oorail.com | Hornby APT Restoration Project Update - November 2015

This video from oorail.com continues the Hornby Advanced Passenger Train (APT-P) restoration project. In this video I do a quick recap on the project, look at some new sets that have been acquired and some of the enhancements I will be making to the model. The project was last updated in 2012 when the old filament bulb lighting was replaced with LED directional lighting. As the series continues the lighting will be further enhanced with smaller LEDs, thinner wiring and improved pickups. We will be adding weight, a second motor power unit and attempting to 3D print the missing coaches.
APT Project Playlist:
• APT-P Project
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[@ScottishNSRailFan]

I also have the original APT, but it has never been removed from its box for over thirty years.

[@Oorail]

The original Hornby APT wasn't too bad, its a pity they never released the additional coaches though. I have a couple of them, upgraded the lighting etc. Its going to be bigger job moving all these capacitors in the new one than it was to add lights to the old one! :)

[@charlie1872]

That was quite the score. I have two sets which I picked up fir very good prices too. I had the usual grinding, spinning etc and I set about servicing and cleaning, I put it back together but it continued to spin. After an hour or so looking at it closely I noticed the wheels were not turning but the cogs were. Further inspection discovered the cogs on the driving wheels were not aligned. A quick push and all was resolved. Be careful gauging these and keep a sharp eye. Now for the second one: cleaned aligned etc but no power. Any ideas? I live in Toronto btw

[@kevintregunna]

Great looking project looking good cheers Kevin

[@RFSA180]

Would look amazing on a garden railway.

[@MatthewRailways50033]

Good video 📹 👍 😎😃

[@trzarector]

I will be watching this closely as I have an APT set but my kids got to it and even though I don't have a track layout I'd like to restore it as a couple of bogies are broken.

[@Oorail]

+trzarector How badly damaged are the bogies? I assume its not the bogies on the power car as those are metal. The ones on the driving / trailer cars are a little more complex because of the tilt mechanism. The other cars though could be easily glued if you have all the pieces. If you don't have a track layout, you might want to check out the video I did a month or so ago on Bachmann E-Z track, its pretty cheap, takes a few minutes to clip together a reasonably sized layout on the kitchen floor and you can put it away pretty quickly when you are done.

[@365n4]

Seriously, your Layout needs some Cork or Foam underlay to dampen the damn noise of your Trains. This is really anoying whilst watching your Videos, the bloody noise. But otherwise, nice work. Well done.

[@Oorail]

+365n4 Yeah sorry about that I'm currently experimenting on solutions for it. The problem with cork and foam underlay is that ballast will completely reverse any noise dampening benefits. The ballast and glue will cause the underlay to become rigid. Part of the problem is that the sound is being amplified through the baseboard and the video camera is picking up the vibration. That combined with the fact that I've got five locos going around... I'm testing out some new custom built camera mounts that have incorporated some Owens Corning sound dampening insulation foam board, along with some new audio editing software. So hopefully the next few videos will see an improvement (let me know).. except for the Mk2E video as I filmed and edited that before I finished the mounts! :)

[@ritchiescott4684]

+365n4 You could use EVA foam or similar. I'm covering all of my base board and it cuts out lots of noise. Love the APT s. I love seeing mine going around. Shame the govement in the eighties didn't like trains so it was scrapped. Funny the same party are in power now and want to build the HS2. Keep up the good work on your layout

[@AlanSurgeoner]

+365n4 Once you decide whatever underlay you are using it will quiet down. But also the boards being bare. I'm sure when you start adding scenery and stuff and fill the boards it will all help. The boards just now are like a big speaker with the sound being spread across the bare board it amplifies it so much, but I'm sure you know this.I know you have so much going on,have you finalised your trackplan or are you still trying to decide on final positions. I really liked your power station idea. it's not something that has been done a whole lot on other layouts. Really jealous of the space and all the trains you have ,only thing is it means a lot of time which is ok cos it's a love affair when you start something this scale but it is also very costly especially when you have a family so all the best and can't wait to watch the progress

[@Oorail]

+Ritchie Scott Thanks. I'm currently working on a few areas of the layout simultaneously, so should have some interesting layout updates for the foreseeable future... Have you tried ballasting the track thats on the EVA foam yet? When I tested cork and various foam products a few years ago, there wasn't much sound dampening happening once the ballast and glue had set. It was a little bit better but the improvement really didn't justify the cost. EVA though is a lot cheaper...

[@Oorail]

+Alan Surgeoner Thats a very good point about the bare boards, the number of tracks and the fact its currently a wide open area I think are probably contributing to the noise level. The trackplan is pretty much finalized at this point, I picked up Railmodeller Pro for MacOS X this week, and started the process of matching the paper trackplans with whats actually on the baseboards and putting it into Railmodeller Pro. Once its complete, I can finish the overhaul of the oorail.co.uk / oorail.com website which puts the focus back on the layout. Most of the track is down at this point, I need to finish the up branch line, which has a small milk distribution centre and a large NCB coal yard. The designs for those two are still in progress. I also need to figure out the TMD that branches off from the down fast line, it looks like I may have enough room for a turntable which will be great. I need to put the elevated track section in but the design for that is more or less complete. The power station project is my main focus at the moment, did some test builds for the prototype to see what would fit, pretty pleased with it, so now I'm going through the textures that I have from modelrailwayscenery.com to see what works the best. I'm only modeling a very small sized power station, yet its going to take up a huge section of the layout, and thats just approximating it to scale. After starting it, I can understand why some of the power station products are only made in N scale! :) The layout was never really intended to be this big, I started off in an unused hallway in my basement, since it wasn't a space that was ever going to really get used for anything. Luckily for me the kids really enjoy the model railway, and by putting the baseboards up around the 5' or so mark, the space under the layout can be utilized for storage and other things. The area under the new section of the layout actually has a bed and doubles as a guest room! :) The cost isn't too bad as long as its done in sections. I acquire a lot of rolling stock via eBay or deals offered by stockists in the UK. I tend to combine orders as well, so I come out on top on the no VAT vs shipping costs! Plenty more of layout updates to come.. so stay tuned and glad you're enjoying the channel! :)