OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

[tomparryharry]

Naughty Tier 2!

 

I'm rather interested in a rational discussion so everybody gets a top-quality model. Simple really. 

 

"Tiers for souvenirs...."

[No Decorum]

It’s been a tense wait, judging by the experiences reported by others. At last, 6336 has arrived and I’m happy to report that it runs well. It’s a little jerky but only going dead slow and is good enough for me. All the same, the points about gearing are well made. The finish is excellent and could teach Hornby a thing or two. It’s a little more olive than Bachmann GWR green; a less attractive shade but probably more authentic.

 

If I may make one or two comments. There are cabside numberplates provided but they are plastic and printed. A steam heat pipe is provided but there is no locating hole for it that I can see. The fall plate is of the ski-jump type – even Hornby has moved to hinged ones. There is a firebox glow but it’s very faint on DC.

 

All in all, a very nice model.

[Oldddudders]

6364 arrived today, having been in the hands of DHL in Nantes (140 miles away) for a few days, but sadly its decoder hasn't yet. So a brief run on DCC address 00 was called for, and it is excellent in both directions. The additional included numberplates don't inspire great enthusiasm, so an after-market alternative will be sought. 

[88D]

On 20/12/2020 at 13:15, melmerby said:

Dapol are in Shropshire, currently in Tier 2. (The Government website correctly identifies the 'Welsh' postcode as being in England, not Wales)

DCC Supplies are in Worcestershire, like me also Tier 2.

Dapol is in Chirk, isn’t it? If so, Wales.

[Welchester]

6 minutes ago, 88D said:

Dapol is in Chirk, isn’t it? If so, Wales.

 

Chirk is the postal town, but Dapol is in Weston Rhyn, Shropshire.

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, 88D said:

Dapol is in Chirk, isn’t it? If so, Wales.

It's on the English side of the River Ceiriog which is the Welsh border.

https://goo.gl/maps/48nV8SXAt6RNqzHK6

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by melmerby

[88D]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

It's on the English side of the River Ceiriog which is the Welsh border.

https://goo.gl/maps/48nV8SXAt6RNqzHK6

 

 

Well, you live and learn!

[melmerby]

50 minutes ago, 88D said:

Well, you live and learn!

I think this was discussed earlier in the thread, as Dapol used to put "Made in Wales" on their UK produced stuff but have moved possibly twice since having a site in Llangollen, which is really Welsh, there are plenty that speak it around there.

[adb968008]

4 hours ago, melmerby said:

It's on the English side of the River Ceiriog which is the Welsh border.

https://goo.gl/maps/48nV8SXAt6RNqzHK6

 

 

30+ years ago there used to be a very important underground secret global telco place near there !

 

(Definitely decommissioned and closed nearly 20 years ago before anyone shouts at me.., but I saw the 1980’s  “hollywood” style global big screens at the command centre there before they were taken down!)

only reason ever went there, beautiful countryside, locals had no idea what lay beneath them, I bet the internet speed is still good there today though ;-)

 

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by adb968008

[1466]

Some thoughts on the Mogul  .

First , has there ever been such a “Marmite “ model ? In 60 plus years , I’ve never known a model with so many detractors and admirers .

Second . Running in. By chance , I received my Mogul and a Bachmann LMS diesel 10,000 together . Dapol say “No running in required ,” whereas Bachmann recommends 2 hours . I accept each manufacturer will know their products best . Noting comments on the benefits of oiling  and running in here , I gave the Mogul a session on rollers which seems to have helped marginally , ( no scientific evidence).

Gearing . During the session, I gave my Mogul full power and the motion disappeared into a blur . See below on gearing .

The upcoming Manor . On the basis of my experience, i will want a Manor . I hope , though, that Dapol will listen to the constructive comments here  and improve the con rod and slide bars . A reduction in gearing  to ,say , 30 to 1 or 40 to 1 would be good .

But overall , I’m well pleased.

[PMP99]

1 hour ago, 1466 said:

The upcoming Manor . On the basis of my experience, i will want a Manor . I hope , though, that Dapol will listen to the constructive comments here  and improve the con rod and slide bars . A reduction in gearing  to ,say , 30 to 1 or 40 to 1 would be good .

But overall , I’m well pleased.

Yes, it would be nice to have a better gearing on the Manor. Although if it is no different I’m happy enough with the Mogul to probably buy a Manor (or two). 
 

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, 1466 said:

Some thoughts on the Mogul  .

 Dapol say “No running in required ,” whereas Bachmann recommends 2 hours . I accept each manufacturer will know their products best

I would suggest that Dapol have got it wrong with the advice that no running in is required.

If I had accepted that it wouldn't make any difference it would have gone back whence it came as the running was awful when first tried and has improved noticably with some use.

 

Edit rubbish spelling!

Edited December 22, 2020 by melmerby
approved?

[Pteremy]

23 minutes ago, melmerby said:

I would suggest that Dapol have got it wrong with the advice that no running in is required.

 

I agree. Even if it isn't expected to require extensive running in it is almost inevitable that long distance transportation and then handling in the post will result in the need to 'let things settle' when first used.

 

My third arrived on Saturday - late livery 7310 - and was the smoothest runner straight out of the box. 

[melmerby]

I have be doing some more tests with my Mogul

An 8 coach train barely makes it up my incline and the current consumption measured on my Z21 whilst doing so is 240-250mA.

In comparison a Bachmann 8750 pannier tank, manages it with ease and with 100mA less current usage.

 

Sorry Dapol, IMHO your gearing choice is wrong.

At a crawl it definitely looks like it has motor cogging due to the very low speed the motor is turning at.

[Jack P]

7301 arrived yesterday, as a surprise christmas present from my partner.

 

 

She's had the wheel rims painted black, and a coat of high gloss, ready for weathering. 

 

For anyone wondering, the 'etched' plates are more like 'printed' plates, not a big deal, but if you're ordering from overseas it might be worth keeping this in mind. Another oddity is the tender..

 

 

Can you see what's missing? There's no pocket on the tender for the coupling hook! Again not a big deal, I'll add one, just a bit strange.

 

I don't want to sound like i'm complaining, because that truly isn't the case. I'm extremely impressed with the Loco, my first GWR interloper. The tender is appropriately weighty, the drawbar connection and DCC socket mechanisms are fantastic. Very pleased.

 

If the Manor is much the same, I might find myself with one of those too!

[Mallard60022]

7310 fitted with Zimo as advised. No adjustment Runs as smooth as a busty streaker at an 80s Rugby Match. Only tried mine on 3 Baccy Bulleid coaches when it will need to haul a lot more Mk1s or MR stock on the train it is planned to head.

P

[melmerby]

Is the cock under the bufferbeam on the tender for the steam heating supply?

If so, why isn't there a flexible pipe on it?

[Miss Prism]

When looking at the rear of a tender, the GWR usually put the vac pipe on the right-hand side.

 

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

Is the cock under the bufferbeam on the tender for the steam heating supply?

If so, why isn't there a flexible pipe on it?

The pipes were often removed in the summer months.

Edited December 23, 2020 by St Enodoc

[No Decorum]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

Is the cock under the bufferbeam on the tender for the steam heating supply?

If so, why isn't there a flexible pipe on it?

It looks to me as if the pipe has been cut short to clear Jack P’s non-existent tension-lock coupler. (The coupler on mine isn’t missing.) 

[57xx]

21 hours ago, melmerby said:

I would suggest that Dapol have got it wrong with the advice that no running in is required.

 

Anyone with an ounce of mechanical sympathy would understand that running in will always improve matters. Maybe Dapol's benchmark comparison for saying they don't need running in is particularly low. Mine wasn't bad out of the box and could be declared by some  as "no running in required" but it certainly got better the longer it had on the rollers. Hope to get the test track out over xmas now I have a week off.

Edited December 23, 2020 by 57xx

[melmerby]

10 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

When looking at the rear of a tender, the GWR usually put the vac pipe on the right-hand side.

 

Really?

Why would they do that when the usual side on tank engines was left of the coupling hook?

Also I cannot find any pictures of that, the few tender first photos I can find have it to the left.

[Hal Nail]

10 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

When looking at the rear of a tender, the GWR usually put the vac pipe on the right-hand side.

 

 

 

26 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Really?

Why would they do that when the usual side on tank engines was left of the coupling hook?

Also I cannot find any pictures of that, the few tender first photos I can find have it to the left.

 

I put "gwr tender" in Google and loads came up. Also some tank locos as well. See also here:

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html

 

Seems less common later on - particularly BR and preserved (which I know is not reliable). Were they generally refitted later or even did this approach switch from new at some point?

Edited December 23, 2020 by Hal Nail

[The Stationmaster]

10 hours ago, melmerby said:

Is the cock under the bufferbeam on the tender for the steam heating supply?

If so, why isn't there a flexible pipe on it?

There is but there isn't very much of it!  Cut the rest off and put a dab of rust paint on the end of the 'metal' part and you have a tender in summer condition  

 

10 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

When looking at the rear of a tender, the GWR usually put the vac pipe on the right-hand side.

 

I've found - in a reasonably quick search good pictures of the backs of three 3,500 gallon tenders and all have the vac pipe on the left as you look at the tender,  A fourth - not so good - picture seems to show that the vac pipe is probably on the right.

 

I haven't got a drawing of the Churchward tender showing any detail on the back but a drawing of the 3,500 gallon intermediate tender shows the lamp irons but not the pipework (no doubt on the separate pipe drawing - which I haven't got).

[melmerby]

28 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

 

 

 

I put "gwr tender" in Google and loads came up. Also some tank locos as well. See also here:

 

And like my search, produces very few rear views.

 

I have hundreds of pictures in books of GWR tenders but not many of the back end!

In Russell there is the later rigid 8 wheeler & a Hawksworth, both have LH vac pipes