16/06/09: Cracking Chassis, Gromit!

For a while now there have been reports of Hornby Class 31 diesels having problems with chassis and bodies cracking. It seems to afflict the following models: R2413 31 270 Blue, R2413A 31174 Blue, R2420 D5512 Green, R2421 31 110 Dutch. When I first heard about it I checked the body on mine, it was fine. I have rechecked it on occasions and the body was still fine.

Last weekend I decided to fit a Lenz Power 1 module to its Lenz Gold decoder. I took the body off and found that the chassis was not in the best of health.

Hornby are aware of the problem and if you have a similar experience and would like to help them with their investigation then post your details here.

The 31 will be used on the PCA cement trains, with a 25 hauling the alternative Presflos. In fact, checking through the stock squirreled away, I seem to have much of what I will need - all I need to do is fit couplings, renumber, weather and any modifications to some unacceptable models, like the Lima DMU.

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