Beautiful model, Matt. Sometimes, you just get a model because you like it, and that is all that matters... whether it fits the era/region/type of train you would run on your layout! Well done!
This hobby is all about having fun and taking pleasure from your acquisitions and modelling adventures. Making an "off the wall" purchase just because "I like it" now and again is most welcome. Even Charlie at Chadwick did it when he bought his HST set. Long may this anarchy continue! PS: your layout is ideal for running a near-prototypical length train.
The Pendolino looks great on ‘Jubilee Road’, Matt. Swinging around your layout’s broad curves it looks totally at home. I have a Hornby Pride Pendolino. While the motor car is happy to run around my layout - whose worst curves are 3rd radius - it always derails when pulling even one coach. So now it’s only ever on static display. Although I’ve travelled on Pendolinos numerous times, my current favourite train is the Transport for Wales Cardiff-Manchester service. A real loco (Class 67), comfort of a Mk4 1st Class coach, excellent value cooked lunch and superb scenery - there’s nothing which beats it as a timetabled main line service right now.
Looks great when running at speed. Great to have a region and era to model but sometimes you just have to have something that you just like or because it brings memories and than does not require any explanation!
Hi Matt. If this helps. The Class 390 Pendolino trains were built by Alstom in 2002/2003 in Italy and they were extended to 11 car sets with some remaining 9 car formations. The Hornby model was announced in 2007 and was released in 2008 if I recall correctly. Virgin Trains West Coast used to haul them from Crewe to Holyhead with Class 57's. I believe they now use Class 221's on the Holyhead-Euston services but this might have changed since 2017 when I last lived in England.
The original 6 pin chip batch came out in 2006/07. This model definitely requires a retool with carriage lights all wheel drive and no traction tires and of course sound.
I have been on one of these in real life. And seen plenty of them in virgin and avanti livery when visiting the NEC/Birmingham International Station from the previous Warley shows. It would be interesting to see a re-tooled version with the different liveries including the interim change over from Virgin to Avanti white livery and like you said working destination screens on the carriages and driving units would be great. The Bachmann Voyager models might also benefit from an update as well as they were brought out at the same time as these and have the same level of detail.
Great looking train on your excellent layout. I’m still missing one of those, and was recently considering to get the new GWR class 802/1 train pack by Hornby - full 9 car set, but after ready some comments of reviews, I don’t think I’m going to spend a small fortune on a model that has all kinds of issues…
I am the proud owner of a full 11 car Pendolino. I bought mine 2nd hand and added the extra cars to make it a full 11 car set. ( Cost a pretty penny too!) I can confirm the 11 car set has 2 pantographs in real life not 3 as you suggested. I've modified mine to remove the traction tyres, made both ends powered and added weight into the power cars. I did have to limit the available speed on it as it was capable of over 200mph scale speed!! Cheers
Great looking, almost full length model Matt and although I had never thought about it before I too really enjoy the ride on the Pendolinos/Avantis. I've done the full run from Glasgow Central to Euston. Great ride.
Having seen this model many times at the Hoddesdon Model and Railway Club with my good friend Taylan who owns it, I can tell you that it’s a great model.
Information ℹ️ I read on Wikipedia about ➡️ Class 390012 (390112) Formerly Virgin Star. wore temporary applied Christmas - themed vinyl on each driving car during December 2014 and branded 'Traindeer' as for the model itself it hangles the curves and point work well and if there was electric west of Cardiff then the Class 390's would be my choice instead of Class 800, 802 Hitachi.
Good video overall Matt, a nice addition to your fleet, regarding the model I think it’s okay for what it is, most people who have one of these are going to have this running round their layout at speed, I myself do have one it’s just in the Alstom livery, recently I managed to expand my one with an extra 4 coaches so mine is 8 cars long now, I’m currently on the lookout for a final coach to make it a 9 coach train, my one only has a single motor but that isn’t a problem for me, sure it does have traction tyres but that doesn’t necessarily stop the wheels from slipping because if you set the controller to a high setting to get the train moving it will just slip so in essence you can sort of drive the model quite realistically because you have to start slow then gather speed over time, might look at getting mine fitted with DCC at some point, maybe I will look at sound, as for if they are the best I’m not sure, I haven’t travelled on one yet, what’s wrong with the 800s if I may ask, I travelled on one of the Azumas a couple of months ago from Doncaster to York and the journey overall was very nice and quite comfortable for me, good video overall Matt.
Hey Matt, I dont have a layout or trains or anything so this might be a really stupid question - so apologies if so... If you have a driveable engine at the front AND the back, Does this not lead to either the back one constantly pushing the front engine or indeed the front one constantly pulling the back engine? Do you need to do some hoackery poakery to make them go at the same speed or what? Thanks a lot. :D
If you are using the same model produced with the same tooling and components on the front and back, then they should run very similarly. This if using DCC, then if the decoders and settings are the same, no real issues. For totally different models, then on analogue, there’s not much that can be done for running differences. In DCC, you would have to update the speed settings on one or both decoders to get the locos to match speed/acceleration etc. Either way, there will always be an element of push/pull due to the friction of cornering or the effects of gradients so problems may occur on occasion.
For you to say the pendelino is the height of comfort is so wrong. The HST and a 86/87 with a rake of mk3s was head and shoulders above these plastic tubes. The height of comfort in the uk was in the late 70s and 80s we have gone down hill ever since and its embarrassing to think that thing is considered comfortable . Todays railways are bearable and the best stock is on the chilten loco hauled stock , but not as good as we had 40 years ago
