Debut of the ‘Deltic’

Welcome to the August edition of Engine Shed, the only ‘00’ gauge update from the Hornby development team.

In today’s edition, we will show off the long awaited first samples of the Hornby Dublo DP1 ‘Deltic’! We will also give you an update on the FGW Class 153 unit with a new approved sample.

DP1 ‘Deltic’ First Look

We are thrilled to say we finally received the first shots and running samples of the much-anticipated Hornby Dublo DP1 ‘Deltic’. Our last update on this project was featured in the Hornby 2024 Catalogue where Product Designer, Sam, was interviewed about the initial research process and the designing of ‘Deltic’. Now, after a few months in tooling, we are pleased to reveal our initial samples which are a first indication of how the model will look and feel for customers.

First Shots

To give you an idea of the complexity of this project, there are 147 unique moulded parts in total, divided into 19 tools! Six of these tools are for diecast metal, and the other thirteen are for plastic parts. You must bear in mind that some of these parts have multiple cavities in the tool so the total moulded part count per model is in excess of 200. This also does not include wire and etched parts!

As this is a Hornby Dublo model, many of the core parts of the product are diecast. These parts consist of the body, roof, chassis, bogie frames, bogie gearboxes, roof fan gearboxes, motor bracket, buffers and fuel tanks. The tooling suite contains separate roofs to consider the later addition of a vent and two bogie variations to allow for the suspension damper modification that occurred later in service.

All the diecast parts that make up the model weigh a hefty 773g! This ‘Deltic’ will be the heaviest Hornby model to date.

The remaining plastic tools that make up the rest of the parts to make the model include separate roof vents, piping, cab doors, windows, fuel tank detailing and buffer stocks. The model also features a fully detailed cab interior with driver and secondman figures. These decorated British Railway staff members will be fitted in the No. 1 end in production.

When inspecting the first shots, we found that in general, the mouldings are of a good quality. Areas to highlight here are the raised chevrons on the nose front of the locomotive and the beading down the bodysides which will look great decorated in a cream colour. However, there were some issues with the finish that requires improvement. The central roof vents should appear as more circular than they were on the mouldings. There were some missing rivets on the roof, engine bay detailing and cab area which is not a cause for concern at this stage as it is common for rivets to not be included on first shot mouldings.

Running Sample

A few weeks after we got our first look at mouldings for DP1, we received our first running sample.

The most important thing to point out is that this is not a decoration sample, and the shade of blue applied to DP1 is not what will be featured on the final model. Diecast parts require more layers of paint than plastic parts, and as such the manufacturing tolerances must be increased to account for the additional paint thickness. Due to this, the plastic parts would not have fitted properly if the sample was just presented as its raw zinc colour, so the running sample had to be painted.

This locomotive is the first big diesel design since the release of our new HM7000 21-pin decoder, so we took the chance to add features utilising the extra functionality this offers. The model includes directional lighting, cab lighting, dashboard console lighting and engine bay lighting to illuminate the detailed Napier Deltic engines visible through the side windows. The real-life ‘Deltic’ was designed with the intention to sell into the North American market, so the ends of the locomotive had space for a Mars light which was never fitted. Our model includes this lamp as a “what if” feature, off by default and controllable by decoder or by switch on the 21-pin blanking plug on DC operation. The ‘Deltic’ also features a dual-speaker EM1 / sugarcube set-up, independently controlled engine fans (one for each engine), and automatic flange squeal. All the above features are controllable on DCC and the HM|DCC app, with decoder and power bank fitting in the fuel tanks accessible via magnetic hatch.

Having reviewed the running sample, we are generally happy with how it looks and runs. The key functions like lighting and fans worked well when the sample was under test on the development track, with minor adjustments required for the LEDs to have the correct brightness. As always, all aspects of the performance of the ‘Deltic’ will continue to be optimised over a series of samples before production is approved.

There is a plethora of separately fitted detailing, most prominent on the highly detailed bogies. Vacuum cylinders, two sets of suspension consisting of compression and leaf springs and lifting hooks are all individual parts to enhance detail and a separate brake chain is featured for the first time on a Hornby model.

There were some missing parts such as the windscreen wipers, door handles, pipes on the side of the bogie and the sand pipes. These will be present on future samples and final production models.

Please note that the DP1 ‘Deltic’ is not pulling the Royal Train, rather all headcode lamps have been fitted for this sample. In the final production model, the express passenger headcodes will be fitted with additional lamps and lamp brackets in the accessory bag to allow for headcode customisation. These are non-working lamps. For the final model, etched makers/information plates will be supplied in the accessory bag for you to attach if you wish to do so. The ‘Deltic’ legend is printed centrally on the body and does not have an etching.

Due to the intense weight of the model, we had to innovate a new style of robust packaging to fully support ‘Deltic’ during transit. Like how a Scalextric car is packaged, DP1 will be screwed to a rigid base with separate supporting ends. A cradle will be placed and surrounded by foam featured in modern Hornby locomotive packaging. This cradle also has a dual purpose as a display stand when the ends are removed.

Please check future editions of Engine Shed for the latest updates on the DP1 'Deltic' project, with decoration samples coming soon, or visit us at future shows where you’ll see our latest progress of this seminal British Railways locomotive.

FGW Class 153 Approved Sample

The ‘Super Sprinter’ is here in the form of an approved sample! No. 153361 is presented in a FGW branded ‘Local Lines’ livery with dynamic wording.

At the decoration sample stage, we experimented with UV printing and tampo printing for the wording on the bodysides. When we compared them side by side, we found that tampo printing suited the wording much more than UV. The words were easier to read and were a much closer colour match to the prototypical unit.

The final product uses a mixture of UV and tampo printing to achieve the look that we were after. The base body colour, which is a gradient, is UV printed, with the wording and all small prints being tampo to achieve the quality and colour accuracy we are after.

HM7000

New sound profiles have arrived! SD007 Class 800 and SD053 B17 Streamline Class Steam are now available via the free HM|DCC app.

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Model Shot of the Year 2024!

We are delighted to announce that our annual Model Shot of the Year competition is back!

Unleash your creativity and share your Hornby ‘00’ gauge or Hornby TT:120 scale model shots to be in with a chance of winning!

Prizes include £300 worth of Hobby Rewards points to spend on Hornby.com, a unique ‘Model Shot of the Year 2024’ plinth and plaque, plus lots more!

With our amazing guest judges, Jack Boskett, and Jenny Kirk, what are you waiting for?

Click here to find out more and enter today! Model Shot of the Year 2024

Hornby Locomotion Visit

We recently visited Locomotion in Shildon for a few days of hands-on model railway activities for all ages! We had a great time meeting visitors, playing with our demo of the new Playtrains High Speed Train Set and seeing the iconic 'Flying Scotsman' of course! 

We also want to congratulate David Shetliffe on winning our competition, who experienced a truly unique morning with the incredible locomotive. 

Come along to one of our next events to enjoy our latest samples, popular models and more!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our latest selection of samples and new models. Please email marketing@hornby.com for any questions or comments that you may have. See you next time!

Be sure to follow Hornby on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to be kept up to date on all the latest news and product updates. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Hornby YouTube channel and tune in to our Beyond the Buffers Podcast.

Happy Modelling!

The Engine Shed Team

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