Hornby Merchant Navy Class "Ellerman Lines" : Repair Request

Paul who sent me the Bachmann Class 4 also sent me this Hornby Merchant Navy Class "Ellerman Lines" loco to sort the pickups and some cosmetics out.
FAQ - ko-fi.com/post/FAQ-C0C6E0UO4
Support - ko-fi.com/00bill73561

[@mickboakes7023]

Looking at you repairing this loco I am always surprised just how heavy handed some people must be. Well done Bill.

[@stephendavies6949]

Another loco saved. I'm not a Southern fan, but rebuilt Bullied Pacifics are damn fine-looking machines.

[@user-uk8jr6zc9l]

I have to say that your tenacity is second to none. Great video! Here in the states, we don't see many Hornby's or ring field motors, so your videos are very interesting. Keep up the excellent work.

[@marcdempsey5850]

Great repair video Bill, the speed cables are a nightmare. So many models had these done to them, oh why. When it comes to taking the body off the chassis well; hope you have the correct spanner tool. So great to see it run around your layout, so majestic. Thanks again Marc

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

You did a fantastic job and it is a lovely quiet engine also.. which I love. No silly sound effects and just a good working engine.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

Thank heavens Dr 00Bill was in the house. It looks like you have made a huge difference to this seemingly flawed locomotive. On video at least, the tender looks so much better. 👌😊

[@paulcherrytrains3339]

Super repair on a really lovely locomotive. Great to see it running well. Thanks for showing.Regards Paul.

[@marklittlejohn1457]

Another engine saved from a dusty shelf excellent work I do like the little running session at the end thankyou for the tips and video

[@_RandomPea]

Love how you keep in the mistakes... Much more relatable considering I'm forever doing things like that 😂 Out of interest, I had the same issue with that blasted contact in the underframe on one of mine, I used a tiny cut of tin foil or cooper tape to create a better connection rather than solder. Worked a treat. Fingers crossed it lasts

[@paularowe7651]

Hi to you. I think you are the best of the railway blogs... I like your humble and intelligent approach. I was born in Cornwall and now live back here after 30yrs in London. I live in Redruth, the old homeland of the inventor of the modern steam engine. Also,my home town was Truro and is famous for its loco ' City of Truro '. I remember seeing it at Truro in 1957 on a demonstration tour of ITV. Growing up,we couldn't afford more than a basic oo layout and used to spend ore time playing with better-off Neighbour's Trains... happy days!

[@hawnyfox3411]

Giving your age away there Paula !!!!!! I'm feeling "old" & I wasn't born until the following decade ! I still have an 'old' engine (Triang/Hornby) that was bought new back in 1966 & still runs (Pullman set with a 'pre-tops' class 37)

[@stephendavies6949]

Hi there. I'm from Merthyr Tydfil, the town where Richard Trevithick ran his historic loco. I went on holiday in Redruth as a boy. A railway line ran close to where we stayed, and I recall watching a class 52 Western whizzing past. It was during the mid 1970s, so it could have been one of the last regular "Western" services, or a Farewell Tour.

[@samwoodward8491]

great vidio again bill, good to see you leave in the mistakes and its just not me who sends a wire the wrong side and then solders it and the times i forget the shrinkwrap. keep doing the vidios always something new to learn regards sam woodward

[@peterm7548]

I have quite a few Merchant Navies as I focus on the Southern region. The whistle pipe is always coming off these as does the whistle. There are white metal replacement whistles available. The live drawbar on the older generation models, like this one, is also a pain. I go round it with hard wiring to the tender pickups and take off the little wipers so that it stops conducting current and acts purely as a drawbar. I also add a wire to bypass the live chassis and pass it through a hole in the chassis bottom straight to the decoder or decoder socket depending on how old the model is. The oldest ones, like this example, don't have a socket, then the next generation have a socket in the loco body while the newest generation have the socket in the tender. The speedometer is a real pain. I just get rid of them on my old Merchant Navies when accessing the loco to fit decoders. The newer Merchant Navies with decoder sockets in the tender avoid the need to take off the loco body for decoder fitting and so the speedo can stay - until the first major service of course! Enjoyed the video and seeing a familiar model Bill!

[@stephendavies6949]

I have an 8F of a similar vintage. Lovely loco aesthetically, but a nightmare to work on. As a last resort, I added some silver foil to ensure the wheel connected to their terminals correctly.

[@petey6415]

Bill, well done! I have two of the Hornby Merchant Navies. One had the idle gear go very wrong. Easy enough to replace, one hell of a job to get to it! 10/10.

[@petey6415]

Bill, rarely replies........The second Merchant Navy, valve gear, plus cheap manufacturing, dissolved near my tunnel. However, Wtenn maybe old, less detailed as is Hornby Dublo 2 Rail. By God, they work, they last, easy to work on. Ok DCC Chaps, it's not that good. You DCC people seem O.C.D as regards model railways. DCC certainly has its faults,generally the pious people that use them. Long live DC.

[@daveduffy1755]

Thank you for the patient detail you put into the repairs

[@roberthocking9138]

Great job again Bill, such an eye for detail 👍

[@bernardshieldstysonfive1009]

Brilliant video nice locomotive you had your work cutout with that one but you still did a brilliant job of it keep up the great work and videos Bernard

[@drewdam8871]

An attractive locomotive with dubious design issues well tackled by your good self but I won't be buying one of those following your perspective on the manufacturer's shortcomings. Thank you for another well carried out repair.

[@astolatpere11]

Another job well done. Thanks.

[@kellyparkstone3520]

When Hornby first bought these out, the idea was to move the company forward with some more up to date super detailed models. At the time, these were amazing and, in their way, still are. Hornby originally used white grease, which dried like hardened chalk, the idler gear use to stick to the worm drive. Another problem was the contact between the loco and the tender. And, yes, it is a pain having to remove the speedy cable each time when removing the body. The crank on the crank pin is not round. It is oval shaped and fits over the crankpin. As always, an informative video

[@vernon.rogers]

Nearly as much mechanical jiggery-faffery on the model as there was on the original full-size Merchant-Navy! One day you'll get a loco to fix that defeats you - I don't know how long it will take but when you do eventually have to give up on one, it will still make a great video, and we'll all know that if OOBill can't fix it, nobody can. I'm in no hurry for that day to come and I'll keep enjoying all your successes in the meantime. Thanks again. In other news.... BKRailway are running a class 37 on 29th October followed by 2 steam services after dark (for Halloween) those should look really atmospheric from the paths along the shore at Bo'ness (weather permitting!). I believe that weekend is the last running weekend until the Santa specials start in December. If you're interested, see the timetables page on the BKRailway website.

[@ewhurstgreen]

Informative video - thank you. As modelled by Hornby, Ellerman Lines carries the later BR tender from September 1959 (with the speedometer fitted June 1961) thence possibly the red ground name plate sometime after May 1962. Hopefully the following will assist: Personally, would set aside the 6000-gallon tender as it is incorrect for this model of Ellerman Lines. Although built with a 6000-gallon tender, this was replaced with a 5100-gallon tender (from ‘Nederland Line’) in 1952 thence a 5000-gallon tender (not modelled by Hornby) in October 1965 (originally from ‘Royal Mail’). So, ideally a replacement late-crest 5100-gallon tender could be sourced (R2710, R2466, R1038, R2310 or R2528) - else one sticks to the old adage - it is my (Paul's) model railway! The idler gear can be a common point of failure on Hornby MN /BoB /WC and some suffer mazak rot of the front (pony) truck. BTW - No.35029 ‘Ellerman Lines’ hauled the inaugural Okehampton Car Carrier train on 18th June 1960 hauling seven Lined Maroon SR-allocated GUVs with Green-livered Mk1 set 564 at the rear. An interesting model that I've run from time to time even though it is 'off route'. 🙂 🙂

[@archstanton5603]

Really interesting post - brilliant! 👍

[@attuslebeard5133]

Well done Bill. Those 4-6-2 chassis are the stuff of nightmares - mine anyway! Terrible design all round. That's a good idea to add some extra weight to cure the wobbly running. A few of my duchesses are definitely 'bum heavy' so will try that

[@AdiPullen]

These are fantastic models highly detailed but hard to fix with the stuff you have shown here Keep safe ARP

[@bazza3643]

One of our club locomotives, a Hornby Merchant Navy has wear on the main gear on the driving axle. Looking at how you disassembled the locomotive has given me confidence to try and repair it. All you Merchant Navy locomotive needs now, is a set of Southern green livery Bullied or Maunsell coaches to pull

[@k8vnl]

Glad i seen this video i have a battle of brittain class with that sprung loaded rear axel and didn't knownif it was correct or not never coming across that design before.

[@bluebellModelrailway]

Always fun those speedo cables it is what it is when you forget snap... No spares available 🤔... Very old model now over 20 yrs old now.... And now available in purple 😂 Most of these Bulleids had intimitant shorting issues with the tender connection.

[@phil36310]

Again a 'magic' repair with even better running capabilities due to added weight . Master class. Thanks for sharing Bill !

[@worthingtonmodelrailway8628]

Great job, I feel your pain, I tried to DCC sound fit two similar vintage rebuilt Merchant Navy Classes. The first one I removed the speedo from the body..... it no longer has a speedometer! The second one I used your crank technique it still has it's speedometer.

[@DaiElsan]

Bill, instead of using a lighter to heartstrings, you could use the tip of the soldering iron, just to keep the heat needed localised.

[@timgray3491]

Took you a while to sort that Bill perseverance pays off as it runs well, another great video thanks.

[@BronsonGateley]

very good I like

[@dj_efk]

I’m upgrading my sons merchant navy to sound (speaker in the tender) as we speak so very timely!

[@hawnyfox3411]

Am so impressed with your patience & perseverance, I've hit the "subscribe" button ! Whilst I DON'T have a layout yet, I do have both a "Rolling Road" AND a "Merchant Navy" class Loco' Bought both, "new" & couldn't help but notice it ran well, but "$hit", as in, it rocked-about, as here Don't have lead, but do have 'railway-weights', so next year my Ellerman Lines will gain weight** **Much as we probably all will, over Christmas'22 Overjoyed you've explained the "rocking-motion" problem & clearly identified it too. I was angered when I bought mine (£129.00 discounted new), as it jumped about like a Mexican Bean !

[@speleokeir]

Great work Bill on a tricky fix. I have a soft spot for the rebuilt Merchant navy locos from my childhood. My best friend who lived next door had his dad's old Dublo diecast 'Barnstaple' which I greatly admired. I agree that the speedos on Hornby's newer toolings of these and the A4s are a pain in the arse. Any detailing attaching the body to the chassis is a stupid design for maintenance purposes. The same when the pick-up plate is attached by a wire. As someone else said, maybe you should offer your services to Hornby for more practical designs?😀

[@FredWilbury]

Nice work Bill

[@nicholasbishop3300]

That presented you with a few challenges Bill Nice job Nick Australia

[@ChaosXOtaku]

I've always had a problem with the front pony on the merchant navy as it keeps jumping off the rails

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

nice loco on the channel thanks lee

[@gk2811]

Hi, Anfield rd layout in the loft. If your layout is situated on the Anfield rd? (And I'll not ask if it is!)...I pass your loft every home game. Just saying! 👍

[@hughmcphee7698]

I live in the USA love your videos can you tell me where you purchased the wire cutters

[@eugeniomarins2936]

Dear Sir, This comment is not about model trains. It is about a great article on the Stone of Scone, today on BBC News. It is a great story that makes me mother cry every time she reads it. She's not Scottish nor have ever been there, she just loves the repossession of the Stone and its symbolism. Needless to say, she's not a great fan of the monarchy, to put it mildly. Just this. Cheers from Brazil!

[@andressanchez4517]

Could you not use Miliput for the loose screw threads as well? I have used it to fill the threaded part then put the screws in when semi hardened.. Just a thought

[@joshwilliams0391]

Was this one of the Hornby Merchant Navies that first came out around 20 years ago? I remember them receiving a huge amount of praise when they were released. If this is the case then I'd be surprised by how bad the pickup and sprung axle designs are. Maybe the unprecedented level of detail was a distraction from the shortcomings at the time.

[@seanwaddingham6985]

I guess the tender pick-ups weren't doing much to help. My loco had a cracked gear (Thin and flimsy ) on the centre axle, so lumpy running. Hence needed new set of wheels. The tender pick-ups all needed tweaking to work. I wonder if the new £250 die-casr body version has the same iffy chassis? Also how do you wrangle those fiddly tangled up bits without swearing? Excellent work and video all the best

[@oobill]

The swearing gets edited out

[@hornet1068]

Am i right in saying that `Ellerman Lines` is the one that has been sectioned at the NRM York?

[@martinbradshaw7877]

I am amazed how noisy this model. I had two MN class they were virtually silent. Is your layout on plywood?

[@alanharris2799]

I have this loco and had the same issue with pickups, I actually circumvented the silly pickup issue by running a wire. I agree the Speedo cable is a pain. I dcc sound fitted mine with a cube speaker mounted just under the running plate and the decoder up in the boiler. One thing I do have with it is derailing of the front bogey and for the life of me I cannot seem to resolve it, I am wondering now if I just need to add a bit more weight in the front seeing your video. Any thoughts appreciated.

[@oobill]

A derailing front bogie is usually because it's movement is being impaired somehow. But adding weight certainly won't hurt and this model really needs it.

[@alanharris2799]

@@oobill thank you for the reply and information, I will look at the movement of the front bogie and try a bit of weight then :)

[@gerardburton3741]

Hi Bill, A great repair of a difficult engine to work on. I feel that Hornby do not want any one to work on their engines except them. So they make the awkward to work on under the guies of realism. The unstreamlined Souther pacifics are some of my favourite engines. Well done.

[@johnmassey7687]

good video once again,, thanks , why do you add the baking soda to the crazy glue?

[@oobill]

If you sprinkle baking soda onto super glue it sets it instantly. If you fill a stripped out screw hole with superglue and pour baking soda over it it will fill the hole with hardened glue that will allow you to self tap the screw back in.

[@johnmassey7687]

@@oobill great. Thanks for yet another useful idea

[@iancoates1686]

I’ve got a hornby model of tangmere that has a bend front drive rod it catches when run but runs in both directions it’s just a nuisance

[@robofbarnes]

These are beautifully detailed models, but I suspect all will in 50 years be in glass cases, unable to run. Meanwhile their Triang & Dublo precursors will be trundling into their second century, if supplies of new brushes can be maintained. And looking a little smug...

[@oobill]

Probably. But I remember people saying the same thing about Triang stuff. Most of us will never know sadly...

[@Ratty_Rex]

If you worked for Hornby on their design/ engineering of new and existing engines and stock...... they'd be world leaders....

[@mikeking2539]

I don't understand what some people do to their models!

[@JohnJohnson-cn9fh]

give me the old wrenn one anyday,it may be not so well detail,but this just looks fiddly and far too fragile.jpj