Upgrading Lionel O gauge Hogwarts Express

Slows down in curves?
What diameter curves are you using? O36?
The o36 curves that came with the set are really too tight for the locomotive. It will perform much better on o48 and o60.

It also sounds like you want to swap the locomotive chassis with something else. The only other chassis that will fit the Hogwarts express is Shakespeare express. That's because they are the exact same locomotive. So nothing to be gained by doing that.

My Hogwarts express does great pulling four passenger cars. It's not the fastest but it seems just right to me. Soon I will be upgrading mine to TMCC and possibly add railsounds too.

As far as I know, among cast Lionel, MTH, etc., that is pretty much it for anything in that or similar British locos.  I have three of them and they all have rather small motors and limited pulling capability and a tendency to slow a bit more on curves than many locos. How much money and effort you put into upgrading it depends on how much you want the result.  If you concentrated on low-weight/low friction cars behind it, and not too long, it ought to run well enough, and with upgradedsound it would be a splendid little loco to run a lot.

Yeah, I love the little HE, but I'm trying to pull the 6 coaches, the tender, and the Dementor coach. It still does ok, but I would like a stronger engine. Adding the rail sound chip ($100) was a great investment. Could you guys suggest an engine upgrade?

 

 I can just imagine the grief I would get from non-toy train rivet counter types if I ran that at a show here in the UK. Sounding like a Hudson or something.

 

I wonder if it would be possible to custom program a Railsounds Chip or maybe integrate the sound board from an DCC sound decoder for a GWR Hall Class? 

 The trick would be the whistle control. 

 

http://www.digitrains.co.uk/ec...at-western-hall.aspx

Nick

There is no way to get a custom RS chip.  You can get a electronic whistle board from the Royal Shakespeare set that will have the appropriate whistle sounds.  

 

What curves are you trying to run on and what power supply are you using.  I run the set on an O-72 loop Around the Christmas tree.  180 watt brick and multiple 16 gauge drops.  I have no slowdowns pulling the set plus the add on two car set.  The engine's long wheel base and "unusual" pilot does not handle anything less than O-48 well.  Putting a more powerful motor in it won't fix these issues.

Chuck has a point about its slowing on curves: a big motor would not help that much.  Also, I just don't think it is a good candidate for changeout to a bigger motor.  I've done a lot of motor replacements and bashing projects where the motor is one issue, and I've had two of these Hall class locos apart of other reasons.  I would not want to take on this project, frankly.  Anything can be done with enough determination, effort, tools, and money.  I just don't see that it could ever be worth what I imagine would be a big, expensive project.  

 

If I were going to attempt to "re-power" the Lonel Hall class, quite honestly I would remove the motor entirely and let the loco free-whell, then install appropriate (or closest I could get) sound in the tender and (now roomy) loco, and power the train with multiple motors in the passenger cars: one can buy powered trucks with a small motor down inside each truck, and/or covert the cars to power via any of several ways (bash some Budd cars) or modified diesel trucks disguised as normal passenger trucks, etc.   This would be how I would go about it - it would be a fun and "big" project though - and probalby expensive.  But fun.

 

I understand that there are some lovely tinplate versions of the Hall and Coronation classes available from UK suppliers.  I've never looked into that in detail and I don't necessarily recommend them as more powerful: I have one lovely Darsted 2-6-2 that is very powerful if old fashioned (conventional only, no sound at all but you could take care of that).  This would be an alternative. 

Has anyone done a model of King's Cross Station Platform 9¾?

If anyone has started a Harry Potter layout, I'd love to see it. I've considered a layout for O gauge using reworked catheral buildings and various other prebuilt structures. I guess I'm happy were I'm at with the Hogwarts express where it's at now (I'm not in competitions). Does anyone know if Lionel or another Company will be making a new O gauge version of the Hogwarts Express?

If anyone has started a Harry Potter layout, I'd love to see it. I've considered a layout for O gauge using reworked catheral buildings and various other prebuilt structures. I guess I'm happy were I'm at with the Hogwarts express where it's at now (I'm not in competitions). Does anyone know if Lionel or another Company will be making a new O gauge version of the Hogwarts Express?

They would have to get licenses from JK ROwling and/or Warner Brothers.  Some of the stuff Lionel was going to do was dropped because of licensing issues (figure sets).

I'd add the ERRCo. CruiseCommander to handle the slowing problem.  Works great.

 

Jon

I did the same as KOOLjock1 and added the Small Steam whistle which has a really British steam sound.  Runs great with four chuffs and sounds.  Had ERR do the installation.

Do you have a source for these Lee?

this is a small 4X8 layout I made for xmas for my daughter she wanted the Hogwarts Express. The ruling was get it started and let her finish it. so I didn't finish the scenery. she has since painted the mountain a little,  took me a total of about a week from start to finish. the station I added lights and the platform I added lights. painted and balasted the tunnels so she wouldn't have to. I have a ton of extra track from my layout including remote switches maybe I will help her expand on it.