Quote from: port perran on April 08, 2026, 06:28:39 PMThanks for that Steve.
It's rather disappointing that they are only producing the 4 models and if I remember correctly that's only a black modified hall with late crest.

I

The black BR Hall they are producing in the first run is 7904 "Fountains Hall" which is indeed a Modified Hall, but it carries an early crest. I am happy to be corrected, but I believe that by the time Halls received the late crest they were in lined BR Green livery.

Quote from: Bigmac on April 08, 2026, 07:42:27 PMi read somewhere the old farish poole hall looks more like a modified hall.

Indeed the old Graham Farish Hall is a modified Hall, the plate frames can clearly be seen in front of the smokebox. additionally the fabricated smokebox saddle tapers outwards from the smokebox. it is a shame that Graham Farish have chosen to produce the first four with a Collet 4000 gallon tender insted of the Hawksworth one.

I can only assume that they are hoping for more sales when these are finally released. they have done this sort of thing with Coach liveries e.g. releasing blood and custard then a year or so later the Maroon 

Regards,

Alex

Based on my preferences a late crest green Hall with Hawksworth tender would probably be the best seller. Late crest is I think the most popular livery for steam locos in terms of sales (based on what is heavily discounted, but I could be wrong) and the Hawksworth tender makes it different enough to be a necessary addition to the fleet. The new Farish Hall is a great looking model but I am keeping my powder dry until the late crest with Hawksworth tender version appears.

I picked one up today, non-DCC and it's very nice. However it might run a little *too* well. Putting it on my test track to run in with my Kato Standard SX Controller, it launched off at a fair pace even with the throttle on 0. Forwards or Reverse. Top Speed isn't insane, just not dropping below about 20mph scale speed at all.
I suspected the Kato controller gives a slight amount of power at 0 to keep lights on etc. but kind of surprised at this setting (also impressed the motor can quite happily run at such a low voltage).

So I did the sensible thing and measured the voltage. +- 6.5V at 0 on the dial up to 13v at top.Tested with another controller 0 - 13. So it's a wonky controller. Phew

Still impressed it's quite happy to start and roll away at 6.5V though, especially as it's not even been run in yet.

I'm still dithering as there's nowt really wrong with my Dapol Wollaton Hall

Quote from: Newportnobby on July 28, 2026, 04:56:52 PMI'm still dithering as there's nowt really wrong with my Dapol Wollaton Hall

2 old Farish bogie tankers, 2 Dapol Syphons and a NGS/Dapol Stove-R up a 5 degree slope with a 30cm radius curve at the top

A very short test of Ragley Hall today and a little look over. In my view such a good loco and really looking forward to modified hall now.

Graham

Received my sound fitted Ragley Hall today, I was going to wait for the other one I had ordered (Kinlet Hall) to arrive, but my willpower crumbled very easily when I saw @Ensign Elliott 's pictures!

I am not typically a GW modeller (although I have a few locos) but as Halls were seen on the GC after Nationalisation, and regularly on cross-country workings I can justify a couple, and I am really pleased that is the case! The loco is superb, beautifully detailed and finished, runs sublimely and the sound file is excellent. Now to me it does not quite shade the new V2 as the best British N steam loco to date, but there really isn't much in it.

Personally I am not too fussed about the Hawksworth tender but understand why others will be wanting to wait, and I really hope this loco does well enough to justify another run quickly, such a lovely model of a really versatile prototype really deserves to do well.

As to the Dapol Hall, the kindest thing I can say is that it was an OK model for its time, but things have moved on, and in pretty much every respect possible the new Farish model absolutely blows it away in my opinion.

Roy

Yeah I was also going to wait for Kinlet as I wanted late crest, but in the end I couldn't resist getting Ragley and rebranded the tender instead. I'll get at least one Kinlet when it arrives.

Halls were fairly prominent in Cornwall, so I'm hoping to have 4 or 5 in my fleet eventually, all BR lined green with late crest. I've so pleased that Farish are doing the modified halls (which I actually prefer) and the Hawksworth straight sided tenders. I may well end up getting a couple of spare straight tender bodies to run with a couple of castles. I'm guessing a BR lined green modified with straight sided tender will come out in a future run.

I thought mine ran at least as well as the V2 and 8F, which are my current star performers, absolutely perfect straight out of the box. My only slight niggle is the largish gap between the loco and tender, though nowhere near as bad as the V2 gap was.