Ian Hargrave

January 31

20 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

An interesting point about the GCR is that it is permitted to operate movements at speeds up to 60mph. I presume that does not apply to trains carrying fare paying passengers. But if they are operating trains which don't stop ar all stations and which aren't provided with stewards (as the dining trains would be) maybe there is something which needs to sorted out?

The practice of not stopping at Quorn can cause confusion for passengers. Two years ago,wanting to experience Deltic Alycidon’s visit,I consulted the GCR timetable for that specific day which was a Friday and planned my visit.

So I drive to Quorn and park. I join the Leicester bound train and return with it to Loughborough,intending to return to Quorn on it in as timetabled in order to pick up the car & drive home. The p a announcement at Loughborough then informed that the train would be non-stop to Leicester. I made “suitable remonstrations” with the train crew,reminding them of the advertised online timings and succeeded in achieving the then unscheduled stop at Quorn without having to take a flying leap. At the time,I suspected this was a case of the right and left hands not being in accord. The 60 mph stunts usually operate for demos ( at Quorn ) of their TPO

January 29

2 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

The click could be coming into contact with something on your test track perhaps.Such as the steps brushing the contacts wired from your controller.This is happening atm with my 97 to the extent that it will cause stalling at very low amps. Not a major issue for me,I hasten to add.

Sorry 93 not 97. A beautiful model .A piece of railway history recreated. One that runs itself in btw.In due course,I shall add one of Dapol’s crimson suburban Toplights to its rear. Even if someone informs me it’s historically inaccurate.

January 29

On 28/01/2024 at 11:36, Harlequin said:

I have a problem with number 97: I had run her quite a lot backwards and forwards on my oval test layout with no problems but I turned her around today. (Should have done that sooner, I know.)

She is now hesitating intermittently when turning right on 2ft2in radius curves, sometimes with a click and sometimes even with a small hop into the air!

I assume something is jamming in the motion but I haven't been able to see what yet. I don't want to push it too far so if I can't diagnose the problem soon I'll have to report back to Kernow MRC.

I have fitted the smaller scroll irons but I don't think they are involved.

😞

The click could be coming into contact with something on your test track perhaps.Such as the steps brushing the contacts wired from your controller.This is happening atm with my 97 to the extent that it will cause stalling at very low amps. Not a major issue for me,I hasten to add.

January 29

12 hours ago, adb968008 said:

a lot of wcrc’s passengers are elderly in years and as such a day out that becomes a 24 hour coach trip could actually pose a health risk to some.. not just stress, missed medications etc.

it’s unreasonable to expect a passenger for a day out to pack an overnight bag. Granted last night was unfortunate and the 2000 Preston- Euston wasn’t cancelled for other reasons making it more difficult.

Network Rail and WCRC can play hard ball with each other but I would like to hope the passengers should be kept out of it.

Maybe Railtour promotors /Network rail need to consider alternative routes home ?, as I’m sure they won’t want to be left holding blame for a passengers health ?

It has all the hallmarks of “problem solving but ignoring the critical factor”- the passenger, whenever the network goes pop for whatever reason… agreed these passengers were unlikely to egress to the track but the “shrug shoulders” response to passengers is a concern that is seen in every incident like this.. that carousel is running out of empty chambers before something critical happens somewhere…

Which elderly said passenger could have been me,Except that I have already concluded that getting up in the middle of the night to join one of these grey power specials isn’t for me in any case and not within my comfort zone,either health or wealth wise.

January 28

44 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

So who named Lake Vyrnwy, then? The English?

In Cymraeg,Efrynwy ( f=v ) The river valley of that name was flooded in 1880 to provide a water supply to Liverpool .In essence the answer to your question is yes but probably also due to the gradual influx of migrating population from ,as we say,”up England way” and their speech patterns etc.

January 27

2 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

97 now safely received, setting yet another high standard for RTR !

Slow running is a little uneven at present in time with the valve gear despite lubrication and running in, visually checked and nothing appears out of alignment. Will continue with more running in,

Dumb question : DC running still requires a decoder for sound ??

Putting this the other way round,if you like,currently you can operate some sound -fitted locos ( e.g.LokSound ) using a 12v DC analogue controller ( e.g.Gaugemaster) of suitable quality. You will get sound but without the sophistication of a decent DCC system. That is no guarantee that this would be the case with the steam railcar. There is no quick answer to this because there are so many variables involved such as your controller and track..

I could quote my own experience but that would not be of any use.Yes I have had what I might describe as a form of success but Neal’s advice is the way forward here. Ask. Good Luck.

January 26

10 minutes ago, Ponthir28 said:

This sad saga goes on and on. I really wanted one of these. But as yet to get a layout I am just put off by the running quality.

……as posted on this forum perhaps ? Well some of us aren’t subscribers to the “sad saga “ and do actually run perfectly sound models with zero “issues “,to quote a seemingly much overused term. Yes,it is accepted that there have been difficulties which the gents at Rapido UK have striven manfully to overcome . It could well be that by the time your layout reaches completion,they will have successfully done so.

January 25

9 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Hmm, mine was a week before, so had the logic offered of processing strictly in payment order held good, I would have heard by now.

So, I imagine I'll get the news anytime now. Excitement! It's sure to turn up, and probably sooner than later now. In the meantime I am neither impatient nor concerned, and, not wishing to tempt fate, I think I have the necessary remaining life expectancy to see this model before I am called to my Eternal Rest, so all good.

To be fair, so far Kernow has had less than a fortnight (give or take 8 years) to get this to me, and one should embrace the sense of anticipation that no news creates!

I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

The unmistakable figure of Orson Welles and the sound of the zither.Wien Mitte awaits the sound of the railcar 🤪

January 25

Just now, gwrrob said:

A form of bullshittery to fool the uneducated would be purchaser. Don’t buy it.

I did post it with my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth . Walt Disney could do better.Never mind,to soothe the irritation came THE email from Camborne.

January 25

Now available for viewing on Rails website is Railroad Plus R 30319 . 14XX .Plus what exactly ?

January 24

9 hours ago, big jim said:

the 73 has to be on the train to provide the ETH so you’ll defiantly get one on there, I think the fort William service is normally a 66/73 combo

And has been so for a number of years….well at least it certainly was in the summer of 2021 which is when I saw it parked up outside Fort William station. Worth a look at RealTime Trains which gives you both train&traction information .

January 23

Obviously a man of impeccable taste and sensibility.I have an affinity with the Diocese of B&W as both I and subsequently my son were baptised within. Sadly,the church itself is no more,it being the victim of an ecclesiastical Beeching cut.

January 23

9 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

I don't think it has been advertised as being designed for use on track laid on the floor has it?

I'll be clear about this, I doid initially wonder about t pre-ordering one of these although on reflection I decide that it was not geographically appropriate for my interests and i did.n't want yet another model that would put Rule 1 to fairly extreme test. However I have in the past purchased, and will continue to purchase in the future if they suit my needs, Hornby models. I am interested in reviews to help inform my purchases although stuff I see on here written by 'known quantity' RMweb members (sorry to call you, and various others, a 'known quantity' Ian - maybe that should have been 'recognised quality'?) and established 'professional' reviewers/modellers with a known and objective track record in magazines etc are the sort I take notice off.

Thus I don't necessarily consider an incompletely worded comment about a model running on track laid on the floor as being the sort of 'review' that clearly and unambiguously informs me. That's my choice - others will make their own choice

Which post had me returning to the 2MT box for its Operating and Maintenance Instructions.I quote: “The locomotive chassis may,from time to time,pick up fluff,fabric fibres and pet hairs which can become entangled in the gears and around axles.For this reason,it is not advisable to run the locomotive on track which is laid on a carpet.”

January 23

Samples of Rails/Dapol GW Inspection Saloon now on Rails website.

January 22

2 hours ago, Ricochet said:

Agreed, not sure why it is that anything you see on Sam's Trains is immediately discounted on this forum. There should be a highlighting of potential issues with models. When you are paying up to and above £200 for models, why are we expected to just put up with whatever is served to us and be grateful for it? If the model struggles on second radius, and others clearly don't on the same track, that is an issue and i'm not sure why highlighting said issue would be taboo.

One thing I think needs highlighting is that Sam is not a forum member. Above you will maybe read my take on this which is not from Sam’s perspective but my own experience with this model. You may also care to look at Mike Parkin’s post which neatly encapsulates the situation. Over the years,yes,I’ve listened to the judgment of others but in the main it’s my own decision. On very few occasions has it let me down. If you’re mentioning price,my 2MT cost me £179.But it maybe won’t have escaped your notice that things have become a good deal more expensive than they used to be and that price now seems average,like it or not. You’re obviously interested in this model,otherwise you wouldn’t be posting on this thread,so why not buy one and run it on your own layout. .? Maybe trust to the judgment of other forum members.

January 22

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

But it's no more useful that a chocolate teapot if it's a bald statement that 'it struggled on whatever radius curve'. What I would like to know as a potential purchaser is why it was struggling. And indeed what is the reviewer's definition of 'struggled'.

If for example it struggled because the wheels were slipping that is very different from saying that it was overpowered by the load behind it or it was found that pick ups weren't working properly on a curve of thnat radius.

I would suggest that struggles equates to slows down under load on a curve. Add in the gradient factor to the mix and if you look closely on a Smart Screen TV (mine has a dedicated YouTube app ) his track which in places is not pinned down. This is incidentally not unique in Sam’s crusade against Hornby can motors. The newly released 9F which most of us think is an excellent model sent him into a degree of indignation and led him to remotor it which is something he says he’s going to do with the 2MT but this time using a coreless specimen. If Sam is not happy then that’s up to him. Personally I’m happy with both the 2MT and the 9F.And let’s be quite clear on this…..neither model has “ issues “. My track is laid accurately pinned on a board.

To conclude this post,I’ve coupled my 2MT to a rake of what’s currently on the board. : 5 new release Bachmann Bulleid coaches,the set coupled with magnetic couplings.This is about as much as its prototype would handle in its everyday existence in BR secondary passenger work .The coaches run freely ( something frequently overlooked ) but they are in rtr terms heavy. The only slow down occurs on a gradient “dip” and that is minimal. It is to be remembered that there is such a thing a load drag resistance on a curve in any case. Most rtr models will slow on a curve under load. To start a scare story about issues in this case is irresponsible nonsense . To compare this model with a 40 year old crudity is ludicrous and an insult to my intelligence at very least.

January 20

Now received the announcement with images of their arrival late February. Being a bit pedantic,in their accompanying text,they state it was delivered to BR in 1952. In fact it was displayed at the 1951 Festival of Britain Railway exhibition at Waterloo East .Be that as it may,it does seem that Heljan have made a splendid job of it in both its guises

January 19

10 minutes ago, Graham_Muz said:

Thanks, yes despite my fingers burning every time I touch one, I do indeed know the product pretty well...

Yes your knowledge of “the product “ speaks for itself. And talking of which,I’m currently viewing on YouTube “Vintage Southern” and just watched one in BR black head a freight train. The narrator announces it as a “diesel electric “.Should have gone to Specsavers…But the model IMHO is one of the best surprises we’ve had in a long while.

January 19

2 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

So would this older model be loco or tender driven ? Because if it’s the latter that would make a huge difference to adhesion. & consequent performance. AFAIK,no current OO steam image model is thus powered.

Well apparently ,we are reliably informed that it is in fact XO4 driven loco drive.,so I’ve removed my further post.Opinions on its capabilities can be found above.

January 19

The closure of what started its life as The Steel Company of Wales Margam Abbey Works is a very real human tragedy for Port Talbot & the surrounding area. It sticks in my craw,as someone who has a long association with the area,that I read just now the BBC News App post the question “Where is Port Talbot? “ .The media are it seems understandably anxious to hype the environmental benefits. Right now,that’s not going to mollify the anxiety felt this weekend.

My late wife worked as a social worker there when we were first married. I remember eating a picnic lunch together on Margam Burrows overlooking the works. My father helped supply brick & pipe works to the site when it was under construction. My mother,as a young district nurse,visited the Jenkins family in the nearby village of Pontrhydyfen. One of the family’s offspring went to the local grammar school in Port Talbot where he was taken under the wing of his English teacher and grew up to reinvent himself as Richard Burton. Both Antony Hopkins and Michael Sheen followed in his footsteps from the town. That’s where Port Talbot is. I am incredibly sad.

January 19

19 minutes ago, NoggintheNog said:

He had an old airfix or mainline 2mt running on the same track with no problems.

It was the model.

So would this older model be loco or tender driven ? Because if it’s the latter that would make a huge difference to adhesion. & consequent performance. AFAIK,no current OO steam image model is thus powered.

January 19

15 hours ago, Ricochet said:

Think the torque issue is probably fine, it does look like it runs extremely slowly as well, has this been an issue for some people? How might it compare running speed-wise to similar locos, for example a Hornby K1?

I think it would be a useful exercise for you to spend time researching the locomotives that ran on BR in the 1950’s.

You might then discover that the K1 ….yes it’s the same 2-6-0 configuration indeed as the Standard 2MT….is actually nearly ,in prototypical terms,twice as powerful and a totally meaningless comparison. Indeed ,comparisons in model rail terms necessarily are. Everyone’s layout is different and speed is only one of the factors involved.A preserved example of the K1 spent a period of time hauling The Jacobite between Fort William and Mallaig .It then had mainline certification. The 2MT I believe is and I think has been since withdrawal and preservation restricted to heritage lines as is 78022 on the KWVR where she is in regular use.

Buy the little 2MT and judge its performance for yourself rather than dependence upon what you view on YouTube.Marking model trains performance using some arbitrary self-concocted parameters is absurd. That said,there are some decent enthusiasts ( some of them post on this forum) who video some decent stuff showing their models on well constructed layouts in non judgmental manner 9

January 18

4 minutes ago, Gopher said:

I have not seen Sam's review, so not sure what torque issues he refers to. All I can say is my model runs beautifully, but have not loaded it with heavy loads, by heavy I mean 10+ coaches or 30+ wagons.

Precisely. It is a model that is designed to be accurate in prototypical haulage capacity.And it performs well. Sam’s knowledge of such locomotives isn’t great. He exists to supply excitement & entertainment to his followers. The 78XXX will be fine with up to 5 coaches in tow but leave it at that. They started out as replacements for e.g. the Dean Goods on the Cambrian WR lines.

January 18

10 minutes ago, mikesndbs said:

So for my one 85 then Bewdley and Kidderminster sound right?

If someone was travelling back in the day from London to Bewdley or Kidderminster how would they have done it?

Both the GWR and subsequently the WR had a Paddington-Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton service that ran via Kidderminster,Stourbridge Junction and Dudley to Wolverhampton Low Level.

January 17

60147 was indeed one of the first run of Bachmann’s A1 along with 60158. Bachmann recalled them to Barwell….no mean feat in what was mainly a pre internet world ….and remotored all that was sent there. Several months later they were duly returned to us.

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