BRAND NEW - Hornby BR Class 9F Review! - 00 Gauge Model Railway 

Great in depth review mate.Nice photography and background music.Well done.A very good performing loco.

"Higher prices mean people are much more selective on which models to buy" - very true. We used to be able to buy locos thinking "It'd look nice on my layout even though it's not my era/region" or simply "I think the prototype is interesting", not anymore

Great seeing the modular layout back. It has some great camera angles on it you are using. The train was canny too.

An excellent review - thank you! The metal body is interesting and welcomed, whilst details such as the pipework around the cab looks really good. Yes, the centre drivers on the 9F are flangeless (I understand this is why NRIL won't allow them on the main line). 9F driving axles are also hollow. Whilst I cannot attest to this Immingham? based locomotive, it appears the Southern Region (both 73A Stewarts Lane and 73B Bricklayers Arms) started applying electrification flashes during the summer of 1960. PS - Resealable detailing pack is a useful touch.

I'm glad to see that Hornby have followed what Dapol/Accurascale have done with their boxes as I always really enjoyed how sturdy the packaging is and it made each model feel more special when unboxing them. And while I'm glad to see all the 9Fs appearing and that they appear to be worth it, I can't help but feel a little jealous while I wait to hear whether mines in stock yet. Cheers

A really great balanced review of the new Hornby 9F. I received mine in the last few days; an Evening Star in BR Lined Green (it's my third as I have two earlier versions, yes know I, what am I doing?) and this is a big improvement and I have to say I was impressed with the quality especially the metal body and the detailing. The livery on mine looks great quality too but I think yours in black looks great. As you say I was concerned at delivery after the poor packaging on my W1 Hush Hush caused so much damage, but the new packing is great. Thanks for your excellent review.

It looks fantastic. Thanks for the review. Very excited to order my one now. Have to wait a few weeks after shelling out the cash for the Platinum Jubilee locomotive though first haha

Really beautiful loco, and it's nice to see Hornby making nice and well models again

A good, fair and balanced review. It's encouraging that Hornby seem to have listened, with much better packaging and even the little things like the resealable accessory bag. Interesting to see they went with a diecast boiler (which it should be at that price). I'm guessing the positive feedback from models like the J15, J36, K1, B12 and Pecketts (small locos where the extra weight helps) has been a factor, plus the demand for their new Dublo locos which also have diecast boilers and sell like hotcakes despite the crazy price. Many retailers are selling this 9f for £227.69 (10% off RRP). Personally I can't justify spending that on just one loco. Not when I could get two, possibly three, mint condition, latest tooling, locos for a similar amount secondhand, or one loco and a fair bit of rolling stock for a similar amount. N.B. When it comes to models there are a few things I think about. Some of these you've covered, but perhaps you can add others for future reviews? Especially 2 and 3: 1) Price/value for money. e.g. It's one thing to charge a huge price for a newly tooled model with lots of diecast, high level of detail, etc and another to charge the same for an old tooling plastic model. 2) Does it have a decent motor and reliable mechanism? Or a cheap motor that lacks torque, or packs up a few months down the line? To be fair Hornby are usually good here IMO, though not always. 3) Is it easy to access the inside of the loco for maintenance, fitting DCC chips, etc? 4) Looks. In particular: a) Does the livery have a nice finish or look washed out, plasticy, too shiny, etc? b) Is there a good level of detailing? c) How robust is it? There's usually a trade off between the last two, so it's a question of getting the balance right. 5) How does it run on a layout? e.g. Can it haul a reasonable rake without struggling, especially on inclines? How well does it negotiate curves/points/diamond crossings compared to other models of similar size/wheel configuration? One other thing I'd love to see is an occasional follow up video, where after having run the loco for a few months you tell us if any issues have emerged, or if you're still happy with it. You could feature a few different locos per video for this. Hope you don't mind the suggestions and keep up the good work!😀

Great review 👍🏻I’ve owned a Bachmann example for a while and although happy with it I’ve recently ordered the new hornby evening star…really looking forward to seeing what differences they have

Great review, the 9f is one of my favourite steam locos, I have a bachmann one because hornby only the the 9f railroad range, but this one is such an improvement and on the detail it just tops the bachmann 9f and it looked like a fantastic runner and there maybe a chance I will buy the hornby 9f 😀

So cool to see the modular layout again! The 9F looks great, I'm surprised it could handle those curves so well :)

10.04 4th wheel is having a drink. beautiful loco. ace review.

Very honest review, I have an original Hornby 9F in BR green, this model looks amazing, I was looking to buy a W1 Hush hush, I think I might get this one instead, keep the videos coming as they are appreciated.

7:35 the linkage alongside the left side of the boiler from the cab is the regulator linkage. It connects the regulator handle in the cab to the valve in the steam dome.

A very smartly done review. Thanks. And it looks like Hornby have really addressed some of those problems with the release of the Hush Hush. A bit too pricy for my little railway though, and probably a bit too large.

A great model which I have two of them, one of which has the Westinghouse Pumps. We are lucky as we also have the upgraded Bachmann 9F with pickups in the Tender and decorated Cab as well and alongside the Hornby I have two of those in my fleet as well. Although the Hornby 9F wins out on detail the Bachmann release despite the age of the Tooling remains competitive.

Very impressive loco! Brilliant video as always :)

Looks like hornby have upped their game. The packaging looks similar to Dapol. This appears to be a super model. I must say I'm very tempted to get one. Thanks for showing. Regards Paul.

Very nice looking loco. Price is high, but in my opinion not excessive when compared to some other recent releases. A sign of the times perhaps. Nice to see it running on your layout too. I have also viewed your video on small radii curves and the 9F did a great job!

hi there, great video, they seemed to have got the box correct now, lets hope its for all locos cheap or expensive.the 9f looks good

Great review! Does seem like a decent model at a decent price, compared with other Hornby products, I personally don’t have a need for a 9F much preferring Industrials and other medium to large 0-6-0s, still it’s interesting to see how they’ve improved on previous releases. Either way looks like a cracking model!

I believe the linkage you referred to as, "I'm not going to pretend I know what it's for.." is the reverser. Great review, thanks.

That new 9F looks great and it does look great on your layout. Thanks for showing it to us. GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖

Excellent , just need now a Tyne Dock version...

Looks like over all Hornby have done a good job on this model but I do worry about the motor now I have found out that it's the same one that failed a lot in the B12, Q6 and S15. Some do get lucky and get a good runner but it seems to be a ticking time bomb and too much of a risk for me at the price, my green LNER B12 so far seems okay but did have another issue. I have the Bachmann Evening Star and I'm very happy with that.

It is good to hear and see that this model is a success. The model does not appear to slow down on tighter curves like the one Sam's Trains reviewed. Your one does derail at 13 minutes 23 seconds but I suspect that is a one-off and may be due to your self-confessed not always perfect track. Thank you for an informative video.

Looks like an excellent model! It's a lot of money, of course - but in this case, you get what you pay for. Compared to my existing Bachmann model, this does look like an improvement: there's the firebox glow, a more modern mechanism, and more finesse in places. I don't think it's enough of an improvement to justify upgrading - but if I didn't already have a 9F, then I'd be tempted!

You read those bearings right! Some of the newer steam locomotives in the USA had Timken roller bearings as well!

Looks like a massive improvement over the W1 (and I'm one of the minority, it seems, that liked that model). I'm still not certain it's worth the price though, being fairly happy with my Bachmann Evening Star - although having a classic black one is a tempting prospect.

Well, I don't think this one will be on the suitcase layout! Looks pretty nice to me. Seems to run well, too. Low starting speed, navigates those tight curves pretty well, blind center driver. My virtual 9F will stall on tight radii, or even derail if going fast enough. As mentioned below, I'd like to see the loco/tender gap closed a bit, though that would affect the minimum radius some. Powerful enough to pull the bumper off a '57 Buick, eh?!! Considering what you're getting, even the price seems reasonable. Excellent review.

very nice model.. I would have loved to have seen Hornby model Big Bertha's replacement (92079) as that 9F gained Big Bertha's headlamp when Bertha was withdrawn.. I only problem with the new 9Fs is the price.. just seems a bit too high for my liking but with current world crisis and inflation, I can see why it's so high

The linkage from cab down the boiler connects the regulator valve in the dome to the regulator handle in the cab...😀

I'm a diseal boy, but I enjoyed watching that. Cheers 😀

A lovely looking model and thanks for the review. After Sam's issues with the dodgy motor though, I think I will give it a miss. Seems a bit of a lottery whether you get a good one or not.

Wow totally wasn't expecting this type of packaging, hopefully the era of shoddy quality from Hornby is well beyond us. :)

I always loved this engine back in the day. Would love to get one now I'm back into the hobby but OMG not cheap lol That said, I have my eyes on a bottle of Rum that costs the same....so.....

Nice review. Sadly it's in the wrong era for me however it looks a nice addition to your collection. It's definitely better than your Hush Hush. I might have to add it to the list of locos to select when you next have a live running session. I hope it brings you smiles and entertainment when you run it.

Nice loco Seems to run very nicely Nick Australia

5:34 Yes, the real 9fs indeed do not have flanges on the centre wheels. I've read that this actually caused some issues for BR when they drove over pointwork, due to the possibility of the centre wheels riding over the point blades and derailing the engine because they dont have flanges to keep them between the two rails.

That's a great looking model.

i got the top link 9f Tender drive 2nd hand, but the previous owner may of had a mine side layout because it looks like it has been over weathered and im still cleaning it off 1 and a 1/2 years of ownership

It’s nice to see that Hornby is starting to improve after their pandemic hiccup.

The 'linkage' on the LHS of the boiler is the the regulator connecting the lever in the cab to the regulator valve in the dome, The 'pipework under the cab RHS are the two injectors and their pipes for steam and water in, water out. The two pipes either side of the boiler reaching up forward of the dome around the boiler sides are the water feeds from the injectors to the top feed clacks. The loco valve gear is set in mid gear, so the combination lever moves and the expansion link oscillates, but the radius rod and therefore valve rod don't move, so neither should the loco. If you are a railway enthusiast you really should know this basic stuff. You don't even seem sure 9Fs had flageless centre drivers!

Is a 21 pin decoder such a big upgrade over the trustworthy 8 pin only to add firebox flickering ?

Sams Trains had stalling issues with his, on curves with limited coaches, looks nice though.

I am a little surprised that the power classification number and letter 9F has been missed off the cab sides above the loco number.

One thing I find disappointing with all these model trains is the gap between the engine and tender. It's always far too wide. Other than that I think on the whole they look great. You can tell this one is metal, it looks sharp and clean. Very nice.

I'm not sure but aren't these 9F's a special due to an anniversary hence the special packaging and also the metal boiler barrel? I think it was for some special anniversary 50 years rings a bell last Hornby - Tri-ang model? Ahhh well I enjoy my Bachmann 9F for £93 hehe

Shades of Dapol boxing.,., Hornby have a lot of ground to recover having spent far too much time on telly and not enough on quality. Fingers crossed 😎

Have you had any problems with the motor? I've just Sam's trains video reviewing the new 9F Evening Star. He was having trouble with his 9F's motor, it slowed on tight corners. Did you have any problems like that with this one?

Hope they have got the motor problem sorted out, seems that most of the new Hornby locos have used very cheap and nasty motors, some reviews have found the model wanting in the proformance area, their large Prairie, B12 and this new 9f burn out motors very often indeed, after paying the price of a one off bespoke kit built loco, one would expect a very high quality motor the boot, but maybe not,

I haven't read through all the comments, Im too Lazy too, so if my question has been asked before I apologise, may I please ask, what make of 21 pin decoder did you install, and did you install sound, Thanks Colin

Apparently the new 9F’s have an intense slow down on 2nd radius curves. Is this an issue with yours?

For me i cant help but compare it to the bachmann- i think bachmanns wheels are better for being all metal and painted not just black plastic and as a result no hornby wheel wobble, i think the valve gear is better on the bachmann and has more moving parts, and the bachmann has some sprung axles and 2 driven axles. About the only 2 things this has over it are finer pipework and a painted cab

Did I see the leading coupled wheels derail at about 13:25...? Also, that handrail looks bent, is this prototypical...

Honestly the locomotive is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. Some things like the pipes right behind the deflectors and the lack of anything between the boiler and the wheels (because there should actually be some parts in that open space) make the model kinda miss the mark. The same with the finish, maybe it's the footage but at least some of the older Hornby locomotives had a really nice satin finish (B12 for example) and this one looks kinda flat. The bronze pipework for example is also just ew. And generally that isn't an issue, but for 252 pounds you should expect Sutton Locomotive Works in terms of quality and details. Overall the model is pretty okay though, I might buy one when I see one on sale that isnt this expensive.

Brilliant model wasn't going to bother with 9f but I think it is worth the extra thankyou for the video

but the original 9f did not have a duel funnel that belongs to the evening star

Can you confirm or deny this loco has a flywheel? If so is it as chunky of the hush hush? Your vid’s are wonderful! ❤️

Hornby can produce a great locomotive when they want to

Enjoyed your latest video and liked and share thanks DD.

Hmm, wondering.... Is your DCC the reason why your motor is running better that Sam's. The number of wagons you are using is no indication of the 9F having sufficient torque. It is a very beautifull model but for a static I still prefer an upgrade of Dapol's.

Over £200 is disgusting for any 00 loco, however nice it is. How do manufacturers expect new people to join the hobby if they charge this much?

Nice review, yes , a very good model, excellent in fact, but , the price.....? Bachmann model is now over 25 years old, but for me, still the better value model, which is tried a nd tested, nice and heavy and very very robust, I have 8, and all al brilliant, like their WD it's an industry standard for model railways, If I did buy one, it would probably go into a display case, as looks very fragile indeed...

For me the hyped fire box flicker is a waste of money, the reason why is a ex Fireman on the Colne Valley Railway, who has fired locos on the K&ESR, NVR & NYMR is that the only time the firebox doors were open was to shovel coal in or to reduce smoke (secondly air) over than that it is considered a waste of heat & fuel or money be it 1970/80s or in today's climate. The same goes for the safety valves lifting, waste of steam/heat and water! looks a grand model though

just purchased evening star... thanks to this vid XD

New Hornby 9F or pay the increased gas bill?.......Hmmm tough decision.

The covers on the tender axles box's are right ,The middle drive wheel is right look at the 9f at Loughborough you will see it is correct. The drewbar is a little to long can it be shorter. Ron x b r fireman

Can this come as the evening star aswel?

Personally not a fan of that new box but that would be the only thing I reckon I could afford anyway... Lol 🤣

As a 13 year old theses engines keep interesting still cool to me I have like 8 different drawing books with theses engines in them

They should have always of put the resealable bags in then small detail don’t get lost

Not impressed myself. I think the Bachmann model is still better, overall. For £250 this seems just not enough of an improvement, Bachmann's effort deals better with the brakes, and hangers, the latter appear to be not modeled at all here. The wheels whilst they have accurate spokes, they are, or look far wider than the bachmann, making them look too chunky. The tender gap just looks ridiculously large, and could have been improved with a new engineered solution, but Hornby has gone with a standard simplistic approach. The mould lines on the boiler and smokebox are too distracting for me, and would be harder to removed than the single line on the bachmann version. On the real loco, because it has a large gap between the frames and the boiler it is quite noticeable that you can see some pipework but in particular the sand box filler tubes. None of this detail has been represented at all, making it look too empty under the boiler, not helped by the featurless block chassis, which should at least hint at the chassis being made of frames and not how it actually looks.

It’s a lovely engine but the price is just out of my budget

I have got 4 Bachmann 1s do u reckon I need another 😂

Overpriced as usual by Hornby, Get the Bachmann version, Better Motor,Gears and cheaper. Detail is better as well