Hornby has received decorated samples of its upgraded ‘OO’ gauge BR Southern Region Class 423 4-VEP Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) for inspection.
Originally launched in 2011, Hornby’s four-car EMU has recently undergone a series of upgrades to the original design with enlarged roof ventilators and revised front end arrangement with improvements to windscreen wipers, jumper cables and the corridor connections which have been resized and repositioned.
The improvements also extend inside too, with a new die-cast chassis to the Motor Brake Standard Open (MBSO) vehicle for added weight, together with a repositioned motor bogie, removal of traction tyres, improved pick-ups and revised seat mouldings. Electrical inter-unit connections between vehicles have also been improved, while a new buckeye style fixed bar coupling has been designed for closer coupling between four-car sets.
In addition, Hornby’s new 'OO' gauge 4-VEP units will feature a 21-pin Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder socket in a revised location and a new acoustic chamber will be included in the small details pack for use with the manufacturer’s Bluetooth Triplex Sound system. Space has been provided for a speaker set-up in the guard’s compartment of the MBSO.
Hornby has also incorporated a novel method of turning the head/tail lights on and off at each end of the revised units, which will benefit those coupling more than one unit together. These can be turned on or off by simply tapping the roof at the respective end with a finger.
Two new models are planned, finished as 4-VEP 3455 in South West Trains livery (Cat No. R30107) and 3514 in its unique Southern green colour scheme (R30106). Still a work-in-progress, any necessary amendments to the units will be carried out before progressing further.
Priced at £362.99 each, release is currently anticipated later this winter.
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