Southern Class N

[melmerby]

And FWIW the tender of my secondhand pre-owned 32-160 which arrived earlier today seems to be incapable of misbehaving however hard I try to induce it to do so, despite it having the apparently-problematic strange loco-to-tender coupling.

Likewise the one I have (32-153)

 

One of the lugs was broken off the "H" shape coupling so I made one out of brass to the same design and I have never had a problem with it.

 

A good rule with Bachmann numbering is that if it is 32-XXX it has a solid chassis

If it is 31-XXX it is normally split chassis, however they have started messing this up by some more recent models (last 5-6-7 years?) such as the ROD 2-8-0 also being put in the 31-XXX series

There is also a new series 35-XXX

 

Likewise wagons 33-XXX virtually as received from Mainline, 37-XXX & 38-XXX new tooling Blue Riband.

Coaches 34-XXX old ex-Mainline, 39-XXX new tooling but again some re-tooled coaches are now in the 34-XXX (e.g. new Thomson Coaches)

 

The one thing you can say is that Bachmann's numbering nowadays is confusing.

 

Keith

[woodenhead]

General N class question, when did they first get allocated into Cornwall?

[Wickham Green]

General N class question, when did they first get allocated into Cornwall?

The Southern didn't have a lot of sheds in Cornwall and I'm not sure how many were big enough to have an allocation of locos of this size ................. but they'd have worked across the Tamar from England as soon as Ashford had sorted out the mess they got from Woolwich and sent them west - without the necessary references in front of me I can't say better than 'mid-twenties' !

[Oldddudders]

General N class question, when did they first get allocated into Cornwall?

In the North Cornwall volume by Irwell Press, 2manyspams of this parish records that a 2-6-0 was first tried in 1924, was successful, and the Ns flourished thereafter. As for Southern sheds in that county, I can only think of Wadebridge and Bude, both sub-sheds of Exmouth Junction.

[woodenhead]

Probably a better wording would have been allocated to services in Cornwall but my question is answered, thanks chaps.

[bigherb]

 As for Southern sheds in that county, I can only think of Wadebridge and Bude, both sub-sheds of Exmouth Junction.

Launceston

[Oldddudders]

Launceston

I thought that was ex-GWR, rather than Southern. But we ought to add Callington, although I am unclear whether it ever saw any N class workings.

[Wickham Green]

I thought that was ex-GWR, rather than Southern. But we ought to add Callington, although I am unclear whether it ever saw any N class workings.

..... or tender engines of any other sort.

[woodenhead]

Ordered myself a 32-153A from Hattons.

[spikey]

Ordered myself a 32-153A from Hattons.

 

Hah!  When I looked on Saturday afternoon, they had that one and one other secondhand preowned.  I ordered the other one, and tomorrow it's going back for refund.  Looks very nice indeed but not as smooth a runner as the one I got from them 10 days ago ...

Edited October 1, 2018 by spikey

[woodenhead]

Well I will see what I get, at least we have the option to return and i can always go via Wigan on Saturday.

[chris45lsw]

..... or tender engines of any other sort.

Not quite - 0395 0-6-0s were permitted on the Callington branch.

 

Chris KT

[spikey]

... and i can always go via Wigan on Saturday.

 

Hmmm.   Must be 30 years since I last had a pie barm ...

[Wickham Green]

Not quite - 0395 0-6-0s were permitted on the Callington branch.

 

Chris KT

'Permitted' is one thing - but were they used in practise ? ( At the other end of the Southern - and talking of 0-6-0s - the 700s were permitted to go anywhere on the SED that a C class could ..... but I've never seen any evidence of one venturing down here ! )

[woodenhead]

Mine arrived this morning, excellent value at £57 inc postage from Hattons.

 

Runs like a Bachmann and I’m happy

 

[Mike_Walker]

I have recently acquired 31874 in early black (32-165). Does anyone know if the moulded coal load is removeable? The exploded diagram enclosed suggests it is a separate item with the coal space correctly modelled below. As the plastic lets down an otherwise excellent model I'd like to run it with a half-full load of real coal rather than a full load plus.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

3 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

..Does anyone know if the moulded coal load is removeable? ...

It is. Like much of the range, on the one example I have had to look at it was so close fitting that it was difficult to extract; my recollection is of wiggling in a scalpel blade on a long side to 'start' it so it could be dislodged. Lovely model that hasn't really dated in the circa 20 years since it was introduced.

[Calidore]

Are the most recent ones free from the severe mazak distortion which plagued the earlier ones? I’d rather like one of these but have always felt afraid to touch them, even when looking at an example which doesn’t seem to have any problems at the point of purchase.

 

Adam

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Only affected the models from the first production run to the best of my knowledge, see the 'Mazak rot' topic pinned at the top of Modelling Questions to check.

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

I have three or four on and about the layout. All bought secondhand a decade ago. None has any mazak rot so far. Unlike the Hornby T9, of which i have had two fall to pieces, one newer than any of the Ns. 

[Wickham Green too]

Ditto - my three Ns are fine but my T9 suffered the usual motor retainer problem .....and the 'as new' "Cheltenham" Schools I bought from a well known retailer most certainly wasn't how I would have accepted it new !