SteveyDee68 Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 (edited) Hello Looking at the Wrenn R1 0-6-0 tank loco... (a) how accurate is the body itself and (b) which other proprietary r-t-r chassis might fit/replace the existing Wrenn effort, to aid production of a more accurate representation? Thanks in advance for *any* feedback Steve Edited December 21, 2019 by SteveyDee68 Typos - lots of 'em! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 About as accurate as anything which first came out in 1959.... If you can get a decent condition one for about £15 to £20 they scrub up pretty well. Also look for the older Hornby Dublo version as they are often cheaper than Wrenn. Putting a decent modern RTR chassis under one is probably a bit of a waste of time and money IMO. Previous threads here. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67411-Hornby-dublowrenn-r1-tank/ https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/20653-Hornby-dublo-r1/ If you really want a R1 then I would go for the South East Finecast kit. http://www.sefinecast.co.uk/Locomotives/New and Revised Loco Kits Page 6.htm Maybe worth waiting until after the New Year announcements as you never know what may be announced and SECR seems to be popular at the moment. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 The plastic body easily lends itself to being super detailed, things like replacing the moulded details with castings and turnings. Add lamp brackets using small staples. You can buy new better looking coupling rods and even easily fit S/H Romford wheels or new Markits ones. Gibson plastic brake shoes could be added Mainly Trains do a brake rodding etch ( From Wizard Models sane for coupling rods) You can certainly upgrade the chassis by building a Southeastern Finecast Replacement chassis, the cost of wheels motor and gear box unless sourced second hand will be quite expensive, but certainly will look and run so much better if well built. But if you go this far you might as well buy a Southeastern Finecast completer kit I would just super detail the body as cheaply as possible and change the coupling rods, if a S/H SEF chassis comes along (especially if it has wheels and motor) buy it Personally I think models like this take a lot of beating https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KIT-BUILT-WHITE-METAL-SR-SOUTHERN-BLACK-LIVERY-0-6-0-TANK-LOCO-No123-OO-GAUGE-00/202826101416?hash=item2f3960b2a8:g:8mkAAOSwPW9d08-c A Wills Finecast SR G6 on a Hornby Dublo R1 chassis, of its time heavily brush painted, I would strip it down rebuild and repaint it and invest in a decent chassis later. Any parts which are either broken or missing can be easily obtained from Southeastern Finecast at reasonable cost Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 The R1 is a great model, chuck the body away, re drill the chassis to take Mainline or similar coupling rods add Romfords and it will run forever. It makes a great 4-4-0 chassis, I have one under a Kind Arthur body as an S15. The big problem is the small gap between leading axle and centre axle, it's very unusual and I can't think pf anything UK with that configuration. Rear spacing is right for a GWR 57XX . As regards the body it was naff by 1959 standards, not up to Triang detail standards but better plastic, and which genius decided to make a model of a class of about a dozen locos instead of something running into hundreds like Gaiety and Triang did. No wonder H/D went out of business. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 9 hours ago, hayfield said: You can certainly upgrade the chassis by building a Southeastern Finecast Replacement chassis, the cost of wheels motor and gear box unless sourced second hand will be quite expensive, but certainly will look and run so much better if well built. But if you go this far you might as well buy a Southeastern Finecast completer kit The Branchlines R1 chassis is the one to go for. SEF don't do a dedicated chassis kit for the R1, so the kit comes with one of their generic 0-6-0 chassis, which has a very different wheelbase that is equally as wrong as the Hornby Dublo one. The SEF body is also a couple of millimetres too wide over the footplate, but looks OK. Branchlines also do various castings from the O and O1 kits that are suitable for the R1 - backheads, splashers and boiler fittings. The definitive 4mm scale R1 has yet to be produced. 4 hours ago, DavidCBroad said: As regards the body it was naff by 1959 standards, not up to Triang detail standards but better plastic, and which genius decided to make a model of a class of about a dozen locos instead of something running into hundreds like Gaiety and Triang did. The R1 was probably picked because it was quite an iconic loco, working Continental expresses like the Golden Arrow into Folkestone Harbour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 (edited) The main fault with the model is the wheelbase inherited from the Dublo N2 (for which it is almost spot on as long as you are modelling in H0 scale). The wheels are also too small and IIRC have the wrong number of spokes (Nothing unusual there!). Does anyone know the correct wheelbase for an R1? The body is not bad at all (considerably better than the contemporary Tri-ang 3F IMHO), but has the sandboxes above the footplate which is correct for 31337, but not 31340 (issued in an awful shade of green). Variations of cab, boiler fittings etc. in the class were rife making it only suitable for a few members of the class. I would agree it's an odd choice of prototype, but we were in a era of Southern frenzy at the time, following many complaints of a lack of Southern models, which also gave us an L1 (definitely one of Tri-ang's best models) and a choice of Bulleid light Pacifics and SR EMUs (Tri-ang's a hybrid not much like anything and Dublo's would have been better as the Midland Region version. (It would only have been two or three scale feet short rather than ten.) (I'll discount the Trix E2 as not 00 scale and undernourished looking (to my eyes at least). A G6 might have been a better choice (opening the possibility of making an o2 out of it as well). The reasons for the failure of Meccano Ltd. are many and complex (Lego, Corgi and slot racing for a start, continuing with delaying the switch of Dublo to 2 rail (perhaps this should have been in 1938 - Trix had shown the feasability of insulated track and wheels three years before.) Edited December 20, 2019 by Il Grifone 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londontram Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, DavidCBroad said: As regards the body it was naff by 1959 standards, not up to Triang detail standards but better plastic, and which genius decided to make a model of a class of about a dozen locos instead of something running into hundreds like Gaiety and Triang did. No wonder H/D went out of business. Well if thats the case perhaps the model of the Princess should never have been built as that class only made it into low double figures. As to the body yes it was very much of its time but was no better or worse than many offerings about at the time, the loco now a ripe candidate for breathing over and adding some sympathetic detail. Edited December 21, 2019 by Londontram Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted December 21, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 21, 2019 Whatever its faults I loved my BR R1.... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiptonian Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 17 hours ago, Il Grifone said: Does anyone know the correct wheelbase for an R1? According to J.H. Russell's Southern Locomotives, It is 7'4" + 8'2". 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 7 hours ago, Gilbert said: Whatever its faults I loved my BR R1.... And probably far nearer the prototype than the track it stands on But on a serious not, it must be a great project for someone to work on. It should be simple to do, easy to obtain the new parts needed. The body is made from a decent quality plastic which is easy to work. A common prototype easy to research, and if you mess it up the bodies are cheap to replace 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 (edited) Still available new! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WRENN-TWO-R1-Loco-Bodies-GREY-and-SILVER-Unused-Factory-Stock/151988937873?epid=677386275&hash=item23633f2491:g:QaAAAOSwll1Wx1fx Cheap enough if you have the missing bits. (these tend to be pricey!). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WRENN-R1-Loco-Body-Silver-PLUS-4-Buffers-2-Safety-Valves/402003540858?epid=677386275&hash=item5d99473b7a:g:ilwAAOSwKcVadjth or the buffers and safety valves are £10 a pair... Edited December 21, 2019 by Il Grifone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 7 hours ago, Tiptonian said: According to J.H. Russell's Southern Locomotives, It is 7'4" + 8'2". Oh well maybe a Bachmann 57XX chassis would fit, that's 7' 3" + 8' 3" 29mm + 33mm . I suppose its a must have loco if you model Folkestone harbour, bit the Triang Princess was a must have loco if you model the WCML between Euston and Perth... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveyDee68 Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 7 hours ago, Il Grifone said: Still available new! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WRENN-TWO-R1-Loco-Bodies-GREY-and-SILVER-Unused-Factory-Stock/151988937873?epid=677386275&hash=item23633f2491:g:QaAAAOSwll1Wx1fx Cheap enough if you have the missing bits. (these tend to be pricey!). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WRENN-R1-Loco-Body-Silver-PLUS-4-Buffers-2-Safety-Valves/402003540858?epid=677386275&hash=item5d99473b7a:g:ilwAAOSwKcVadjth or the buffers and safety valves are £10 a pair... Oh! Don't go telling everyone what I was looking at! It was this listing which set me asking the question in the first place!! Thank you to all for the advice and links. As soon as I get paid (hopefully Monday, or it'll be a grim Xmas!) I shall probably get a couple to work upon. As has been said, cheap enough to scrap should I make a mess of them! Steve 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adriank Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I think the worst thing about the Hornby/Wrenn R1 is the plastic underneath the boiler. That aside, the sandboxes on the model are 2mm too long so the splasher is too far back. If fitting the Branchlines chassis, which is to scale, it needs to be fitted a bit to the rear. Alternatively, you can replace the splashers. Replacement splashers are available from Branchlines with or without the sandbox. Personally I've decided to stick with the retro look and not carve up the body mainly for reasons of nostalgia. I may well scratch or kit build a more accurate body at some future date. Brian at Branchlines is very helpful and provides an excellent service. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
manna Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 G'day The R1 chassis, is fairly close to the LNER J3/4, you could end up with this. manna 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR71 Posted December 22, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) There is (or was) a Crownline conversion/detailing kit for the body. I have one in my stash that's next in line after many years in the que. If it would help I can dig it out and take some pictures? Edited December 23, 2019 by SR71 typo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabbie37 Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 (edited) If it is of interest to anyone, I have a Branchlines R1 chassis surplus to requirements. I bought it, rather hastily, in error, and it cost me £29. Happy to pass it on for £20 plus something for p&p? Drop me a PM if interested.. Now re-homed... Edited January 18, 2020 by cabbie37 now sold Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted January 15, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 15, 2020 On 21/12/2019 at 23:46, DavidCBroad said: Oh well maybe a Bachmann 57XX chassis would fit, that's 7' 3" + 8' 3" 29mm + 33mm . I suppose its a must have loco if you model Folkestone harbour, bit the Triang Princess was a must have loco if you model the WCML between Euston and Perth... You need to replace the coupling rods or file the fishbelly shape out of them, but otherwise this will do fine. Make sure that the leading wheelset aligns with the Dublo body's splashers. The body moulding is not too far off scale and can be worked up nicely, but the big problem is the plastic skirts beneath the boiler, originally there to hide the Dublo motor and gears and make the moulding easier to tool. Once that's done it's a matter of drilling and cutting to replace moulded detail with separate, and a Mainline chassis will leave the cab clear for internal detailing. The cab sheets are a bit thick but no worse than any plastic, die cast, or whitemetal kit of the period. I'd say there's a little more to it than Folkestone Harbour; R1s and the similar R (shorter smokebox IIRC) were well spread around the SECR system and the ones with cut down Stirling style cabs and chimneys lasted well into the early 60s as there was nothing else to do the their work on loading gauge restricted branches and in similarly restricted yards. The Southern had better and more modern 0-6-0 tanks in the form of the Brighton E1 and the LSW G6, but not in quantities enough to replace the R1s in the far Southeast. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I'm currently doing one that I bought about and it disappeared. It recently re-appeared when mum passed on and we cleared out her loft! It's a Wrenn model with Romford driving wheels and runs rather well. The chassis is for sale if anyone's interested as I've bought the Branchlines chassis for it. Branchlines say the back end of the boiler is wrong as it should be round. Hornby Dublo modified it to fit round their motor. Splashers have already been mentioned as has the filler under the boiler, not so easy to correct, but do-able. Not so easy is the spectacle place, fitting plastic fillets for round windows. It may be easier to make a 10thou plastic overlay. Luckily I have a spare Kean-Portescap motor that will fit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Nile Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2020 On 19/01/2020 at 11:25, roythebus said: Not so easy is the spectacle place, fitting plastic fillets for round windows. Something like this: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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