Did anyone buy the Live Steam Hornby & modify it

[FJ and G]

for use on their HO track? A review please.

It works without a flame; just current running thru the rails.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can.

it uses a different voltage with more oomph to boil the water so it needs to be on a seperate circuit from standard 12V stuff. If you have block control then you could run it on the same rails as your other stuff but make DCC just as inconvienient to use as DC but with the new hazzard of blowing whatever 12V stuff gets onto the 17V track!

If you just mean in terms of gauge then it is already gauged to 16.5mm anyway so there is no problem in that respect.

appearance wise I wouldn't even try as getting the components to fit inside another - non-straemlined - shell would be nigh on impossible. I think hornby is going to put the bits inside a non-streamlined pacific soon (the flying scotsman I think) so maybe wait and see?

hope that helps
Neil

[Anonymous]

Frankly, with the $800 (or even more) it costs, I wouldn't even dream of tinkering with it!

[Anonymous]

or even buying it!

[michaelstevens]

Checking out the "www.hornby-usa.com" web-site; it sounds as if its not even being delivered yet, even in England.
What's really curious is that Hornby would advertise (e.g. in the MR) in the US -- then tell you on the web-site that you can only get delivery in the UK !
Those loco-drive Kings certainly sound interesting, however.
What do you know neilmunck ?

[FJ and G]

steam engines (nonfunctional) were develooped thousands of years before the Egyptians. I'm surprised that Hornsby was the first to come up with this safer non-flame form of propulsion using electricity to power a live steamer. This has to be a milestone in model railroads. I'm thinking the same concept might be used in G scale or even O. Problem perhaps in G is that the steam would require too much electricity to power since engine is larger and there's more advantage in smaller scales.

Your thoughts?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: I'm thinking the same concept might be used in G scale or even O. Problem perhaps in G is that the steam would require too much electricity to power since engine is larger and there's more advantage in smaller scales.

As a live steamer who mostly fires park sized locos with coal, I would think a G or O scale loco fired on electricty would just take longer to get up steam than an HO/OO scale engine, but the loco will run longer in O and G because of the larger boiler.

[Anonymous]

Model shops over here are advertising for advance orders for the new live steamer, but I suspect a lot of people won't be willing to pay £500 for something that they've not had a chance to inspect - sales will probably improve when shops have them out on display!

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if it would be possible to run live steam safely alongside DC by increasing the voltage of the DC system to match the maximum from the live steam system. To protect the DC locomotives they would be fitted with resistors in series with the motor so that the maximum voltage across the motor would still be 12V.

[BR60103]

From what I understand, the loco operates on AC, so you need more than resistors to protect the motors.
We are expecting to see the system at the Great Briti***rain Show in April in Canada. I was told that they have resolved a number of safety concerns that the CSA had.

[Anonymous]

The first run of the live steamers were nearly all pre-sold, which is why you can't find them in the UK.
A couple of shops near me still have one or two left.
The new Hornby catalogue lists the starter set and then the available seperate locos as being available later in the year.
At the moment - the seperate locos are just the streamliners.
Live Steam locomotive requires a dedicated route to run on, and should not be operated at the same time on the same route as conventional 12 volt engines, other live steam locomotives or DCC control.
Have a look at:
http://www.hornbyrailways.com/pages/livestm_live.aspx
where you'll find the latest news and info about the live steamers.
Regards
David(UK)