This is one of the most impressive DMU's I've seen to date...Superb workmanship, and so well suited to you Dave, with immaculate attention to detail...Excellent review....Bob
I’ve never really thought too much of the second generation DMUs, but that model is stunning & looks/sounds great running around Dean Park. Top work from the makers though, really well thought out👍👍👍
With the gangway window, I believe the units still have it but it is covered by a sticker. I know this is true with the 150s and 158s but might not be for the 156
I'm probably the only person that watched this and thought, I quite like that Lima. So I bought one. And I have to say, it runs absolutely brilliantly. Hardwired to DCC, super smooth and an absolutely excellent runner. Not a paragon of detail, but an asset to any layout. Just wish I could've got one of the Scotrail livery. My God are they dear!
The Real Track model really does look great, I'm very tempted by that and the Bachmann 158 but my pockets aren't that deep at the moment. I might get one though. I think you're right about the Lima one - it was pretty good for it's day, and I believe Hursts released an underframe detailing kit that took it to a new level. What is criminal though (in my opinion) is Hornby have re-released it with a motor that isn't much better than the original and still no lights for RRP of £125!!
I have to say in my experience, the Hornby 'Ringfield replacement' is a worse motor than the Lima Ringfield. It is very fragile if you have to work on it. I've had drive gears split and it's a pure dog to work on. The Lima is a a few chunks of blisteringly simple plastic, which if it's properly serviced and fettled, actually runs stunningly nicely.
Hi dave Thank you for doing this video as I am getting one of these from hattons at the end of the month mine will be the birmingham to cambridge variant. And like you I also had the old lima 156 and boy can you see the difference in your video side by side. And I totally agree with the way I use to be able to thrash my old lima version around at the time my best performing train. Peter from birmingham
I must say great review of a great DMU! I do like the 156 and I have a model albeit a Hornby one and I am currently giving it the chop. Keep up the good videos Dave
Great video as always Dave. I’m going to be in the minority here but I don’t particularly like the front end of the Realtrack 156. The light clusters look rather chunky and don’t quite look prototypical in my opinion. I have a Hornby (ex-Lima) 156 and actually prefer the look of the cabs on it, despite the lack of working lights.
When the Lima came out it was light years ahead of the rest. I absolutely loved running it when I was young. It went like stink and looked so much better than the Hornby tat I had at the time!
Too modern for my layout but I have a soft spot for dmu's and a beautiful model nonetheless. If you ran it on a more basic layout (and not alongside the new version) the Lima version is still a pretty good model. I like the orange safety fence around the track workers at the TMD - nice detail. Cheers
Curious about the sound, did the 156 have door closing bleepers from new? My recollection of suburban EMUs of a similar vintage (317, for example), is they did not at the time, but they were added later. Would the bleepers be appropriate with the regional railways super sprinter livery? Obviously it makes sense to have it on the sound module so that the same one can be used for later liveries (though personally I am a big fan of the secorisation era regional railways style)
Thanks Dave. Sadly no 156s have ever made it to the area I model, so it won't be joining my fleet. It does look like a nice model, the only negative for me is the light bleed on the head/tail lights. The more recent releases of the bachmann 150 suffer from the same thing and it irritates the hell out of me lol (It's the little things ... ). One day I will have a go at segregating them somehow .... I have got a couple of Realtrack 143s which are also nice models. Looking forward to their 142s if they are still going to make them ! 👍
I like the 156, Dave. There are a lot in South Wales. Still running today. A great model sound fitted. A lot off functions. My ECOS it dead I think, it works occasionally. Lima was good for the day.
Is it easy to Program in on DCC? I see each unit has a decoder, sound or normal. Must admit wish I’d bought one a long time ago as the current retail with sound is nearly £500
Hurrah - close coupling! Also, Dave, the new Depot makes a really good area to display your engines/trains. Looking forward to further developments in 2020.
Great review as always Dave. Brilliant model & well thought out too. I certainly agree with your comment of replacement parts for a few extra pence, absolutely common sense. Iain
@@DeanPark Absolutely mate. For the price the models have reached these days. A few extra coppers is nothing in the bigger picture. Brilliant layout you have. YEAH envious haha Iain
Great review Dave. I am planning on getting the same unit as you and in time a orange / black one which I am sure they will do in future. I have the old Lima one in that livery but it has not run for years. No chip. Really looks as good as the 158 unit you reviewed. The price is high but for new tooling to that standard is not so bad. Now on another note RU-vid have set 2 of my uploads as made for kids resulting in me loosing all my feedback and comments. They obviously have not looked at the content as it is certainly not made for kids. Quite how they do it I have not worked out yet. I was thinking it was perhaps the colourful thumbnail that did it but a friend has also had one of his set as made for kids and his just showed his loco shed. Hopefully none of your uploads have been selected for the same treatment.
Thanks for a great review Dave. Can I ask if they came with speakers already fitted? I also remember these replacing class 33 loco hauled services between Portsmouth and Cardiff, so like you, also feel bitter/sweet about them. The new Realtrack model does look lovely though.
Hi, cheers. Yeah you can order it to be sound fitted directly from real track. If you buy a non sound fitted one it’s pretty straight forward to do it.
Its like the hornby pacer its has to powered units at each end Lima and hornby pacers and sprinters are my favourite Its a incredible model Thanks for the review
Hi thanks for getting in touch. I’m glad you enjoyed the review. I still have a soft spot for my Lima 156! I have the hornby pacer... it was great at the time. Dave
Hi Dave hope your keeping well 👍🏻 What can we say about the class 156 🤔 They may have saved BR but destroyed loco hauled trains 🙈 Now we're suffering short stock creating overcrowding 🙄 But now the TOCs are seeing sense and ordering longer trains 😊 Anyway a fantastic review on the 156 and looking at the Lima on it absolutely fantastic 😃 Get a can motor for your Lima 156 from Strathpeffer fit it and do a comparison video 😆 Just got tickets for the Glasgow model train exhibition at the SECC so hopefully see you there? Cheers as always Stevie.
hi dave my good lady wife has bought me this set for bday in april I am looking at getting sound for the unit from Charlie and ian aka legomanbiffo. now your sound files had station announcements for your sets destination ie inverness to Glasgow I have gone for Birmingham to Cambridge set would charlies sound files be different for my set and how much did they cost if you don't mind me asking. many thanks as always peter from birmingham
southway1943 hi I got mine sound fitted from him. So got it sound from day one. If you specify which one you’ve got he would Taylor the sounds to suit!... ask him. :-) cheers
Quite annoyed when I received mine which I bought direct from Realtrack Models, the decoders weren’t set up correctly and one of the speakers was dead. Charlie did sent the decoder settings via email and at my request he sent a replacement speaker for me to fit myself. The speakers used in the unit are crappy speakers from a mobile phone or similar, which I will upgrade with Zimo speakers soon. When the engines start on mine, both start together and not separate like the prototype does, so I’ll be contacting Charlie again for more CV settings lol. I’ve also just discovered that one of the wires on the bogies for the pick ups has broke. Other than that it runs fine and is a nice looking model. It’s put me off buying the Bachmann 158 as it is a lot of money! P.s your TMD is looking fantastic... Mark
Kirkton Road Junction mine had issues to start. Don’t have any reservations about the Bachmann 158.... it’s really good. (But Crap speakers too!!). It’s a costly one tho!
Great review Dave I would not mind one I've got the old Lima class 156 and think it's seen better days now like you said in the video it's like 30 years old now. Do realtrack do it in the eastmidlands old green livery? Take care for now and thank you for the review Dave Gary leicestertmd
Hi Dave, I have the Abellio Scotrail saltire livery stunning model but keep a tube of glue handy the amount of bit's that fall off when you take it out of the box. Ok when I had the Hornby Elite no problems but changed to an ECoS and had the same problem as you had, phoned Charlie he said he's had no complaints yet has sold hundreds of them, so e-mailed Steve of SWD he said to turn off railcom or make up a consist, so looked through the menu and turned off railcom put on program and gave them both same address all worked all ok. Railcom is good for single loco's but not for dmu's. I had the Hornby scotrail but the saltire blue was the wrong colour, and as you say the Hornby/Lima had no detail. Might see you at SECC in feb, so till them happy modelling.....John.
John 66/67's hi I had to figure it out by myself!, Charlie gave me the same kind of response. I had to wait 9 week to get it back from dc kits! Which was frustrating as there was nothing wrong with it when I sent it back! Good to know I wasn’t alone with this issue. Dave
Had the same issues with various controllers and Railcom plus the same responses... Now all is good with Railcom off using a Digikeijs DR5000 everything works as it should.
Great review Dave it is an amazing model but it is a fair bit for just a 2 car unit I have a Lima one but I have detailed it up like added the snowplows because it doesn’t come with them
Looks really nice - length / profile / livery / only thing stands out to me - are the light clusters on front a little on the big side ? Thanks for the preview Dave.
Great video! The thing which stands out is the yellow snowplough which seems too large compared to a Bachmann snowplough from the class 150. The orange item on the bogies & red engine component on the chassis are too bold & ive never seen a unit with these being so obvious. If these few things were toned down & less bold, it would be a perfect looking model & everything else is spot on.
Another great video. The door sounds that the cars make sound like sliding automatic doors but this train had manual slam doors did it not? Also was the model on the right at the beginning missing a hand rail? Thanks for sharing Dave.
Where exactly does Dave mention that both units are powered and both have sound? did I imaging that he missed that out of the spotlight? 7:40 That's not the speaker enclosure on the bottom these are actually fitted with very good mobile phone type speakers in the roof.. They are even fitted in the non sound version! so you can add a pair of sound chips from legobiffoman at a later date if you want too..
Another great video. The door sounds that the cars make sound like sliding automatic doors but this train had manual slam doors did it not? Also was the model on the right at the beginning missing a hand rail? Thanks for sharing Dave. Edit: Ignore me, I stupidly didn't see the push button for the doors!
Hi Dave anther great video mate the class156 look great I have some of the lima/Hornby class156s I have upgraded my class156s with extra detailing but realtrack are far better clive
@@DeanPark hi Dave the hornby class156s are better running untils I have put snow ploughs on my class156s and upgrade the under framed to I use my 156s on my model of stranraer line and heysham harbour line when running post 1989 to 1992 time period Clive
I have the provincial/provincial scotrail/Strathclyde orange and black/Strathclyde blood & custard/first barbie doll/scotrail saltire livery class156 dmus in my fleet I am thinking of putting head & tails leds in to all my 156 dmus mate I would like to replace all my class156s but it is to expensive to you that for me to do now dc kit usually come to the Bangor model railway exhibition in April i will have a closer look at them and may buy one from nigel the Bangor exhibition is the biggest in N.lreland goodbye for now clive
Lima and new one look so diff and think both look diff time periods of the dmu in real not model terms both would look good on layout if u added snow plough lights and that
Good review! Although I think the Realtrack model is fantastic, short of a lottery win, the price is a bit too steep for me so I'll upgrade my Lima 156 with a good decoder and a bunch of 3D printed underframe parts to tart it up! I think the only part that looks wrong on this unit are the plain red coloured exhaust under the body and the tips sticking out at the top next to the gangway. In reality it was metal that became burnished by the heat over time and rusts up in certain places. www.flickr.com/photos/37190-dalzell/40472567911/ If I had one, I'd paint it silver and then use brown washes to tint it, and build up the layers with rusty browns and oranges. Dave, be careful of using Wikipedia for research data... the part where it mentions a Cardiff allocation misses a crucial part of their history, which is the class 155's had some serious flaws in the door system where the 155's had doors opening while moving. Due to this, 156's were borrowed for almost a year, and Class 37's were used on loco-hauled passenger operations until the rectification of the 155's was completed allowing the borrowed 156's to return to their home depots.
