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8Fs – Heavy goods engines - the old and the new


Silver Sidelines

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In this Post on heavy goods engines I make reference to one of my earliest purchases and to one of my most recent purchases.

 

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Hornby Dublo 8F from the 1960s

 

I have used the image above before in a Post ‘in praise’ of Hattons. A visit was made to the shop in Smithdown Road in Liverpool and it was purchased in person in the early 1960s. It was an up to date model of the time and came with a Late Crest which was exactly right for the period.

 

When I went off to college my layout was dismantled and the 8F was put away for safe keeping. It would be around 1980 before it was properly unpacked and had a new layout to run on. Compared to the latest Mainline products the Dublo 8F looked clumsy. However it was a superb runner - probably on account of the original and in my opinion only true Ringfield Motor.

 

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Proper Ringfield Motor - Replacement Mainline tender

 

During the 1980s I was a regular visitor to Swindon. Prior to travelling back to Newcastle I would go to Trent’s Toy Shop near the station. On one visit there was a damaged Mainline Scot ‘For Sale’. I wanted the old style Mainline chassis as a replacement for a newer poor running model. What could I do with the broken body shell and tender?

 

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Cab rivet detail and Kitmaster Glazing

 

I was not happy with the Dublo tender for the 8F. It did have lovely rivet detail but the underframe was not set back far enough and the wheels I thought underscale with the centre pair left unflanged. I decided to reuse the Mainline tender suitably repainted in black to match the Dublo engine. Turning to the surplus body shell I gently prised the boiler handrails from the plastic boiler and repositioned them on the 8F using plastic filler to key the tiny knobs into the oversize Dublo holes. I added cab windows shaped from left over Kitmaster windows – what would we do without them? At the same time the Dublo 8F was given a new coat of satin black paint and some new numbers, 48474 being a Shrewsbury engine that fitted with my theme of a mid-Wales layout. As sold by Meccano the buffers had a thick coating of silver over black paint. Again in my opinion the model can be hugely improved simply by scraping the paint off the brass buffer heads and replacing with a single thin coat of black.

 

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Mainline pony and repainted buffers

 

The pony truck on my 8F came with what I thought were seriously undersize nylon wheels. The solution I adopted was to cut up one pair of the old metal rimmed Mainline bogie wheels and to fit them to the original Hornby axle. There is a down side to this conversion. The clearance for the pony truck wheels on the Dublo chassis is tight and since the chassis is ‘live’ to one of the running rails, there can be occasional short circuits. I did experiment with black plastic insulation tape on the underside of the chassis but it is not good at sticking to curved surfaces. Currently I am relying on a thick coating of black paint - aided no doubt by large radius curves and reasonably level trackwork.

 

The Dublo 8F is my oldest current engine, what has arrived recently? Possibly my most recent acquisition has been one of Bachmann’s ex GWR ROD 2-8-0s.

 

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Bachmann ex GWR ROD Class number 3023

 

Engine number 3023, with Early Emblem is strictly outside the period of my layout. However there were still a few sister engines supposedly left in stock at the end of 1958 which coincides with the beginning of my modelling period. My 1957 edition Observers Book of Trains has five ROD in BR stock, numbers 3011, 3015, 3024, 3030 and 3041. However my Ian Allen ‘Combined Volume’ (for winter ‘58/59) has only three left, numbers 3011, 3015 and 3024. The companion ‘Locoshed Book’ doesn’t have any 30xx numbers listed. So it would appear that by the end of 1958 all the ex GWR RODs had finally disappeared.

 

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For completeness I have included a picture of the Bachmann mechanism. As with the other recent models of heavy goods engines from both Bachmann and Hornby, the motor is a tight fit within the boiler which has been carefully filled with metal. As with the Hornby 28/38xx series engines, the DCC chip is housed in the tender. This way all available space within the engine body has been used for ballast.

 

I like my 30xx, it runs more slowly and sedately than the Hornby counterparts but that seems to be a design feature of all Bachmann locomotives. Might that mean the Bachmann motors last longer?

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Guest jonte

Posted

Enlightening, Ray. Thank you.

 

Talking of Bachmann locos (chassis especially), I've heard that the wheels cannot easily be pulled or pushed on their axles to alter the gauge settings due to plastic ends on the axles, onto which the wheels are fitted. Hornby on the other hand, without such hindrances, are quite easy to alter. 

 

What are your thoughts on this please Ray?

 

Best wishes,

 

Jonte

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Hello Jonte

 

I have still to summon up courage and start some buildings!

 

In answer to your question - why would I be wanting to pull or push wheels on their axles.  I am perhaps being naughty - I do remember pulling a pair of Bachmann wheels apart which I felt were not quartered properly.  The engine did not run smoothly - should I spend +

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Guest jonte

Posted

Hi, Ray, and thanks for a prompt response.

 

As you've been kind enough to answer my question I feel it only fair to answer yours!!

 

I'm still toying with doing something with one or two points I built to OO-SF standards - or even DOGA fine - which in both cases involves altering at least one set of wheels, and I remember reading somewhere that Hornby are best for this as they still fit their wheels to 'metal' axles which is more conducive to treatment using a wheel puller (I recently purchased one from Germany for the purpose) than the friction fitted (via nylon inserts) Bachmann type - I think the metal axles protruding through the wheel centres provide a firmer  surface for the centre push than the nylon/ plastic type. From what you've written, Ray, it would appear there's some truth in this as the 'nylon' inserts - being only friction fits and not as robust as metal - can become distorted and thereby loosened in the process. However, to be fair, you say this involved removing the wheel sets completely on two occasions AND turning them in two dimensions, so I suppose a slight pull or shove in one plane shouldn't prove too detrimental. I hope.

 

If I'm honest, I would prefer to purchase Bachmann maodels as the detail is excellent, and as you pointed out Ray, the motors run very smoothly and have excellent performance even with DC. I'm not discounting Hornby: I'd want to test the model before purchasing though, just to make sure.

 

With regard to the buildings, Ray: just do what I did and bite the bullet!!!

 

Thanks again for your input, Ray. As usual it was most helpful.

 

Regards,

 

Jonte

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Hi Ray

 

Always look forward to your blogs - great explanation and detailed review of various locos.  Great photography too - always clear and nicely composed.  The Hornby D 8F is a smashing model - they really were years ahead of their time given the production methods and available raw materials back then.  The improvements are also great - not over drastic but enough to bring it up to date.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

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Hi Mike

 

I appreciate your support.  I think there is far too much 'hype' these days and that we are in danger of forgetting just how good some old products really were.

 

Regards

 

Ray

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