Hornby - New tooling - Large Prairie

[The Johnster]

2 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

94xx? That’s the one taken half a decade isn’t it?

It's taken longer than some of the locos were in service for

 

I'd like to put in a request for a 2721 to modern RTR standards, but I don't reckon I'm going to persuade that nice Mr Kohler to make me one any time soon!   Kudos to H if the big prairie does hit the shops in September, though; they'll have announced later and produced earlier than Dapol, which is excellent compared to the above mentioned 94xx...

[tomparryharry]

3 hours ago, Pannier Tank said:

 

or an upgraded 14xx ?

 

No, I promised I'd be a good boy, and not to post any naughty words. We're all eagerly awaiting the Sandwich Express, so be patient. To spare all those nice people at Hornby twiddling their thumbs, I thought they'd like a little infill job, before they announce their next magnum opus, for which, I'm not allowed to divulge...... 

[Miss Prism]

 

4105 at Banbury, 21 September 1962. The loco was built in 1935. Why it has been fitted with a set of small-boss Churchward drivers is a bit of a mystery - presumably a 'good set' off a withdrawn older Prairie.

 

[adb968008]

10 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

 

4105 at Banbury, 21 September 1962. The loco was built in 1935. Why it has been fitted with a set of small-boss Churchward drivers is a bit of a mystery - presumably a 'good set' off a withdrawn older Prairie.

 

I remember studying one of the prairies at Didcot, and found one with parts stamped 3150... thats an old old prairie...

[melmerby]

17 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

I remember studying one of the prairies at Didcot, and found one with parts stamped 3150... thats an old old prairie...

A perfect example of GWR recycling, long before it became fashionable.

The Granges and the first Manors were built with some bits of 43XXs

Dukedogs anyone?

Edited August 2, 2019 by melmerby

[The Stationmaster]

On 02/08/2019 at 12:49, Miss Prism said:

 

4105 at Banbury, 21 September 1962. The loco was built in 1935. Why it has been fitted with a set of small-boss Churchward drivers is a bit of a mystery - presumably a 'good set' off a withdrawn older Prairie.

 

Some wheelsets definitely got around.  I remember coming across a. set of 'Castle' drivers in A Shop on one Sunday in the early 1960s visit and they had been on four different engines - including 111.  Of course the $64,000 question was how many wheels did 111 have when they were on it? (unanswerable without access to Swindon records).

 

Incidentally the prairies are definitely not listed in the upcoming Hornby deliveries expected within the next two weeks according to my friendly local retailer from whom I at last collected 4 rather nice non-gangwayed coaches yesterday. 

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Of course the $64,000 question was how many wheels did 111 have when they were on it?

 

6 drivers at any one time, 4 in front always and two trailing when it wasn't a Castle..... 

 

Ok, ok, I know what you mean!

 

Runs off, trying to avoid the brickbats

 

[The Johnster]

If only to divert brickbats from Hroth, 111 never had any wheels except those that were on it.  

 

Gets tin hat and retires to bunker...

[Coach bogie]

Question. We're the wheels seen, fitted new in 1924, instead of the Bear wheels, to keep 111 'standard' with the rest of the Castles?

Mike Wiltshire

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Coach bogie said:

Question. We're the wheels seen, fitted new in 1924, instead of the Bear wheels, to keep 111 'standard' with the rest of the Castles?

Mike Wiltshire

That is indeed the question.  In those days I didn't know enough about them to be able to tell if they'd come new to the 4-6-0 at some time (possibly not even at the time of the rebuild but later) so it could be either.   But the interesting thing about them is that they had progressed through several engines, possibly following withdrawal of at least one of them.

[adb968008]

 

 

Heres one of the rods/pins of 6106...

often they are overstamped, so you have to read carefully the older number underneath the stronger one.

 

6106/4144/4159/3154

 

3154 built 1907, scrapped 1950.

 

 

5900/5967/7802/7820

 

 

4079/5050/5055

 

 

5322/5337/6371/7316/6302

 

 

7808/ 5396/6367/6319/5380

 

 

I said to my 8 yr old daughter who's started collecting numbers, if you see a number then it counts...

 

21 numbers from 5 locos..

 

other finds include 6399 stamped on 46100, a pony wheel on Bahamas ex-lnwr Claughton, 60009’s tender ex-60700 (w1).

 

A good way of learning how steam locos are put together, and a way for her to take on her grandfather’s vast spotting collection from the 40-60’s.

Edited May 9, 2021 by adb968008

[88C]

The selection of numbers to choose from made going round Woodham’s scrap yard interesting.

 

Brian

[melmerby]

All part of GWR standardisation.

I suspect that when loco went into the works for a heavy, it was stripped down to it's components, which went to be refurbished.

When it came to re-assembly it got what was ready to use.

Other railways have used this method but the GWR with it's standardisation was master of it.

[Miss Prism]

Generally, rods and wheels stayed with frames, unless there was a good reason to separate them.

 

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

Generally, rods and wheels stayed with frames, unless there was a good reason to separate them.

 

But quite clearly apart from a couple of instances of "rebuilt from another class" that hasn't happened with those examples posted.

[DCB]

It appears that at Swindon virtually everything was stripped from the frames by a stripping gang and the part sent off to different shops for repair.  Only bits like cabs framing etc seem to have been kept with the frames.  Rods, Boilers, Wheels, Tenders etc were taken away to other shops for repair and then it was pretty much pot luck which components returned when the loco was reassembled. 

 

[Coach bogie]

A supply of spare parts was kept. No waiting for repaired parts to return. Spares exchanged to put back in traffic as quick as possible. Even a small class like the Kings had an extra boiler available for immediate fitting. The exceptions are one offs such as the Bear. Gas turbines. 

 

Mike Wiltshire

[The Johnster]

Boilers take longer to overhaul than the rest of the loco, by about a week or 10 days, so it was better to have spare boiler to pit in the frames, releasing the loco to revenue earning traffic and releasing the workshop bay, than to keep the loco waiting for it’s original boiler.  This is the point of having standard size parts. 

 

Thus, boilers and just about everything else got swapped atound between compatible classes and locos.  It begs the question of what the identity of a loco actually is, especially when parts are recycled from withdrawn locos.  The LNWR was renowned for this, some Patriots rebuilt from Claughtons were reputed to be running with axles that had begun life on the Grand Junction...

[melmerby]

9 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

  It begs the question of what the identity of a loco actually is, especially when parts are recycled from withdrawn locos. 

With a "bitza" loco it is customary to take the number on the frames but even that is open to question with e.g. Rood Ashton Hall/Albert Hall

Paperwork said it was Albert Hall, Number and Name plates said 4983 Albert Hall but the frames and some other bits were stamped 4965.

[adb968008]

10 hours ago, Coach bogie said:

A supply of spare parts was kept. No waiting for repaired parts to return. Spares exchanged to put back in traffic as quick as possible. Even a small class like the Kings had an extra boiler available for immediate fitting. The exceptions are one offs such as the Bear. Gas turbines. 

 

Mike Wiltshire

And at the depot too, when OC was cleared a set of pannier rods was recovered from the class 08 parts shelf.

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

And at the depot too, when OC was cleared a set of pannier rods was recovered from the class 08 parts shelf.

Some steam spares hung around in depot stores for a while.  there was all sorts of small stuff still in Southall's stores in late 1967 but I couldn't carry most of it home (I had official permission r to take whatever I could carry) although I have got a set of sight feed lubricator glasses stashed from that occasion.  Everything else went into the scrap heap.

[adb968008]

8 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Some steam spares hung around in depot stores for a while.  there was all sorts of small stuff still in Southall's stores in late 1967 but I couldn't carry most of it home (I had official permission r to take whatever I could carry) although I have got a set of sight feed lubricator glasses stashed from that occasion.  Everything else went into the scrap heap.

I understand it was much more recent than 1967.. 

i dont know the exact year but c2013.

Edited August 9, 2019 by adb968008

[Neal Ball]

On 04/08/2019 at 10:14, The Stationmaster said:

 

....Incidentally the prairies are definitely not listed in the upcoming Hornby deliveries expected within the next two weeks according to my friendly local retailer from whom I at last collected 4 rather nice non-gangwayed coaches yesterday. 

 

Afternoon all - I’ve had a great weekend at the GDSF (Great Dorset Steam Fair) and wandered onto the Hornby stand. 

 

In speaking to Simon Koehler, it seems there have been some issues on the production line they are using for the 61xx. Accordingly, these locos are now delayed until Christmas - hopefully before Christmas.

 

Apparently they will still be worth waiting for.... which of course is what the recent images show! Still can’t wait and I’m sure they will look great at Henley on Thames. 

[SDJR7F88]

17th - 18th August 2019 saw Hornby Hobbies open their doors to the public for their first Open Weekend, held at their headquarters in Margate.
The 2 day event Celebrated Hornby's return to Margate with the first official public viewing of the 1:1 Locomotive Collection, which is curated in parted of the old factory, along with a selection of layouts and displays, including my WW1 Trench Railway - "Amiens 1918" and my Hornby Micro Layout - "Winters End". The Hornby Team were also on hand at the event, greeting visitors, and displaying some of their latest products and projects, from the vast Hornby Hobbies range.  
In this video we take a look at the Hornby Stand, featuring Models such as the latest prototypes for the up and coming Princess Class 4-6-2, the eagerly anticipated B2 Pecketts and popular Coca Cola Train Set, plus much more! 
Hope you enjoy!

[Hilux5972]

8 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

Afternoon all - I’ve had a great weekend at the GDSF (Great Dorset Steam Fair) and wandered onto the Hornby stand. 

 

In speaking to Simon Koehler, it seems there have been some issues on the production line they are using for the 61xx. Accordingly, these locos are now delayed until Christmas - hopefully before Christmas.

 

Apparently they will still be worth waiting for.... which of course is what the recent images show! Still can’t wait and I’m sure they will look great at Henley on Thames. 

Did he expand on what kind of issues? Happy to wait, more time to save up!