Hornby's Worst Model Railway Products

As big of a Thomas & Friends fan as I am, I’m in full agreement with you about Hornby Edward. He’s the worst model in the range only second to Emily. The lack of outside cylinders and the fact that he’s taller than James highlight this. Everyone says Hornby had a 2P tooling they should’ve used at the time Edward’s original model was released (2006), and it’s hard to disagree! Meanwhile, Bill and Ben (along with Toby) were repurposed from the Thomas clockwork range from 1999. They were deliberately overscaled for children (I had the full range growing up), and that was unfortunately carried over into the OO range.

The steampunk range’s worst aspect was that it brought shame and dishonour to the name of Basset-Lowke, who practically kickstarted the hobby single-handedly! A firm that made spectacular 0 gauge and live steam engines that still work wonderfully to this day. Hornby should have used the Basset-Lowke name to enter the 0 gauge market and/or live steam, which would have greatly helped their profits. Thanks as always Sam!

"Function 8 is a murder" -Sam's Trains 2024

As a Lego builder, I think the brickpunk range were the worst designs I have ever seen. A deceased hamster could design a better model.

The strange thing about the Thomas range is that the quality of the model depended on what they had used for it. Most of the more obscure characters like Oliver, Murdoch, and Stepney faired well because they're prototypes were ubiquitous in oo scale but then you look at main characters like Edward and Toby and they just look horrible. I think people would look back on it better today if Hornby put more effort into the main characters

I feel like Hornby isn't trying anymore. Squeezing out every last dollar, old models, overpriced models.

Since you did Hornby's worst products, can you please do a Bachmann's worst products?

You literally explained every problem I have with the Hornby Thomas range. It’s so bad. How do you get a license as popular and important (at the time) as Thomas, and then don’t even try on it? They literally gave Arry and Bert the wrong faces. Like they actually have faces that are from two different characters. How do you even do that?

I remember the sound wagon being featured in James May’s Trouble in Model Britain about Simon coming back to rescue Hornby. I nearly bought one the other day for about £20. Thanks for saving me

The most annoying thing about the SECR E2 is that it has the number 326. The SECR had a number 326, it was a Wainwright H Class 0-4-4T, and it was scrapped in 1961.

My issue with hornby's iteration of Edward, is because he isn't even the right class. The rehashed build designs of the e2, Percy, etc, are absolutely abismal

That tank engine in that Beatles set…is another Thomas retooling! They used to make an 0-4-0 Thomas before the e2 one

Lol funny how sam didn't recognise the level crossing barrier sound

The TTS sound wagon is pointless!! Back in the olden days of model railways, modellers would visit preserved railways with a contraption called a cassette recorder (I used a Phillips N2220 back in the 1970's). These cassette recorders would record al the railway related sounds that the modeller desired in superior to digital, analogue quality onto 1.5 hour playing magnetic cassette tapes. Back home, these tapes could be inserted into an old fashioned stereo music centre, with cassette tape playing facilities, to be played in the background whilst operating a model railway layout, etc. Some people also published and sold railway sounds cassettes & LP records, advertising them in model railway magazine publications.

I've noticed Sam that the 14xx never has a good reputation in model form. Hopefully one day someone will make a new tooled 14xx model. Cheers Jasper & Willow

I remember seeing one of those steampunk trains, the 0-4-0 one, for sale for 50p 😂

Sam, what to do with your worst top ten items. 10: Repaint the livery to the correct livery or rebody it. 9: Take it apart, take out the sound system, and have it connected to the layout else where with better speakers. The van then can be unpickuped to use it free wheeling. 8: Strip it for usable parts or weather it with TMC or rebody. The latter which Hornby probably did with the returned model you got back. 7: The franchise should have insisted on new tooling before Hornby bought its licence. Not to use old tooling releases. A bad deal by the franchise and no wonder they lost the deal to Bachmann. Reuse as spares or repaint to proper liveries or rebody. 6: The 66 was also used for the NHS Thank You Capt Thomas Moore and I was so let down for the charity model. I expected a Super Detailed release and end up with a Railroad loco. Hence I bought the Bachmann release a few months ago with the WW2 Planes set, a better perfect tribute release. As for my Hornby NHS loco, offer me a price and its yours or to anyone watching. Highest offer wins with a 20% donation to the NHS from me. 5: Sacrilege to the Beatles name, or anything like it as a franchise or licence release. Just poor thought out items. Solution is to repaint, and weather to proper stock or replace all bodies to true liveried stock. 4: The 14xx model, if it can't be fixed, strip it for spare parts. Otherwise rechassis it. Also, repaint the body, or heavy weather it to hide the terrible printing. 3: The Coke franchise should have pulled the plug on the licence for these crass models. This lowmac, cut away the bottle, reload with a proper load and stick it in a siding, Sam. Even cut away the D couplers and replace with a magnetic set to see if that helps its running. 2: Runner up, well, lets see, hmm, resell at a big loss, give them away, bin them, or melt them down, but keep the metal wheels. 1: Top slot, the steam punk range. It's best to rebody the stock with proper fictional bodies, or use the best of the chassis' as spare parts and scrap the rest. As for the Lego, just mix the parts in with the rest of your bricks and say nothing, lol. I hope these hints and tips will help you make better use of the top ten fails, Sam. They are practical solutions to make good out of bad buys. Enjoy doing the Mods and lets see what you can do to make use of them in a future 'Can We Reperpose, or Destory' video, 😂😂😂. After watching the video for new content for the channel with Chloe. The above reperposing idea would be a start, lol.

I've got the sound effect van. The siren is a level crossing and the shooting sound as you say it is. Is doors being closed at the station

Oh no, the Hornby steampunk range managed to outlive Sam! 😱

I bet for a million British pounds that Accurascale or Rapido can make a proper Furness Railway K2 4-4-0 American tender engine in double 00 Sam. I mean, Rapido is making the real life Bill and Ben counterparts in model form.