Hornby - New tooling - Ruston 48DS 0-4-0

[PhilJ W]

8 hours ago, spikey said:

Well my factory finally has its own Ruston to shunt its extensive network of sidings, so I now need to consider the refuelling arrangements for it.  How much diesel might a Ruston use in a busy day's shunting and what sort of provison was usually made for refuelling?  (Period is early 1960s)

It could be fueled from an oil drum raised up on a wooden or brick pier (gravity feed). Other than that fuel would be delivered as and when required either by road tanker or in the case of a large and scattered site even a rail tanker, not the normal tanker seen on the main line but an old wagon with said oil drum(s) and a hand pump. The oil drum with hand pump is the most likely combination.

Edited October 2, 2019 by PhilJ W

[Ruston]

39 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

It could be fueled from an oil drum raised up on a wooden or brick pier (gravity feed). Other than that fuel would be deliverd as and when required either by road tanker or in the case of a large and scattered site even a rail tanker, not the normal tanker seen on the main line but an old wagon with said oil drum(s) and a hand pump. The oil drum with hand pump is the most likely combination.

Agreed regarding the drum and hand pump. The fuel tank on these locomotives only holds 8 1/2 gallons and they were very economical in terms of fuel useage. These locomotives wouldn't have been doing long runs and using lots of fuel. They'd work only when wagons needed shunting, which was one of the great selling points of diesel shunters over steam as a steam loco needs to be tended and is burning fuel even when it isn't working.

 

For those that don't know, the fuel filler is top centre at the rear end of the engine casing, just in front of the cab. The front filler cap is for the radiator and, despite what someone wrote in too Railway Modeller to say, no 48DS was factory-fitted with an air-cooled engine. It has also been said, elsewhere on the interwebs, that Hornby's model of the Dewar's 48DS is wrong and should have a different shaped hole in the front for the air-cooled engine - it shouldn't. Hornby have got their model right.

[PhilJ W]

The oil drum could also be mounted on some sort of trolley to be wheeled up to the locomotive. 

[Bernard Lamb]

The temptation was too much.

Just introduced the Ruston to a Planet.

I must get on with the brake gear.

The Planet has been bodged to get it to fit onto a Black Beetle.

It does illustrate the size of the Ruston. I thought the Planet was tiny.

I must also get round to adding some ballast as things look far worse in a photo and they do in the flesh.

The Ruston trundles up and down rather sweetly.

Not so sure about the truck. Would an unfitted ancient van body look better?

[That Model Railway Guy]

For anyone interested I've put together a quick video showing some close ups of the Ruston along with a bit of running on my layout: 

 

 

[Johnfromoz]

Apologies if this has been covered before/elsewhere, but does anyone have a view on how accurate the current release is (with a repaint) in representing the rail blue Ruston which operated Reading signal works in the 60/70s?  This loco could often be seen on the lower level tracks on the right when entering Reading from the London direction.

 

John

[25901]

If I'm correct wasn't there a couple of BNLF 88ds's at ones at one of the power stations

[mozzer models]

2 hours ago, Johnfromoz said:

Apologies if this has been covered before/elsewhere, but does anyone have a view on how accurate the current release is (with a repaint) in representing the rail blue Ruston which operated Reading signal works in the 60/70s?  This loco could often be seen on the lower level tracks on the right when entering Reading from the London direction.

 

John

If you mean No20 then its a different class of loco Thats a 88DS which was 20ft 6'' long  and not a 48DS which is around 13ft 7''

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by mozzer models

[Johnfromoz]

Thanks. I guess what im asking is. Can no 20 be produced from the Hornby model or are dimensions etc different?

[mozzer models]

2 minutes ago, Johnfromoz said:

Thanks. I guess what im asking is. Can no 20 be produced from the Hornby model or are dimensions etc different?

I would say Not as notting is the same size

there are drawing of bboth 1/2 way donw this page on the Hornby site https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/forum/post/view/topic_id/19400/?p=1

[Steamport Southport]

They're very different.

 

This is a Ruston 88DS.

 

http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/judithedge/kit/390

 

 

 

Jason

[Porcy Mane]

2 hours ago, Johnfromoz said:

Apologies if this has been covered before/elsewhere, but does anyone have a view on how accurate the current release is (with a repaint) in representing the rail blue Ruston which operated Reading signal works in the 60/70s?  This loco could often be seen on the lower level tracks on the right when entering Reading from the London direction.

 

Maybe this is the thread you need to be looking at?

 

I've seen a phot of PWM653 pushing a newly refurbished brake tender around Reading. It was in green livery with wasp stripes and had tiny arrows of indecision on the bonnet sides.

[Johnfromoz]

Good to know, thanks guys.

[Howl03]

Hi All, Here is a short video of mine running on my layout Howls Bay.

 

 

 

Regards Paul.

 

[PhilJ W]

5 hours ago, Bernard Lamb said:

The temptation was too much.

Just introduced the Ruston to a Planet.

I must get on with the brake gear.

The Planet has been bodged to get it to fit onto a Black Beetle.

It does illustrate the size of the Ruston. I thought the Planet was tiny.

I must also get round to adding some ballast as things look far worse in a photo and they do in the flesh.

The Ruston trundles up and down rather sweetly.

Not so sure about the truck. Would an unfitted ancient van body look better?

Shunters trucks are built low so as not to obstruct the drivers view so a van would not be suitable. Some brake vans were built with very low roofs for that reason.

[Big James]

I’m just wondering what’s the running like with the wagon removed. As I’m being tempted by one but I want to run it without the wagon. Thank you

 

 Big James

[PhilJ W]

It can be run with or without the wagon. With such a short wheelbase however you may have problems running over insulfrog points.

[Oldddudders]

32 minutes ago, Big James said:

I’m just wondering what’s the running like with the wagon removed. As I’m being tempted by one but I want to run it without the wagon. Thank you

 

 Big James

Both the videos posted on this page show solo running. It appears reliable. 

[Pre Grouping fan]

Found this video on YouTube with a haulage test 

 

Probably over what the prototype could handle so credit to Hornby in that respect 

[That Model Railway Guy]

1 hour ago, Big James said:

I’m just wondering what’s the running like with the wagon removed. As I’m being tempted by one but I want to run it without the wagon. Thank you

 

 Big James

 

Mine is fine running without the wagon. It makes it over the old secondhand set track points I have on my layout without any problems, although it does stutter slightly if I take it really slowly. That said, it had absolutely no trouble on more modern insulfrog points which have a smaller dead zone. Hope that helps.

[25901]

6 hours ago, 25901 said:

If I'm correct wasn't there a couple of BNLF 88ds's at ones at one of the power stations

 

To answer my own question, the shortest nuclear flask train in the UK at Chapelcross

[Ruston]

17 minutes ago, 25901 said:

 

To answer my own question, the shortest nuclear flask train in the UK at Chapelcross

5ft. 4in gauge. There's another photo here (edited to say the photo is in the thread, linked  below, not the photo that is showing below).

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Ruston

[Captain Kernow]

Sorry, I'm sure someone has already asked this, but can anyone with one of these possibly comment as to whether there is room for P4 wheelsets, please?

 

Thanks.

 

[mozzer models]

30 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Sorry, I'm sure someone has already asked this, but can anyone with one of these possibly comment as to whether there is room for P4 wheelsets, please?

 

Thanks.

 

does this help

the gap between the frames is 21.3mm

IMG_20191002_210814 by brian mosby, on Flickr

[Porcy Mane]

2 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

there is room for P4 wheelsets, please?

 

There is BUT with provisos. 

 I've just tried a  Branchlines 10.5 mm diameter wheelset for clearance. At P4 B to B the wheelsets just drop between the outer faces of the frame. At S4 B to B the outer face of the wheels contact the frames.  To be safe there needs to be an amount of metal milled or scraped from the inside of the outside (If you see what I mean) of the splasher area. If I get a chance I'll get some snaps tomorrow.  Thanks to Mick Simpson of the 2mm nutters, I have some 2mm society 10mm tyres that I'll be trying to fit to the original Hornby wheels eventually.

 

First I want to get the sound chip & some stay alive capacity in. That looks a relatively easy job.

 

hth

P

 

EDIT: On mine, even with the B to B set to Standard P4 dimensions the outer faces of the wheels are contacting the chassis block. Metals will need removing. There is enough "meat" to allow this. I wonder if Hornby found some problems with shorting. Each of the 4 axle bearings had some tape like material in the bearing groove lifting the original  wheel flange away from the chassis/running plate casting.

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Porcy Mane
Update