Where is the standard Q class locomotive?

[SRman]

Here are a couple of hastily snapped shots of mine, with the Bachmann 3F chassis and wires trailing out of the cab. Apologies for the dust on it - it has been languishing for a while.

I agree with comments earlier: they were fairly nondescript, and not renowned as good steamers. They were competent but unremarkable in just about every way. Imagine the shock to the systems when Bulleid's Q1s came along!

[Kelly]

Lovely models of the Q's :-)

[Torn-on-the-platform]

Well the C2X is another loco that ran regularly on Midhurst so I would have that as well, I currently have the C class but like the Q and 4F, are there only minor differences between the C and C2x, i think the C2X had a bigger boiler??  

 

C2X is an LBSCR engine, C class is from the SECR. Different companies and different locomotives entirely.

 

I agree with the statements that the Q class is such a generic locomotive that it would probably only really sell towards the enthusiast market, especially considering all the other 0-6-0s available. That said, it was clearly a very popular guest at the GCR winter gala last month! It is also quite a small class - only 30 20 were made. I would still love to see one made RTR but would only have one to represent the preserved example.

 

C2x has an outside chance of being a future Bachmann project I would think, though the LBSCR K class would presumably be the most likely follow on from the H2 atlantic.

[locomad]

I have the South Eastern (ex Wills) kit Q built upon their etched chassis kit. Still runs well after 21 years though sits a little high.

I've a wills kit I made some 40 years ago on a triang chassis still running, it out lasted the Hornby Q1 which is only 7 years old

[bike2steam]

 - only 30 were made. 

 

? you mean I missed ten ?

[bigherb]

We I like them, quite a modern looking 0-6-0 compared what most other companys where using.

My Wills kit on a triang chassis.

 

 

[mossdp]

Graham Farish made a Q class in 00 in the 1950s although you might struggle to recognise it as such. The designers seem to have confused a Q and a Q1 and fitted wheels that might have been from the Graham Farish American Hudson - maybe because they had a passing resemblance to Boxpox wheels!

 

I think Jaycraft also made a resin kit designed for a Tri-ang or Hornby chassis. This predates the Golden Arrow Productions one by several decades

[PrestburyJack]

Rather than Hornby or Bachmann, this could be an ideal locomotive for OO Works to produce - you could suggest it to them.

[GreenGiraffe22]

A Q would be welcome on my layout

[No Decorum]

The Q had a steam reverser, which worked, I believe. Bulleid listened to the Sou’ Western men and fitted their steam reverser to his Pacifics. That was one of the many troubles which the Pacifics suffered from.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Back to where I came in on this thread, the real question is where the Q stands in relative popularity among other similar size SR subjects (it's not going to sell any volume elsewhere as the very similar 4F has been available RTR for forty years). Realistically this is a prime bash/kitbuild/scratchbuild modelling subject, and having a basic template available in the form of the 4F makes a 'bash' very inviting, in my opinion. Go on, give it a whirl...

 

And if this classic 'rain dance' of enough people embarking on DIY in one form or another does result in a RTR model, you will still have tried so,ething different and maybe discovered a new aspect of modelling activity?

 

 

The Q had a steam reverser, which worked, I believe. Bulleid listened to the Sou’ Western men and fitted their steam reverser to his Pacifics. That was one of the many troubles which the Pacifics suffered from.

 Classic 'new wine in old wine skin' situation. A device that works well in largely slow 500hp or thereabouts service, may not be nearly so happy whanged along at speed on a rapidly flexing* beast often pushing out 1500hp or more. The solid 'lock' achieved by the cataract water cylinder - assuming it was effective - would probably then have resulted in fatigue failure of this gear's mounting on the frames! Basically in solving one problem among many, the trouble just 'moves on'.

 

*I long ago read the write up of the BR test plant team who tried to get indicator diagrams off an original Bulleid pacific under controlled conditions, and just couldn't do it; the whole machine was flexing so much when opened out to the power capability it undoubtedly possessed! Ron Jarvis doesn't get sufficient credit for his skilled removal of all the dodgy elements, while preserving the undoubtedly good core aspects of the original design.

[Kelly]

It should be remembered that bulleid's merchant navies were built during a time of austerity, so some element of compromise was inevitable, and it is likely that had they been built during a time of peace they would perhaps have been different beasts.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

It should be remembered that Bulleid's merchant navies were built during a time of austerity, so some element of compromise was inevitable, and it is likely that had they been built during a time of peace they would perhaps have been different beasts.

 I sees your position, and raises you a 'Leader' as an example of what he was capable of in peacetime... (A whole new game, loco poker.)

[Kelly]

I sees your position, and raises you a 'Leader' as an example of what he was capable of in peacetime... (A whole new game, loco poker.)

There is that. A bit before and after it's time all at the same time. I think it was really bulleid's attempt to get the most from steam and the final development. It should be remembered it wasn't built quite how he'd intended either.

[Andy W]

 I sees your position, and raises you a 'Leader' as an example of what he was capable of in peacetime... (A whole new game, loco poker.)

And then there's the Turf Burner, plus a whole fleet of defective MetroVick diesel locos, all on Bulleid's watch in Ireland after he'd left the UK railway industry.

The MetroVicks never worked reliably until the Crossley engines were removed and replaced with GM EMD units. They weren't that great even then.

And as for the Turf Burner - a Leader, fuelled with peat, delivered by a mechanical stoker. You couldn't make it up, but one was built.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I too would love to see a Q and C2x available ready to run. Then again, a K would be most agreeable as well!

 

Whilst I agree Q and C2x are important for the Midhurst branches, you already have the E4 and M7 available, which is a start. I have also seen photos of Q1s on the line, although not as frequently featured.

[JSpencer]

Here is mine running in a short quick video:

 

[Guest FairwayJunction]

I too would love to see a Q and C2x available ready to run. Then again, a K would be most agreeable as well!

 

Whilst I agree Q and C2x are important for the Midhurst branches, you already have the E4 and M7 available, which is a start. I have also seen photos of Q1s on the line, although not as frequently featured.

Yes you are correct there, however it would be nice to see the Q class because is what frequently used for freight services as was the C2X's but the Q was also used for excursion trains which would be nice to replicate.

[pete_mcfarlane]

And then there's the Turf Burner, plus a whole fleet of defective MetroVick diesel locos, all on Bulleid's watch in Ireland after he'd left the UK railway industry.

The MetroVicks never worked reliably until the Crossley engines were removed and replaced with GM EMD units. They weren't that great even then.

And as for the Turf Burner - a Leader, fuelled with peat, delivered by a mechanical stoker. You couldn't make it up, but one was built.

I was under the impression that he advised CIE to buy US diesels, but they went for the MetroVicks instead for political reasons. And then ended up buying US diesels.

[devonseasider]

Here's my effort posed on Tormouth Quay.

 

 

 

Started it years ago but haven't touched it for ages - life keeps getting in the way (not to mention other half-finished projects that seem to leapfrog it in the "to do" list).  This thread may be the kick it needs to get going again.

 

Loco body is a Crownline conversion kit on an old Airfix 4F.  Running gear is Kemilway 4F chassis compensated on front 2 axles.  Mashima motor in firebox driving rear axle through Branchlines gearbox.  TCS MC2 decoder slid into boiler.

Tender body as supplied in Crownline kit, again on Kemilway chassis.

 

Starting to look like a Q but still lots of twiddly bits to add before it's done.

 

[JSpencer]

Here's my effort posed on Tormouth Quay.

 

 

DSCF0073a.JPG

 

Started it years ago but haven't touched it for ages - life keeps getting in the way (not to mention other half-finished projects that seem to leapfrog it in the "to do" list).  This thread may be the kick it needs to get going again.

 

Loco body is a Crownline conversion kit on an old Airfix 4F.  Running gear is Kemilway 4F chassis compensated on front 2 axles.  Mashima motor in firebox driving rear axle through Branchlines gearbox.  TCS MC2 decoder slid into boiler.

Tender body as supplied in Crownline kit, again on Kemilway chassis.

 

Starting to look like a Q but still lots of twiddly bits to add before it's done.

The error you made is building the loco first before the tender. It psychological, building the exciting loco first often fails to motivate people to then do the tender. I always do the tender first, then you are motivated to build the loco.

 

That said, like you, life keeps getting in the way building anything else at this time.

[Horsetan]

Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.

[Horsetan]

... as for the Turf Burner - a Leader, fuelled with peat, delivered by a mechanical stoker. You couldn't make it up, but one was built.

Thing is, it actually worked, certainly enough to carry out test runs, but came at a time when CIE needed to move on from steam haulage. Turf was and is a native fuel, and CC1 was designed to reduce dependence on imported coal (remember what happened to Irish railway services during "The Emergency", when Britain needed coal for the war effort)

 

As with all of Bulleid's unconventional work, it was expensive to develop and ultimately a technological dead-end, but it did work. After official withdrawal in 1963, CC1's underframe and bogies were still hanging around the back of Inchicore until 1975, when a photo was taken of them.

[devonseasider]

The error you made is building the loco first before the tender. 

 

Despite appearances, the tender is much nearer to completion than is the loco.

Can't remember why, but for some reason the tender didn't get any black thrown at it when the loco body did.  Actually, I've got no idea why the loco got a quick coat in the first place!

[Butler Henderson]

Heres my Golden Arrow one fitted with a Lemaitre chimney (a South Eastern Finecast casting with much filing and filling!)

 

 

Its running on the loco drive 4F chassis from Hornby - the Golden Arrow kit is designed for the tender drive 4F chassis which the instructions then explain how you can make that into a loco driven chassis. To fit the Hornby loco driven chassis it is necessary to reduce the height of the gearbox by providing a new top retainer instead of the large metal cover - this I did by drilling two small holes on each side of the gearbox casting and fitting a plastic strip on top glued and pegged into place - the plastic being of the hard slippy type. Also it needed a lot of the inside of the body filing away, I ended up cutting a curved file down to the width needed.

 

The one big problem visually with the loco drive 4F chassis is the exposed gearbox on the other side of the model; consequently it usually only runs loco first into the terminus and tender first back without visiting the turntable.

 

 

{EDIT} Just a tip for working with resin - do as much of the cutting / filing in a bowl of water with the resin part well submerged. That way the harmful resin dust is retained in the water.

 

Mike