MDO & MDV 21 Ton Mineral Wagons, by Accurascale

[w124bob]

This mixed rake of wagons handled the fairly generous curves of Dewsbury Midland without issue. I tend to close up the coupling gap by simple trimming a few mm of the coupler pocket and trimming the excess "ears" of the unplugged coupling then super glue the coupler back into the socket. The buffer shanks(MDV's) got a touch of silver, although I seem to have managed to photograph the few still waiting this touch! Next time this coal train appears hopefully it'll be hauled by D6704!

[Accurascale Fran]

Hi everyone,

 

Great news! The replacement tension lock couplings have now arrived and we will begin shipping them out to customers from later today. It will take a few days to get through the back orders so please bare with us. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

[MickD]

Hi Fran,

Just got the e-mail for the couplings.

I tried to reply  but when i press to send the message I get "please use a valid address".

MickD.

[McC]

4 minutes ago, MickD said:

Hi Fran,

Just got the e-mail for the couplings.

I tried to reply  but when i press to send the message I get "please use a valid address".

MickD.

hi Mick. You can contact support@accurascale.co.uk or pop into the live chat support at https://accurascale.co.uk 

Edited January 6, 2022 by McC

[MickD]

Hi McC,

I will give that a try,many thanks for the prompt reply.

MickD.

[dasatcopthorne]

You lot who have the luxury of replacement couplings have done well.

 

I bought a set of Cemflows and discovered that the 'loop' hung 1mm too low. According to NEM.

When I pointed this out I was told that 1mm was within tolerance. End of story.

 

I've now sold them.

 

The PCAa are the same but I've repositioned them but I shouldn't have to do that.

 

Dave.

[George C Gray]

Hi Fran,

Not sure about the Freudian slip - so please bare with us

 

[No Decorum]

1 hour ago, George C Gray said:

Hi Fran,

Not sure about the Freudian slip - so please bare with us

 

Too darn cold to bare with anybody, even [insert person of choice].

[Colin_McLeod]

On 15/11/2021 at 10:59, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi everyone,

 

Following a stock take over the weekend we unearthed some packs of previously sold out MDO and MDV wagons, including the popular TOPS packs. All extremely low quantities, so dont miss out! 

 

https://accurascale.co.uk/collections/mdo-mdv-21-ton-mineral-wagons

 

Cheers!

 

Fran

 

Your stocktakes seem to regularly 'find' items from couplings to locomotives! Do you know what you have at all lol?

 

 Perhaps your next recruitment drive would include a stores manager  lol

 

[McC]

26 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

 

Your stocktakes seem to regularly 'find' items from couplings to locomotives! Do you know what you have at all lol?

 

 Perhaps your next recruitment drive would include a stores manager  lol

 

lol. We have three in fact, but we also have a policy of not putting returns, cancellations, bounced deliveries etc back into stock without a human QC check and verification, so these periodic pools are readied to the ‘for sale’ pile hence the ‘new’ ‘found’ stock for sale.  

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 06/01/2022 at 10:44, Accurascale Fran said:

Hi everyone,

 

Great news! The replacement tension lock couplings have now arrived and we will begin shipping them out to customers from later today. It will take a few days to get through the back orders so please bare with us. 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

 

Are they being closely followed by the correct replacement wheels, axles and chassis'  perchance?

 

Mike.

[BR traction instructor]

Could someone with one of these wagons put a vernier caliper across the top of the bodyside and measure the thickness please, also the thickness/depth of one of the body side ribs. I have some Parkside 21T opens already that I would like to run with these but there appears quite a difference in bodyside thicknesses between the two versions?

 

Thankyou for any assistance.

 

BeRTIe

Edited January 10, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[Accurascale Fran]

On 09/01/2022 at 07:43, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Are they being closely followed by the correct replacement wheels, axles and chassis'  perchance?

 

Mike.

 

Hi Mike,

 

If only it were that simple, right? It was regrettable that the MDOs were not as simple as we had hoped to to rescale to EM or P4 and we have held our hands up on that one previously. The detail and size of the chassis is correct though dimensionally. 

 

The EM gauge society have been in contact with us and there is an article in their next magazine regarding conversion to EM gauge on the MDOs which you should find helpful. A bit of modelling required of course, but straightforward and achievable. 

 

33 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Could someone with one of these wagons put a vernier caliper across the top of the bodyside and measure the thickness please, also the thickness/depth of one of the body side ribs. I have some Parkside 21T opens already that I would like to run with these but there appears quite a difference in bodyside thicknesses between the two versions?

 

Thankyou for any assistance.

 

BeRTIe

 

Hi Bertie,

 

The top of the bodyside is 2.24mm. This is the thinnest that manufacturing tolerances for such a moulding shall allow us to achieve. Rib is 1.57mm.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Accurascale Fran
forgot to include rib measurement

[BR traction instructor]

Thankyou for your assistance Fran.

 

BeRTIe

[5Dublo2]

Just to say I have receved the replacement couplings covering my needs, so thanks to Accurscale (Fran etc) for dealing with this and I now look forward to further Accurascale models as these wagons definitely look good.

[Wickham Green too]

On 10/01/2022 at 11:38, Accurascale Fran said:

.... The EM gauge society have been in contact with us and there is an article in their next magazine regarding conversion to EM gauge on the MDOs ....

Not exactly ! .... it'll be a Manual Sheet - probably with the next Newsletter as it's not with No.231 which arrived today.

[Enterprisingwestern]

3 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Not exactly ! .... it'll be a Manual Sheet - probably with the next Newsletter as it's not with No.231 which arrived today.

 

Having experimented converting to EM with Gibson, Bachmann and original Ultrascale wheels, I think it might be a manual book!

 

Mike.

[Wickham Green too]

22 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

Having experimented converting to EM with Gibson, Bachmann and original Ultrascale wheels, I think it might be a manual book!

Watch this space ! .................................. or rather ... Watch the EMGS space !

[Captain Kernow]

On 10/01/2022 at 11:38, Accurascale Fran said:

It was regrettable that the MDOs were not as simple as we had hoped to to rescale to EM or P4 and we have held our hands up on that one previously.  

I have just converted my three MDOs to P4. This turned out to be a relatively straightforward operation, but there are some things to point out:

 

- all P4 wheelsets (Maygib, Gibson, Branchlines, and Exactoscale) have axles longer than the (approx) 25.3mm of the Accurascale OO wheel (and then again, the P4 wheel manufacturers seem to have varying axle lengths between themselves!)

 

- The gap between the brake shoes (unfitted MDOs) is very tight to begin with, commendably tight, in fact! I started using some Maygib P4 3-hole disc wheels but found that I was in danger of removing too much plastic from the brakeshoes (but not all 4, due to very minor positioning variations). I then found that the Maygib wheels were not 12mm but 12.5mm! The alternatives in my wheel stocks were either Exactoscale (correct diameter but 26mm exactly axle length) or Branchlines (ie. Black Beetle), also correct diameter and axle length of approx 25.7mm. Although the Branchlines wheels are solid (ie. no 3 holes), I opted to use them as they are well-built and true. The lack of holes is not very obvious from most viewing angles, but I will probably replace them in due course

 

- I found that the Branchlines wheels could be made to rotate pretty freely, with just the existing Accurascale plastic bearings, although to accommodate the slightly longer axles, I removed just a little material from the insides of the bearing cones with a 1.0mm twist drill, held in a pin vice at maximum extension and rotated no more that 3 or 4 times, at as close to 90 degrees as I could manage. This made all the difference between the wheel rotating pretty freely and not wanting to go round very freely at all

 

- I still found it necessary to remove some plastic from the insides of the brake shoes on each MDO, although not as much as with the Maygib wheels (with which I simply couldn't remove enough plastic without destroying the brake shoes, so I didn't)

 

- I then fitted 3-link couplings (having previously removed the NEM coupling pockets and tension lock couplings). Unfortunately I couldn't save the Accurascale hooks (nice and scale-looking but not big enough for me under exhibition conditions so I installed Smiths ones)

 

- I then put some 'Liquid Lead' under one of the wagons to bring the weight up but when I put the Accurascale coal loads in the other two wagons (which hadn't had the Liquid Lead), I found that they were nice and weighty, so I may leave it like that

 

 

I didn't attempt to install brass bearings on the MDOs, like I did with two of my three HUOs. There seems to be even less plastic to melt a brass bearing into on the MDOs, even though I would normally remove a fair amount on any plastic wagon underframe. The process of doing this on the HUOs was fraught, as it would have been appallingly easy to just melt the lot away, but somehow both HUOs thus fitted are now running OK.

 

I may well write an article on this conversion for Scalefour News in due course.

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

The laws of physics dictate that trying to replace the undersized Accurascale wheels with the correct 12.5mm version of any gauge or manufacturer is going to give problems with, a, the brakeshoes as these are a smaller radius to suit the original wheels, and b, the brake rigging as it too is set to the centres of the undersized wheel.

I know I'm a PITA, but the disinterest and obfuscation on the issue from the manufacturer's just isn't good enough, a replacement chassis is the only suitable solution,especially for those working in P4, and a Rumney Models version doesn't come cheap if you've got a fair few to do.

 

Mike.

[Accurascale Fran]

26 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

The laws of physics dictate that trying to replace the undersized Accurascale wheels with the correct 12.5mm version of any gauge or manufacturer is going to give problems with, a, the brakeshoes as these are a smaller radius to suit the original wheels, and b, the brake rigging as it too is set to the centres of the undersized wheel.

I know I'm a PITA, but the disinterest and obfuscation on the issue from the manufacturer's just isn't good enough, a replacement chassis is the only suitable solution,especially for those working in P4, and a Rumney Models version doesn't come cheap if you've got a fair few to do.

 

Mike.

 

Hi Mike,

 

I have sent you a PM on this matter.

 

Thanks,

 

Fran 

[hmrspaul]

3 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

I then found that the Maygib wheels were not 12mm but 12.5mm!

When I modelled in 4mm the prototype 3ft 1.5in diameter scales as 12.5mm. So why the explanation mark, And why do others only have the equivalent of 3ft dia. wheels?

 

Paul

[BR traction instructor]

As a P4 modeller wanting a particular wagon type to run happily and fit visually amongst my other P4 freight stock I would first examine the options of providing it/them with a sprung underframe. Sometimes a complete replacement for the RTR underframe (Rumney route) would be best and sometimes a DIY conversion based on using Bill Bedford style sprung W irons and rescuing some of the RTR detailing would be the way. On the grounds of how much a RTR manufacturer would have to charge per wagon and the low numbers that he would consequently sell, I wouldn’t expect to buy RTR wagons with the work already done. Simply fitting P4 wheelsets under a RTR wagon and hoping for some play in the axle does not suggest/guarantee good running and is only a partial solution. Those P4 modellers wanting RTR manufacturers to produce more wagon types (and not view it as not worth the hassle) have to be prepared to do the modelling required/view the RTR wagon as a starting point for a great looking and running P4 wagon, otherwise sticking to modelling in ‘OO’ gauge is probably best.

 

BeRTIe

Edited January 13, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[Enterprisingwestern]

51 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

As a P4 modeller wanting a particular wagon type to run happily and fit visually amongst my other P4 freight stock I would first examine the options of providing it/them with a sprung underframe. Sometimes a complete replacement for the RTR underframe (Rumney route) would be best and sometimes a DIY conversion based on using Bill Bedford style sprung W irons and rescuing some of the RTR detailing would be the way. On the grounds of how much a RTR manufacturer would have to charge per wagon and the low numbers that he would consequently sell, I wouldn’t expect to buy RTR wagons with the work already done. Simply fitting P4 wheelsets under a RTR wagon and hoping for some play in the axle does not suggest/guarantee good running and is only a partial solution. Those P4 modellers wanting RTR manufacturers to produce more wagon types (and not view it as not worth the hassle) have to be prepared to do the modelling required/view the RTR wagon as a starting point for a great looking and running P4 wagon, otherwise sticking to modelling in ‘OO’ gauge is probably best.

 

BeRTIe

 

Whilst the thrust of your argument is valid, the whole point of this particular can of worms is that the original wheels aren't to the "standard" spec of 12.5mm x 26mm x 2mm thereby putting another obstruction in the way of a straightforward conversion.

Not all P4 modellers compensate RTR wagons, many just swap the wheelsets without any further issues, as indeed do I in EM, so in this respect Bachmann/Hornby et al are a simpler conversion.

I doubt anybody is buying these wagons to junk the majority if not all of the chassis and replace it with a more scale alternative, because, niotwithstanding the wheelset issues and their knock on effect, it's a good, well detailed underframe, although not perfect.

 

Mike.

[Captain Kernow]

11 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

When I modelled in 4mm the prototype 3ft 1.5in diameter scales as 12.5mm. So why the explanation mark, And why do others only have the equivalent of 3ft dia. wheels?

Hi Paul,

 

The exclamation mark is an indication of my ignorance (!).

 

I did know about the prototype being 3. 1.5" but had forgotten and have been used to manufacturered wheelsets being 12mm only, this fooling myself into thinking that this was the norm.

 

Thank you for putting me right on this, but in the case of these wagons, without wholesale rebuilding of the brake gear (which partially defeats the object of buying an RTR wagon), the only viable option here is to use the (slightly) smaller diameter wheels.

 

I'm not totally persuaded, though, that the difference in diameter is that obvious, it amounts to a reduction in 0.75" in radius, particularly in a wagon that's running on the layout.