfect.

Another great review. I share your disappointment. It is a nice looking item but . . . I hope you got a lemon and the manufacturer replaces it with a much better item. I see at the end it was actually a lemon. It is a good looking engine. Thanks for the video.

100uF is not quite a SuperCap, but you are right in that it would help the motor slow down more realistically. Nice touch, if the loco works well :) * Did you find it helped with the realism on DC? I was sold on this model up until the running tests, because of the detail for the price. It was good to see your replacement was so much better, even though some quality issues were still present.

Such a shame to see Oxofrd fall a bit on this review, their previous track record was really good and they showed the big boys what was possible, Oh well I hope the next one will be better. Great review as ever Sam, Keep up the great work!

I’m glad that the replacement was much better, I do hope it’s a one off…

I noticed the grey n7 that I purchased has an issue where the cog on the driving axle is quite thin, and moves out of alignment with its partner - that slowed mine down initially, and ultimately stopped the loco altogether. It's a relatively simple fix to remove the base keeper plate and push it back in to place , but after 30 mins or so of use it falls out of alignment again. May be why your grey N7 has slowed down.

100uF isn't a whole lot of capacitance. After having delivered 100mA for 0.001 second, that capacitor has lost a volt already. It's large enough to deal with LED flicker though - now that we don't have the afterglow of incandescent bulbs any more.

14.56 That's not a reversing rod. Actually it's a control rod for diverting the blast-pipe exhaust into the condensing gear, so it should't be there at all on this version. Excellent high-quality detail is all very well, but if it's the WRONG detail, well... You can actually just see the end of the real reversing-rod in this shot, peeping past the end of the side-tank where it heads down to the lifting link. 17.00 These locos drove on the middle axle, so the frame spacer at this point -- resisting the stresses on the frames generated by the side-tanks -- had to clear the crank axles and valve-gear eccentrics, rather than just spanning straight across between the frames. Excellent and honest review, as always. I really love that beautiful Westinghouse pump, just looking at it you can almost hear the 'chuff-chuff... chuff-chuff...' as it works away.

This looks stunning. A shame the front NEM socket sticks out so far from the front. A shame the mechanism isn't as good as the older one, and I wonder why the motorised wheels are powdery. I have the GER grey one you reviewed previously, not yet been DCC'd but runs fantastically and is more powerful than my Q6 before I added bullfrog snot. I'm now tempted by this, hoping for an improvement in the mechanism, and want to get a pair of quintart coaches to run with it (and a N2 with a pair of quadarts are also on the list)

I thought the silver one was DCC Sound fitted?

21:52 that's actually dangerous. It's an Electrolytic capacitor, they're polarised (Which means they want the power in them in a specific direction). if you run the locomotive backwards, it could explode!

A pity about the QC issues but the 2nd one looks a lot better. And is she hauling a rake of LNER "teaks" in blood and custard?

"High capacity capacitors" sounds like a tounge twister lol

Any vehicle with more than 3 wheels needs some form of suspension or compliance to make sure that all wheels can stay in contact with the surface.

Good honest review Sam. The capacitor whilst physically large is not electrically large enough to be a stay alive. It is physically large as it is a bipolar capacitor which means it can be used with voltages in either direction as is the case in DC locos. I believe that the reason for the capacitor is to limit the peak voltages to the coreless motor from PWM or some full wave DC (FWDC) controllers, the peaks can a damage coreless motors. Most manufacturers using coreless motors will have a warning in the instructions to avoid PWM or FWDC controllers.

Great video I actually might buy this idk

Very interesting stuff Sam :)

The Oxford N7 is a locomotive that has been on my radar for two years now I had an opportunity to buy one for $107 but unfortunately I was a little too slow on the draw However, I’ve found more N7 Locos on eBay

The lining around the smoke box door should actually be a hand rail.

Hi Sam. 0-2-0 loco to go with the wobbly 3D printed coaches please. Someone challenged you to a build off in the chat during your airbrushing live.... go on! Love your impartiality and attention to detail. :)

I own one of these and yes is is very beautiful. Which is the only reason I kept it. It is the worst runner I have. I’ve have to fully disassemble it multiple times to repair things. The wiper pickups were misaligned (visible through the spokes of the rear wheel). The speaker wire was pinched between the body and frame which cut the insulation. This was causing the speaker to short, and making the engine cut out randomly. The gear on the rear driving wheel slid over off the grooved part of the axle (which made it spin freely and obviously had zero power at the wheels). On top of these issues I’ve fixed, the motor is very loud. And lastly it wobbles on and track that isn’t perfectly level. I believe this is because of the sprung front driving wheel causing the connecting rods to misalign which jostles the front wheel set. Why wouldn’t the spring the center driving axel instead of the front? I don’t know.

Excited for the day somebody makes a model of the Stirling Single. Not just because it would be a great prototype to model, but because for once you could point to unpainted axle ends and sincerely comment that they are realistic.

Such a good looking model, its such a shame that it has those issues, I might try getting one myself, here's hoping it won't have problems, and that your replacement does a lot better! -TheImperialDiamondSpinosaurus

One thought comes to my mind is when there i a take over things tend to come to a small halt. Due to if the copmany that takes over will be allocating money to runing projects. But in this case it could be that you got one of those 10 % that comes to europe are faulty from the factory. I had herad about that it is commen when it comes to home electronics. I like the loco and the colors are nice and crisp. Keep up the good work. ✨✨✨✨👍👍👍👍

Hi Sam, Good review, just lost for words???, All the best Brian 🤗

hey sam, thinking of having a model railway in my attic. what are the best shunters and express/mixed traffic are there on a budget?

Sam what kind of Oiling pen do you use?. P.S I also bought the Scrap Diesel and Halloween Wagon off of etsy from you Cheers - Jasper the E2 fox & Willow

Excuse me but do you have any suggestions of tender locos? Within the 150 AUD range?

Be interesting to know if the manufacturer's make models for more than one brand, does the fact the screws on this were loose the same as the Heljan mean that was the same fix in the same factory. 🤔

Sam is it possible to put a set of bogies on a 3D printed egg person?

Can you possibly review a Prussian p10 2-8-2 mikado some day? I love the British, American and the very few Canadian locomotives, but what about a German one? That might be interesting as a shake up to the normal line up.

Hi Sam, Time after time the Quality Control is to blame on Chinese made products as you state. It just doesn't exist and it must cost the retailers - not to mention the stress for us model railroaders. But I wonder why this persist ? Is it a Chinese 'mentality issue' or a money issue with the sub-contractors ? Thanks again for pointing out your 'policy' and stick to your review parameters. Always honest and this is much appreciated !! Happily the replacement confirms the 'policy' of Oxford Rail to produce excellent models with fine running qualities for an affordable price. And this remains to be applaud !! Great review - Thanks & cheers, Filip

Hmmm, I wonder if oxfords low prices are affecting how much care the people at the factory are putting in…