Is Hornby's Class 08 Shunter Worth the Money? | Unboxing & Review

[@jeanwatters4650]

I believe the opening roof vent is there so you can use a screwdriver to close the door. LOL.

[@grahamallen1970]

😮

[@fredburley9512]

😂

[@grahamallen1970]

I believe you may be off your meds!😆

[@AVFCAM]

This really made me chuckle, bravo!

[@Gatherleymodeller.]

@@grahamallen1970lol good joke actually 😊

[@thatcallisto]

That coupling rod seems to really flex and warp as the wheels spin, I can’t unsee it.

[@sullivanrachael]

I agree - at a guess the quartering of the wheels and crankpins is ‘off true’ and it makes the jointed coupling rod appear to flex. More on the list of build quality glitches.

[@raymondleggs5508]

I can't stop watching the siderods bend either!

[@philkeller4170]

The ‘bird’ on the side is a ‘Cockney Sparrow’ and was chosen *by the depot staff to be their unofficial mascot / moto. Stratford itself depot closed in the late 1990s and the whole site now sits under the Westfield shopping centre / HS2 station - the livery carried by the shunter being a late 1980s / 1990s one. *Other examples of this sort of depot mascot included Saltney depot in the West Midlands who adopted a Seagull (because their drivers had lots of route knowledge so spread themselves far and wide as it were and also did quite a lot of runs to seaside locations) plus Crewe depot who chose a cat (think Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland…

[@marktegrotenhuis]

In the Netherlands we have gotten 125 of these in the past, the first 10 being bought second hand from the English War Departement after they brought them in after WWII. Those were numbered NS 501-510. The next 100 were bought new from the EEC factory in London. Those 100 were seperated into 2 series. NS 511-545 without continuous air brake and NS 601-665 with continuous air brake. The final 15 were delivered without an engine and those got a Stork-Thomassen engine here in the Netherlands. Those were numbered 701-715. Roco has made a bunch of models from the dutch version of this series. The older models are known for their issues with the current pick-ups. Later models got better pick-ups and a larger buffer built in on the circuit board. The amount of detail on the body is comparable with this Hornby model, except with Roco being Roco, all handrails and other small parts came in a little plastic back and you'd have to put them on yourself. I myself own about 7 of these, saying "about" because they're not all working and a couple are missing some of the seperately fitted parts.

[@soerenwizard]

One of the Dutch locos ended up in Denmark. Roco made a version of this, which I have an example of for use on Märklin system. Good looks.

[@eugeniomarins2936]

Dear Sir, I have a soft spot for English diesels, but they are hard to come by where i live. I was lucky to buy a few locos, quite old, but most enjoyable. My next wish would be a Class 08 shunter, they are so cute! I just came by one i intend to buy, but it has a logo that i was not familiar with, so i looked and found it is the symbol for Nederlandse Spoorwegen! I hope it doesn't sell before i find the money to buy it... Cheers from Brazil!

[@johnd8892]

The Dutch versions are not an 08, but are based on the earlier LMS design that became the BR class 11. The biggest visual difference are the 8.5 inch smaller four foot wheel diameter they use. So the combination of OO scale and larger wheels of an 08 make the wheels gigantic compared to a correct HO scale Roco 600. I know a bit about these since my local railway in Australia, the Victorian Railways, also had a fleet of class 11 based shunters for their F class shunters. Roco also made a version of the F class in the most common later livery of blue and gold. Two other handcrafted rtr models made as well in white metal and brass with the multiple Trainbuilder versions being the most recent.

[@marktegrotenhuis]

@@johnd8892 Fair point. But the Class 08 is an improved version of the earlier LMS design. Or at least that's what the internet is telling me, so they are still very similar.

[@williamsquires3070]

Hi Sam. At 24:18, you can see the side rods aren’t level (parallel to the walkway) from the middle driver to the rear driver, but is level from the middle to the front driving wheel. You may have some binding or excess friction here which is degrading the performance of the motor and flywheel. It’s also possible the side rod in the back is just a little longer than needed by 1/2 a millimeter or so, or maybe the side rod on the other side (fireman’s side, if this is running long hood forward) is too short by the same half millimeter. 🤔 It’s too bad Hornby didn’t bother to pick out the gauges and controls in the cab for the price they’re asking. 😢 An operating front headlamp would have been a nice touch, too. I can’t give this model any more than a C overall, and a D for “value for money”. I mean, really. If I have to wire in my own headlamp bulb and paint the gauges in the cab, then I would want at least 25£ off! 😊

[@IbilisSLZ]

Yea, when he started initial test the middle driver „jumped” a bit. Possibly (I had this problem with my old BTTB's BR56 2-8-0 steam engine from 80's GDR) it was misassembled: one axle is misrotated by 1 gear tooth (it added a lot of fricion and reliability problems until I fixed it).

[@muckmoses6521]

You didn't mention the wonky coupling rods (might just have been our side) I just couldn't draw my eyes away after a while...

[@kanehood3478]

I came to the comments to see this, the quartering seems out on the middle set of wheels it seems a tiny but advanced over the other two axles

[@RichardKuivila1947]

I looked for this but can not find. Do you mean the NEM hooks/loops ? Seems to couple OK... What is the time in video is this visible ?

[@kanehood3478]

@@RichardKuivila1947 look at the wheel alignment while running and you’ll see that the rods on the wheels don’t stay straight when the center wheel is at the top the leading wheel and trailing wheel aren’t quite there yet so the rods do not look level and the same when the middle wheel get to the bottom, the front and back wheels haven’t got there yet, creating a subtle v shape

[@RichardKuivila1947]

@@kanehood3478 GOOD Eye ! On a model loco, the connecting rod hole must be too large, so changing drive direction has to "take up the slack" before it drives it's connected wheel. The center to center rod spacing would have to be perfectly matched to both wheel crank pins. To keep this operational the larger hole permits a varying (shrink or expansion) of the rod plastic. No binding, but cranking rod mismatch when changing from forward to reverse. ! Only the REAL cranking rods need precision. Worn crank rod bearings on real steam locos make a Clang noise as the rod goes from pull to push.

[@muckmoses6521]

@@RichardKuivila1947 The coupling rods that link the driving wheels. They don't stay straight...

[@jbbumpkin]

The mascot printed on the sides of the body is the Cockney Sparrow. It`s a pretty good reproduction of the vinyl stickers of most of the Stratford allocated locomotives. They were replaced by the cast aluminium depot plates which for the other depots that received them were very good. The Stratford ones were awful with the Cockney Sparrow looking like a child had drawn it!

[@mrbluesky2050]

if you don't know the Cockney Sparrow, maybe you're in the wrong hobby, I had two of these some years back, never skipped a beat, much less maintainence than the ( early) Bachmann, with the wipers on the wheel treads, later Bachmann were better, but, overall, 50/50 H Vs. B... with regards to the cab doors, quite realistic, they always took some slamming to close on the real things

[@caw25sha]

I believe it's pronounced sparrer 😅

[@danny1983ish]

My late aunt worked at Stratford BR in the 80s, I was extremely ill and she took me to work specially to see Duke of Gloucester, my first ever steam loco, I remember the 08 , the paint department use to use it to practice on, when I saw her she was painted black with the lion and Wheel logo .

[@leftin74]

The bird is the word

[@jchinuk]

Stratford Shed is now occupied by Stratford International station and a shopping centre called Westfield Stratford City.

[@ModelRailwaysUnlimited]

Hi Sam, nice review. I'm a great fan of the 08s both real and model. I got my Hornby from 53A Models 21/02/2006 at just £39!!!!! And I can tell you that nothing has changed detail and feature wise. What is very apparent is that the new one was very sloppily done, glue, broken electrical wires (modeled) and ill fitting doors. None of this one my one. Running wise there is something jamming your mechanism. On its first run you saw the middle wheels rise up and it jammed up totally then cleared. You should see a bit more speed than you are seeing and there certainly should be a flywheel effect. I wonder if some of those pickups are jammed up? Worth an investigation I think :)

[@TomPrickVixen]

I only have a Class 08 from Wrenn in 00, and that is a beast (got a new paint and added some handrails from a Bachmann 08 to make it look "less antique"). I also have an 08 in H0 scale as well, from non other than Roco! its an old model from the early 90's and mine is the 2003 collector's club, limited edition (i think that was the last time it was available in any way, but it was already removed from the catalogue a few years before that), so its still not DCC ready, but the catch is that it has working lights (+ a 5 pole motor with a flywheel)! It would be interesting to put the 4 Class 08s (Wrenn, Bachmann, Hornby, Roco) into a contest vs each other!

[@Crepello100]

Last thing I bought for my layout was a Lima Class 08 for about £20 second hand. I gave it additional centre wheel pickups just incase, as it was going to spend it's life shunting stock over the complicated pointwork of my fiddle yard. I didn't know what to expect but it's proved ideal and can easily haul 9 coach rakes and probably a lot more. It doesn't start as smoothly as yours but is reliable at about 10-15mph scale speed. It's even made a few trips round the garden (cos someone asked to see that) all at that low speed with no problem. Maybe it's less detailed but I wouldn't know as I never studied them that closely in real life. It does the job and I could buy something like 9 of them for the cost of a new one. Are the new ones 9 times better? For me the answer is no - I'll stick with what I've got.

[@cerneysmallengines]

With the decrease in electronic prices, I'm surprised that more locomotive don't have a capacitor that if power is lost, it will let it run for an extra quarter or half second.

[@kc5402]

I would think that at 12v, the cap would have to be pretty large, so there would be space problems in most loco models.

[@cerneysmallengines]

@kc5402 they really aren't. a couple locos have stay alive capacitors now that keep them stable on intermittent track

[@1471SirFrederickBanbury]

I find it quite fascinating Sam, that manufacturers nowadays keep increasing the prices of older models when only a few years ago, such was unheard of. Hornby and Bachmann really gouge the prices up to ridiculous levels with old tooling like the Hornby A4, this 08 and others in the name of inflation, but shouldn’t others be harder on them for just charging more instead of retooling or cheapening their older toolings? For reference, many parts of Hornby’s A4 date back to the late 1990s (the valve gear IIRC), and it shows. Thanks as always Sam for keeping manufacturers honest about their prices.

[@itsliamsmith]

Just recently bought Hornby's 'St Piran' 08 from a retailer. It's a discontinued model & took a bit of searching but managed to get one brand new for £159, which is a bit more but being the proud Cornishman that I am, I couldn't miss it. My example has been fantastic with no issues on points or initial running so it's a shame yours did. Before I bought mine I was searching to see if you had done a review on a Class 08 but none from Hornby until today! So thank you for doing one, great video!

[@VauxhallRailfan]

You said ‘No issues on points’. Do you use electrofrogs or insulfrogs?

[@stephendavies6949]

Another forensic, informative and entertaining review. I'd have been inclined to give it a "D". The 08 was the first diesel I recall seeing, as two plied their trade at the colliery where my dad worked. They replaced GWR Pannier 9600 (which is still with us in preservation), along with a couple of other steam tank engines. I recently bought the Bachmann Freightliner Orange-livered version from Kernow at £99, and am very happy with it. I have a couple of older Hornby 08s, which run very well. I also have an ancient Traing version!

[@NWRJ_WStudios]

I'm not really a fan of diesels, but great review Sam. Cheers Jasper & Willow

[@KeefJudge]

Always had a soft spot for the 08. Remember seeing so many of them as a kid, and even now you see them in sidings and depots around the UK railways.

[@robertlucido3686]

You should do an American shunting session, and I think two locomotives you could use for the shunting engines could be the EMD GP7 and EMD GP40 since their called road switchers, which means they can be used for pulling trains as well as shunting in train yards

[@masterminecraft2096]

maybe buy some proto 2000 stuff like a bunch of it

[@muir8009]

Any particular reason why he should? And thanks for pointing out the road switcher designation never mind that the LMS had a road switcher before EMD did...

[@jamesgilbart2672]

I bought one of these new in BR green with TTS sound fitted at an Ally Pally show well over 10 years ago. It's a great model and the cab doors close properly. The price rises on these models are ridiculous because I only paid about £65 for it! The connecting rod is quite fine and made in two pieces - as a result it flexes in the middle and doesn't look straight as it runs which looks a bit odd.

[@sgw8903]

Perhaps the weaker flywheel effect in comparison to the Bachmann is due to the more realistic low speed. Probably doesn't spin the flywheel fast enough. I think it is more likely to act as an engine brake and result in even more abrupt stops.

[@gerrynewton55020]

It should be heavy because it is made from solid gold for £185. How can this be worth this amount of money? Utterly ridiculous!

[@dennisnorton3880]

As regards the opening door which I like, the window next to it is half open so it would be easy to just put a little hook through to pull the door shut.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

To put the Class 08 into perspective, let’s start with the fact that this locomotive has a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour. They were designed to handle shunting in a marshalling yard or a locomotive shed.

[@muckmoses6521]

Correct and Sam says that in his review and complements Hornby for their accuracy...

[@scooby2142]

Thanks for that Sherlock.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Lovely little yellow Gronk!! There are so many different liveries for these that I might even get myself one.

[@NWRJ_WStudios]

Hi Sam, I just wanted to give you a updated on my GER P43 project. I've just finished making the entire locomotive, and now I'll be focusing on the tender. I'll keep you updated one what happens next :) Cheers Jasper & Willow

[@Gatherleymodeller.]

Cool 😊

[@Meeeeyfhh]

Cool

[@andrewdking]

I recommended you tested this model years ago. I bought mine circa 2006 from the now defunct model shop in Guernsey for about £44, so hasn't it gone up in price ! However, it really impressed me with its incredibly slow almost imperceptible crawl, fine connecting rods (compared to Bachmann's) and super legible graphics and text. That realistic low gearing must have something to do with the flywheel not giving a visible overrun when the power is turned off.

[@rogerking7258]

I have one running on DCC with a stay-alive and it runs superbly, even at the slowest speeds over points. Unfortunately, the sliding hatch on the roof detached itself and disappeared when it was nearly new and Hornby's reaction was "We don't carry those as spare parts" - so tough luck on me! When it comes to rating value for money I really think this should be done entirely on the manufacturer's RRP. After all, if they artificially inflate the price they should be prepared to be judged by their actions, especially when that is what they themselves will charge you. Companies like Accurascale don't do this and you rarely see a discount because the price is fair to begin with.

[@johnchadwick4222]

I’ve got 3 of these and had no problems with them, one is sound fitted, and that’s why it’s lighter than you would expect as there is space for a speaker. This version has always had sound available, originally a Loksound, but then TTS and now the TXS. This was at one point, I think, cheaper than the Bachmann model, it is also newer, but still been around for at least 15 years.

[@BrakeCoach]

Love the new intro! You should continue doing it

[@terencepriestley1608]

I purchased the Bachmann 08 shunter new from Rails for £79.95 a few weeks ago in the orange Freightliner livery. I fitted an 8 pin Hm7000 Bluetooth sound decoder . The sound gave the model a new dimension. If only I could have got the body to fit back on with the decoder in place. Tried everything that I could within my limited skill set to get the body back but failed miserably. It's now back on DC and runs very well for what is a dated model. Great value from Rails though when compared to the Hornby 08 shunter.

[@caw25sha]

Many many years ago my dad had a Wrenn 08 which he permanently wired up to a match truck to spread the pickups over another four wheels.

[@Dabfut]

You call it bad quality control I call it 🌟weathering🌟

[@1maico1]

Curious it cuts on the plastic frogs when the pick-ups are still in contact with the track. I'd wire in a capacitor.

[@stevenwaller192]

Hello Sam! I am enjoying your videos. You really give a thorough review and break down of all these products. I found great entertainment when you went about making the world’s fastest model train. I am in the United States 🇺🇸 and wonder about the Gauge or gauges of locomotives. Is OO the same As our HO gauge ( track width). I understand the difference in the Scales. I would appreciate some definition. Another difference I’m noticing. Bachmann seems to favor the UK 🇬🇧. As you get a 320 page catalog and here in the U.S. we get 20+ pages

[@JB-ud6vm]

Opening doors on a shunting engine make sense actually.

[@JosephMartin-Smith-fq8gm]

Hornbys motto should be 'get now before we jack the price again'

[@dcb_trains]

I really like my hornby 08 had it many years and had no issues with it.

[@hikinguphigh]

I bought the phantom a few months ago, the first one turned up with broken parts. But the replacment they sent seems perfect. No glue marks, the door feature works perfectly with no gaps, no missaligned parts, no paint chips etc. Im wondering if you got sent a dud, like you mentioned, that should not have passed quality control, but i also agree lights would have been nice

[@paulredding5864]

That RRP is seriously taking the p*ss. Hornby Brought out their 08 after Bmann and was regarded as the better model. I have paid £37, 57 and then £123 in 2010 for EWS Chris Wrenn in 2010 which I thought exorbitant at the time but makes what you paid at £125 a bargain. Prices now are ludicrous, only time to buy is if you see stuff very heavily discounted.

[@philkeller4170]

Re opening doors - if you look at photos of 08 shutters at work in yards quite a lot of the time the doors were left open or have crew / shutters standing in the doorway. Having the ability to add crew in realistic poses is actually far more realistic from a modelling perspective - lighting on models is generally far to bright compared to real locos had and most modellers don’t use it in a prototypical fashion anyway.

[@AlvaroCC-qq3uz]

Diesel, Paxton, Sidney, Arry, Bert, Splatter, Dodge, the mainland diesel shunters, etc. In real life :D

[@timothyghost8899]

Along with another 08 shunter named Prudence

[@DavidScholz-bu1ix]

​@@timothyghost8899AGREED!!!!!

[@adamwilliams192]

Fascinating review Sam, I love the prototype and have a handful of “Gronks” in N gauge. Amazed for the money this has no lights and not even space for a speaker.. If you even decide to look at an N gauge 08, Bachmann (Graham Farish) released a range of sound fitted 08s in lots of liveries last year. Some are now getting discounted so maybe worth a look? Best

[@lukeslocomotives]

I used to have an EWS one of these, for £90. Wreaked it when i tried to service its chassis :/ Bought a Tri-Ang one to replace it I do remember it having quite a good flywheel effect though, could yours maybe have an issue with it? The wheels dont look to be quatered correctly, maybe (24:17 and 26:14, for example)

[@EmperorJack1000]

Like I mentioned before, I got a class 08 diesel shunter, and it works just fine. Plus, it's called The Phantom, just so you know.

[@CHRISDORRELL]

I have both Hornby & Bachmann Class 08/09s running on DCC and by far the best are the Hornby ones

[@digitalcareline]

If it screeches then the motor bearings have dried out - apply a tiny amount of oil to make the bronze bearing glossy. No need for Next18 if all you have are 2 pick ups and 2 motor wires.

[@robinbrowne5419]

It would be really cool if they could put DCC sound at the factory with appropriate sounds for each model. They could use a simple speed sensor (magnet and hall effect) on the motor to automatically adjust the sound for the speed of the loco. And, as you say, lights. These things would go a long way to increase the realism and the fun factor 👍

[@robertsparks3685]

Anther great video. Thanks. I may have noticed another feature/difference in this loco. It appears that the connecting bar for the wheels in actually 2 pieces or flexes as the loco travels. Are the rear cranks longer than the others? Is that accurate to the real thing? An interesting model with great colour.

[@timbervalleyproductions]

I believe (but may be wrong) that the connecting rods being in two is prototypical, however, the flexing whilst running most definitely isn't!

[@a2020vision_official]

My guess would be the flexing comes from clearance issues in the coupling rod - probably too much clearance in this case. It's quite distracting!

[@johncottee8314]

I believe there is no flywheel effect when shutting of power owing to the high gearing of the loco, I still prefer the Hornby over the Bachmann though

[@LetsGo_41]

Interesting take from Sam on this. I have a Class 08 Phantom and luckily for me I didn't have any of the issues highlighted in the detail section (thank the lord). However, I do have to say that the whilst I haven't got a wonky door like his one the feature is really handy. I bought a set of shunter figures from ModelU and you have one of them driving whilst leaning out the side of the cab. So the fact the door opens made it much easier to fit the driver and also looks cool. When you say Sam that it's not feature that's going to be used. I have to say I think you are wrong on that front.

[@russellbenton2987]

Nice . I have a BR Green one that runs well . Possibly 10 to 12 years old .The screech will happen over time . I’ve tried Vaseline on the bearings that seems to work .I don’t have a Bachmann one so can’t make the comparison . I don’t have the points issue though , although mine are mostly standard points . She doesn’t make it out to the Mainline very often !

[@MattTrains2001]

I own both the Hornby and Bachmann 08, according to Hattons directory, both toolings are from 2005, however Hornby have done a 21 pin dcc updated version it seems. I got "Dave 2" in EWS livery for the Hornby one, probably about 2010 and it ran absolutely fine for ages, pulling massive trains with ease however it now runs quite poorly, and having being evicted from the display case, sits in pieces on my desk awaiting a DCC chip that isn't a pain to cram in. Neither loco seems to have sufficient space for a decoder that isn't direct 8pin without wiring harness. My Bachmann one is in the GW Freightliner livery and was bought at just over half price this year and seems so far to be doing well. Personally I had no issues on either of mine with any of the details or paintwork but I suppose that depends purely on the model you receive. I think they are about as good as each other but I wouldn't be paying full price for either of them should I expand the collection.

[@alantraish3368]

Stick lais 8 pin decoder in. Cheap and will fit. I have them in this x2 and Bachmann 08

[@Kev5565]

A good honest review, I'd say the most impressive thing about it is slow running. I'd rather not have the opening doors unless I took the spring off and left a door open, otherwise maybe i'd remove the doors from the hinges then attach plasticard tabs on the inside and glue the doors in place. I wouldn't buy at retail price but maybe in a sale and I would prefer it over the Bachmann. That colour is horrible lol (personal preference) I'd prefer BR blue and heavily weathered and grimed when I've had some practice.

[@paulfribbens6594]

What's going on with the loco coupling rods that seem to bend upwards then downwards as it goes in either direction?

[@theblackleafninja3858]

It looks very good and hopefully the mechanism is great also todays my birthday

[@bradtheghosthunter234]

Happy birthday 🎂 🎉

[@theblackleafninja3858]

@@bradtheghosthunter234 thank you 🙇🏿‍♂️

[@rgorham99]

Had a 1990 version of this sold when decided to go all steam. But it worked well but was always slow but strong. Having observed a real one at work in the wild I can confirm they really are really really slow so performance is accurate. I haven't bought a new loco in 5 years that was a Hornby Railroad Mallard for £68. Imagine that nowadays, 😂

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

I was gonna get that back in 2019 but I spotted a bachmann Class 03 and I needed a shunter right there and then because my hornby 0-4-0 was dying. Don't regret it a single bit.

[@drevo50]

I have a fleet of 10 08s, 5 Bachmann and 5 Hornby. The best runner is a Bachmann; the worst runner is also a Bachmann. The Hornby models are just average to ok, surprising given the big motor and brass bearings. I have suggested to Accurascale a few times that they should make a state of the art model - we can only hope!

[@mattl8723]

Hi Sam. I'm not suggesting you should have to, but is it possible for you to check that all of the wipers are contacting the wheels properly?

[@thomasmcilroy510]

Nice 08 shunter i notice on my hornby class 08 Shunter and the one you got is my favourite 08 Shunter mainly it has the Stratford cockney sparrow on it

[@nicholas2198]

I picked this up as 09012 Dick Hardy just over 15 years ago for £50-something from my local Hornby dealer in a now gone department store. Far enough back it's in the older box off hornby. Mine runs fantastic and has done a lot of mileage running round my old layout with only normal amounts of cleaning, aside from one of the cab windows in front of the door falling out and disappearing it's never had any issues in over 15 years That current price for the same 15+ year old model though, Hornby need to give their head a shake 😬

[@leokimvideo]

The door must have been a Boeing design

[@Sohave]

The door is kind of cool if you want to stick a figure in there, you can have it jammed open as if a crew member is ready to jump out for shunting work.

[@davidstrains4910]

Wouldn’t mind trying a hornby 08 to be honest, currently only have my Bachmann one which I have mentioned before on here and while it is nice I would be up for getting a hornby one, remember seeing IC82s review many years ago, his one was in SERCO livery, interesting livery on yours here Sam.

[@Gatherleymodeller.]

Yay you reviewed this 😊

[@briandesens144]

Awesome video Sam's trains 😊

[@markphillips5368]

Given the quality 5 pole motor, the gearing, the amazing crawl, and the low-speed control ability, I would opt for the Hornby model over the Bachman model if I was in the market for one.

[@sonarfreq]

I'm surprised you gave it four stars for performance Sam, when it's clearly struggling on points. An RRP of nearly £200 and it's unreliable on points? I think I'll pass... but thank you once again for the thorough review.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

The opening doors would allow for the fitting of a locomotive crew.

[@busterdragon1]

Hi Sam I have both 08 shunters from Hornby and Bachmann and i do prefer the Hornby one if I'm honest. I have the orange one you have and a EWS Red one, the orange one I've owned from new and its never had any issues performs really well and the EWS red one I bought second hand and its very noisy but its a lot older than the other one so I think the previous owner ran it a lot before I got it but it also performs well. I've owned 2 Bachmann ones as well, the first one went back to the retailer as it didn't work at all completely dead and the second one which is also Orange I've had from new and it doesn't give me any grief but it doesn't impress as much as the Hornby one for me. But I do think both of them have a price issue as they are both older tooled models now and you can get Accurascale diesels for similar or less money and they have more features and are like nearly 3 times as large as them so I do think the value for money is a put off for both them, all the 08's I got were either second hand or severely discounted I got the Bachmann one new for less than £80 :) which is a fantastic price. I would like to see another brand or for Hornby or Bachmann to maybe re-tool them or upgrade them in the future as like you said they both have plus & negatives that could be improved upon. Anyway great Video Sam thanks again

[@bulleidboy1]

I paid £143 for my Bachmann 08, so £129 from a retailer is certainly not expensive. My original Hornby 08, bought in 2004 is a superb runner, the slow speed running has to be seen to be believed.

[@mrnorthernspitfire3067]

That loco looks like a flight attendant for EasyJet, it looks like it’s been Tangoed 😂

[@rottenroads1982]

Hey, Sam’sTrains, when will you have your own OO9 scale layout? You finally started reviewing OO9 scale locomotives with the Kato&Peco New England class locomotive, but when will you have your own OO9 scale layout that goes with your OO scale one? I highly recommend watching videos on people building OO9 scale layouts, they are fully of great information.

[@davidstaves6669]

My tri-ang 08 cost 35s/6d. It'll be 60 years old this year. First loco I bought with my pocket money.

[@bjarnehjort6240]

The motor looks like the ones I had in my 80s slotcars.

[@JulianSaunders]

With a Zimo decoder and stay alive fitted slow running is sublime. I think the Bachmann model is better but you have to fit additional pick ups on the back of the flanges - the factory fitted pickups rub on the wheel treads and get very dirty very quickly.

[@DJ_K666]

I'm currently looking for an 08 or preferably an 09 The opening door feature is OK if you remove the spring as it can be posed with a driver figure. These were often used with their door open.

[@RonCooper-nl4pn]

Hi Sam, great video as expected, that RRP is the same that I paid for my Dapol O gauge although a few years ago, also you don’t get any lights on the Hornby model. I’m not bothered about lights on my OO models but at these prices I WANT them. Regards from Ron 🚂👍✔️🚂

[@dr_bnc]

Closed captions - Homie and Batman! Brilliant! 🤣

[@VauxhallRailfan]

Lol i had the same😂😂😂

[@caw25sha]

It appears that the window is partially open. If so it should be possible to close the door using a bent paperclip or something like that.

[@kanehood3478]

You could do, but shouldn’t have to, would you purchase a brand new car only to have to close the door by leaving a window open and closing it from the inside? No didn’t think so, it may seem like sam is being very picky but when was the last time you bought something that wasn’t as advertised or didn’t work properly straight out of the box and was truly happy with it, id rather not have the feature if the manufacturer cant get it to work or look right, just seems like we are all paying out for pointless stuff like doors that dont close properly, id rather just scrap that idea and put the money into painting the cab or running lights or even connecting rods that actually stay straight and dont look wonky, it cant be that hard my old hornby 0-6-0s have the same setup and work just fine and both are over 30 years old now

[@farmerdave7965]

I really like those axle bearings on that Hornby. Bachmann axles just rub on the frame. Greetings from Colorado Springs.

[@lindaoffenbach]

These were also used where I grew op in the Netherlands. Delightful model visually in that striking colour. Pity about all those quality issues once again, which makes it a no-no. Opening doors only add gaps and you just try them once for fun perhaps, or it would be that you want a figure leaning out somewhat. But other than that, we don't want those on a model actually. Fair review Sam. Cheerio.

[@OlivierGabin]

Good mechanism but that won't save the rest for Hornby. Dated DCC socket, usual quality issues, lack of features (lights anyone ?), and price skyrocketing,, I agree with you on the better choice with Bachmann. Mine, in BR black, is more than decent. Put the emphasis on the quality of the assembly, put a next 18 socket, add lights, change the pickups for a more conventional type you can put off for maintenance, and bring the RRP do GBP 150, and you have a winner. Oh, and, please, MAKE A BR GREEN ASAP ! None of the new issues, either by Bachmann or Hornby, proposes a DCC ready BR green, the one I need !

[@mailstorminurbox]

watching this with my dog, she likes your voice!

[@OragamiTobichi-bi6lh]

Yeah there products are super expensive. But eBay is the way to go. My new Hornby train comes today I think. The o8 is very cool. But I would go with desiel Thomas model. But looks very nice I think yellow makes it look strange. But black is better. Keep it up and keep being awesome my friend. Love ur trains as always

[@GreatEasternMainlineSpots]

Sam I have a quick question that hope u can answer. I'm planning on getting my railway up and running and am looking at getting a hm2000 hornby controller,how do you set the controller up to get it working?

[@terrigoddard3448]

I have a couple of both, Hornby & Bachmann. And I have to say I do prefer the bachmann version. Probably because it has a spring centre wheels. Both look great though.

[@phyreboi_studios]

Oh god I can’t hold it AHH I’M FULL OF SURPRISES-

[@martinpattison1567]

Which Desal Shunter is the best? Mine. Model R152 actually made in the early 60s, but it is in British Railways Blue with inter-city logos on the side, so it does not feather on the layout. It has no Cab glazing, no 3 link couplings and no separately fitted, unless you include the coupling rods and no outside frames to rip the edge off of your platforms. .Details 9/10 Performance 9/10 Power 10/10 if used for shunting.10/10 Value for money, 2 months pocket money £2.99. I have two earlier models in Green. (Bought Second-hand).Martin. (Thailand) The first part of my layout has trains running on it now. Yorkshire LNER Preservation Railway.

[@train_man5975]

This maybe a personal question, but how do you afford to get a new model almost every week? Especialy some being $200.

[@joek5882]

'Arry and Bert sure are very devious diesels! 😝

[@mbwoods2001]

£167.39(10% off rrp) at our shop! Bachmann version is £127.45(15% off rrp)

[@josephtucker7181]

curious to see where the decoder socket is because bachmann is in a horribleposition for a 8 pin decoder

[@josephtucker7181]

decoder in a better spot but would be better as a next 18 indeed

[@YourAverageRailwayFan]

I always felt that the class 08 was a good first start for modelers

[@Damocles178]

Certainly is a lovely model. Looks shockingly realistic at times. No lie I've wanted to see you review a Hornby Class 08 ever since I started watching your reviews. Seems a terrible shame for it to be somewhat unreliable on points as that goes against the nature of the class. The quirk of the opening door is a bit of a gimmick but I think Hornby might've slid it in for a modeller that wants to create a railway scene with the door propped open and a figure leaning out etc. One thing that is quite hard to believe is I think that tooling dates back to 2005 (barring new liveries; not sure if that ever got updated). It holds up rather well but could certainly do with a bit of an update with newer features (like lights) to justify that price. Nowadays expectations have changed and not without good reason.

[@colinpottle6850]

Great review Sam. To me, a shunter that won't go across points is useless as that is just where they would be used. Badly fitted parts would also steer me away from this model.

[@David_Mattox]

U know what? I’m just gonna accept that this is the year where I quote The Unlucky Tug. “I don’t know why Hornby thinks they can get away with charging £189 for an 08, when Bachmann’s are just as detailed, run just as well, and you can get them for less than half the price.” Needless to say, this needs a serious discount before I get one of these.

[@AVFCAM]

I think the cab door opening is included to allow a crew member to “hang out” the door…

[@englishoat]

Hi Sam, great review again. I'm wondering if in future reviews when you are comparing specifically to another model (in this case the Bachmann 08) if you could include those gradings on the Rating screen to compare against (might want to include the year you reviewed that one so we know if we're comparing recent grades to old grades so take with a pinch a salt to account for how things have moved on) Thanks Edit: I wrote this while you were talking through the ratings, and did hear your summary comparison at the end which was useful but I'd still like to see the individual ratings between the two

[@Tauraco00]

Im sticking with my current stock and older ones, nothing new....or then again..I don't want to let go of Hornby, they must fix the issues🎉