I toredown this Hornby 8F and was shocked

[@martinsims1273]

A good, practical, helpful video here, THANK YOU. I've bought second hand stuff many times. Usually quite worth it if you are willing to put in the time and effort (and care) to do a proper job, but sometimes you come across an item that's been "attacked" by somebody who should never have been allowed to get anywhere near anything that has moving parts.

[@musoseven8218]

Good points well made👍💜✌️ I could tell a story or two about second hand purchases - most of my stuff is😲🤕🙄🤭🤭🙄🙄

[@ianturvey3894]

I would suggest that if you’re going to glue lamps on brackets, then use a PVA type glue as it’s water soluble. It dries clear and can be easily removed without damaging the paint work. You can also use this method to secure weights in place too. Good instructional video by the way!

[@DaveAtLittleton]

That is a great tip, I think when starting out you just assume Polycement is the way to go as it comes with Airfix kits and so there is a strong association there and so people, including myself, fall in to that trap.

[@paulcherrytrains3339]

Good video. I have had mainly good luck with secondhand models. I would like to add a few more things. Carpet and or pet hair tangled up in the wheels. Loose crank pins I had a loco self destruct through this. I would ignore people just being negative rather than being helpful. Cheers Paul.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Great advice 👍

[@FeckHallBahn]

What solvent, if any, do you use to clean off the old oil?

[@DaveAtLittleton]

I used rubbing alcohol as it normally doesn't react with the finish or decals on modern models unless you really scrub as I had to on this occasion. The loco is all fixed now, I used thinned satin acrylic gloss in a cheap air brush and it looks like new.

[@FeckHallBahn]

@@DaveAtLittleton Excellent, thanks. I use paraffin on my live steam locos but the oil is a lot thicker!! I hope nobody uses 460 steam oil on N scale locos…

[@markabbott358]

Ignore the keyboard warrior criticsm about your production values, I suspect they have never tried to run a You Tube channel or create content, you will of course improve with experience, what matters is the content, which was most helpful for new modellers or modellers who want to buy second hand, and improve their purchase. It was most helpful, and is why we watch these videos. I also watch OO Bill, Ians N Gauge, and Chadwick Model Railway, they all do good stuff some of which I would never attempt, but is still worth following to learn from them. Charlie is also running U Tube channel development workshops so it might be worth you investigating if you want to enhance your craft ? I have subscribed and look forward to your future content.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Thank you for the very kind words Mark. I'm not sure I will ever reach Charlie's standards but I am with practice my videos will get better. My videos are all very different at the moment as I am still trying different ways or making & editing videos and working out what works well for me and what people like so thank you very much for the feedback 😊

[@martinsims1273]

​@@DaveAtLittletonkeep at it. :-)

[@crewelocoman5b161]

You are quite correct about purchasing second hand, it can be a blessing or a curse. However, I wouldn't have touched this one on seeing the damage done to the smokebox, handrail, broken vacuum pipe. In my experience, if it looks clean/as good as new it usually is just that, and that goes for the running characteristics as well. Again if the purchase was made with a makeover in mind then that is another consideration.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

True, I have had some beautiful bargains through second hand. With this one, I didn't plan on having it weathered, I would have preferred pristine, however, I am not adverse to having it weathered, and so a slightly cosmetically tarnished loco with be the perfect candidate for me to dip my toe in the water in that area.

[@crewelocoman5b161]

@@DaveAtLittleton Try weathering powders, Humbrol make them, very quick, very easy to apply and give a terrific look and finish. I'd spray the bodywork matt black or dark grey first. The powders do stick to the matt, but I'd recommend a matt varnish over the top to aid with handling.

[@crewelocoman5b161]

P.S.: I forgot, not being funny, do look at archive colour photos first. Because it's "weathering" it's easy to think it can done without referencing the "real" thing first. Believe me, it won't look right if you don't get a feel for how it really looked!

[@DaveAtLittleton]

@@crewelocoman5b161 Thanks, great tips, I will either do some thing like that or I will chicken out and bung £30 to TMC to do it for me

[@G_de_Coligny]

If the price is right or the availability is wrong… N scale Lima SNCF BB67001 serie come to my mind… favorite IRL engine, awful early 70’ model. Spend way too much the first time i got one second hand. Now keep buying them as a secondary hobby. From mint new old stock to yellowed former chew toy…

[@knottyal2428]

All good advice, and even more so if you model in N gauge! Tiny quantities of oil particularly, and blot off the excess with a paper towel or cotton bud! Keep the wheels and pickups clean as well.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Thanks, Yes I have one N-Gauge loco (a LMS 4F that I picked up for £25), after a fiddly clean it is a speedy little thing!

[@dibsyardshuntinglayout]

Been following you for a while on Instagram, but just realised today you have a YT channel too!

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Yeh, just me rambling, feel free to watch with the sound turned off! Nothing on my channel as good as you produce

[@dibsyardshuntinglayout]

@@DaveAtLittleton don't be so hard on your self, Dave. Good advice you gave about that loco!

[@briandugan4974]

That’s the worse 9F I have ever seen. 😊 Set of wheels missing for a start.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

@@briandugan4974 haha, I best change the title!

[@billblakey9401]

What you say is all true, but if I may say so, Hornby instructions (I am reading from my K1) say "Lubricate ... 6 monthly ... or every 100 hours of running". Hornby provide a diagram showing where to put oil, but say nothing about removing the old oil first or how to do that. And how do you remove the old oil from locos where access to the chassis and gears is limited / difficult? Most railway modellers are not experts and you can't blame them for doing what Hornby tell them to do. Manufacturers should provide better instructions, and should design their models with better access for servicing by "the average modeller" to use a term coined, I think, by Mr C.J. Freezer.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Instructions normmaly say a drop, so given the amount of oil, I'd say the previous owner didn't follow them in this instance however I 100% agree, manufacturers should make instructions clearer and servicing more accessible and that might have helped in this situation 👍

[@GolLeeMe]

Perhaps the lesson here is to buy new, not second hand. If you buy second hand then golden rule is Caveat Emptor. Cheers.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

A very sensible rule to keep in mind 👍

[@Jimyjames73]

That sounds silly putting lose weights inside the Loco!!! 🤔😉🚂🚂🚂

[@IainDavies-z2l]

Anyone who has trouble sleeping doesn't need to take any sleeping pills just watch this video. I had fallen asleep after 2 minutes of watching it.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Haha, well glad I helped you achieve something :)

[@ampersand.]

Such a gentle and soothing voice. Lovely :)

[@davidclough7346]

For future videos I'd suggest you avoid repetition - 3 minutes on not overdoing oil? And 3 hours to clean it with a huge pile of cotton buds? 1 minute with electrical contact cleaner and a couple of cotton buds is all it needs - see OO Bill videos. I'm afraid I stopped watching the rest of the video.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Noted, I try to avoided repletion but in videos that are meant to be educational in a sense, repetition is also necessary as it's how people generally learn so there is a balance I have to strike. Yes, I watch OOBill, he's very good, the oil or grease on the loco body was old and had dried and worked its way in to every tight space. I can take apart and clean a loco relatively quick and easily but this one was really bad and that's what led me to making the video.

[@martinsims1273]

​@@DaveAtLittletonone of the problems is that many plastics are made from mineral oil, so if any mineral oil is left on the plastic bodywork, the oil and the plastic begin to amalgamate with each other.

[@wealdhurstmodelrailway9666]

I am just terrified of even attempting to service or fix my locos. Ain't gonna happen. I will just break them. I'll be sending mine away.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

It really depends on the loco, some are very easy to service, others are a real pain. I'd say the easiest loco to service (so far) are the older tri-ang locos, overall they have very few parts, zero delicate pieces, and they come apart very easily, usually 2 easy to access screws hold the shell on and they you can pretty much clean the entire thing easily with cotton buds. They only thing I'd say is, if you are using rubbing alcohol like me, keep it away from shell and when cleaning the wheels, careful not to get it on the painted spokes, if you do, don't rub it off, just let it dry naturally and it should be fine. They are also cheap, so get a second hand one to practice on for your first attempt, there are loads of videos on YT on how to service them. If you tempted, give it a try, servicing locos can actually be quite fun, relaxing and very satisfying when you see how well it works after :)

[@wealdhurstmodelrailway9666]

@@DaveAtLittleton Since writing this, I have actually repaired a non- running Terrier which now runs beautifully. I have attempted to repair my Adams Radial but the motors are just too weak. I have attempted to fix my Schools class but it has been a nightmare. Really stuck on that one. All of the above (apart from the Adams) were Ebay purchases and all turned up as poor runners. I didn't break them myself! I am addicted to taking them apart now!

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Sounds like you're having a great time :), OOBill has serviced some schools, maybe those videos might help if you've not seen them already

[@wealdhurstmodelrailway9666]

@@DaveAtLittleton watched loads of his vids. I will watch those next! The collector arrangement on the Schools is a nightmare!

[@MarkInLA]

Sounds like you're whispering and too close to the mic..

[@DaveAtLittleton]

Yes, it was the early hours of the morning and I'd just spent several hours cleaning the loco and was itching to get a few things off my chest but without waking the family 😅 I am trying to get the sound to be better in future videos

[@davidbraun6568]

Please use a tripod shakey video is so anoying.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

@@davidbraun6568 Thanks for the feedback, I do have one but opted not to use it for this video so I could easily bring the camera in close on the damage, but I will try and use it more 👍

[@martinsims1273]

​​@@DaveAtLittletoncan I suggest that you make up a semi-flexible arm to mount whatever you are using for a camera: Basically 3 lengths of 2 x 1. One of them you drill through near both ends (the middle piece), and the other 2 drill through (the same hole size) in one end only. Join the 3 pieces with a couple of bolts with plain washers and WING NUTS, to make an arm which can be positioned any way you want, and locked tight with the wing nuts. At one end fix your camera mount, and at the other end make a foot/ base (a couple of small blocks of wood and a board to do as a foot), which can be clamped in place, or weighted down. Simply position the arm to suit your preferred camera view. Hope this helps.

[@DaveAtLittleton]

@@martinsims1273 I had not thought of that, thanks!