Farish Class 20

[Revolution Ben]

Hi Robert

 

The latest Farish powered model I have seen closely (Desiro) has the power pick-ups in free rolling axle cups collecting via the pin points. I had assumed they would standardise on this system. Is that not the case? Has the 20 reverted to wiper pick ups? Shame!

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[Steven B]

Yes, the new class 20 uses wiper pick-ups acting on the rear of the wheels.

 

Has anyone commissioned a Ltd Ed of the class 20 yet? I'd like a pair in Hunslet Barclay grey to top and tail my Hurst Models weedkiller train.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[DaveArkley]

My green varianant has just arrived. This is my first 2012 vintage Farish loco (no 5MT or WD) so I'm quite impressed by the quality improvement. This feels like a solid, well engineered model, rather than the slighty sloppy A1 which was my last Farish purchase.

 

Also it's increadibly quiet, straight from the box, in comparison to the thundering Dapol A3 and A4 which I've bought this year.

 

Still don't think it beats the Class 24 though for running quality.

 

Cheers

Dave

[grahame]

 

Has the 20 reverted to wiper pick ups? Shame!

 

 

Yep, unfortunately yes, but it is a cracking little model and does run rather well straight out of the box.

 

G.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi , to me it looks like bogie tower is off exsisting 24 and forthcoming 31 would use class 47 chassis - within 1mm of correct so unlkely that will make new ground. 4mm guys at work very impressed with model and agreed with couplings off could be any scale which is high praise.

I fitted the plough ( singular in bits bag) - best to remove bogie sideframe - clip rear end and remove NEM clip and into the holes neatly clips the plough , might be 1mm forward to clear cab end steps but does look the part.if itted to bogie then use elastic for pipes instead of moulded because they will foul.

funnily enough all the 4mm boys said "are they doing a dummy" - also suggested a motorless chassis would be good for a sound chip and speaker , perhaps this as added value twin pack is a line to take to Bachmann at TINGS- I will be.

Robert

[Flying Pig]

I like Ben's idea of sale in pairs like Dapol and with this in mind a run of 504 weathered pairs of blue ones may just be the ticket and worth the risk.

I'd like to say how about weathered blue with very weathered green, but that probably makes for too limited a time period. It would need a virtuoso weathering job on the green'un too, which I don't think we've seen on any Bachmann locos and would put the price up anyway.

[Crepello]

I see the weathered blue example has lightening holes in the bogies, which the others don't; class 23 springs to mind.........!

[HealeyMills]

After some time away..... here's my contribution to the Farish class 20 thread (had to be BR Blue of course ):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a bad model at all, runs very very well indeed. It does use the wiper contact method for current collection on the wheel back and the yellow paint on the nose isn't great but besides that - not a bad job at all Mr Bachmann

 

Cheers

Lee

[ian b]

Mmm- not sure about those ploughs. Model looks lovely but the ploughs look to be sitting 4 or 5 mm too far forward- definitely doesn't look right...

[Wherry Lines]

I'm wondering whether the chassis block has similar dimensions to the old 20. I have a couple of Parkwood BTH type 1's in need of a chassis.

 

Is anyone able to provide measurements of the width, length and height please?

[oreamnos]

Mmm- not sure about those ploughs. Model looks lovely but the ploughs look to be sitting 4 or 5 mm too far forward- definitely doesn't look right...

 

I agree. Same sort of problem with the ploughs that come with the Dapol 26 - too far foward. Not really sure if anything better could be fitted though without surgery to the bogies.

 

That said, this new 20 (and the 26) look absolutely fantastic!

 

Matt

Edited September 6, 2012 by oreamnos

[HealeyMills]

I agree. Same sort of problem with the ploughs that come with the Dapol 26 - too far foward. Not really sure if anything better could be fitted though without surgery to the bogies.

 

That said, this new 20 (and the 26) look absolutely fantastic!

 

Matt

 

Matt, I would agree with you about the 20's and 26's

 

 

..... I can only assume the 27 will be on a par too

 

Regarding the ploughs - I have to agree about the position of them.... I only fitted them for the photos. Soon my whistling wardrobes won't look anything like the earlier pictures I've posted

 

Cheers

Lee

Edited September 6, 2012 by HealeyMills

[Robert Shrives]

Hi Just to say new chassis is a loose fit into old body 75mm over block / light contact wipers. 14.5 over coil resistors from footplate width 10.5 over narrow bonnet 15 over cab seats, but these a moulding and can be removed,, you would need to cut off two lugs to get 10.5 mm over whole length- but this does mean losing two body fixing screw locations.

with lights having wiper contacts to body fitted CBs for lights easy to insulsate with tape to turn light off - and mod reversible.

Little issue is that the new chassis has behind plastic footplate downward angled extensions that foul same parts on cast body. length overall max is 87mm which is 1mm longer than older body - but nothing that cannot be removed.

 

body screws bested accessed with bogies removed- they just pull off . To extract chassis I removed cab moulding and gently levered chassis down whilst using small bladed screwdriver to ease fit of cabend bufferbeam, chassis loose and can then be wiggled/ shaken out of shell.

 

Removing green side lader using scapelblade to ease lugs from shell- leaves 4 X 0.5 holes- little glue on my exanple.

If you respray ends maskol the light lenses - well fixed in . I have green one with primered white ends dor a 20020 as shown on strathwood EE book, notes some 47 locos got green with TOPS no doubt some website can tell which!

 

Windows are the smaller "English" version not sure if any ever got cab cutouts for token stuff as most fitted to the larger window "Scottish" version - but I am sure somebody will prove me wrong ! - they often do....

I suppose some good soul will make an etched equalising beam overlay for a bogie mod for variations sake - it might make as a template for drilling out as a thought as the brake rigging is moulded on to the bottom of beam..

 

hope this helps earlier answers

Robert

[Dr Al]

Received my blue one today and can agree they are nice runners - mine is perfect straight from the box. I don't care too much about wiper contacts vs pinpoints as it runs as well as a Dapol 26, so not hindered without pinpoints.

 

However, the lighting all seems a bit far from ideal - really really too bright reds, and the LED behind the headcode boxes is yellow - this is inconsistent with all Farish's previous 'Domino' headcode locos (blue 47, blue 37s) where the LED is white. Looks odd to me, so may need to investigate changing out the yellow for a white and dulling down the reds.

 

Overall though pretty good!

 

Cheers,

Alan

[Flying Pig]

Depends how yellow the LED is: a warm white is close to how I remember the prototype when illuminated (afaik it retained the original tungsten bulbs). Certainly the domino headcodes on the my 37 and 47 look too white to my eye. And too bright, but we've done that to death.

[Littlethorpe]

 

 

Is there maybe a need to be lobbying a specific livery when approaching Bachamnn?

 

For sure in BR blue and even beyond they were pretty common in pairs, but from what I can glean from my books at least, in early days somewhat less so.

 

I think the idea of a non-powered 20 is a good one. The reason I say this is because if everyone just says they think an unpowered 20 would be a good idea, it may not be considered. If, however they say they think a post TOPS 20 in Corporate Blue would be a good idea because...

 

...then just maybe...Bachmann can be persuaded.

 

I like Ben's idea of sale in pairs like Dapol and with this in mind a run of 504 weathered pairs of blue ones may just be the ticket and worth the risk.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

Roy

 

I would like two Green liveried locos, ideally one unpowered and at least one with the Headcode Box. As they usually ran in pairs in the East Midlands (and most other areas) then I'm sure that a boxed pair would be popular.

 

Currently if I want a green pair then I need to purchase two of the current model & renumber one of them or wait until they bring out a green headcode box model.

 

David

[justin1985]

I bought one of the blue Cl.20s at TINGS, and can only agree with everyone else that it is a fantastic model, but that the lights are certainly too bright (whether or not the colours are accurate).

 

As I'll be fitting it with a DCC decoder (when funds allow) I was wondering whether there are any 6-pin decoders that can sufficiently dim the brightness of built-in LEDs? The Bachmann discount decoders, and the cheap Digitrax DZ125 ones I've used so far don't seem to have this ability, but I have a feeling the CT electronik one I put in a Class 03 claimed to (but that loco doesn't have lights, so haven't had the chance to try it!).

 

Or would it be a case of soldering on an extra resistor somewhere on the PCB?

 

Justin

[NZmodeller]

I bought one of the blue Cl.20s at TINGS, and can only agree with everyone else that it is a fantastic model, but that the lights are certainly too bright (whether or not the colours are accurate).

 

As I'll be fitting it with a DCC decoder (when funds allow) I was wondering whether there are any 6-pin decoders that can sufficiently dim the brightness of built-in LEDs? The Bachmann discount decoders, and the cheap Digitrax DZ125 ones I've used so far don't seem to have this ability, but I have a feeling the CT electronik one I put in a Class 03 claimed to (but that loco doesn't have lights, so haven't had the chance to try it!).

 

Or would it be a case of soldering on an extra resistor somewhere on the PCB?

 

Justin

Hi Justin,

 

If you use a Lenz silver you will be able to adjust the lights to whatever level you need to.

 

Peter

[Elvinley]

I recently bought one and it is a lovely looking loco. Unfortunately mine sounded like a Poole loco straight from the box and this didn't improve with running in so I have sent it back for a replacement. Everyone else seems to have a silent one, so that is obviously how they are meant to be.

[Dr Al]

I wouldn't say silent. Quiet, but not silent - similar to other Farish recent retools like the 37s and 47s.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[Nigelcliffe]

Hi Justin,

 

If you use a Lenz silver you will be able to adjust the lights to whatever level you need to.

 

Peter

 

Or, there is the much cheaper, superior running qualities and adjustments in a Zimo MX621.

 

(Zimo is £27 vs Lenz at £35 at my usual supplier. )

 

 

 

With any chip there is a limit to light adjustments, and this comes in two places....

 

First, the lights are wired in pairs. So, turning down the "no 2 end" red lights will also turn down the "no 1 end" white lights. This can only be fixed by rewiring the loco so the lights are independently controlled by different function outputs on the decoder, and then plug-in decoders won't do the job, so its a wires and solder connection. (Situation may improve if makers move to PluX connectors rather than the 6-pin).

 

Second, eventually at very low output levels you risk seeing the pulsing of the LEDs from the pulse wave modulation used in the decoder to dim the lights. It may be better to replace the resistors in the loco with higher values to get the worst of the light levels down.

 

 

- Nigel

[Roy L S]

I wouldn't say silent. Quiet, but not silent - similar to other Farish recent retools like the 37s and 47s.

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

Yes, that sums my Class 20 up too.

 

A lovely smooth runner and not a noisy loco by any means, but not pretty much silent like my 24 either.

 

Roy

[Elvinley]

Thanks Al and Roy for the clarification. I think mine was noisier than it should be. The replacement is on the way so I will be able to comment soon.

Cheers,

Ian.

[DaveArkley]

Or, there is the much cheaper, superior running qualities and adjustments in a Zimo MX621.

 

(Zimo is £27 vs Lenz at £35 at my usual supplier. )

 

Tonight I've installed a Zimo MX621N in my class 20 which now runs as well as the Class 24.

 

Using the Dapol magnetic knuckle couplings I can creep up and couple to a rake of 16 tonners without moving the wagons at all, then reverse away with the rake at a snails pace. Very impressed!

 

Cheers

Dave

 

Edit: Spelling mistooks

Edited September 12, 2012 by DaveArkley

[Nigelcliffe]

Dave, for it's next trick, program the "Kadee Shuffle" into the Zimo and a single function key press will perform the backup and pull forwards to uncouple move for the Dapol couplings.