Hroth Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 1 minute ago, robmcg said: Hornby BR Green Princess.. edited smoke etc... I didn't change the green I got R3711 Princess Marie Louise and R3682 Duchess of Gloucester because I liked the BR Blue livery on them. When I get around to it, I'll pop a TTS decoder in them too... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Wartime black is the safer option methinks. Aside.... how is it on the broad sunlit uplands? I expect to go there some day... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, robmcg said: Aside.... how is it on the broad sunlit uplands? I expect to go there some day... I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry. As you might comment on a poor ebay "win", they're not as described at the present... As for Wartime Black, its good for not showing the dirt! Edited September 13, 2020 by Hroth Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) Or you can have your new die-cast Atholl that way too. picture blocked by software, but will overcome! As fate would have it, a die-cast Atholl is actually somewhere en route to me as we write... it was an Ebay purchase, and required an Act of Parliament and the burning of incense to pass the border into our fair, green and clean country. Or green and pleasant land... Or something like that. In the meantime... Edited September 13, 2020 by robmcg addition 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Hroth said: I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry. As you might comment on a poor ebay "win", they're not as described at the present... As for Wartime Black, its good for not showing the dirt! How can you prefer this... when you can have THIS ? Edit; just as well we always had the Duchess of Montrose to light the way.... Edited September 13, 2020 by robmcg add pics 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hilux5972 Posted September 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 14, 2020 They all pale in comparison with the best loco ever produced in Britain! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Hilux5972 said: They all pale in comparison with the best loco ever produced in Britain! A very strong argument indeed, Especially with that superb finish. But you fail to take into account this Hornby coup de grace... Value unknown, but the obtaining of this heavy and rare treasure, via Ebay and NZ Customs, being over their nominal $1,000/UKP500 limit for automatic entry, meant that mountains needed to be shifted, in fact the whole thing was so fraught with insurmountable problems, in spite of 7 pages of forms, photo ID, and so on, that the team leader of NZ Post's Ecommerce Import Division at Auckland Airport.was involved, a customers help-line female had taken pity on me and given me his personal Email address and even then it had to be high priority and marked 'urgent'.... it had somehow gone missing for a week with a customs broker, , but by some magic he found it last Friday. ...it arrived today. One hesitates to open it... not only will it lose many pounds vale but it may contain a small brick for all I know. But I opened it... going where no man had gone before.... The box does look like this... and it did open... joy of joys... Natural window light, auto exposure and colour Canon EOS-M, ISO 100, 10 secs, F25 . Smooth as silk, totally silent runner. A tiny bit more accurate than my 1949 Atholl... one more to finish Nerse! Where are my pills? I'm coming over all funny..... Of course the plastic version can be made to look rather nice..... this last one adited, as will the metal ones no doubt be, in due course. cheers, and rather like the price of an 0 gauge engine? (the die-cast 00 version I mean) Edited September 14, 2020 by robmcg add pictures 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 15, 2020 Author Share Posted September 15, 2020 (edited) One last self-indulgent look at 6231... for the moment anyway, edit; it's all a bit of a reminder of how good the plastic models of recent years are. and this of plastic 2018 ? single-chimney 6231 A final pic below of R3819 with details edited on and boiler handrail darkened a bit... I think in some light the die-cast finish is less sharp than modern plastic, but it certainly looks the bee's knees to me. Well, I would say that wouldn't I having bought it on Ebay... Edited September 16, 2020 by robmcg added comment and pics 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 16, 2020 Author Share Posted September 16, 2020 (edited) I wonder if the R3819 casting moulds could be used for a new 'Duchess of Montrose'? Nah. It would never sell, the Dublo ones hardly did at all, did they... Here is the recent version, edited a bit. Edited September 16, 2020 by robmcg 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 I'd like to mention 2 Southern Region locomotives - and not the 2nd World War Express Freight locomotives either ... The King Arthurs - my Sir Kay is an fantastic locomotive. The Schools - I have Brighton. I was surprised to realise the boiler's diecast!! Al. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 18 minutes ago, atom3624 said: ...The Schools - I have Brighton. I was surprised to realise the boiler's diecast!... I think that was the earliest of Hornby's Chinese productions to have a largely diecast loco body, and there was quite a gap in time before we saw this technique regularly employed. My feeling is that this has not had the recognition it deserves, considering that the cast metal body shell of H-D is quite often cited as something sadly lost from UK RTR OO when H-D/Wrenn production ceased. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 It's one of my favourites - looks, detail and performance. Recently lifted out of her box again for some lapping, and when touching the body I got to thinking 'this feels too cold, must be metal' .... Unfortunately, I caught it doing a little dance as a tyre had lifted and caught - fortunately no damage, but with the body off, I thought I'd gently scratch the inside of the body, and it's very shiny for plastic! Definitely a diecast body. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 The finish on 6231 looks very good in Rob's photos. The sheen, not quite gloss, really sets it off. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted September 17, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 17, 2020 13 hours ago, atom3624 said: . Unfortunately, I caught it doing a little dance as a tyre had lifted and caught - fortunately no damage, but with the body off, You've intrigued me - it derailed (?) and you had to take the body off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 17, 2020 Author Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) 20 hours ago, railroadbill said: The finish on 6231 looks very good in Rob's photos. The sheen, not quite gloss, really sets it off. Oh goodie, an excuse to show another photo of this lovely model. This is pretty much how it came out of the box, but in a rare burst of actual direct soft evening sunlight from a window to the left, and the metal paintwork does have a little more sheen to it than the plastic version. The picture is on Canon EOS-M auto settings with aperture priority, no editing other than cropping. Apart from the weight, it has slightly less defined detail in places than modern state-of-the-art plastic, and one or two assembly niggles which at first worried me, a touch of cab droop, but this turned out to be a barely perceptible looseness of the metal cab sub-assembly, not even a noticeable 'click' into place but slight upwards forward pressure on rear of cab roof has rendered it perfectly in line with running plate and tender. The front sand-filler plate is a bit crooked, and the whistle is slightly loose, and seems to have adopted a slightly lower stance, I hesitate to touch it! It has been a thrill to buy because fool that I am I didn't buy one off Hornby directly when they recently had them at UKP250 for a couple of days so I bit the bullet and paid extra on Ebay after the debacle of cancelled pre-orders. If they so still have the tooling and a production slot I see no reason why other versions could not be produced, but there may be manufacturing and assembly issues of which we are not aware. As some have pointed out the metal boiler is not unique to Hornby, with B12, J15 and Schools classes having metal in them? As I recall the recent plastic version Atholl wasn't the biggest seller so I think the die-cast version has an extra element of character, and the tradition of Hornby Dublo, to add appeal. But moving ever onwards and upwards, I have a couple of Bachmann 2-6-2T Ivatts to play with.... Cheers edit; the whistle has completely disappeared, no idea when, and I have a Comet LS67 2-piece brass LMS Stanier on order but wonder if this will fit satisfactorily, being so far as I can tell without the cranked pipe leading to the whistle body. Anyone have any guidance? Will post on helps and tips sometime soon. Comet replacement, but no stepped pipe twixt whistle and cab.... ? Edited September 18, 2020 by robmcg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 9 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said: You've intrigued me - it derailed (?) and you had to take the body off? One of the 2 traction tyres had stretched, lifted, and somehow got partially caught in the linkage - just caught in time before any real damage. Body was removed to replace the tyre - see if it's permanently stretched - it's fatigued and yes - stretched. Replacements on their way. Curious that the cab bulkhead / interior of the boiler is the rear motor brace - as it's a metal body!. Chassis must weigh less than half the weight of the body!! Guessing, not measured, but the chassis' really light, body really quite heavy for a small body. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted September 18, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 18, 2020 12 hours ago, atom3624 said: One of the 2 traction tyres had stretched, lifted, and somehow got partially caught in the linkage - just caught in time before any real damage. Body was removed to replace the tyre - see if it's permanently stretched - it's fatigued and yes - stretched. Replacements on their way. Curious that the cab bulkhead / interior of the boiler is the rear motor brace - as it's a metal body!. Chassis must weigh less than half the weight of the body!! Guessing, not measured, but the chassis' really light, body really quite heavy for a small body. Al. The new metal 6231 has traction tyres? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Definitely not - imagine if it did - WW2 haulage capacities - 30+ carriages with ease. Apologies for those confused - thought I had 'replied' including original text - I was referring to my 30915 Schools 'Brighton' BR livery. I had 'an issue'. Al. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 19, 2020 Author Share Posted September 19, 2020 Further to my post about 4 posts back, lamenting the loss of the whistle on the lovely R3819 Atholl die-cast model, I have come up against a bit of a problem; the whistle type isn't really quite the same as pre-2017 models or many LMS models, and indeed is not the same as the brass LMS Stanier versions available from Comet, Markits and Brassmasters, so I am faced with this dilemma.... the version on the new models is nice but to my eye fractionally larger and higher than the prototype. The brass replacement would be nearer scale but lack the fancy pipework behind the whistle body. I am tempted to just glue on a generic horizontal whistle body on a small plug to give the correct height, but this will look a wee bit bodged. There are no cheap sources for a new whistle of the type made for Duchesses after c2017 so far as I can tell. Ideas anyone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy100 Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 Make your own? I've replaced a couple on Hornby Merchant Navy Class. A bit of 1mm brass tube and rod to go inside - looked just like the original. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted September 19, 2020 Author Share Posted September 19, 2020 (edited) I decided to see if the identical whistle on my Duchess of Montrose would detach easily and indeed it does... so I can test fit it to the diecast Atholl... and choose which of the two will be treated to a brass version. My eyes aren't super-good and the fitting is very delicate for me at least, but you can see in the photos below that the factory whistle would fit quite neatly when inserted into the cab front hole.. Oddly the diecast version does not appear to have a drilling on the top face of the firebox, just a kind of dimpled recess. Even if my eyes and hands aren't good enough for basic modelling, I still managed this... Edited September 19, 2020 by robmcg added comment and pic 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 (edited) sorted.... Die-cast Atholl in foreground, plastic in rear. Whistle has since had small brass wire added to connect to cab. Phew! Edited October 11, 2020 by robmcg 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 (edited) Now I can enjoy something truly powerful, an H8 2-6-6-6 from the Chesapeake and Ohio as per Hornby Rivarossi and still available here and there, weathered and pic edited. This is how we won WW2.... Edited October 11, 2020 by robmcg 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 (edited) No photos to show yet of the re-whistled die-cast R3819 Duchess of Atholl But I notice that in NZ where I live two of this model are for sale new on Trademe 'buy now' at $NZ677.50 or about UKP340.00. From Mighty Ape on-line retail sellers no connection, but seeing them on Ebay at well over UKP500 someone may be interested. Not sure how they do exports from NZ but they are big award-winning retailers. edit; direct from Mighty Ape it's $NZ627 about UKP310 and their website offers delivery to Aus but not UK.,, nor Canada. So you'd have to find a forwarding agent alas I cannot do that myself. Here is mine before I knocked the whistle off. I do like the paint on these. i Edited November 8, 2020 by robmcg typos and additions. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atom3624 Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 People often 'get into model railways' then wonder on 'which theme / period?' ... Atholl is a superb model, but for me just dying for a model 'Bressingham' and to be renumbered '6233' - DoS as it should be, without blinkers in Crimson Lake. Then 6100 with blinkers, and 70013 ... What a collection they had, effectively in captivity - brilliant. Glad they 'escaped', were rebuilt / serviced and have frequented the mainline since. Just a thought - and 6100, in whichever guise, is another worthy of consideration. LMS' 'Scottie, in whichever guise, is a fantastic model by Hornby. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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