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EFE Rail Winter 2020 Announcements - Beattie Well Tank, Gate Stock, Class 58, Cargowaggons plus 2 new N gauge projects.


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8 hours ago, meatloaf said:

It seems Sam isnt a fan of the well tank

 

New EFE Rail Beattie Well Tank | Unboxing & Review | (Plastic Tat) - YouTube

 

Edit : Tried to link the review but dosnt seem to want to

 

For some reason he expected a spindly 2-4-0T to have a high pulling strength, I really think he should do more proper research as these locos don't even pull more than 2 carriages in preservation.

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1 hour ago, 9402 Fredrick said:

For some reason he expected a spindly 2-4-0T to have a high pulling strength, I really think he should do more proper research as these locos don't even pull more than 2 carriages in preservation.

 

I think Sam represents the general modeling public, he self admits he is not an expert in technical historic detail.

If EFE sells to the public then they can expect the public to have an opinion.

 

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14 minutes ago, mikesndbs said:

 

If EFE sells to the public then they can expect the public to have an opinion.

 

 

Although public opinion might be valid and worthy, it doesn't mean it is always correct. There's no harm in undertaking some research and trying to educate expectation if you choose to be a on-line spokesperson/mouthpiece/reviewer.

 

 

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This 0298 is not a new model, so his comparisons with newer designs are a little unrealistic. OTOH I have two from previous batches and they run a darn sight better than my 2019 Hornby terriers or Peckett B2. I never like Sam's 'in my face' form of presentation, irrespective of his findings. 

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I think a lot, probably all of his comments were well-founded.

 

It may simply be a re-issue of an old-tooling model, but certainly for the the price and in fair comparison with what is anticipated and expected of modern models being issued, a more representative price should have been applied.

 

Rough-moulded whistles and safety valves generally went out with the Ark, for example.

 

The Well Tank is an interesting addition to the repertoire of models available, but ... we're all entitled to our opinions, and as a fan of model railways, I find myself in agreement with virtually everything stated in his review.

 

Al.

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I have recognised that Hornby have gone to moulded plastic whistles / valves whereas previously they were brass, turned ones.

 

It's possible the brass ones were more effect than accuracy - don't know - but these always look better, with nice sharp turned edges, no mould lines, nor 'dodgy paint'.

For model locomotives costing so much, perhaps £0.05 more for brass turned ones for me must add at least £5.00 to the perceived value.

 

Al.

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4 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

This 0298 is not a new model, so his comparisons with newer designs are a little unrealistic. OTOH I have two from previous batches and they run a darn sight better than my 2019 Hornby terriers or Peckett B2. I never like Sam's 'in my face' form of presentation, irrespective of his findings. 

I don't tend to watch Sam's trains unless drawn to him from an RMWeb link, I too don't like the style though he did correctly call out the bend in the Rails Terrier he tested. 

 

My concern with a lot of the online channels now on Youtube is the blurring of the relationships between them and certain retailers, some channels seem to be doing product placement and regular shop mentions.  Sadly you cannot make money from an online channel unless you have millions of viewers or you are sponsored.

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28 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

I don't tend to watch Sam's trains unless drawn to him from an RMWeb link, I too don't like the style though he did correctly call out the bend in the Rails Terrier he tested. 

 

My concern with a lot of the online channels now on Youtube is the blurring of the relationships between them and certain retailers, some channels seem to be doing product placement and regular shop mentions.  Sadly you cannot make money from an online channel unless you have millions of viewers or you are sponsored.

They are called "influencers" of course, guess that's the idea. Take with a pinch of salt.

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24 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Sadly you cannot make money from an online channel unless you have millions of viewers or you are sponsored.

Why does having an online channel have to make you money? I am not aware that YouTube costs money to join, so it doesn't need to pay for itself. But I suppose if you are Sam, buying every loco in the shop and trying it on the carpet for the benefit of the modelling nation, you have a 'habit' to support. 

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My take on BWTs.  I still find it remarkable that a loco like the  well tank could ever be an r-t-r model, because of it's small size apart from anything else. I've got one of the original Kernow ones and a DJM one, both run very well. The chance of  another r-t-r well tank model being produced would be pretty unlikely for such a niche loco, so I'm happy to have them as they are. 

As at the end of their working lives they were the oldest locos on BR,  worth having for that alone.  However, as they were only ever based at Wadebridge shed, to run the models authentically would mean a) shunting Wadebridge yard with the square splasher one,  b) pulling a china clay or general goods train on the Wenford branch or c) very occasionally running a 2 coach train between Wadebridge and Padstow.

Otherwise railtours in London after withdrawal. Then preservation.  I do find it odd that EFE have produced one in green with the odd black dome, which was only carried in preservation while on display out of use. So it's a livery it carried but didn't actually operate in. :o

 

Anything else, rule 1.

 

Actually I really like Edge's preservation railway layout idea, a mixture of locos that could well have been preserved and appear together, which has the feel of a genuine preserved railway (and great fun, which is what railway modelling ought to be).

 

p.s. I've recently bought a Heljan 1366 loco to go with the BWTs, suddenly it's 1962 all over again!

Edited by railroadbill
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47 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Why does having an online channel have to make you money? I am not aware that YouTube costs money to join, so it doesn't need to pay for itself. But I suppose if you are Sam, buying every loco in the shop and trying it on the carpet for the benefit of the modelling nation, you have a 'habit' to support. 

 

This is a big question you raise.

It does not 'have' to make money.

However in some cases and this is one of them, it's how they make a living, many YouTube channel owners make a living via it.

In my case (and I am yet to see a penny) I carry minimal ads and only have the partnership because it brings with it many helpful tools and support.

If I ever see anything back from it, it will go towards the ISP charges.

Should get my first payment in about two years lol

 

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8 minutes ago, mikesndbs said:

 

This is a big question you raise.

It does not 'have' to make money.

However in some cases and this is one of them, it's how they make a living, many YouTube channel owners make a living via it.

In my case (and I am yet to see a penny) I carry minimal ads and only have the partnership because it brings with it many helpful tools and support.

If I ever see anything back from it, it will go towards the ISP charges.

Should get my first payment in about two years lol

 

Mike, seen some of your youtube vids in the past, just been looking at your Wrenn 2-6-4T one, very good, useful to me as I've got one on the bench to overhaul, bad running turned out to be caused by poor insulation of bogie wheels... you've reminded me of how well they can run!

Nice camera work.

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1 minute ago, railroadbill said:

Mike, seen some of your youtube vids in the past, just been looking at your Wrenn 2-6-4T one, very good, useful to me as I've got one on the bench to overhaul, bad running turned out to be caused by poor insulation of bogie wheels... you've reminded me of how well they can run!

Nice camera work.

 

Thanks very much, Mine is back on the bench today to see if i can suppress that noise a bit more.

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32 minutes ago, railroadbill said:

Possibly the bearing at top of armature bit loose?

 

Seems ok, I replaced the ball bearings with 1/16th ones, I wonder if these are a wee bit too small?

With the brushes out and the adjuster set for a fraction of slack, the noise comes when pushed forwards which is when the armature moves downward slightly. Think I might just have to concede lol 

 

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2 minutes ago, scumcat said:

what is the harm in that?

 

It's not really a question for this topic but if the receptive audience is primary school aged kids it's demonstrating poor practices with products from the pricier end of the market which will ultimately end up with disappointment and frustration. If you're intent on reviewing higher end products do it on an appropriate base.

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Ironically my 4MT that I got from eBay turned out to be pretty rough and noisy. The solution was to send it to Sams Trains as he used to do repairs , I don’t know if he still does.  It came back perfect . He has since restored some old  Tri-ang  and Wrenn locos for me so he’s a fairly competent repairer. 
 

I thought his review of the Well tank was maybe a bit rough , but at the end of the day it is plastic, doesn’t have huge hauling power and is relatively expensive compared to Peckett , Hattons industrials etc . So he’s not wrong. 
 

Like everything else , watch it and make up your own mind. 

Edited by Legend
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Re standard 4mt tanks, they were on the North Cornwall line from 1962 onwards so it's just possible to have one and a BWT together....

 

Just had to go and run one of my (original Kernow release) well tanks tonight, looks good pulling an authentic length train of a few wagons.  I did dig the small Kernow box out, and guess what, it will store the loco with tension lock couplings fitted!

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II got my new lined Southern BWT last week. No major problems with it with regard to bits missing or stuck on crookedly and the livery is applied very nicely. A little bit of painting around the buffers will help them to blend in with rest of the loco and hide their plastic-ness, plus some weathering of the brake gear and other below footplate fittings.

I agree with Sam's comment about the rear splasher going right across the cab. I wonder if any of the figure makers have produced a crew that will take that into account and help to hide the problem ? I do not remember noticing that on my original Kernow one.

I got around to testing it yesterday and it works ok and the only issue is I think that it runs very fast on the minimum power, albeit using a fairly basic controller which I use to test everything. I would say that tested in the same way I have found that Hattons  Andrew Barclay and Hornby's Pecketts also run faster than I would expect. One of the best locos for slow running and shunting is in my opinion, is the original Dapol tooled Terrier, 50.5 to 1 gearing if I recall. Far better than the new Rails or Hornby ones, so one saving grace.

 

Ray

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May be I’ve just been lucky but the pulling power of my Beattie Tank is fine for what I want it to do.

 

For such a small engine how many coaches do you want it to pull. ?

 

Here is a video showing it pulling 5 coaches no problem, struggles but does pull 7.

 

It couldn’t possibly be anything to do with Sam’s track, could it . ?

 

 Interesting to note the original Dapol Well Tank with 5 pole motor and weighing 5 grams more has no problem with 7 coaches.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Yankee said:

May be I’ve just been lucky but the pulling power of my Beattie Tank is fine for what I want it to do.

 

For such a small engine how many coaches do you want it to pull. ?

 

Precisely. The loaded Wenfordbridge trips for which they were famously successful were pretty much downhill all the way to Wadebridge. These are lovely little engines for a particular purpose, so loading them up as if they were equivalent to a pannier or a jinty is missing their point. The green is a jolly if whimsical addition this time round. 

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