Zunnan Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 1 hour ago, 'CHARD said: Do you think it's going to make a comeback at 1.3mm/ foot? If EFE is anything to go by, around 2.2mm per foot... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy L S Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Robert Shrives said: Well I think my fav loco having missed the poll thingy has to be the Holden tank- it marks a first brave step into N and with a tiny loco at that and not GWR as might have been expected the 94xx that followed was not really as good to my mind. The holden tank came in several colours but I still have the original blue one in its jewelbox case and flocked plastic former and it runs. Diesel wise I think the humble 31 was a good model that even today holds ground with the latest tooling. Robert It was the other way round Robert, the 94xx was first followed by the Holden which came in three colours, GE blue, LNER green and BR black. I agree it was nonetheless a brave step and sadly never to be followed up by another RTR LNER tank loco to date after the cancellation of the J72. Roy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy L S Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 9 minutes ago, Zunnan said: If EFE is anything to go by, around 2.2mm per foot... A bit harsh! I measured the Clayton as being over-height by around 0.8mm but it has been confirmed accurate in all other dimensions by others...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zunnan Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 It was more an opposite direction response to CHARD and a poke at the response to these models than the models themselves. Harsh is what we did in the shop, and posed them on display next to loading gauges. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 19 minutes ago, Roy L S said: It was the other way round Robert, the 94xx was first followed by the Holden which came in three colours, GE blue, LNER green and BR black. I agree it was nonetheless a brave step and sadly never to be followed up by another RTR LNER tank loco to date after the cancellation of the J72. Roy To be fair to Farish they weren't exactly common in 00 either. And some of those were pretty awful - Hornby J83 and Lima J50 for example. All we really had was the Mainline J72 and N2. With maybe the Dapol J94. Things have vastly improved, but it's only been in the last fifteen years or so. No wonder everyone seemingly modelled the GWR. Jason 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted September 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2020 Hi thanks for correction on Holden and 94 - it was along time ago ! The can motors used were so poor that it lead to Mr Farish building his own motors at the Poole factory -but he did have electrical trade experience IIRC ( probs wrong again ! ) As he could not get small enough quality motors to fit UK bodysize - where have heard all this before... I am thankful he put his pounds and shillings into N gauge. The rest as they say is history. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris M Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 I never liked any of the early Farish. Even by the standards of the day they were poor compared to what was available in 00. I only decided to do N gauge in 2012 following seeing how good the models had become. I do have a special liking for the Chiltern 168 even though this was produced in 2006. This is very probably because they used to take me to work every day and the Chiltern staff always seemed so friendly. All of the fairly recent stuff is good enough to rank as a favourite because they are all very good. 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, Chris M said: I never liked any of the early Farish. Even by the standards of the day they were poor compared to what was available in 00. I only decided to do N gauge in 2012 following seeing how good the models had become. I do have a special liking for the Chiltern 168 even though this was produced in 2006. This is very probably because they used to take me to work every day and the Chiltern staff always seemed so friendly. All of the fairly recent stuff is good enough to rank as a favourite because they are all very good. My dad was an N gauge modeller, he left UK modelling in the 1990s as he didn't like the unreliability anymore and got into US outline N gauge. I had a dabble in N gauge but found so many of my locos were suffering from split gears that I also lost faith and sold the lot. Only returned when Dapol entered the market and I began collecting N stuff again, even now the dreaded split gear still occurs - my fave class 46, a beautiful runner was all locked up after it had been in it's box a few years during an OO phase, I had to find and remove a gear to get it running again. I've a 40 with a wheel missing because for some odd reason I just removed the whole wheel rather than the gear - must put that back in!! I'm back in N at the moment, got quite a few locos out, only the Peak was an issue and I am glad I had kept everything and not sold up when I was in OO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy L S Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 3 hours ago, Robert Shrives said: Hi thanks for correction on Holden and 94 - it was along time ago ! The can motors used were so poor that it lead to Mr Farish building his own motors at the Poole factory -but he did have electrical trade experience IIRC ( probs wrong again ! ) As he could not get small enough quality motors to fit UK bodysize - where have heard all this before... I am thankful he put his pounds and shillings into N gauge. The rest as they say is history. Robert I think right at the start the 94xx has a Buhler can motor, later changed to a cheaper clone of it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted September 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2020 11 minutes ago, Roy L S said: I think right at the start the 94xx has a Buhler can motor, later changed to a cheaper clone of it. Not sure but ECM rings a small alarm bell but that might do a disservice to somebody - for which I apolgise in advance. The Buhler would explain the liberties taken with size and why the 94xx became the pannier modelled as being the largest one. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 As far as I know the chassis was redesigned between the very early 94XX and the Holden coming out, unfortunately to the same design as the Holden - NOT an improvement by all accounts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold D9020 Nimbus Posted September 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2020 Was the Holden even remotely to scale? It looks like a fairly large 0-6-0T when it should be fairly small. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy L S Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 17 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said: Was the Holden even remotely to scale? It looks like a fairly large 0-6-0T when it should be fairly small. Not sure if it helps but here is a comparison next to the new tool Jinty. It is as can be seen a very small loco but looking at the prototype, it is clear that the tank/boiler section has been stretched upward to accommodate the motor. Nonetheless still a very pretty little loco and pushing the boundaries a lot back in 1971 I would think. Roy 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted September 7, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 7, 2020 Despite a modern tooling replacement (that is excellent by the way) I still really like the old Poole version Class 20. It's easy to repair, looks the part and with a decent paint job can still give more modern models a run for its money. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zunnan Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 2 hours ago, John M Upton said: Despite a modern tooling replacement (that is excellent by the way) I still really like the old Poole version Class 20. It's easy to repair, looks the part and with a decent paint job can still give more modern models a run for its money. Especially so with the TPM cab end etch to fix the windows or the headcode disc conversion. I'm not sure if such a kit is still available, but it was the TPM detailed class 20s that originally drew me to N in the first place as they looked better than the 20 from Lima in 00 at the time and were the perfect antidote to the awful Farish class 56. A pair of them on a full length Minitrix MGR was my modelling goal in life to begin with. Still have them somewhere too, though the HAA were replaced with the Peco release many years ago...Still have them buried somewhere too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) Sorry, that kit was sold out a few years back, but here's my old demo model: Brass gears too, so should work still. (Hadn't noticed that crooked double arrow before. Something to attend to sometime). Edited September 7, 2020 by BernardTPM 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zunnan Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 I can still remember being more than a little trepid about taking a file to the headcode box and windows of a rather expensive model only just bought. And by expensive, £60ish back in the '90s when you could buy the 00 Lima 20 from the same shop for £19.99. My sanity was questioned, and not just by my parents! 'If its wrong, why don't you just buy the right one instead of ruining a brand new model?'...I questioned their sanity! You could always just file the headcode box flush and paint the offending area black, but it just wasn't the same! I took a piercing saw to mine and completely removed the centre quite oversized as well as got a bit aggressive up to the cab sides so the etch could be flush glazed...the factory glazing in the sides didn't look so great after that... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fezza Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 Yes another vote here for the Poole 20s. I'm also a big fan of the later Peaks, even though all but one of mine suffered split gears that needed attention. And yes, reliability put me off too for a while. Honourable mentions should also go to the Poole 101 - rather crude by modern standards but somehow they had lots of character. Recent faves include the 170s - beautifully printed to capture the privatisation era Central Trains and Midland mainline. In fact it would be easier to list those that I didn't love - only the 56s really and maybe the 50s? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
6990WitherslackHall Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 My Granddad owns an N gauge BR blue Class 40 with sound complete with separately brought matching Mk I and Mk III coaches. (5029 Nunney Castle is also his) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy L S Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 If I am permitted to change my mind and it fits within the "first 50 year" timeframe, having received and run two of these locos, complete with sound, I have to change my favourite Farish loco to the new 8F, in my opinion it is the best N Gauge RTR steam loco to date from any manufacturer by a very clear margin... Roy 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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