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Oxford announce Carflat, additional liveries and sound options.


Andy Y
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Question; do they come with any yellow wheel chocks to stop ones load moving? + didn't they get left lying around on the decking when the carflat was empty?

 

Yes, the requisite sixteen.

 

 

...just to confirm

 

Edited by 'CHARD
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Question; do they come with any yellow wheel chocks to stop ones load moving? + didn't they get left lying around on the decking when the carflat was empty?

What is the small pip on them does this need filing down, any one tried to fit alternate bogies with correct size wheels.

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I've had one of the Carflats on the desk for photographing, if the sample had arrived earlier it would have been reviewed in BRM but as September issue is already full and ready to go to press shortly I thought I'd share the images here.

 

It's a nice enough wagon, looks like what it purports to be and with a respectable standard of decoration which will probably please most. I particularly like the bumper irons on the ends and the provision of the 16 wheel chocks. I'm bemused though why undersized wheels were used, it looked very obvious as soon as I took it out of the box. There doesn't seem to be any operational reason for using the 12mm wheels rather than 14mm but it wouldn't be a straightforward swap over as the brakes are closely positioned to the wheels.

 

Rarely do I feel a box is worth mentioning but in this case I will, it feels flimsy and does not help to communicate quality I am afraid. Although there's a plastic liner to hold the wagon there was brake gear hanging down underneath the wagon and it's not evident whether anything is broken or missing but there must be as it won't go back into any place. There's also a missing buffer and bent or missing lamp brackets.

 

I'm afraid if this was a product I'd purchased it would be returned to the retailer. Poor QC or poor packaging or maybe it's just done the rounds; whichever way it doesn't do the manufacturer any favours when they would like a product to be reviewed.

 

CF1.jpg

 

CF2.jpgCF3.jpg

 

CF4.jpg

 

CF5.jpg

CF6.jpg

 

CF7.jpg

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Initially I liked the idea of the separate springs on the bogies but after looking at Andy Y's phots I wonder how many might fall off in transit. Even taking into account the moulded brake shoes there doesn't seen to be much transverse wiggle room for fitting EM wheels, never mind P4?

 

The damaged brake lever doesn't bode too well but it allows you to see the split brake lever guide which is a nice touch.

 

A minor point on the livery. I think the background to the number plate should be Freight red/brown. I've looked at a few colour phots of virtually ex works car flats over the last couple of months and they all had brown backgrounds.

 

P

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Even taking into account the moulded brake shoes there doesn't seen to be much transverse wiggle room for fitting EM wheels, never mind P4?

 

 

Not much chance. 21.5mm distance between inner faces of bogie sides.

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I did have hopes of the wheel chocks, but they look nothing like the proper ones which were plate steel assemblies with jags on the underside to dig into the wooden deck.

 

 

Sort of like these???

 

post-508-0-87043500-1500990443.jpg

 

Back to plan A and an etch will be forthcoming.

 

A clever former/jig included to replicate those reverse compound curves?

 

Ah, how I remember the 35 ton GLW tank chassis???      :wink_mini:

 

P

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Sort of like these???

 

attachicon.gifE-Type-.jpg

 

 

A clever former/jig included to replicate those reverse compound curves?

 

Ah, how I remember the 35 ton GLW tank chassis???      :wink_mini:

 

P

 

Pedantically, the 35 tonner were nowt to do with me dreckly!

It will be easy enough to file your own press tool up for the chocks.

 

post-5471-0-26253200-1501000936.jpg

 

post-5471-0-60153600-1501000946.jpg

 

post-5471-0-31891600-1501000953.jpg

 

Mike.

Edited by Enterprisingwestern
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What is the small pip on them does this need filing down, any one tried to fit alternate bogies with correct size wheels.

 

 

Looking at the recently posted photos....I would say these may represent carrying and positioning handles?

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CF6.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CF7.jpg

 

Did CARFLATs really have left-facing brake handles on one side? I thought that these went out decades before their conversion from coach underframes.

 

...... and BR builder's plates tampo-printed over a raised rectangular feature - these are supposed to be cast plates !!

 

Churn 'em out for the undiscerning - they'll neither know nor care.

 

Not for me, I'm afraid.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited by cctransuk
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I got mine hoping to save time building one.

 

Looking at the wheels, and possible remedies, it's gone back in the box for now.

 

It's a bit like a cross eyed mate, you try not to notice it but you just can't help it........

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Thank you - I stand corrected.

 

It also explains why ex-LMS 6-wheeled Palethorpes vans had left-facing brake handles; clearly there was no such ban!

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

Was the ban only applicable to freight wagons and NPCCS was exempt?

 

Mark Saunders

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A minor point on the livery. I think the background to the number plate should be Freight red/brown. I've looked at a few colour phots of virtually ex works car flats over the last couple of months and they all had brown backgrounds.

 

P

Oxford have back dated my FVV to have CARFLAT. The number plate is black, although the FVV is on a FSR strip.  So congrats to Oxford. http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/e3325d857

 

I haven't heard from Oxford since I couldn't explain to them how the brake linkages worked on the backward facing brake lever.

 

Paul

Edited by hmrspaul
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Oxford have back dated my FVV to have CARFLAT. The number plate is black, although the FVV is on a FSR strip.

At 22 years old and the with addition of tops coding I wonder how may repaints (if any) it had undergone. I probably assumed incorrectly that the Oxford Rail model as photographed by Andy Y was meant to be in as new, as in when converted condition.

 

P

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It's a nice enough wagon, looks like what it purports to be and with a respectable standard of decoration which will probably please most. I particularly like the bumper irons on the ends and the provision of the 16 wheel chocks. I'm bemused though why undersized wheels were used, it looked very obvious as soon as I took it out of the box. There doesn't seem to be any operational reason for using the 12mm wheels rather than 14mm but it wouldn't be a straightforward swap over as the brakes are closely positioned to the wheels.

 

 

 

 

I suspect that the reason for the undersize wheels is to achieve sufficient vertical movement in the ends of the bogies, to enable the model to be able to go up inclines on layouts, where the inclines are steeper than would occur on the real rail system. The problem they have is that there is a coach underframe which has to have an open moulded top. The top needs to be close to real height, so unlike most rtr coaches, they can't put in a higher coach floor above the bogies, to give more space between the top of the wheels and the coach floor. In coaches, model makers achieve this by having a) raised floors or b) raised floors above the bogies or c) scalloped out floors above the bogies. The floor 

 

By fitting the cam type coupling, they have limited their options, as without it there might have been sufficient space between scale wheels and the moulded deck, if there was no other moulding between. It looks like they had 3 options, assuming the model is designed to be able to work on most types of layout.

 

a) increase the gap between the bogie sideframe tops and the chassis side members, to give vertical play. Probably not acceptable.

 

b) fit the coupling to the bogies, rather than having the cam mechanism within the floor. This might lead to binding with other stock on tight curves, however it is the method Hornby have used on their Mk 1 stock and would probably have been a solution as it would enable the model to have no chassis floor above the bogies, creating a workable gap between the wheels and the underside of the deck moulding.

 

c) fit undersize wheels.

 

Probably both b) and c) would have met the need, the use of cams does allow the model to have better coupling with other makes of bogie passenger stock. 

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Ours had their first outing on Abbotswood at Toddington at the weekend. Here they are heading north behind D84 delivering Ford Transits en route up north...

 

post-7138-0-08453000-1501537350_thumb.jpg

 

Had bought 8 vans to go on 2 wagons but guess what .... they only take 3! So had to buy another wagon - and so now we need another van to complete the load

 

Excellent free running vehicles but oh the weathering....

 

That is Downendian's excellent D6 lurking in the up loop on coke empties

 

Phil

Edited by Phil Bullock
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