Hornby dublo

[Wolseley]

On 29/07/2021 at 18:59, Il Grifone said:

Dublo rolling stock is not particularly free running* and rather heavy. Pin-point bearings would help at the cost of originality.

 

I recently fitted Dublo bogies to a rake of Tri-ang Caledonian coaches, really just to get consistency in wheel standards and ease of coupling and uncoupling.  The surprising thing I found was that, in spite of not now having pin-point axles like they did with the Tri-ang bogies, the coaches actually roll better and run more smoothly than they did before.

[cypherman]

On 29/07/2021 at 09:59, Il Grifone said:

My collection of Dublo N2s (Not saying how many - despite being British, I plead the Fifth Amendment) are rather variable in performance. The best is my Southern Railway version. It doesn't seem to be a question of armature or magnet. It's probably a sum of all the various tolerances....

 

Dublo rolling stock is not particularly free running* and rather heavy. Pin-point bearings would help at the cost of originality.

 

* The 1950s sintered iron wheel is particularly bad - all square - mitigated in part by the round headed Dublo rail. The original alloy and later plastic wheels are much better. Even 1920s Hornby 0 gauge has tapered tyres and flanges so really there is no excuse for this aberration.

The Dublo specification of starting on 1 in 30 is not very impressive though some of my American stock isn't much better despite pin-point bearings (Get rid of those plastic wheelsets David!).

Hi Il Grifone,

Well my collection of N2's has just gone up by one. Think I must have about 10 now. A mixture of Wrenn and H/D not counting the ones I have converted to other engines. This one is one of the later Wrenn versions. This is it . It just needed a little touching up of the paint and a new coupling on the back. Plus a service. it runs great now.

Edited August 1, 2021 by cypherman

[Il Grifone]

5 hours ago, Wolseley said:

 

I recently fitted Dublo bogies to a rake of Tri-ang Caledonian coaches, really just to get consistency in wheel standards and ease of coupling and uncoupling.  The surprising thing I found was that, in spite of not now having pin-point axles like they did with the Tri-ang bogies, the coaches actually roll better and run more smoothly than they did before.

 

Even with pin-points, Tri-ang are not the freest running vehicles. The extra weight low down probably helps

[locomad2]

On 01/08/2021 at 08:27, Wolseley said:

 

I recently fitted Dublo bogies to a rake of Tri-ang Caledonian coaches, really just to get consistency in wheel standards and ease of coupling and uncoupling.  The surprising thing I found was that, in spite of not now having pin-point axles like they did with the Tri-ang bogies, the coaches actually roll better and run more smoothly than they did before.

 

I've done similar mainly replacing triang  bogies with HD on bogie bolsters etc. Traing pin point axles rust, oil helps but once rusted they don't run well. Airfix, & mainline etc also rust as well

 

Best I've found over the test of time , are  Trix pin point axles plus the bogies had graphite added which improved running.

 

Peco are poor, the axles bend so do some Hornby dublo 2 rail plastic.

 

Surprisingly Airfix kits can be repaired use a straw to strengthen the two part axle, I also use silicone grease in axle boxes which stops the squeak & squeal. Except on mineral wagons as I like the squeal just like "real thing"

[Il Grifone]

Trix vehicles will run away on a level surface! I believe the underframes and bogies are moulded from Delrin or similar slippery plastic. Coupled with sharp (unlike some other makes) pin-points the result needs working brakes.

 

The Wrenn version of the N2* (or at least the later ones) use the ex Dublo R1 chassis with a pony truck of their own design. Unfortunately they kept the unsightly (and unprototypical) huge safety valve base. Why Meccano Ltd. thought it worthwhile to fit the large top armature bearing I don't know. The original small one worked perfectly well!

*OK it's not supposed to be an N2....

There are quite a few Wrenn variations (I've resisted the temptation and only have one...). 9522 was the only N2 in LNER green, but it was one of the locomotives fitted with condensing gear.

[locomad2]

8 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

Trix vehicles will run away on a level surface! I believe the underframes and bogies are moulded from Delrin or similar slippery plastic. Coupled with sharp (unlike some other makes) pin-points the result needs working brake

 

 

Quite agree there Trix coaches can't be left without something heavy to stop them moving. I've had a few accidents over the years by leaving a rake of Trix coaches say on a loop, and a passing train has actually  (by suction) moved them along causing derailments and collisions

[sagaguy]

Trix coaches are excellent runners,such a shame that they were built to a 3.87mm scale but they lend theselves to repaints.They look good in a rake,just don`t mix them with 4mm scale coaches.

 

                                Ray.

[Il Grifone]

They were considerably better than Tri-ang's effort, but the scale problem killed them. Dublo's were better still (running excepted) but unfortunately suffered from a serious length deficit. IMHO the tinplate captures the flush sided appearance better than anything else R-T-R.

[Colin]

It’s not the length of the HD coaches that ever bothered me - after all, some of the highly regarded Continental manufacturers such as Fleischmann and Marklin produced 1:100 scale length coaches in their HO ranges for many years (and possibly still do?), they always seemed more appropriate for train set curves. My only beef with HD stock is that the solebars are as wide as the bottom of the coach body, which always looked rather odd to me.

[Il Grifone]

6 hours ago, Colin said:

It’s not the length of the HD coaches that ever bothered me - after all, some of the highly regarded Continental manufacturers such as Fleischmann and Marklin produced 1:100 scale length coaches in their HO ranges for many years (and possibly still do?), they always seemed more appropriate for train set curves. My only beef with HD stock is that the solebars are as wide as the bottom of the coach body, which always looked rather odd to me.

 

I agree, but It's a result of their construction method (tabs in slots) and does give more room for the bogies to swing. If they were the right length, it might have been worth doing something about, but even the shorter 57ft. vehicles (full brake and non corridors*) are too short.

The 1:100 length Continental coaches are another bind. I can put up with the Lima Danish coaches which were built on the shorter 24.5m underframe. At 1:100 they are only a centimetre or so short, which I can live with. I did try splicing a couple together to make a scale 26.4m coach (in DB blue and beige) but it's another of those stalled projects....

 

* The SR green versions only came on the longer underframe.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Il Grifone

[Nearholmer]

I hope you don’t mind me butting-in, but I think that criticising Dublo SD coaches on length misses the point somehow. However long/short/broad in the sole bar they are, they convey the essence of a real coach better than any modern plastic, perfectly-to-scale job.

[Haddocksrock]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

I hope you don’t mind me butting-in, but I think that criticising Dublo SD coaches on length misses the point somehow. However long/short/broad in the sole bar they are, they convey the essence of a real coach better than any modern plastic, perfectly-to-scale job.

I propose that the most realistic representation of a real railway in model form was a HD 3 rail 8F 2-8-0 thumping and thudding over a cross over followed by a train of tinplate coal wagons clinking and clanking behind complete with the odd wheel beat from the LWB brake van bringing up the rear!

 

I'll get my coat 

[Wolseley]

8 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I hope you don’t mind me butting-in, but I think that criticising Dublo SD coaches on length misses the point somehow. However long/short/broad in the sole bar they are, they convey the essence of a real coach better than any modern plastic, perfectly-to-scale job.

 

Nothing looks more like painted metal than painted metal.

[LMS2968]

At least, the 'glass' in HD coaches was almost flush with side panels; it wasn't sunk in by almost a scale foot!

[BernardTPM]

The closest to scale flush glazing was probably the early Hornby Mk3 coaches. About the only part of them that was to scale though.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

That and the original Tri-ang Railways Blue Pullman units and coaches.

 

Like the Mk3 coaches, these used a clear plastic strip for the white band around the windows, painted white around the windows. 
 

Grey in the case of the Mk3 coaches.

 

When the Blue Pullman livery changed, the windows were re tooled to be a part of the body, with recessed glazing…

[BernardTPM]

Yes, they were done in a similar way but the Blue Pullman windows are recessed more than those on the Mk.3s where it is probably less than 5 thou.", basically the thickness of the moulded window surround. Later ones (when they went to eight windows) omitted the moulded frames, making them lightly less effective.

In real life the thickness of external metal plating on coaches from the 1930s onwards was usually around 1/16th" (16SWG) which scales to just under 1 thou.".

Edited August 8, 2021 by BernardTPM

[sagaguy]

Latest doings on my Dublo layout,the knitting!.I`ve been trying to work out a way of incorporating Trix catenary and EM1s on my layout.I`m electrifying this small yard for 1500vdc ohle.The locos really do work from the wire with a seperate controller from the main layout.

 

                  Ray.

[locomad2]

On 07/08/2021 at 18:35, Nearholmer said:

I hope you don’t mind me butting-in, but I think that criticising Dublo SD coaches on length misses the point somehow. However long/short/broad in the sole bar they are, they convey the essence of a real coach better than any modern plastic, perfectly-to-scale job.

 

Quite agree apart from the well made Kitmaster coaches, fortunately I've still some left unbuilt and some built 50 years ago most realistic and with the right wheels can be very free running.

 

Add the 2/- peco cardboard interiors and easy match any coach plus modern ones

 

Another excellent and simple  feature the bogies can have both peco & tension lock coupling each end, trix did the same 

 

Somehow I don't think we have progressed much in 50 years

[Il Grifone]

I forgot, when criticising the Kitmaster 2mm discrepancy in length (elsewhere - https://www.rmweb.co.uk/comm It's possible to make a full first from the restaurant car* and a full brake from two brake/seconds.

 

A miniature buffet car (as modelled by Tri-ang) is possible from the full second. Modelling one of the early ones saves filling in one of the windows.

 

* The first examples of this design didn't have the extra door in the middle, making it even easier.

 

They roll quite well on the original wheels (the two halves fit together well and don't need glue), but for best results metal wheels and bearings are advisable.

 

At 6/6d they were a bargain. This became less so when you added on metal wheels (2/8d for 4 wheelsets), Peco couplings (1/6d), and the interior* (2/6d I recall). Decent cement (the supplied capsule was not brilliant - really an advantage as coaches assembled using it come apart fairly readily) and painting added even more.

 

* The restaurant car came with one, but cost 7/6d to make up for it.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Il Grifone
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[sagaguy]

They appear to be breeding,three here and another has just joined them.The beauty of overhead collection is that if you wnat to isolate a loco,you just lower the pantograph!.

 

                             Ray.

[Wolseley]

On 15/10/2018 at 22:12, Wolseley said:

What with all this talk of should you or shouldn't you repaint old Dublo equipment, as I'm getting closer to commencing construction of the layout, I'll have to decide what I'm going to do about the buildings and platforms.  The stations, platforms and signal boxes are all a bit playworn, so I suppose the question is will I repaint them in standard Dublo colours or not (although if I go this way I'll repaint them the cream colour of the later plastic buildings, as I've never liked the strange colour of the originals) but then, I might repaint the orange roofs the grey of the later plastic buildings, or maybe I'll paint them orange.

 

Then, of course, I might decide to repaint them in a more realistic colour scheme.  I'm not convinced I want to do that as it wouldn't be a "classic Dublo" layout if I go that way - that and the fact that my goods shed and engine shed are in virtually mint condition.

 

I'll probably go with cream structures with grey roofs, but I'm not sure.....

 

Well, it usually takes me a while to get around to finishing most of my modelling projects, and this was no exception.  It was something that had to be done at some time as, not only were the station buildings, foot bridge, platforms and signal box a bit playworn, but the platforms were three different shades of whatever you call that yellowy brown colour Meccano Ltd used.

 

I ended up sticking with the original colours for the buildings and all that remains is to retouch the colour in the window frames and doorframes.  I sprayed the paint on using small aerosol cans rather than painting by brush, as I wanted a nice clean finish without any brushmarks and with a minimum of imperfections.  The colours I used were Tamiya Light Sand (TS-46) which although close to the Dublo yellowy brown, turned out to be a more attractive colour and, for the roofs, Tamiya Orange (TS-12) which is slightly brighter than Dublo orange, but not too much so.

 

I'll post a photo once I've touched up the doors and windows, although that could take a few days of spare time, as there are three island platform buildings, one through station and a signal box to do.  I think I'll probably paint the white line along the edge of the platforms too (something that some of my platforms had and some didn't).

 

Jim

Edited August 23, 2021 by Wolseley

[Wolseley]

On 23/08/2021 at 20:11, Wolseley said:

I'll post a photo once I've touched up the doors and windows, although that could take a few days of spare time, as there are three island platform buildings, one through station and a signal box to do.  I think I'll probably paint the white line along the edge of the platforms too (something that some of my platforms had and some didn't).

 

Jim

 

And here are the repainted station buildings, footbridge, platforms and signal box:

 

 

 

 

[Ruffnut Thorston]

They look fine to me. I especially like the white platform edges.

 

I think it was the earlier platforms that had the edging in white, later not painted in… I have a 50/50 chance of remembering it the right way around! 

[Wolseley]

2 hours ago, Ruffnut Thorston said:

They look fine to me. I especially like the white platform edges.

 

I think it was the earlier platforms that had the edging in white, later not painted in… I have a 50/50 chance of remembering it the right way around! 

 

I'm pretty certain that the white lines disappeared around 1956, give or take a year or so.  My guess is it was a cost cutting exercise, as they look better with them.

 

For my platforms, I used a rather pale grey, as I thought pure white looked a bit too stark.