Hornby R1255M Flying Scotsman Train Set Analogue, multi colour

I've found it almost impossible to get it to run on the track without it derailing - at low speeds, at faster speeds it seems to be better. I want to set it up properly on a MDF board before I make a final judgment.

I bought the Flying Scotsman train set in 2016 or so, the regular version. Only difference was the box was the regular Hornby red, and it didn't come with a railing piece. Oh and the engine didnt have a sprung front bogie, so that's another plus. • The loco is heavy! Seems to have a good bit of diecast metal. Great for traction. Sprung front bogie decreases the odds of derailing. Not that this model has an issue with that anyway. Unfortunately, like the set before, "Flying Scotsman's" rear bogie is static. Molded diecast, no flange on the trailing bogie underneath the cab. Most detail is molded, various tubes and such. It does have metal handrails, both on the main half of the engine and its tender as well. The tender has molded coal, and it doesn't provide electrical pickup for the motor. And the coupling bar makes a "CLUNK" when the engine moves. I find it amusing, personally. But it can get a little old. • The coaches are great. If the hook of their hook-&-loop couplers comes off, just snap it back. Same for the wheels, and even the bogies. You can take the body shell off and you'll see each coach has a corridor and little bench seats. So you could buy a bunch of mini figures sitting down, even lights. It's why i love these cheaper budget models, you can get a solid model and have all the fun of applying the details • The track is code 100, which means it's the best for models, but is taller than the real thing, in scale. The most realistic ho scale/oo gauge track is code 75, for their height is more in-scale with real rails. You gotta be gentle when connecting the tracks, the rail-joiners/fishplates can get smooshed easily if you accidentally overlap the track and the joiner. I speak from personal experience... Anyway, can't complain. The main curves are 3rd radius, perfect for a large tender engine like Flying Scotsman. 4th being the widest fixed radius, and 1st being the tighest. Compatible with Atlas, the last i checked. Altas being an American track brand that isn't, uh... Less-than-EZ. • Good ol' AC controller. Only operates one engine at a time, you'll need to drive other locomotives into their isolated sidings before operating one of your choice. Which is why... • The points are insulated. Which is why Scot won't move if you have it in a siding with the points switched. The points being switched means the siding wont get electricity, and "Scot" will just sit there. It's deliberate, so you can have more than one engine on the track while also running one at a time. No hassle having to remove other engines! Anyway I fell back in love with trains and needed to replace the stuff i lost and broke from the last set, in my inexperience. Highly recommend, but also buy a model railway book. Seriously, i feel awful for kids who think their engine is broken cuz it's sitting on an insulated siding. Go onto the website called "Rails of Sheffield". They're *THE* British model trains online store. Three of my four model locomotives are from their Hattons portion, before Hattons closed and merged with Rails of Sheffield. Alright, I hope I was of help. Im an American railfan who loves trains from Europe as well. Ask questions, if Amazon still has that function.

Bought this for my elderly father who still enjoys building g model railways. The Flying Acotsman is beautifully detailed and as with all hornby rail products well built. I would suggest buying the larger Hornby controller as this one is prone to fail after time.

Complete garbage. Broken parts. No way to connect carriages to locomotive. Painstakingly connected all rails and within 2 minutes the power to rails failed and locomotive would no longer run. Total disappointment for my 8 year old.

I really like the train. Hornby is, in my opinion, a cut above Bachmann in terms of the biggest producers of HO model trains. The engine is heavy, solid, and nicely detailed given the price. The cars are just OK, although, again, at this price point they're as good or better than I would have expected. The track is actually pretty good -- better than the steel Bachmann track in my opinion, although it looks a roadbed. The controller isn't very impressive. It feels flimsy and insubstantial, although it worked. I didn't need the controller so only tested it before putting it away. My only complaint is that I first tried ordering Used, and it came with the front bogie/truck detached and lacking the hardware to attach it. So I sent that back and bought new, and it came with the front bogie/truck detached. As it turns out, it did have the hardware needed to attach it, but since the only schematic I could find online showed it with different hardware, I again thought it was missing hardware and shipped it back for a replacement. And the replacement arrived with the front bogie/truck detached. This time I reached out for help and found both the folks in the Hornby forums as well as Hornby support staff to be very friendly and helpful. With a pointer to the right schematic, I finally got the train up and running. It seems odd that I got multiple locomotives with the front bogie detached. And it's frustrating that the Hornby website is organized poorly, making it extremely difficult to find schematics. I would take off a point for that, but then I'd give back that point simply because the community as well as company support are great.