Is Hornby's New Turbomotive Worth £240? | Unboxing & Review

[@gwheregwhizz]

That's more expensive than a lot of washing machines and they have a huge motor, loads of metal, lots of lights and cleans my undies 😮.

[@SamsTrains]

You're right - you can buy a heck of a lot for that amount of money! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@stacy4468]

This is the greatest comment on the internet

[@Zeus-kj7nn]

Great comment 👍🏻 😂

[@henriknilsson7851]

A Hornby washing machine would probably be about £5,000!

[@cbrooks122000]

Do you know when I said that on the Hornby Forum I got loads of people moaning at me. Then you get the comparisons with German and US models which are more expensive. When other manufacturers can make better models for less then it shows how expensive they are. Incidentally, I bought the sound one, ordered it about a year ago and the front bogie derails on my layout. Interestingly Sam, considering that all the rivet counters complain about your test track neither this nor the P2 derailed during your reviews, but it did regularly on my and others layouts. So your layout can't be that bad.

[@paulnicoll7431]

I've been into model railways/ tramways for about 50 years but the prices now are crazy. I as a pensioner live on £500 a month , how can any independent modeller afford something like that

[@SamsTrains]

I agree with you - I do have to ask whether these prices are really necessary. Also, as nice as the extra features are, I wonder if the model would be better without them, and sold more cheaply? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@stratman9449]

cheers from germany mate...but how can you live on 500 gbp anyway...modeller or not..??...all the best from here to you....

[@ausfoodgarden]

Yes, I agree with you, but most model hobbies are very expensive these days. Just plastic model kits are pretty costly. I'd expect a newly tooled, well-running, and nicely detailed loco to be around 200 quid these days. The thing that irks me the most is selling old models at similar prices. Tooling costs should be recovered in early runs, then re-runs should be cheaper. I feel your pain. As an LMS guy, I'd love one of these - but can't afford it this year. I blew my budget on an Accurascale class 31.

[@eisenbau]

The reality is manufacturers are not a charity, they have to make a profit and will sell at whatever price people will pay, regardless of those on lower incomes., and sorry to say those that can't afford the prices are not their target market. We are in fact very lucky in the UK. If you compare Hornby and other UK manufacturers with Piko, Roco, Märklin, Trix, Brawa, Fleischmann etc you will see most of their prices are nearly double what we pay in the UK. In reality model railway prices have risen less than many other manufactured goods.

[@royfearn4345]

Fellow pensioner here; there is no way I can justify these hideous prices. But, do I need a Turbomotive? Well, possibly. But, if you think about it, all it is is a Princess Royal minus its Walschaerts valve gear plus a bit of casing covering the forward and reverse turbines. So, take a Lizzie remove its valve gear and cylinders and you have a choice of fashioning your own casings from metal or even, as I do, from balsa wood soaked in wood hardener from a woodrot repair kit and sanded really smooth. I have used the technique over many years to produce sports car bodies not made by "cheaper" makers. Follow with 6 to 8 thin coats of paint, hand rubbed, and apply lining via a bow pen or lining tool. Result: one Turbomotive at a bargain price!

[@richardc6681]

Hi Sam, a couple of points from an LMS anorak. You say a couple of times this was rebuilt as a standard Princess, but actually Princess Anne, as it was called, was also unique. It had a more Duchess like steam chest and cylinders. It is good that the radiator flap at the front moves because on the real thing it would be up when running but down when idle.

[@johnd8892]

You might be able to tell me if the train classification lamps are illuminated in daytime running like so many expect from what many here call "headlights".

[@chrisbaines6931]

​@@johnd8892 the loco's lamps should be lit at all times while running for working through tunnels. they are purely for marking the train class and each end of the train but provide no illumination. Modern image traction will have the high intensity lights fitted which provide some degree of illumination but i'm not sure how they compare to a car headlight.

[@johnjephcote7636]

Destroyed in the Harrow collision.

[@exarkun42]

Hey Sam! Great and honest review here, as always. I do have a tip for you. I own one of the Dublo range Scotsman centenary models, which have diecast bodies. I had to run it in for longer at a slightly higher speed to fully loosen up the mechanism (roughly 45 mins in each direction, at 55-60 speed). Once I had done that, it performed exactly the same as my main range A1 with decent crawl and good torque. The more I ran it, the more it started to match my other Hornby locos in performance. Hope this helps!

[@SamsTrains]

Many thanks my friend - and thanks for these tips... might as well give this some more running and see what happens then, cheers for that, Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@andrewackerley9985]

Typical of Hornby to create a heavy model at last & then they go & skimp on the motor's horse-power! I think I'll stick to my trusty old Tri-ang-Hornby Princess. She may be a little noisy at 60 ++ years old but she still looks a treat & runs like there's no tomorrow! Turbo...eat yet heart out! & ;good luck if you decide to re-spray the Turbo-Tender to match the front end colour lol. Great video thanks Sam. You have come a long way with your presentation since the early days on your channel...just sooooo professional & thorough these days. The picture & sound quality has got so much better. Keep up the good work my son. Cheers. A.

[@BrakeCoach]

Hornby's prices have been really skyrocketing lately. I was discouraged from getting my own APT set, but luckily I was able to pick one up pre-owned from Hattons for almost half of the price. What a steal!

[@ctmajka]

I feel like Hornby should be featuring fan-driven smoke units at these price points. :\

[@robertcornelius3514]

Even at that price you paid too much. Train collections Worldwide have lost value.

[@BrakeCoach]

@@robertcornelius3514 eh 214 pounds for a 5-car APT seems fine.

[@azuma892]

Meanwhile in China model railway companies are making DCC fitted China Railways diesels with sound, smoke units, cab lights, dashboard lights, engine room lights, bogie inspection lights and working roof fans for under 200 pounds. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. Oh and the whole body is diecast too.

[@azuma892]

That's what you Brits get when the factory making your models is half a globe away lol.

[@jackstrains4468]

As soon as i saw this on hornby a model world, i knew you would eventually review it, such a stunning model, and as always a great video

[@SamsTrains]

hahaha yeah no doubt about it - and stunning indeed!! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@petercope4360driverpete]

Washing machines sell by the million so costs spread by the million, I used to see the turbo at Stafford on Saturday mornings, roughly 11.15 off to Liverpool, grime covered, blinkers fitted, as i was about 11 or 12 years old it really intreaged me, I yearned to see it and everything else in full LMS livery and now I can, I'm 86, not in good health and I absolutely love it and all the beautiful LMS stuff that modelling allows, thank you to all manufacturers and to you Sam for showing all the stuff that you do Pete

[@Alert64]

Nice recollection, the real loco must of been a sight for sore eyes.

[@johnjephcote7636]

I was living at Watford when the multiple Harrow collision occurred. Princess Anne, then newly converted to conventional drive was totally destroyed.

[@austrobb]

Sam, about a year ago we in the US got our own steam turbine locomotive from BLI, the PRR S2, I paid $800 for it, mostly made of brass. I would love to see your thoughts on one, especially after reviewing this locomotive.

[@Loweko1170]

The bag of plastic parts is clearly a new common accessories pack - it's identical to the one that came in the P2 boxes, and I imagine the brake rigging is standardised for any Pacific locomotive. Anyone thinking of buying this for a DCC layout should add the price tag for Hornby's new 21-pin decoder too - ouch! You're into Broadway Limited kind of money already!

[@michaelsmith441]

I’m still feeling sick paying $600 for a brass hybrid BLI locomotive, had to destroy receipt before wife found it 😬😵

[@SamsTrains]

hahaha blimey... good thinking on the receipt! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@dwaynejohnson4892]

Jew pay cash or card?

[@europacifictradersltd3717]

hi sam. going to keep this short and bitter sweet. back lamp i noticed that while driving forward it lit up white when it should be red and in revers it lit up red when it should be white. hornby shoddy finished product.

[@SamsTrains]

Oh interesting - I'll have to double check that... it's so hard to see with the naked eye you wouldn't notice! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@TenCJones]

Thanks for the review Sam it's a lovely model but too expensive. I saw another review where the front was a bit warped and the front bufferbeam was sloping upwards. I think I see it on this one too. Maybe it's because of the sponge? All the best.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks for sharing! That's interesting - I did look for that but didn't see anything... will double check! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@johnrigby7373]

As I model the Liverpool to Manchester line I’ve nagged Hornby for years to produce it. Yes it’s expensive but, I allowed this in my budgeting for this year. So for me it’s worth it. The front hinged plate was to allow more air into the radiator for an oil bath that lubricated the turbines.

[@SamsTrains]

Ahh fantastic - well it's a great model, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@stormbowman7148]

@@SamsTrains ...and the locomotive usually ran with the air intake open. Which is probably why they made it an option to open or close it. Take a look at pictures of the loco running, you can almost always see the plate at an angle (open). The maroon livery is stunning.

[@garethw8884]

Great video, fella. Always good to see modelling happening. Can't wait to see the next video with trains running round

[@Arkay315]

Samuel's TRAINS is back at it again with another obscure model locomotive.

[@miscellaneous.7127]

About the front coupling, I think it might just be a spare? Given the very small reverse turbine you'd never run a train tender-first with it so that mean there's less demand for a front coupling? Just my conjecture. Fantastic video as always! :)

[@GelatoTaco]

I'm an American (Texan). At RRP (not counting shipping and keeping VAT, cuz some shops exclude it for overseas orders, some don't) it comes out to $323 USD (21 hrs of work for me before taxes). For around that price (give or take a couple bucks & still excluding shipping) I can buy: Approximately 1,300 rounds of 9mm ammunition About 40 meals from various fast food restaurants (Subway footlong sandwiches, entire pizzas, hamburgers w/ drink & fries [chips for yall Brits]) A decent pistol chambered in .22LR and about 650 rounds of said ammunition (did buy the pistol as a birthday present to myself) 4,875 rounds of .22LR ammunition (very underpowered round. More for fun/training at a shooting range than self defense) With an additional 20-30 bucks I can buy a very basic AR-15 rifle, fully assembled (kits can be cheaper if you find good deals) Granted, Texas-based Gun Nut may not have the best price comparisons for yall Brits, but entire weapons or easily 2 week's worth of (admittedly unhealthy) meals. Hornby what the hell are yall on man.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah that's right - it's a crazy amount of money! I get there are serious costs involved, but there are also other manufacturers who manage to come up with much better prices! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@robinforrest7680]

2 years ago I bought my son his first car for exactly this price 😂. It’s a 1994 Renault 21 2.1L turbo diesel with a full service history and every option available at the time. He’s still using it regularly to do 500 mile trips from home to university on the other side of France.

[@bail60163]

Through the camera, the light on the back looks very authentic for oil lamps. They aren't bright at all in real life!

[@ScotSteam47]

lights are the wrong way though, it changed to red when he went in reverse so that is incorrect.

[@thomaskinney4815]

Your reviews helped me choose between the Turbomotive and the W1 when I was visiting from across the pond (I went with the Turbomotive, obviously, and I love it!) Thank You!

[@evangaines2303]

Awesome video Sam, The reason steam turbines don't work on locomotives is that at High speed they're great, but at low speed, they're terrible. This is why all US Steam Turbine locomotives were never successful. At Least William Stainer's attempt was somewhat successful.

[@virmirfan]

Yeah, mainly because it was made to be an express locomotive iirc

[@CoalChrome]

For about 490 pounds I bought a "used" (model was clean, box looked like it may have been opened twice) Broadway Limited Paragon 2 UP-1 4-12-2, which is DCC and sound, is (I believe) a brass hybrid, and if it's not the whole thing is metal, has a smoke unit in it and even has working class lights. It's a better value than the past several things you've reviewed from Hornby but I don't know how good of a value it is considering that I bought a brand new BLI Reading T-1 for an extra 100 USD that also has sound, smoke and all

[@RealScarKnight]

hi sam , i am trying to build a model loco from scratch, as from where i belong ...the concept of model railroading simply doesn't exist..so sourcing loco , rolling stock and tracks is very difficult. I bought a bachmann "Rail cheif" set for 380 £ from amazon , but the quality is not worth the price ..so i decided to build my own loco ,including the motorizing unit along with the gears . ill be using a resin 3d printer to print all of the parts, but i am not sure which resin to use , as some resin shink too much . Your last video gave me the inspiration to try it my self . So in the next followup video of the project you are working on , can u please inculde what type of resin u will be usin and the what type of motor u will use to power the loco ...thanks for making such amazing content ❤

[@trongamer9412]

Maybe the tender is from a Princess Royal Class, or something similar,as the buffers don't match the loco, as the loco has the square buffers while the tender has the circle buffers

[@richardc6681]

That is correct to prototype

[@SamsTrains]

In real life I guess it would have been... the model doesn't match the new Princess tender though, so I think it may be new tooled... perhaps not the chassis too, that looks like the same one as before! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@kevfrombutterley]

I made one of these with a Crownline conversion kit on a Hornby Princess Royal. This is in a different league. I love those lamps!

[@SamsTrains]

Ahh fantastic - yeah the lamps are quite impressive aren't they?? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@ianchapman9596]

No. The lamps are not realistic. On the real thing they are barely visible, even head on. Three lamps would only be carried on royal trains and when hauling a train no lamp would be carried on the tender. . @@SamsTrains

[@Sigil_Firebrand]

Well the front lamps are certainly a quality feature, and quite expensive to have fitted by the retailers, a real shame that the rest of it doesn't really match that one specific feature. You certainly convinced me to save my money on this for the foreseeable future!

[@stanbruce8510]

Another great review, I have been following your show for some time now and must say you are developing it to amazing levels, especially the 3d printing side, I watch every show as soon as they are released, great entertainment, keep up the great work.

[@YimYum911]

This sealed the deal for me, I’m sticking to my plarail for the foreseeable future!

[@maringarvanovic8011]

If this was £190 I would buy one today. However it's performance is a concern. I bought 2 of the new streamlined Coronations and the 9 coach set. There was so much drag due to the lights that it ran on my flat layout at a scale speed of 30mph. I had waited for these since 1980. I ended up selling the lot.

[@AdiPullen]

Hi sam I hope you and Chloe are well? I've just received mine like 2 mins ago. Where the exploded diagram I do like to look at them. From what I can see from mine it looks amazing Defo heavy I'll continue watching yours after I have recorded the detail parts of mine Thank you for sharing your models with us Keep safe ARP

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks my friend, hope you and yours are well too! Very heavy indeed, good luck with yours! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@williamdanhardt9599]

Does the trailing truck pivot around curves or stay in one position

[@johncody1016212]

I would like to know as well

[@speleokeir]

Another excellent review Sam and overall it looks a very nice model. Price: One thing to be aware of is that by far the biggest cost when making models is labour. The diecast boiler AND running plate will increase the cost, but not to such a huge extent that it justifies the price IMO. The lights are a very nice touch, I wouldn't expect those add much to the cost in terms of parts, although if it's not automated and they need fitting by hand that would increase labour costs. It is over priced IMO, though Hornby aren't quite as bad as Bachmann in that regard. However both Accurascale and Dapol are able to make diecast, detailed locos at a considerably lower prices which shows it can be done. Additionally the model shops sometimes sell old stock at considerable discounts which is a good indication on how big a mark up the two big manufacturers make. Because it's a fairly unique loco I suspect these will sell out fairly quickly, especially the LMS maroon version. However personally I'm not willing, nor can I afford to pay that price, so will hope to pick one up secondhand for a more reasonable cost in the future. If not I've already got three standard Princesses in various liveries which only cost me about £110-125 each secondhand and in boxed mint condition. They have firebox flicker, but not the working lamps or diecast body. However I prefer their looks with the valve gear and increased detail. Loco-tender connection: My guess is these were designed just before Hornby changed to the new connection. Hornby use a variety of factories in China and some have been more affected by shut downs for Covid than others depending on the region. I expect those models whose production has been delayed such as the 2MT will all have the old connection.

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you - it sure is a nice model! You're right - I'm not an expert but from what I understand the cost of injection moulded plastic parts vs die cast metal parts isn't much different... it's mainly going to be the cost of material that makes the difference... so a pound or two at the most. I agree Hornby aren't quite as bad as Bachmann - at least there's a real attempt here to add value for money in many areas, same can't always be said for Bachmann. Thanks a lot for sharing, Cheers, Sam :)

[@modelrailfan37]

Well said, though I still don’t think the cost is that well justified, and it is still VERY overpriced. I personally think some of Bachmann’s models still offer better value, though not all…

[@davidhinks8384]

Thanks Sam. Is it me or do those flangeless pony wheels look too small? Love the finish on the body but a shame the paint doesn't match throughout. Great too see some weight, but a mechanism to match would be nice. Hornby remains too expensive and I'm glad my needs are met from other manufacturers at better value. I have just bought a Bachmann 4575 from Olivia's Trains for £147 delivered. This is the same price as the new 44xx from Rapido, of which I have two on order. I'm looking forward to the comparison and wonder how they will compare to the Hornby large Prairie. Cheers.

[@rogercantwell3622]

Looks as if the tender light is white when the front lights are white - surely wrong? My dad said he rode on the prototype (he used to spot trains at Lime Street station). I kind of like it but not for over £200.

[@stephendavies6949]

Fabulous model Sam and a superb review as always. As long as "we" keep buying 'em at these prices, then nothing will change. Easy for me to say, as I'm not a fan of this model's looks. But could I resist a model at this price that I really liked and wanted? Hmmm.... probably not!

[@delboy1727]

I'm with you. Not a fan of the design (looks strange with no valve gear) so wouldn't buy one even if it was half the price. What I struggle to understand is that this must be so much easier and cheaper to produce given the lack of valve gear, why are Hornby charging such a premium price? I can only think that the demand will be there because of the unique nature of the prototype, so can charge what they believe they can get away with. As you rightly say, if 'we' keep buying them at these prices, then nothing is going to change.

[@tim3172]

@@delboy1727Charging what the market will bear. I think that's the second (?) third (?) lesson in capitalism: Release a product at a high initial price, watch as people buy it, over time adjust your price to meet demand, and maximize profit.

[@williamtaggart7992]

Sam, your whining about Hornby prices is so boring and tedious. Get over it!! Your videos are coming so boring always harping about prices

[@Brayden4472]

Awesome review Sam!

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you! :D

[@diedertspijkerboer]

I still find it more surprising that lighting on locos is so rare from Hornby. I have a 1981 catalogue from Märklin and almost all the locos have lights. However, I guess that lighting if more complicated in Britain, because the marker lights can de variably lit depending on conditions. Having said that, I just love lit up trains, even if the lighting is not prototypical.

[@kiwitrainguy]

Lighting on Marklin trains goes back to the 1950s, and probably earlier.

[@cbrooks122000]

If you are going to buy one the sound fitted ones are best value,. You basically get the sound upgrade for about £40.00 compared to nearly £70 if you bought it separate. It is the Hornby HM7000 sound but there is no chuff rate to worry about with this model so it sounds ok.

[@thomascollector5443]

240£!! Thats crazy especially for young or new modelers if i wanted to buy it (which i do but wont 😂) converted to candian dollars its 400! Great video as always -TC5

[@locohauledforum]

I remember the old R066 Hornby Duchess of Sutherland coming out in 1977 - that had working front headlamps to...

[@Ensign_Redshirt]

There is some cool features, but a couple of DCC questions, does the Hornby Bluetooth chip fit it (you should do this for all Hornby releases), and whats on the soundfile for the speakers? If the loco no longer exists what did they use for the source sound?

[@gazzavc]

Just ordered the DCC/sound fitted version. As soon as it gets to Los Angeles I’ll give it a run and update this reply. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Much appreciated. All the best from California 👍

[@martinpook5707]

I notice that part of the drop shadow on the 6 is missing. I would think that your experience designing and manufacturing the LNWR single will give you a better idea of costs/potential profit.

[@Mr_Tea_Rexx]

my guess is that the reason they changed the coupler on the tender is due to the diecast body being more heavy then the plastic one, which to be fair i like that version as it more sturdy, looks like the tender light has some stuff blocking it maybe paint? not sure

[@shakeyhandsshedmodelrailwa2494]

when are you getting a stop watch sam ?? like my old works used to do ,, days since last accident .. you can have minutes before something falls off or breaks

[@davidstrains4910]

Decent overall review here Sam, as an owner of one of these models my one being the BR black one I can say it is definitely worth the price being asked, it could be hornbys best locomotive to date and in my opinion it is, the features included on it are incredible the best one in my opinion being the lamps that light up on the front, I’m very happy with mine so in my opinion it is worth what is being asked for it, you may reject the excuse that one offs always command a high price but unfortunately to have these models of one off we have to be willing to pay.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot David - glad to hear you're so happy with yours - and I agree it is one of their best given all of the weight etc, great stuff! I only reject that models like this are unpopular and therefore bumped up in price to cover the costs - from what I've seen they're very popular! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Alextrains502]

Sam love your videos and your layout

[@SamsTrains]

Thank you Alex! :D

[@RobertBrown-dk8wy]

Sam - my friend had his Turbomotive replaced as it appears the motor failed. The loco suddenly stopped when travelling in the forward direction causing some of the coaches to derail. Then, it would only run in reverse but after a few minutes the loco slowed and stopped completely. I am wondering as the standard motor appears to have been fitted coupled with the excess weight of the diecast loco body, we may see this issue highlighted with more customers models over the next few months?

[@neilelsewhere9473]

Regarding the price, one has to consider that Hornby had all the extra work of making and installing the steam turbines instead of the much simpler valve gear.....Oh. Wait.....

[@mehmeh6280]

Do you have a video on mixed era layouts? I'm thinking of digging out my old LMS mostly steam models (from my mum's loft where they've been for over 20 years) to start a layout again but my tastes have changed (and prices increased) so want a nice way of enjoying different eras (trains/rolling stock as well a scenery).

[@adzib1823]

Capacitive touch requires a dielectric (insulator) between you and the sensor (basically a metal pad) to work properly - think how those new hobs/stoves work with the glass plate. So yes, entirely possible for the tender to be plastic AND have capacitive touch sensing for the lamp enable :) As an aside, it's crazy how much can get in the way of capacitive touch regarding this dielectric - certain types of plastics work better than others; too much moisture content (i.e. in wood) can disrupt it; metallic paints will render it useless, etc.

[@WillSimpson-jq5qq]

Which Hornby standard 2MT are you reviewing is it one of the first 2 (78047, 78010)which have just arrived or are you waiting for one of the later releases (78000,78054,78006)

[@srenchin]

Nice loco, as for the price it's the oldest marketing trick in the book. Start with a high MSRP and then put them on sale, the consumer thinks they are getting a deal yet the manufacturer and retailer still make a big bundle.

[@privatebribert]

This completes my collection of every Stanier pacific

[@animacionesdepapeldiaz3137]

25:43 the tender is blue

[@briancooper562]

I wonder what the detail of the body looks like without the paint. Any sharp edge like a nut or plate edge when spray painted will add paint to the edge so instead of a single coat thick ness there can be two. This loco body seems to suffer from over spray, looks good but has lost a lot of fine detail. How does this loco compare to say a WRENN loco,. which have a metal body (and similar paint issues)?

[@garyspeed8961]

28:00 the front buffers are not aligned the same?

[@andrewdking]

How does it compare performance wise to Hornby's new diecast Dublo Duchess of Atholl ?

[@peterboyes1113]

Hi Sam. Thanks for another great review. I watched this one wanting to see if I have discovered a new issue / problem with Hornby’s new locos. I recently bought a new Hornby castle. I went to fit a Zimo sound decoder and speaker. I have found the plug board in the tender does not give soldering contacts for speaker wires. The technician at Hornby acknowledged this saying the wires should be connected to the decoder. Are Hornby trying to limit us to using only Hornby equipment? Are we seeing two different approaches developing eg Dapol make it very easy to install decoder and speakers whilst Hornby don’t even give much in instructions to help. From your pictures in this review it appears this may also be an issue for anyone buying this model? If so this appears a big dividing road re difference with manufacturers and so possibly my last Hornby loco. I wonder how many of the new Hornby locos have this issue?

[@Jacks_trains]

Hey Sam, excellent video as always, I was just wondering how come lights are a first on british model locos when here in australia lights have been a premium for a while now

[@uproid]

It's not a first on British models, Diesel models have had them for ages, and the Heljan Garrett also has them. Fact is that on the real thing back in those days, these were oil lamps, very dim, and not visible at all in daylight (did they even light them during daytime?) so how useful it is making them light up on a model is debatable, unless you are going to model night running in the dark.

[@lukejackson8741]

There’s a lot of new/hidden/unadvertised features cropping up in hornby locos, this lighting package I don’t remember seeing advertised, the strange sensor in the p2, I wonder what loco we’ll first see this all together on from hornby? (Dare not think of the price though)

[@Stuo5353]

I think your assessment is spot on, too expensive for this engine. A price below 200 would be more accurate! Thanks for your videos btw, they are by far the best in my opinion, very informative, accurate and not at all biased, looking forward to watching many more.

[@DangerAngelous]

Is this not just a new body and lights on the Princess Royal chassis? I’d suspect that’s why it has several older design features

[@Sohave]

Hi Sam, what do you use to shoot the up close shots on the details of the model? I figure you must have some sort of dedicated macro objective for your camera.

[@MyMustang72]

on my model of this loco the front buffers are to high as they are on my princess elizabeth loco,is this a hornby fault?

[@kenhampshire9917]

Could someone enlighten me please? Looking at photos of the prototype, the driving wheels have no balance weights, due to the turbine's smoothness eliminating 'hammer blow', yet the Hornby model has the weights. If they're using another chassis for £240 then that really isn't good enough, but am I correct in my observations?

[@dalecherne5377]

Something I would really like to see in your reviews would be a DCC test along side your DC test. Have you ever considered adding that?

[@eisenbau]

I would also be interested to see if that improves the torque, but why Hornby insist on using such cheap weak motors is beyond me.

[@dalecherne5377]

@@eisenbau Agreed

[@modelrailfan37]

It would be interesting, but then he’s kinda reviewing the decoder, and not the locomotive…

[@dalecherne5377]

@@modelrailfan37 No. Thats not how that works. That would be like saying hes reviewing analog and not the locomotive. Its just an interface difference, and sometimes that matters with each and every model. Its good to test both.

[@modelrailfan37]

@@dalecherne5377 true, he would have to use the same decoder each time though.

[@StaxRail]

I have to say, as much as the working headlamps are a cool feature I feel it actually makes the model worse given that two of the three on the front, and the one on the tender, aren't removable. How do you change the headcode without massively damaging the model? Wouldve been better if they were removable, but for me it spoils what is otherwise a good, if overpriced, loco.

[@Skipper.]

Again a great and honest review thank you Sam.

[@marknicholson2281]

Sam you missed a trick here. The sound fitted loco is only £50 more expensive which makes it cheaper than some other sound fitted locos. BUT the sound is AMAZING! The only thing I can compare it to is Hawkwinds “Silver Machine”! It really sounds like nothing else. It’s a Triple Sound chip but we couldn’t fault it. Being DCC it also solved some of the running issues you had. Take a listen, I’m sure someone will post a video. Then go and buy a HM7000 chip and download the “Turbomotive” sound track. (I don’t know if it’s been released yet)

[@ZombieSlayer-dj3wb]

So was this the loco that rear ended the other train or the one that hit the wreckage ?

[@Edflame-hc1ch]

will you create a shorts clip of turbomotive sound file installed on a 21 pin hornby hm7000 chip ?

[@johnbristow5665]

Whats basically a simple body from plastic injection on metaland metal chassid etc that is a hell of a price! Money made seems to allegedly be the only consideration. Is it TT3?

[@richardc6681]

A point I'd like to make on behalf of Hornby that to a degree reflects positively on their prices. They innovate and that costs money with english designers on english wages and that money has to be recovered. The lighting is not perfect, but it is an innovation, as is the neat touch switch in the tender (and soon coaches i guess), decent crew, bluetooth controllers, TT, new smoke generator ideas, Skaledale etc. - even Steam Punk. The odd 'miss' still has to be recovered. What is Bachmann innovating within their high prices?

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

Well decent quality is one thing... But yer the Model Railway Hobby is being screwed over and its better off to be trying to find stuff second hand than to pick up stuff new... At least older stuff is more robust and looks much nicer to me. Modern Hornby despite all the fancy bells and whistles are really throwing themselves up hill and will be in for a shock once all of the older modellers sell up or pass away leaving then with younger people who will not so willing to pay up for over priced models and begging for a bail out. This is why they need to bring back a good budget range and bring us back to the time when wagons costed at least £5 to £10s decently and locos where at least £35 to £50...

[@modelrailfan37]

Innovation costs money, but if the innovative feature (the lamps) doesn’t work, then my question is why bother? Also, Hornby products are currently made in China, unless your talking about the design team, which is based in the U.K. Bachmann isn’t really innovating that much, but their prices aren’t nearly as high as this, and they have really improved, particularly with their steam locos, in the past 3-4 years. Also, Dapol have innovated a lot, and yet their models are far cheaper than this.

[@ewanmcgregor146]

Hi Sam! Long time no comments from me! 😅 That is a nice looking loco, though I do agree that they could have done a better job with the colour matching…. In the fiction of your model railway, you could always just say that the last time she went for her general overhaul they had to use two different paint batches! 😂 On the other hand, at £250 (or more!) Hornby really does need to fit a better motor…. Especially if Turbomotive was supposed to be a mixed-traffic or express loco! I’m definitely not likely to buy one, even 2nd-hand…. Though that is mainly because it’s NOT Japanese N-scale!

[@BaoBao0923]

Amazing detail and paintwork

[@TVR_Sagaris_]

Hey sam whats the most expensive model you've owned besides this one?

[@jonathanpan6110]

Run it at high speed. Turbines should be more efficient there right?

[@Mildcat743]

I had no idea she was involved at Harrow and Wealdstone, that was a neat tidbit to learn!

[@CAshleyMoss]

Hi Sam. I can top your most expensive steam loco ever. I’ve recently bought a pre-owned Johnson 1P in crimson lake with no decoder from Hattons. It cost me £271 - an eye-watering sum! It was certainly in mint condition but the model railway world appears to have gone crazy!! Kind regards. Chris

[@johnodonoghue7381]

Good review Sam , well done

[@darrenrees1514]

Do you think the tender from an older model ?.

[@Alextrains502]

Sam you have a massive collection

[@SamsTrains]

haha thank you!

[@darrenmccoy]

What's with the melted bit when you're showing off the sprung buffers?

[@SamsTrains]

That's some foam they put under there to try and stop light leakage... looks messy! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@christianevangelista]

I’ve bought the BR lined black version and it pairs beautifully with the previous “Rovex” edition Princess Elizabeth from a few years ago. Hoping they produce 46202 in her final form as the rebuilt Princess Anne soon.

[@Anakin_Skywalker-sr1nr]

Hey Sam! Can you give me a idea of a good loco for me? I like hauling smart coaches along my track but need a smart loco to pull them. I would appreciate if you could tell me 😊

[@guyclark2975]

One thing that could have attributed to the dramatic improvement in standards is there being new blood at the top.

[@rottenroads1982]

What a good locomotive. Also, when will the Heljan BR class 28 Be reviewed, and when will Sam’sTrains Finally dive into OO9 gauge?

[@SamsTrains]

haha I've answered these questions of yours before, many times!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@TexasCat99]

For the price, Hornby couldn't quite stick the landing? The differences in paint color are EASY to explain. I noticed the issue before you got to the tender. QC would have caught the color mismatch easily but at the corporate and manufacturing level, they did not care. It saved Hornby $1~2, that is what it comes down to. What happened? Go to 16m30s for a visual reference. 1. They are using the same color paint for the rich burgundy. Nothing wrong with that paint. 2. The difference is the metal and plastic parts. Look at the running board and cab, plastic. Just like the tender. And DO NOT match the shade used on the diecast body. 3. The problem IS NOT the materials (plastic vs metal). They did NOT primer the plastic to save money. They primed the diecast black and said "close enough" to the black plastic. Those two surfaces are NOT the same. Had they applied primer onto the plastic and then painted the burgundy and yellow trim on top, it would have solved this problem. This is basic painting knowledge. They didn't want to spend the money on labor and primer to properly paint the model. There is a lack of burgundy paint above the springs... but that's minor. The lighting for the front top light and tender should have been better. A little more effort in design would have fixed this. I build Bandai models that use clear parts to make light channels to light up their kits. Other notes: Add a bit of black wash to add more details to the copper-colored parts, including those in the cab. (Wash, then wipe off with Q-tips) Add black wash to the coal, don't bother wiping off. It will make add detail and look more coal-like, and dullish. It won't look like plastic anymore. Easily, Hornby should have had a better motor. They almost made a very good product. PS: thanks for making another great video.

[@Hooterton_Model_Railway]

I noticed the front buffers (right hand side) during the detail section is not level. Looks like it’s slightly wonky?

[@rogercantwell3622]

I think that's an inherent problem with sprung buffers, which are pretty useless on OO models but seem to be "essential" these days.

[@Hooterton_Model_Railway]

@@rogercantwell3622 it’s the first time I’ve seen it.

[@DRIZZYMEDIA72]

im thinking of starting a model train collection and i am not looking to buy cheap trains i want to buy expensive. what website/store should i shop on for expensive model trains?

[@jamesdunloptrains]

Awesome video today Sam beautiful locomotive I think I might get the br black one

[@ThePilotpoint]

Hi Sam, I always envied your LMS Coaches, I do remember you saying they were Hornby am I correct? I've been looking to buy a set for myself as well with no luck so far, do they have a part number or something??? Cheers mate. Michael.

[@NWRJ_WStudios]

For me Sam I has to be the lights, I absolutely love that feature. Cheers Jasper & Willow

[@SamsTrains]

I do too - they look great don't they? Or the ones that you can see do! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@gerardburton3741]

Hi Sam, It could be hoped that there may be a chance they will produce a railroad version of this engine minus some of the bells and whistles that have put the price up.

[@warrenlehmkuhleii8472]

Factory fitted lighting on a steam locomotive is a new standard. I don’t try think it justifies the cost, but just when I thought we had reached “peak model,” we get this.

[@TomPrickVixen]

The other issue is that I barely make (equaling) 700GBP / month, as a railway engineer, working for the state railway.

[@RHaenJarr]

If it was a Train Simulator model, I'd say the increase of price could come from the difficulty of required research. But with a physical model loco, I'm not sure if it's really as research-heavy, since it doesn't need to have realistic simulation of how the original worked. And sounds and such. Nice to see it in a different form than old photos though!

[@SamsTrains]

Ahh I don't know - there's still a tonne of research that has to go into these, more than you'd ever believe! Thing is the research cost is a one off, and it's spread across all models, so it never accounts for too much on a per-model basis. Production is where the real money goes, and tooling of course! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@kenarceneaux5911]

Just awesome! Such a lovely model.

[@michaeldavies9600]

Great review Sam. it's a nice model to much money for me though but the fan's of Hornby will buy it :)