Saved me 129.99 euros, was gonna buy it today.

Two coaches would be better value for the the price of these sets. Especially since it's not like the tooling for these models is new and the manfacturing costs in China must be low. The electronics has improved, but components are still cheap.

Bro what you doin here lmao

That’s because all the previous sets used hornby tooling, which had an old incandescent bulb in each end. The Lima tooling has never had lights in both ends. I think the cost of retooling a 40yo model for what is a simple toy for kids, is not worth the increased cost, especially since there is a high detailed model available already.

You have to remember that everything costs a lot more now and if they want to produce an set at an attractive price, then some things have to go to keep the price attractive. So long as it whets the appetite of the buyer to go a little further and expand, then the job has been done. It’s all about economics!!

Not in the exact same style as far as I'm aware.

Definitely one to keep hold of, does it still run?

@@LittleWicketRailway It does, but needs a bit of TLC. Yet to buy a lubricating pen

Thanks James. I imagine that tanker was originally tooled in the 70s.

instablaster.

I know 🤷🏼‍♂️

Thanks for confirming, it looks like they've copied the lima dummy exactly then. They had to have modified the power car with the motor to fit a decoder socket though, so why not modify/improve the dummy car at the same time?

@@LittleWicketRailway I honestly don't know. I have two lima hsts, GNER Livery and BR Intercity Swallow livery. Off all the limas I have they are really smooth runners. I was going to spray the intercity coaches into Iarnród Éireann livery to match my IE 071 and IE 201. My son persuaded me not to do that. I didn't. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mrl4m8Kas5rbeGg.html

Ebay or Peters Spares (www.petersspares.com/) are probably your best chance of finding what you want.

That's a shame Derek. I've not experienced the uncoupling issue, it might be because the narrow and wide couplings are being mixed? Or do you have anything on the track that could be lifting the tension lock hooks up as it goes around? It is frustrating that Hornby don't make matching coaches for this set. The set is actually being re-released later this year.

I’m getting exactly the same problem - add in the points don’t link properly and keep knocking the train off the track and the controller seems to conk out every 5 minutes. Early impressions are not good

@@ianmccullough4935 Make sure that the power isn't on the isolated section of track, and i'd reccomend not suing the starter hornby controller. Also check track joins.

All of them. A -> F.

Thanks 👍

Hi! The Intercity 125, also known as a High Speed Train (HST) is made up of two class 43 power cars (one at either end) with between four to nine mark 3 coaches in between them depending on the route. The Intercity 125 name basically describes the combination of class 43 power cars and mark 3 coaches. Here's some more information about the HST: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_125 This HST formation guide from Hattons is useful to see what the real trains would look like: hattonsimages.blob.core.windows.net/mediaimages/HSTFormations01_hires.jpg In this train set you get both class 43 power cars and a single coach. If you wanted to make this into a full length train like the real thing then you'd really need at least another three coaches. However, this would be a very long train at over 2.5m (8ft) requiring a very large layout, so a lot of modellers are happy with the shorter versions. Hope that helps.

@@LittleWicketRailway thanks so much! I was wondering what HST meant! I guess to expand I’d need to buy those more detailed cars which may not match.... but I have always been fond of the not quite old trains but not quite mew either! This looks like a solid starter kit. Have you seen on the Hornby website they have a pre order for another one like this? Obviously the one in this video is sold out so maybe they’ve changed it up a bit? Looks like it is similar to the 80s Hornby one you mentioned over Lima. (I’m using the holes in the front to assume that)

@@kdbh5423 I hadn't noticed that was available to pre-order because it wasn't part of the new announcement, thanks for pointing that out, it's good they're bringing it out again as it was very popular. It's got the same reference number so I expect it's the same set. The pictures that Hornby used for publicity were different to the model in the box and I think they've probably done it again. I would avoid getting it on pre-rder because you'd pay full price, wait until it comes out in the shop and you'll almost certainly get it for less. This is a good starter set and it's a good way of getting two reasonably detailed GWR class 43 power cars for a lot less money than the super detailed models. As you've said, if you want extra coaches you'll probably find they don't match the one that comes in the set which is a bit of a downside. Also, be aware that there are two types of coaches available for GWR mk3, an older style one with "slam" doors and a newer style one with "sliding" doors. You probably wouldn't want to mix and match the styles. Sometimes the coaches from the set do appear separately on ebay, so you might get lucky if you're only after 1 or 2 more. Although the HST is quite old being 70s/80s, I don't think it appeared in these colours until the 2010's. Does that fit your not old/not new criteria?

@@LittleWicketRailway do the slam doors come with the set?

@@kdbh5423 I think it's a slam door style, but it's not quite the same style as the other slam door coaches that Hornby make. I don't have any slam door coaches to compare it to unfortunately.

This set is DCC ready meaning it doesn't have any decoders fitted and will only run on an analogue controller out of the box. You can add sound decoders though.

They're both good train sets. I guess it depends on whether you like steam trains or diesel trains. I think I would choose Tornado, it's slightly more expensive, but I like steam trains and I think the pullman coaches look really cool.

@@LittleWicketRailway thanks

Do you have the same controller? Slower suggests a lower voltage is being applied to the motor. The max speed was far too fast on my set anyway, sounds like yours is better.

@@LittleWicketRailway same controller

Not required, everything runs perfectly at all times (also it's almost impossible to access by road) 🙄 If anything LW has bus replacement trains.

Nice addition 👌

The power car with the motor in it has headlights that light up, but there are no lights in the "dummy" power car without a motor.

@@LittleWicketRailway thanks you

It's been single coach sets for a while now unfortunately. They have retooled the Class 43, but the new train packs are over £300 just for the power cars!!!

I hope you and your son love the train set! Hornby track is mostly "settrack" and has been designed so that it fits together using a set geometry so it'spretty easy to build bigger layouts. You can google hornby track plans and there will be plenty of options. They also do track extension packs (A-F). With the analogue controller you can really only control a single train at a time. You can use points to isolate sections to choose which parts of the track get power. If you get a digital controller and put decoders in your models then you can controller multiple models on the same track individually.

@@LittleWicketRailway what a great little set ! Just give it a little trial run before christmas , so i know what is what. Alredy looking forward to expanding it . Think i know now on what can and cant be added as the box has diagrams on the back of the add ons ! Excellent set. One last question , am i better off buying the next track sets as a whole from hornbys direct or will it be ok to shop about as i can see the sets and cheaper

@@LittleWicketRailway cheaper when the pieces bought individually that should say

@@Tringlishman1992 buying direct from Hornby can be slightly more expensive. If you're in the UK the Argos used to sell the expansion track packs and often did deals. Not sure if they still do.

@@LittleWicketRailway tha ks for everything. Ill take the chance and go the cheaper route . All parts are aparently brand new so should be ok, so i hope !

I think you've made the right decision if you want to buy extra coaches. If you've already got a layout then I'd put the set money towards a pair of class 43 power cars. Also, the mk3 coaches have come down a lot in price since they were released.

I saw they're down there as the Castle sets. Would like to take a trip after lock down 👍

@@LittleWicketRailway yeah that’s right 😀

Hi Richard, there's a Class 08 included in this set that I reviewed (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bp2Jn5qJ09athIU.html), but I haven't done a review of a class 08 on it's own yet. I will when I find a nice example.

They certainly don't seem to have many fans...

This set doesn't come with sound, but you can add sound with a sound decoder later.

Those were the days, but I think they're over. Hornby haven't had the strongest of times financially over the last few years and they've noticably been cutting costs 💰 I'm impressed with the new sliding door MK3s that have been released, they're pretty detailed, but you pay for it. The really old Hornby MK3s weren't even the right length 😂 (I've got a few that are a fair bit shorter). So I think the MK3 that came with this set was somewhere in the middle and reasonable for the cost of the train set, not loads of detail, but at least they're the right size. So frustrated that you can't buy extra in the same style though, that's unforgivable.

@@LittleWicketRailway I haven't bought model railway stuff for a long time now, I don't see the point when Train Simulator provides the same enjoyment but gives you lots more options to chose from. Hornby is become a niche for the top end quality stuff. The low down stuff is so expensive it's not worth it.

Have a look at the products on offer from Black Cat Technologies or Illuminated Models, they offer lighting upgrades, but not sure if they have exactly what you want. Otherwise it might be worth asking in the model railway forums. Good luck 👍

@@LittleWicketRailway Thanks mate!

Great suggestion. I don't have that set, but I'll keep my eyes open and see if I can find one 👍

It's hard to justify not putting lights in the dummy car when the cheaper Intercity Express has such good lighting.

@@LittleWicketRailway true... Agreed

Sounds like a bit of a disaster, shouldn't need to fix new models 😭

@@LittleWicketRailway Yes sadly happens sometimes.

True, is it possible to find someone who can rework them?

@hobbyhub739 unlikely, the Power car pack uses a different mold and this set uses older tooling, I doubt people make headlight parts for it

@@smithcast08 Ah, that's sad. I mean, can you recommend me someone who can do the rework? I will ask them whether they can do it. I just need to find a reworker.

@hobbyhub739 well I'm not exactly sure, but I recon a quick Google search will work?

@@smithcast08 Good news! I found one! I'll consult them when possible.

Thanks Paul 👍

Somebody knows their GWR HSTs! 👍

They're not he best controllers, but they're pretty safe and they do the job for a train set I suppose. I'm a big fan of Hornby, it'll be interesting to see what they're going to do over the next few years.