Out of curiosity, my wife looked up the set. They're now out of stock on the full price, and no "scuffed" ones to speak of. That listing is gone. Hornby must have someone monitoring your channel which I find very funny. Keep up the brutal honesty!
@@thedappercook lol. There's a difference between listings out of stock and removed from the site all together. The regular ones were showing as out of stock. If you've watched any of Sam's videos, Hornby is not a company you'd be soon defending.
What's especially frustrating is that the "real" Hogwarts Express was always depicted as having four coaches (except in one film where it had five for no apparent reason), so it wouldn't've even been that difficult to just include two more to complete the set.
With some licensing agreements, there are strict rules about discounting including discounts for end of range, damaged products and customer or reseller returns while the license is live. It could be that non A-1 packaging can be sold at a clearance price and the definition/audit process of non A-1 is loose enough for the supplier to use to clear over stocks without breaking the master agreement.
No , they have discounted Harry Potter product before , but that was before they adopted the anti retailer approach , you should not the most recent Hornby board appointment , a gent with specific specialist internet selling experience.
A way to fix that blue/white LED is to use some "clear orange" paint (Tamiya X- 26). A few coats over the LED tones down the color towards that "warm white" color that most modelers desire. I hate those blue/white LEDs. Several US companies use them, and they ruin what are otherwise beautiful models.
It does have corner scrapes and I'm fairly sure I know at least partly what this stock is about. This is retailer return stock, I saw pallets of this stuff going out to retail pre Christmas including easy build cars from Airfix. Likely returned for credit leaving hornby with B grade stock to shift.
Nonsense. What is described in the vid is the truth. Hornby want to charge stupid money for sub standard stuff. The end of model railways is fast approaching as people stop buying and the next generation stops coming in to it. Hornby etc only have themselves to blame.
I think I know why... I remember reading about this.. When the new owner took over Hornby he said the company was all over the place. He was confused as to why Hornby was even making sets such as Hogwarts and Paddington when it doesn't fit into the company's style. "How is Hogwarts express going to fit into someone's accurate model layout of the 1900's" (he said something like that) So maybe they are finding a way to gradually remove stock such as this?
Yeah it's a good question isn't it? Fair enough if stand-alone train sets were popular among non-modellers, but are they these days? Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Interestingly, the set is missing quite a bit from Hornbys earlier HP train sets. The Philosophers Stone, Chamber Of Secrets sets also had a trackmat, platform with a platform shelter in it, platform fencing and furniture n that cost around £100 back in the day. Controller wise, ya should have a look at the old school HandM Clipper or Duette controllers, they were and are still awesome kit
I imagine they stuck the LED in the front like that, rather than it in a lamp, so modellers couldn't get a cheap hall class, so Hornby could sell models at higher price. Although conjecture it's probably also why it was a white light as well to make it even more of an inconvenience
Could always just snip the wires and paint /blank it over if you find it a bother, or remount it into a lamp body. Kitbashing is the budget modeller's friend.
@@Shipwright1918 To make it into a Hall in either GWR or BR livery you'd have to completely repaint it anyway so popping out the smokebox door and getting a spare would be a minor inconvenience. If only the Harry Potter film had used an LMS locomotive!!
@@SamsTrains It may not be "cheap Hall class" so much as "legally distinct Hall class" - the licensing agreement will have specified Hogwarts Castle, and under US law there can be legal issues around "confusion" between an IP-linked item and a generic item. The licence might well have demanded all-new tooling (note the Hogwarts Railways logo too) to avoid any suggestion that Hogwarts Castle was the same product as a standard Hall and losing IP protection.
I have actually seen the Hogwarts Express when it was stored in London's Clapham Junction, Battersea. It was secretly stored to stop train fanatics knowing where it was. The security gate was about 20 feet high covered in barbed wire Also there which I was allowed to tour through was the Orient Express which was being serviced. I was given a bar of Orient Express soap. 20 years ago, time flies.
That's an awesome idea Robert - thing is, I bet most of the preserved locos have been screen used from one time or another! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Let's just say that u have been blessed with a magical train in your train collection (and it's making Thomas and his friends jealous). It's an awesome model to have as a modal train from Hornby. The train is perfect, they brought the proper train from RL (real life) into an aweome looking model. I wonder what the next review is going to be that you will be doing Sam.
I have been rewatching this religiously for the past 2 weeks I am rewatching Harry Potter and have got back into it. I am waiting for a chance to get this for my layout. Literally just the loco... Maybe a single coach because it looks so good. The led I don't care about being blue.
I bought one of these a few months ago (due to overly effective Instagram advertising) and mine is also not remotely scuffed, really pleased with it! I got the impression that these sets are all returned from high street retailers like WH Smith and Marks and Spencers etc, and some of them would have spent some time being shuffled around shop floors before being returned to Hornby as unsold, whereas others would have just sat in a warehouse or two prior to being returned. If I was being kind to Hornby I would suggest that they're offering all boxes that have been returned from high street retailers as potentially scuffed wether they are or not, and the unscuffed full price ones have never left Hornby's own premises before, but that's possibly being over generous - your theory also seems plausible. Enjoyed the review, I also feel like this set is great value for money at the reduced price, and it was an easy choice for me to help me get my kids more enthusiastic about (my!) model trains!
Thanks a lot for sharing Nat - it seems as though most of them don't have any scuffing... definitely getting that sense from the comments! That's a good thought - could be right there! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
The Lionel units look very nice. That 3rd rail just ruins it for me though. I have seen setups that have the middle line black but my eye goes straight to it. I like the size of the OO models but the error between track and scale is about 12% in OO and roughly 7% for HO scale. I just don't understand how they didn't engineer this better like....I don't know...a HUNDRED years ago? Joking aside, it should have been resolved accurately 60-70 years ago.
Hey mate I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for these videos I think you do an amazing job and you have inspired me to love trains like nothing else and I have now convinced my parents to give me a corner of my garage to build my own layout so thank you for inspiring me.
It's a pleasure James, thanks so much for your kind words! That's amazing news - good luck with your layout - send me some photos of it!! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, after seeing the review I had to check my Harry Potter train set; first one the philosopher stone. It to only had two coaches and I added to it another two to give it some truth. The reason I checked the box was it came with a very special track mat. Background of stars etc. Never used it but knew I had had seen something so out there, there must be others. I did get a dcc version with the lamp but it’s not great on dc… well done hornby. Anyway great review and hoped to help re the special HP track mat.. keep the review coming, all best Marc
I’ve had that set for a few years and have outfitted it with DCC Sound using a Soundtraxx Econami UK steam sound decoder with a GWR exhaust chuff sound with the Gresley A4 whistle for a more movie accurate sound than the TTS sound fitted version of the engine.
I thought you gave a very fair review. It inspired me to " Look through my Hoard ". I have a Mint Boxed R1048 set with a Cadbury Castle from 2004. Apparently the 4 coaches are from the Railroad Range. It seems to me there was much better value for money then. The Loco is really nice with brass chimney, whistles, etc. I have no idea what it cost originally and would be intrigued if someone new what it would be in 2022 adjusted for inflation. Great Video by the way 👍
Thank you I have been wanting a train set like this and I have not had one and I decided to get one, but I wanted to make sure that this was good, and I think you approve of it as a beginner in the train community and I can't wait to play with it
This is one of the only Hornby train sets continuously available in the US, for around $200. I had a Bachmann Hogwarts when I was a kid, sadly it was quite fragile and only the coaches survived to this day. I look forward to actually buying one of these and and add my old coaches.
The disappointing thing is I got an original Harry potter set when it first came out years ago, which had a castle class instead of a hall. The one used the horrific ringfield motor. And that came with a specific Harry potter track mat. And definitely looks like the very same mk1s you shown today. I believe it came from toys r us for £80 well over 10 years ago. And if you were to review today that it'd score the same as this new set.
This Sunday on the Antiques Roadshow a guy had the original number of the Hall locomotive. It was valued at less money than if it had been a fake one from the film! I think you are right about why Hornby were offering a cheaper version of the set. Younger fans of Harry Potter would have a job convincing parents to fork out over £200 for Christmas or birthday presents!
The half blood prince set hall class had sprung buffers but mine had been over tightened screws that held the body on so the fit was loose but i liked it
Oh really? Might have been the old Castle version - surprised they were still using that for half blood prince though... pretty sure the Hall never had sprung buffers! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I got this set for Christmas last year based on information I gathered from your reviews, which continue to influence my choices in locos/stock to expand. Thanks very much for reviewing it
I remember getting a dirt cheap Nintendo DSi (old at the time, but not that old) because it was "scratched". The bloke had to keep turning it over in the light to even make the "scratch" visible!
The 1st set released by hornby was Harry Potter and the philosiphers stone set....this was a decent set, as the loco had metal whistles, sprung buffers and a push together connection between loco and tender. The set came with 2 coaches, oval of track with siding, a track mat and a station for the siding...so seems to me the value has gone down but the price has gone up...
I have a theory too: maybe the shipping container was dropped or the delivery truck had an accident, the set were shipped with (or something like that), so by a law (i think GB has a law too for that) they can not sell these as brand new, only as damaged product, despite it got damaged or not. Maybe! Or just there's a printing error on the boxes.
I worked warehouse for microcenter (American computer & computer parts retailer) and I bet these are either new old stock sets or an entire trailer/cargo container was damaged and they marked down everything in the trailer regardless of condition. We had 2 skids of printers that was found 2 years later. They were sold for 50 bucks a pop (bargain pricing, they were the fax, scanner printer combo inkjets.)
I've go one of the older ones, but mine has a warm white light, sprung buffers, metal funnel and whistles, it also has the cylinder drain pipes fitted but they are black not painted copper. My train pack also came with a track mat too, the coaches are exactly the same though.
@@SamsTrains i don't understand it either, mine was the order of the pheonix set. Basically they are all the same but it seems that the loco in my set was better quality, she is also one hell of a puller! Insanely powerfull.
I brought that train.set here in New Zealand it cost me $504 plus I brought extra 5 coaches two of them with free the rest cost me 40 New Zealand dollars and then I decided I wanted a sound chip but they didn't have it so I bought the engine with the sound chip and dcc in it and that cost me another 300 New Zealand dollars so I have both the analogue and digital one so it was quite expensive but I liked it. Both engines have a lot of grunt pulls very well and smoothly.
I managed to get the actual Castle Class version for a Harry Potter loving friend, from Hattons pre owned, for £60. It compares well as it has sprung buffers etc. But it doesn't have the large headlight. I also individually got 2 HP coaches, one brake, one standard, £20 each, also from Hattons pre owned.
Yourecright about the controller. I've got one of those Gaugemaster ones with the plug in the back for an auxiliary handset too. The loco and coaches don't look too bad for a train set to be fair. Nice to see separately fitted bits and a fall plate. Completely let down by that light though. Perfect for kids I think.
They've cut back a lot on this set. About 20 years ago I bought the Hornby Hogwarts set and it was a lot better than this. It *did* have a trackmat, and a station platform. The buffers on the locomotive were sprung, and I was quite stunned by the level of detail. The box had a proper lid, and a polystyrene base (instead of that horrible "eggbox" packaging). The basic set cost about £100 as I recall, though I must have spent at least that much again on extra track and accessories. (Eventually I had 3 concentric ovals linked by points, with two separate sidings, and a second locomotive - though when I got married I gave it all away to my nephew.)
Excellent video Sam. I may get one of these myself. It's no King class, but I will admit that I do like the Halls, especially when it is considered that a red Great Western engine isn't exactly a one-off thing... Also, Congratulations Sam! Gladstone is officially out of the worst five! Woo-hoo!
As for the scuffing: If a container was damaged during transport they can get an insurance payout. They would also be able to sell the remaining sets, but only at a reduced price, otherwise they would have to have their insurance claim re-evaluated. So... yeah, they probably had some really damaged sets, but luckily for us customers that means that they also had to sell the surviving sets at a good price.
Also on June Im being the engineer,I'm getting my first train set on the 10th nothing big it's the red tank engine coach and wagon,but you have to start somewhere,I can't wait,the start of the train,the start of the journey I'm going to get a ton of model railway stuff also maybe a small table for it,deffiently going to get the bachman Irish steam set,I live in Ireland keep up the videos,
Interesting review and a good train set….for the cheaper price! What on Earth Hornby think they are doing with the “scuffed box” business, but it’s yet more strange shenanigans from the so called biggest name in the business!
could be related to the licensing deal. maybe that deal doesnt allow them to sell at a lower price (== lower license payments!) without permission. Writing it off as B stock could be a workaround there
@@marks.6480 That's what I was suspecting as well, as Terf Castle Lady seems to be pretty picky when it comes to the license of her franchise, given how she's acted over the years towards people who are/were fans of her series, especially those who were fanfic writers.
Part of me suspects that they started off with a good amount of scuffed ones. Put those on the site to sell them, thinking they wouldn't sell as the full price ones weren't really selling, and then the cheaper ones sold better than expected, and they would rather make some money than new money so they've kept the listing up and are just filling the orders from the main stock.
my local model shop has a couple of these sets for $150-ish, as well as a Hornby Christmas set, Hornby Coca-Cola set, and some other Hornby and Oxford items. But I've never seen this set outside of a model train shop, but I have seen the Corgi model of the Hogwarts Express in Target. 1:44 I see one tab that's a bit weird, but maybe a majority of a pallet or shipment had significant damage to warrant being returned to Hornby. 6:18 I'm surprised they didn't make wagons for each Hogwarts house like Lionel did, or included non-railway buildings from the Wizarding World. 19:26 I think they should've done a new trackmat too to place the stations and other Wizarding World Buildings and maybe a couple of the track extension sets (but not all of them) 21:44 probably because the lamp on the real Olton Hall was a modern LED lamp. I think other mainline steam engines in the UK have similar headlights
Hi there Sam ,, If they call it damaged or scoughed box hornby can still keep the price of the RRP & still get more than the cost of the build and a 92 pound damage incurrance or tax refund or write it down so hornby gets a tax credits for the reduction of "damaged stock" (that pays some of the tax bill) and still gets there model across the line of success or failure. I have one of these but an earlier version with the styrofoam packaging and the really decorated box and i have run it and its an absolutely gorgeous and i luv luv luv it and even for just the loco and the 2 carriages as im not into horry patter that much so I just luv it for what it is.. Anyhoo keep the good work and gr8 video there sam. Cheers from John in Australia
I bought this train set a couple years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, my only complaint is that I would have preferred a third coach over the switch and spur track.
I'm in shipping and a lot of the time companys will declare a intire case will be declared damaged instead of individual packages within a case saves time for there staff
I have one of the origionals from about 2002, was a lovely train and coaches, didnt have that god awful light on it, the brass chimney cowl was actually metal and at the time i got it brand new it was my most detailed steam engine and coaches, ive still got it all but i think the brass cowl has fallen off the engine, i swear it had sprung buffers but i could be wrong. ill have to dig it out wherever it is
Is it possible to buy the engine and coaches separately? I don’t need a loop of Hornby track and power pack that’s just gonna sit in a drawer while the train is on my layout
Interesting 🤔 I myself have spotted this set in a local Hobby shop close to our new farm we recently moved to. Considering the fact that I’m in a need for some track because my old layout sadly got destroyed last year due to a collapsed ceiling making the buildings and track all rotten when recovering it, I only saved my locos and coaches from that layout, depending on the price this might be a good set to get me started again and will fit the bill for our interest in Harry Potter in the family too.
Trainworld has a few of these sets and the engine and coaches on their own. I’m probably going to get the items separately for easier storage and transport. The separate coaches, of the three offered, two are the same as the set so there is only three offered. Either way I’m getting the whole train and adding Tsunami 2 for sounds.
Love your video! I have a question in regards to the coupling rods on this model. It keeps coming loose from screws and it doesn't matter how many times I re tighten they just keep coming loose. It has hardly been played with. Any ideas how I can rectify this? Cheers
It seems a good buy for the price you paid. The big question is, have you pre-ordered the SVR/Hornby Queen Elizabeth II in purple? I can imagine your comments on the price. I am about to fit two sound cards to the underside of my exhibition layout: one for diesel sounds and one for steam. The chuff can be modified and freewheeling programmed in. The are different diesel engine sounds and steam whistles via a remote control. Speakers will be above to give DC locos the appearance of sound. It's an experiment. I already have signal box and farm ambient soumds on the layout.
Sure, it's spot on for what I paid! And no I haven't... your imagination will be 100% accurate, lol! Good luck with the sound cards - that sounds very cool :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Could it be down to the licensing agreement. We have different policies for returning branded, licenced and non branded/licensed, so it doesn't get returned to non authorised outlets and sold through non officially approved channels?
I’m thinking that the packaging might have been different. When it comes to expensive action figures, sometimes, there is different levels of packaging. These being something near the lines of “standard” and “collectors.” (The collectors being at a higher price) If I understand correctly, this is because some people never take the figure out of the box, and hence the box being in perfect condition is vital. But to those who don’t care about that, they don’t have to pay that price for extra protection, but run the chance of damage occurring through shipping.
can you explain to me why hornby don't have that many train sets available apart from whats already o the sight usually they have a lot more sets but they seem to have stopped a lot of the up to date trainsets
Could be they were stock that they had shifted as Sale and Return to retailers and then had shipped back, the issue is that having had them on shelves and pallets in this process they can't be sure of the quality of packaging so they say "scuffed" and knock some money off, as you say to protect their RRP.
What further complicates the Hogwarts Express market is that the Bradford Exchange also sells a Hogwarts Express train set for three installments of $30, at least in the U.S. It has the Bachmann track and transformer, and comparing it to the Hornby locomotive in your video, I am almost certain it is the Bachmann train set as well. The engine has a light in the smokebox as well, and the coaches are lit. It does come with Harry Potter pewter figures, but they are more like O Scale than OO Scale; I gave mine to a family member. It is also a smooth runner. I only received the engine, tender, and trackwork so far. I made a short video, search for Bradford Exchange (Bachmann) Hogwarts Express. This inexpensive train set may also be forcing Hornby to dump theirs at a reduced price.
This one doesn't come with TTS sound. A possible explanation for the "buyer-friendly" price is that more buyers than anticipated opted for the TTS loco, sold separately; leaving a pile of non TTS sets high and dry in the warehouse. Agree with you on the white light and the carriages and the dud controller. So frustrating that they still get the little things wrong. How long have they been making trains? (yes, I know)
I just bought the flying scotsman set (U.S. version) and the turnout (points) is short circuiting the loop every time I set it to diverge; is that just a problem with Hornsby turnouts or can it be easily remedied
Correct me if im wrong. But didn't bachmann make one like this? But i believe it might have had 3 coaches then just the 2. But after a few they went back to just having 2? I think.
Couple more comments... Does it use NEM pockets so the British couplers can be replaced with Kadee couplers (I'm an American)? *_YES_* For people who already have a layout, can you buy just the train without the track? Can you get it DCC fitted, or at least DCC ready? *_Has a socket in the tender._* What size decoder does it take?
The locomotive and coaches do have NEM pockets. There is a detail part above the coaches' NEM pockets which interfere with Kadee NEM couplers. Kadees should work okay if the detail is trimmed/cut off. There is an eight pin socket in the tender and sufficient room for a decoder and speaker. I installed a Soundtraxx Econami (UK ECO series) sound decoder and speaker in mine. The headlight is not wired to the 8-pin socket therefore will not respond to a decoder unless wires to the light are added.
@@bradfordsmith3030 Thanks for the info! I can cut that trim off to fit the Kaddee coupler. I tried to find a Hornby TTS decoder for Hall locomotives, but everyone is out of stock. I'll buy a generic 8-pin decoder with steam sounds which should be good enough for this. Thanks again!
Lovely looking train set! Looking at hornby's US website, it's one of the few things on there (yes, hornby has a different website for us yanks, with way less stuff). However, the set on their website is $315, or about 245 pounds!! Hornby at this point is the laughing stock of the OO modelling world.
with hornby, it's very weird because something like the class 56 is definitley worth all of those £150 but the class 66 litterally fell apart in my hands as I got it out of the box. It's weird because with hornby it's like one of those pick a random card choose your fate kind of games. Since when did gambling come into the model railways?!
How very odd! Even the “named” sets - “Half Blood Prince” etc, came with additional accessories, platforms, overall roof, for example and they were cheaper than £241 - which,incidentally, I think is wholly extortionate. It’s just a very cheeky “try out” to sell what they have left.
I have a theory as to the "scuffed but not" boxes. There likely were/are some scuffed boxes in the warehouse, but when invoice/order goes through to warehouse, pickers see "harry potter train set" and just pick from the location that has the most of them, and send it out. I did also see some very minor dents on the lower front edges, not really damage per say but not pristine. So I also suspect an entire pallet/container was damaged, and so they've discounted the lot rather than sort through. They've certainly done some questionable practices of late, but there are some reasons that would offer a little less shady approach to them.
Over here in America I saw a Harry Potter set and an individual engine at a train show several months ago. I don’t remember the price of the set but it wasn’t scuffed in any way. I ended up paying for the engine for about $130 (which was a discounted price) so idk if that’s an average price in pounds but hopefully this helped give some insight on the matter overseas.
we will have to get a tutorial on how to service this loco, there was one ive seen from about 5 years ago on this channel but thats the older castle class
The boxes possibly may not necessarily have damage but the box may be missing a print, text, or somthing that wasnt to the original design that the franchise and hornby agreed on
Out of curiosity, my wife looked up the set. They're now out of stock on the full price, and no "scuffed" ones to speak of. That listing is gone. Hornby must have someone monitoring your channel which I find very funny. Keep up the brutal honesty!
Maybe they tipped over on Forest Gate Triangle?
I wish my wife looked up train sets.
@@Nathan93Baker same
Probably just sold out. Don't go down some conspiracy rat hole
@@thedappercook lol. There's a difference between listings out of stock and removed from the site all together. The regular ones were showing as out of stock. If you've watched any of Sam's videos, Hornby is not a company you'd be soon defending.
What's especially frustrating is that the "real" Hogwarts Express was always depicted as having four coaches (except in one film where it had five for no apparent reason), so it wouldn't've even been that difficult to just include two more to complete the set.
They have other coaches for sale (selfish money loving sods…
Anyway
With some licensing agreements, there are strict rules about discounting including discounts for end of range, damaged products and customer or reseller returns while the license is live. It could be that non A-1 packaging can be sold at a clearance price and the definition/audit process of non A-1 is loose enough for the supplier to use to clear over stocks without breaking the master agreement.
No , they have discounted Harry Potter product before , but that was before they adopted the anti retailer approach , you should not the most recent Hornby board appointment , a gent with specific specialist internet selling experience.
Interesting - thanks a lot to you both for sharing the info!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
A way to fix that blue/white LED is to use some "clear orange" paint (Tamiya X- 26). A few coats over the LED tones down the color towards that "warm white" color that most modelers desire. I hate those blue/white LEDs. Several US companies use them, and they ruin what are otherwise beautiful models.
It does have corner scrapes and I'm fairly sure I know at least partly what this stock is about. This is retailer return stock, I saw pallets of this stuff going out to retail pre Christmas including easy build cars from Airfix. Likely returned for credit leaving hornby with B grade stock to shift.
Ah, that does make sense. So they have to clear their stock then which is mostly B now.
It really didn't - it's quite normal to have the odd soft corner like that! Ahh interesting - could be right there!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Nonsense. What is described in the vid is the truth. Hornby want to charge stupid money for sub standard stuff. The end of model railways is fast approaching as people stop buying and the next generation stops coming in to it. Hornby etc only have themselves to blame.
Send it back for a full refund.
I think I know why...
I remember reading about this.. When the new owner took over Hornby he said the company was all over the place. He was confused as to why Hornby was even making sets such as Hogwarts and Paddington when it doesn't fit into the company's style. "How is Hogwarts express going to fit into someone's accurate model layout of the 1900's" (he said something like that)
So maybe they are finding a way to gradually remove stock such as this?
Yeah it's a good question isn't it? Fair enough if stand-alone train sets were popular among non-modellers, but are they these days?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Interestingly, the set is missing quite a bit from Hornbys earlier HP train sets. The Philosophers Stone, Chamber Of Secrets sets also had a trackmat, platform with a platform shelter in it, platform fencing and furniture n that cost around £100 back in the day.
Controller wise, ya should have a look at the old school HandM Clipper or Duette controllers, they were and are still awesome kit
I imagine they stuck the LED in the front like that, rather than it in a lamp, so modellers couldn't get a cheap hall class, so Hornby could sell models at higher price. Although conjecture it's probably also why it was a white light as well to make it even more of an inconvenience
haha very cynical, but you could be right, lol! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Could always just snip the wires and paint /blank it over if you find it a bother, or remount it into a lamp body.
Kitbashing is the budget modeller's friend.
And? Take it out, and plug with some plasticard and filler... Then paint! 🤷♂️
@@Shipwright1918 To make it into a Hall in either GWR or BR livery you'd have to completely repaint it anyway so popping out the smokebox door and getting a spare would be a minor inconvenience. If only the Harry Potter film had used an LMS locomotive!!
@@SamsTrains It may not be "cheap Hall class" so much as "legally distinct Hall class" - the licensing agreement will have specified Hogwarts Castle, and under US law there can be legal issues around "confusion" between an IP-linked item and a generic item. The licence might well have demanded all-new tooling (note the Hogwarts Railways logo too) to avoid any suggestion that Hogwarts Castle was the same product as a standard Hall and losing IP protection.
I have actually seen the Hogwarts Express when it was stored in London's Clapham Junction, Battersea. It was secretly stored to stop train fanatics knowing where it was. The security gate was about 20 feet high covered in barbed wire Also there which I was allowed to tour through was the Orient Express which was being serviced. I was given a bar of Orient Express soap. 20 years ago, time flies.
You should do a running session where you show models of trains that have been used in movies and TV shows
Are you sure you want to watch Underground Ernie on the layout again?
That's an awesome idea Robert - thing is, I bet most of the preserved locos have been screen used from one time or another!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Let's just say that u have been blessed with a magical train in your train collection (and it's making Thomas and his friends jealous). It's an awesome model to have as a modal train from Hornby. The train is perfect, they brought the proper train from RL (real life) into an aweome looking model. I wonder what the next review is going to be that you will be doing Sam.
haha I sure have Paul - and maybe Thomas and his pals is jealous... I'll have to have a word!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains OK Sam.
I have been rewatching this religiously for the past 2 weeks I am rewatching Harry Potter and have got back into it. I am waiting for a chance to get this for my layout. Literally just the loco... Maybe a single coach because it looks so good. The led I don't care about being blue.
I bought one of these a few months ago (due to overly effective Instagram advertising) and mine is also not remotely scuffed, really pleased with it! I got the impression that these sets are all returned from high street retailers like WH Smith and Marks and Spencers etc, and some of them would have spent some time being shuffled around shop floors before being returned to Hornby as unsold, whereas others would have just sat in a warehouse or two prior to being returned. If I was being kind to Hornby I would suggest that they're offering all boxes that have been returned from high street retailers as potentially scuffed wether they are or not, and the unscuffed full price ones have never left Hornby's own premises before, but that's possibly being over generous - your theory also seems plausible.
Enjoyed the review, I also feel like this set is great value for money at the reduced price, and it was an easy choice for me to help me get my kids more enthusiastic about (my!) model trains!
Thanks a lot for sharing Nat - it seems as though most of them don't have any scuffing... definitely getting that sense from the comments! That's a good thought - could be right there!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I just got the Lionel hogwarts express and that came with three coaches that light up and it is stunning.
Very awesome Johnn - I've never seen that one myself! :O
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
And you get a bell.
The Lionel units look very nice. That 3rd rail just ruins it for me though. I have seen setups that have the middle line black but my eye goes straight to it. I like the size of the OO models but the error between track and scale is about 12% in OO and roughly 7% for HO scale. I just don't understand how they didn't engineer this better like....I don't know...a HUNDRED years ago? Joking aside, it should have been resolved accurately 60-70 years ago.
Hey mate I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for these videos I think you do an amazing job and you have inspired me to love trains like nothing else and I have now convinced my parents to give me a corner of my garage to build my own layout so thank you for inspiring me.
It's a pleasure James, thanks so much for your kind words! That's amazing news - good luck with your layout - send me some photos of it!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Your welcome Sam, how would I send you photos?
9:16 seems like the livery is post-preservation since it has the orange cantrail stripe below the roof gutter
Ahh very interesting!
the older Hogwarts Express had a Trak mat and a Station Halt with it more cost cutting by Hornby?
Hi Sam, after seeing the review I had to check my Harry Potter train set; first one the philosopher stone. It to only had two coaches and I added to it another two to give it some truth. The reason I checked the box was it came with a very special track mat. Background of stars etc. Never used it but knew I had had seen something so out there, there must be others. I did get a dcc version with the lamp but it’s not great on dc… well done hornby. Anyway great review and hoped to help re the special HP track mat.. keep the review coming, all best Marc
4:08 "Nice" Another man of culture!
The version I have with an LED has a soft yellow colour. Unfortunately the main gear cracked and it is out of service now.
I’ve had that set for a few years and have outfitted it with DCC Sound using a Soundtraxx Econami UK steam sound decoder with a GWR exhaust chuff sound with the Gresley A4 whistle for a more movie accurate sound than the TTS sound fitted version of the engine.
I thought you gave a very fair review. It inspired me to " Look through my Hoard ". I have a Mint Boxed R1048 set with a Cadbury Castle from 2004. Apparently the 4 coaches are from the Railroad Range. It seems to me there was much better value for money then. The Loco is really nice with brass chimney, whistles, etc. I have no idea what it cost originally and would be intrigued if someone new what it would be in 2022 adjusted for inflation. Great Video by the way 👍
Thank you I have been wanting a train set like this and I have not had one and I decided to get one, but I wanted to make sure that this was good, and I think you approve of it as a beginner in the train community and I can't wait to play with it
I looked at this set last year, when it was £180. I bought a ‘scuffed box’ version when it came out in November 21. Thanks for the review Sam
I got one of the "scuffed boxes" there was no damage but I did notice a mis print as it said dcc fitted when it's dcc ready
In case you are wondering this is viable in the video (back of the box in front of the engine)
This is one of the only Hornby train sets continuously available in the US, for around $200. I had a Bachmann Hogwarts when I was a kid, sadly it was quite fragile and only the coaches survived to this day. I look forward to actually buying one of these and and add my old coaches.
It is also possible that the lower price for scuffed packaging is to offer the product for cheaper to people who won't keep the box on display
The disappointing thing is I got an original Harry potter set when it first came out years ago, which had a castle class instead of a hall. The one used the horrific ringfield motor. And that came with a specific Harry potter track mat. And definitely looks like the very same mk1s you shown today. I believe it came from toys r us for £80 well over 10 years ago. And if you were to review today that it'd score the same as this new set.
This Sunday on the Antiques Roadshow a guy had the original number of the Hall locomotive. It was valued at less money than if it had been a fake one from the film! I think you are right about why Hornby were offering a cheaper version of the set. Younger fans of Harry Potter would have a job convincing parents to fork out over £200 for Christmas or birthday presents!
The half blood prince set hall class had sprung buffers but mine had been over tightened screws that held the body on so the fit was loose but i liked it
Oh really? Might have been the old Castle version - surprised they were still using that for half blood prince though... pretty sure the Hall never had sprung buffers!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I got this set for Christmas last year based on information I gathered from your reviews, which continue to influence my choices in locos/stock to expand. Thanks very much for reviewing it
Ahh fantastic! Yeah overall it's a decent quality set - one of the better ones I'd say!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I remember getting a dirt cheap Nintendo DSi (old at the time, but not that old) because it was "scratched". The bloke had to keep turning it over in the light to even make the "scratch" visible!
I bought one years ago.but it had 3 coaches and a track mat why use a GWR(?) Engine for an obviously a LMS route although leaving from a LNER station?
The 1st set released by hornby was Harry Potter and the philosiphers stone set....this was a decent set, as the loco had metal whistles, sprung buffers and a push together connection between loco and tender. The set came with 2 coaches, oval of track with siding, a track mat and a station for the siding...so seems to me the value has gone down but the price has gone up...
Yes I know of those older sets - different loco altogether of course though!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
First train i had and still runs beautifully especially with a small rake of coaches
They do run very nicely, that's for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam on the early sets it came with 3 coaches and also sprung buffers but no light and front name plate and a heavy chassis
always great to make a cup of coffee and chill with a video of yours Sam
I wonder if the other reviews are shared with the set, ie whether sold reduced or not.
Hmm good question!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have a theory too: maybe the shipping container was dropped or the delivery truck had an accident, the set were shipped with (or something like that), so by a law (i think GB has a law too for that) they can not sell these as brand new, only as damaged product, despite it got damaged or not. Maybe! Or just there's a printing error on the boxes.
Thanks Tom - yes that's being suggested quite a bit - could be - we'll never know for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I worked warehouse for microcenter (American computer & computer parts retailer) and I bet these are either new old stock sets or an entire trailer/cargo container was damaged and they marked down everything in the trailer regardless of condition. We had 2 skids of printers that was found 2 years later. They were sold for 50 bucks a pop (bargain pricing, they were the fax, scanner printer combo inkjets.)
I've go one of the older ones, but mine has a warm white light, sprung buffers, metal funnel and whistles, it also has the cylinder drain pipes fitted but they are black not painted copper. My train pack also came with a track mat too, the coaches are exactly the same though.
Very interesting - so why did they change it to cool white?!? :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains i don't understand it either, mine was the order of the pheonix set. Basically they are all the same but it seems that the loco in my set was better quality, she is also one hell of a puller! Insanely powerfull.
I brought that train.set here in New Zealand it cost me $504 plus I brought extra 5 coaches two of them with free the rest cost me 40 New Zealand dollars and then I decided I wanted a sound chip but they didn't have it so I bought the engine with the sound chip and dcc in it and that cost me another 300 New Zealand dollars so I have both the analogue and digital one so it was quite expensive but I liked it. Both engines have a lot of grunt pulls very well and smoothly.
Hi Sam. Great video. I am pretty sure that the brake coach might be the prefects compartment
haha yeah you could be right - that's where Percy goes!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I managed to get the actual Castle Class version for a Harry Potter loving friend, from Hattons pre owned, for £60. It compares well as it has sprung buffers etc. But it doesn't have the large headlight. I also individually got 2 HP coaches, one brake, one standard, £20 each, also from Hattons pre owned.
Great vid Sam since I love Harry potter my heart kept when I was this on my notifications great work Sam keep it up
Can you review a Class 395 train set? They are available at WHSmith for £69.99.
That sounds awesome, thanks! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Yourecright about the controller. I've got one of those Gaugemaster ones with the plug in the back for an auxiliary handset too. The loco and coaches don't look too bad for a train set to be fair. Nice to see separately fitted bits and a fall plate. Completely let down by that light though. Perfect for kids I think.
They've cut back a lot on this set. About 20 years ago I bought the Hornby Hogwarts set and it was a lot better than this. It *did* have a trackmat, and a station platform. The buffers on the locomotive were sprung, and I was quite stunned by the level of detail. The box had a proper lid, and a polystyrene base (instead of that horrible "eggbox" packaging). The basic set cost about £100 as I recall, though I must have spent at least that much again on extra track and accessories. (Eventually I had 3 concentric ovals linked by points, with two separate sidings, and a second locomotive - though when I got married I gave it all away to my nephew.)
Excellent video Sam. I may get one of these myself. It's no King class, but I will admit that I do like the Halls, especially when it is considered that a red Great Western engine isn't exactly a one-off thing...
Also, Congratulations Sam! Gladstone is officially out of the worst five! Woo-hoo!
Thanks a lot David - yes I love the Halls too, and decent models too! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
As for the scuffing: If a container was damaged during transport they can get an insurance payout. They would also be able to sell the remaining sets, but only at a reduced price, otherwise they would have to have their insurance claim re-evaluated. So... yeah, they probably had some really damaged sets, but luckily for us customers that means that they also had to sell the surviving sets at a good price.
Also on June Im being the engineer,I'm getting my first train set on the 10th nothing big it's the red tank engine coach and wagon,but you have to start somewhere,I can't wait,the start of the train,the start of the journey I'm going to get a ton of model railway stuff also maybe a small table for it,deffiently going to get the bachman Irish steam set,I live in Ireland keep up the videos,
Interesting review and a good train set….for the cheaper price! What on Earth Hornby think they are doing with the “scuffed box” business, but it’s yet more strange shenanigans from the so called biggest name in the business!
Thanks Adam - haha I don't know - it's very strange isn't it?!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
could be related to the licensing deal. maybe that deal doesnt allow them to sell at a lower price (== lower license payments!) without permission. Writing it off as B stock could be a workaround there
@@marks.6480 That's what I was suspecting as well, as Terf Castle Lady seems to be pretty picky when it comes to the license of her franchise, given how she's acted over the years towards people who are/were fans of her series, especially those who were fanfic writers.
@@freebrickproductions im pretty sure she is not involved in the licensing deals. that is usually farmed out to a marketing team.
Trust me stranger shenanigans have happened at Goodmayes.
This was my first hornby set!
Part of me suspects that they started off with a good amount of scuffed ones. Put those on the site to sell them, thinking they wouldn't sell as the full price ones weren't really selling, and then the cheaper ones sold better than expected, and they would rather make some money than new money so they've kept the listing up and are just filling the orders from the main stock.
I just got this set recently, and it shows signs of struggling with 4 coaches on my layout I'm currently working on.
Will you ever review some of the southeast network livery dmu's or diesel and electric engines
Can you 3d print an insert peace so you can have a full smokebox door with no light, looks stupid with the light?
21:35 The headlight is magically enhanced, which turns it blue.
Ahh of course - silly me! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
my local model shop has a couple of these sets for $150-ish, as well as a Hornby Christmas set, Hornby Coca-Cola set, and some other Hornby and Oxford items. But I've never seen this set outside of a model train shop, but I have seen the Corgi model of the Hogwarts Express in Target.
1:44 I see one tab that's a bit weird, but maybe a majority of a pallet or shipment had significant damage to warrant being returned to Hornby.
6:18 I'm surprised they didn't make wagons for each Hogwarts house like Lionel did, or included non-railway buildings from the Wizarding World.
19:26 I think they should've done a new trackmat too to place the stations and other Wizarding World Buildings and maybe a couple of the track extension sets (but not all of them)
21:44 probably because the lamp on the real Olton Hall was a modern LED lamp. I think other mainline steam engines in the UK have similar headlights
Hi there Sam ,, If they call it damaged or scoughed box hornby can still keep the price of the RRP & still get more than the cost of the build and a 92 pound damage incurrance or tax refund or write it down so hornby gets a tax credits for the reduction of "damaged stock" (that pays some of the tax bill) and still gets there model across the line of success or failure.
I have one of these but an earlier version with the styrofoam packaging and the really decorated box and i have run it and its an absolutely gorgeous and i luv luv luv it and even for just the loco and the 2 carriages as im not into horry patter that much so I just luv it for what it is..
Anyhoo keep the good work and gr8 video there sam.
Cheers from John in Australia
I bought this train set a couple years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, my only complaint is that I would have preferred a third coach over the switch and spur track.
I'm in shipping and a lot of the time companys will declare a intire case will be declared damaged instead of individual packages within a case saves time for there staff
Nice loco to maybe disassemble and repaint and number.
The Hall class looks simar to the Black 5 locomotives and replace led with amber led
When years ago I was into N gauge trains all the trains I had were five pole motors, why are they not standard on all trains now?
I have one of the origionals from about 2002, was a lovely train and coaches, didnt have that god awful light on it, the brass chimney cowl was actually metal and at the time i got it brand new it was my most detailed steam engine and coaches, ive still got it all but i think the brass cowl has fallen off the engine, i swear it had sprung buffers but i could be wrong. ill have to dig it out wherever it is
Is it possible to buy the engine and coaches separately?
I don’t need a loop of Hornby track and power pack that’s just gonna sit in a drawer while the train is on my layout
I always love that scene with the flying car while the train is behind Ron and Harry! 😂
haha I know - classic! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Interesting 🤔 I myself have spotted this set in a local Hobby shop close to our new farm we recently moved to. Considering the fact that I’m in a need for some track because my old layout sadly got destroyed last year due to a collapsed ceiling making the buildings and track all rotten when recovering it, I only saved my locos and coaches from that layout, depending on the price this might be a good set to get me started again and will fit the bill for our interest in Harry Potter in the family too.
Ahh sorry to hear about your layout - but sure, train sets are a great way of getting everything you need! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I noticed that the package says that the engine of this train set was DCC fitted, does that mean it already has a decoder installed
Trainworld has a few of these sets and the engine and coaches on their own. I’m probably going to get the items separately for easier storage and transport. The separate coaches, of the three offered, two are the same as the set so there is only three offered. Either way I’m getting the whole train and adding Tsunami 2 for sounds.
Yeah it's probably easier to get them separately, particularly if you don't need all the extras like track etc! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
How does the Hornby version compare to the Bachmann version? Are they the same size, the Bachmann I have says ho/oo scale on the box.
Another fine video, thanks Sam 👍😁
Love your video! I have a question in regards to the coupling rods on this model. It keeps coming loose from screws and it doesn't matter how many times I re tighten they just keep coming loose. It has hardly been played with. Any ideas how I can rectify this? Cheers
It seems a good buy for the price you paid. The big question is, have you pre-ordered the SVR/Hornby Queen Elizabeth II in purple? I can imagine your comments on the price. I am about to fit two sound cards to the underside of my exhibition layout: one for diesel sounds and one for steam. The chuff can be modified and freewheeling programmed in. The are different diesel engine sounds and steam whistles via a remote control. Speakers will be above to give DC locos the appearance of sound. It's an experiment. I already have signal box and farm ambient soumds on the layout.
Sure, it's spot on for what I paid! And no I haven't... your imagination will be 100% accurate, lol! Good luck with the sound cards - that sounds very cool :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Could it be down to the licensing agreement. We have different policies for returning branded, licenced and non branded/licensed, so it doesn't get returned to non authorised outlets and sold through non officially approved channels?
I’m thinking that the packaging might have been different. When it comes to expensive action figures, sometimes, there is different levels of packaging. These being something near the lines of “standard” and “collectors.” (The collectors being at a higher price)
If I understand correctly, this is because some people never take the figure out of the box, and hence the box being in perfect condition is vital. But to those who don’t care about that, they don’t have to pay that price for extra protection, but run the chance of damage occurring through shipping.
Ahh interesting - thanks for sharing Elliott, appreciate it!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
can you explain to me why hornby don't have that many train sets available apart from whats already o the sight usually they have a lot more sets but they seem to have stopped a lot of the up to date trainsets
Could be they were stock that they had shifted as Sale and Return to retailers and then had shipped back, the issue is that having had them on shelves and pallets in this process they can't be sure of the quality of packaging so they say "scuffed" and knock some money off, as you say to protect their RRP.
This set was up on WHSmith for £150 about a month ago, so I grabbed it then after watching your review of R1234
What further complicates the Hogwarts Express market is that the Bradford Exchange also sells a Hogwarts Express train set for three installments of $30, at least in the U.S. It has the Bachmann track and transformer, and comparing it to the Hornby locomotive in your video, I am almost certain it is the Bachmann train set as well.
The engine has a light in the smokebox as well, and the coaches are lit. It does come with Harry Potter pewter figures, but they are more like O Scale than OO Scale; I gave mine to a family member. It is also a smooth runner.
I only received the engine, tender, and trackwork so far. I made a short video, search for Bradford Exchange (Bachmann) Hogwarts Express. This inexpensive train set may also be forcing Hornby to dump theirs at a reduced price.
Lamp irons and they stick the led in the middle of the boiler and that for 250 quid rrp
This one doesn't come with TTS sound. A possible explanation for the "buyer-friendly" price is that more buyers than anticipated opted for the TTS loco, sold separately; leaving a pile of non TTS sets high and dry in the warehouse. Agree with you on the white light and the carriages and the dud controller. So frustrating that they still get the little things wrong. How long have they been making trains? (yes, I know)
I just bought the flying scotsman set (U.S. version) and the turnout (points) is short circuiting the loop every time I set it to diverge; is that just a problem with Hornsby turnouts or can it be easily remedied
Awesome. Bachmann made this famous train set some years back.
The railer/re railer thing is very useful, I have one and use it most of the time to get locos on the track, mostly steam lococs.
It is very handy - makes things much easier!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Correct me if im wrong. But didn't bachmann make one like this? But i believe it might have had 3 coaches then just the 2. But after a few they went back to just having 2? I think.
Are you going to get the last 2 coach's to finish the train in the future?
Couple more comments...
Does it use NEM pockets so the British couplers can be replaced with Kadee couplers (I'm an American)? *_YES_*
For people who already have a layout, can you buy just the train without the track?
Can you get it DCC fitted, or at least DCC ready? *_Has a socket in the tender._*
What size decoder does it take?
The locomotive and coaches do have NEM pockets. There is a detail part above the coaches' NEM pockets which interfere with Kadee NEM couplers. Kadees should work okay if the detail is trimmed/cut off.
There is an eight pin socket in the tender and sufficient room for a decoder and speaker. I installed a Soundtraxx Econami (UK ECO series) sound decoder and speaker in mine. The headlight is not wired to the 8-pin socket therefore will not respond to a decoder unless wires to the light are added.
@@bradfordsmith3030 Thanks for the info! I can cut that trim off to fit the Kaddee coupler. I tried to find a Hornby TTS decoder for Hall locomotives, but everyone is out of stock. I'll buy a generic 8-pin decoder with steam sounds which should be good enough for this. Thanks again!
Very good review Sam!
Lovely looking train set! Looking at hornby's US website, it's one of the few things on there (yes, hornby has a different website for us yanks, with way less stuff). However, the set on their website is $315, or about 245 pounds!! Hornby at this point is the laughing stock of the OO modelling world.
It is actually! Ahh it's still on there in the US? They say it's now gone from their UK site!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I purchased mine for $209
with hornby, it's very weird because something like the class 56 is definitley worth all of those £150 but the class 66 litterally fell apart in my hands as I got it out of the box. It's weird because with hornby it's like one of those pick a random card choose your fate kind of games. Since when did gambling come into the model railways?!
How very odd! Even the “named” sets - “Half Blood Prince” etc, came with additional accessories, platforms, overall roof, for example and they were cheaper than £241 - which,incidentally, I think is wholly extortionate. It’s just a very cheeky “try out” to sell what they have left.
Put a light dab of yellow paint on the led?
Sam do you have anything from Accurascale?
Only pre-orders at the moment!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have a theory as to the "scuffed but not" boxes. There likely were/are some scuffed boxes in the warehouse, but when invoice/order goes through to warehouse, pickers see "harry potter train set" and just pick from the location that has the most of them, and send it out. I did also see some very minor dents on the lower front edges, not really damage per say but not pristine. So I also suspect an entire pallet/container was damaged, and so they've discounted the lot rather than sort through.
They've certainly done some questionable practices of late, but there are some reasons that would offer a little less shady approach to them.
Over here in America I saw a Harry Potter set and an individual engine at a train show several months ago. I don’t remember the price of the set but it wasn’t scuffed in any way. I ended up paying for the engine for about $130 (which was a discounted price) so idk if that’s an average price in pounds but hopefully this helped give some insight on the matter overseas.
we will have to get a tutorial on how to service this loco, there was one ive seen from about 5 years ago on this channel but thats the older castle class
The boxes possibly may not necessarily have damage but the box may be missing a print, text, or somthing that wasnt to the original design that the franchise and hornby agreed on
Could be! The point is though that the description said "scuffed box", and there was no damage at all!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Are you planning to get the Platinum Jubilee Purple Taw Valley Sam? A really unique model!