Conversion to DCC and electic power for Hornby Live Steam

Alf Pirolo, Hornby's Development Engineer announced today that a new modification service for existing Live Steam engines will make them compatible with 12v DCC.
Better still the enlightened work by Hornby boffins harnesses the power of the electric regulator motor and connects it to the drive train. LS users will know that it is possible to push a cold locomotive around the track and all the rods function as normal. A simple mechanical lever is installed during the modification to engage it and the slow running performance is fantastic.
Another big benefit is that it saves the 10 minute wait to get steam up so you can be up and running in seconds.
This electric power for toy trains could catch on!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Alf Pirolo
• Olaf Croip
• Rolf Palio
• Pilar Lofo
• Polo Flair
• April Fool

[sparkshot]

What's the point? The idea is to convert it to drive using the steam, but with DCC, so you can call up the live steam one instead of the standard one and rdrive it - but with steam as the power.

[OOLiveSteam]

@sparkshot gotcha!!!! did you notice the date at the end of the video and what is Alf Pirolo an anagram of? (except maybe you are not in the UK and you dont have Alf Pirolo in which case apologies!)

Seriously though, I run the OOLiveSteam Club and am thoroughly stricken. If you are a fan too please join - its free - and maybe we can get Hornby to make some more.

Adrian

[JBofBrisbane]

@wtierce1 - Not enough power to boil the water in the boiler.

[Splop10]

Just to let people know, Alf Pirolo is an anagram for April Fool. :(

[PalomboDylan]

@OOLiveSteam I have a hornby live steam locomotive and it is great fun even when it breaks I will use it as pushplay locomotive but If hornby can't make the steam powered ones anymore then why don't they just make a DCC locomotive but instead of a regular DCC controller use the controller that the live steam uses.It would make the DCC drivin locomotives alot more fun to run and it would be like driving a live steam but you are actually driving a DCC locomotive.Please suggest this idea to hornby.

[PalomboDylan]

@Nevawake if you can't run your live steam with steam any more then you can get it converted to this. so you can still have fun with your live steam locomotive and even though your live steam locomotive can't run on steam it can still be used and it can still pull trains for you and it can still sretch its wheels and it wont have to be thrown away.once it breaks on DCC just use it as a push locomotive if you don't want to do that you can put it on a shelf for display.

[cubeproduktion]

where can you find Hornby's Live Steam Model Train sets?

[wtierce1]

I can see your resoning for that and it is to make the loco non-live steam but still let it work on the live steam controler. Here is my question- Why cant you make the live steam loco DCC but it still use the steam. Connect the regulator motor to the motor output and connect the boiler straight to the DCC track power?

[gc53dfgc]

What is the pint of doing that? You make it so it will not operate on live steam ever again? You would have to be stupid... oh wait I get it now it's a joke haha! I will find whoever actually does this modification to their live steam engine and I will take it from them. You have been warned.

[midrange18]

OR.. Buy a DCC Fitted Flying Scotsman. Just throwing that out there!