well filled baps The Sheep Chronicles : These are the adventures of a Sheep, the Works Forecat and Naughty George,

[Gilbert]

34 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

You're not here to enjoy yourself...get a grip...

[BlackRat]

Can't beat an impulsive purchase.......... of which I have many.

 

I'm out if the closet, no shame or guilt, no furtive smuggling of brown paper parcels........

 

Out, out, OUT I say!!!

 

( I've just bought a class 33 in green!).

[NHY 581]

I came very close to acquiring a Hymek just over 24hrs ago..........it was damn close. 

[Oldddudders]

23 minutes ago, BlackRat said:

Can't beat an impulsive purchase.......... of which I have many.

 

I'm out if the closet, no shame or guilt, no furtive smuggling of brown paper parcels........

 

Out, out, OUT I say!!!

 

( I've just bought a class 33 in green!).

I have one of those, bought at a SWAG RMweb Day charity auction. One careful previous owner - Captain Kernow! Never raced, rallied or rolled!

[BlackRat]

1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

I came very close to acquiring a Hymek just over 24hrs ago..........it was damn close. 

 

I gave up counting after 5.........

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, BlackRat said:

Can't beat an impulsive purchase.......... of which I have many.

 

I'm out if the closet, no shame or guilt, no furtive smuggling of brown paper parcels........

 

Out, out, OUT I say!!!

 

( I've just bought a class 33 in green!).

 

If we're busy outing ourselves, I have a Tri-ang 2 car DMU somewhere...

[Mick Bonwick]

4 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

If we're busy outing ourselves, I have a Tri-ang 2 car DMU somewhere...

 

It'll be with the rest, no doubt.

[MrWolf]

13 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

It'll be with the rest, no doubt.

 

You know what? I have never actually made any sort of inventory of what locos I have. Which is something of a double edged sword.

[Flying Fox 34F]

I did an Inventory last week, for when we move house.

I discovered 2 extra D16/3 Clauds, a Thompson L1 and Drummond rebuilt 700, Black Motor.

It concerns me that I have no recollection of buying them?  

 

Paul

[stewartingram]

Oooh you don't need those D16s, nor the L1 - want my address so that I can recycle them for you? (I don't charge much.....(

 

Stewart

[Mulgabill]

7 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

I did an Inventory last week, for when we move house.

I discovered 2 extra D16/3 Clauds, a Thompson L1 and Drummond rebuilt 700, Black Motor.

It concerns me that I have no recollection of buying them?  

 

Paul

 

Console yourself.

 

Your ignorance will have made you much more convincing, if

questioned by the "authorities".

 

TONY

[MrWolf]

The "Authorities" have actually bought me several locos. Others have magically appeared like stray dogs.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

The "Authorities" have actually bought me several locos. Others have magically appeared like stray dogs.

As a modeller of the Western, many of my locos of course look alike - so Veronica can't tell when I've got another...

[Winslow Boy]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

As a modeller of the Western, many of my locos of course look alike - so Veronica can't tell when I've got another...

 

I must say that's a most unusual name for an Authority. Is it an acronym? Violent E!ectronic Random Orders Normal Instructions Carried Automatically ?

[Captain Kernow]

On 15/05/2021 at 09:54, NHY 581 said:

I came very close to acquiring a Hymek just over 24hrs ago 

This is interesting information and potentially of significance to those who appreciate the appearance of a hydraulic inching through long undergrowth.

 

 

[BlackRat]

On 16/05/2021 at 09:58, Captain Kernow said:

This is interesting information and potentially of significance to those who appreciate the appearance of a hydraulic inching through long undergrowth.

 

 

Blimey that takes me back......one of my old instructors saying......

 

You cant but admire  the sight of a sniper inching through the long undergrowth.....as long as its not the enemy doing the admiring!

[NHY 581]

Morning all. 

 

There is little ( actually nothing ) going on in the way of anything new. 

Being honest, I have unfortunately lost interest in anything that was planned. I can't account for it but sadly, I really don't see this changing any time soon. 

 

However, I have a couple of layouts to be going on with and have been playing with them. 

 

I did however purchase a new Peckett, a B2. That did not go well. Three examples and all are reasonably good in forwards but halt and start abruptly in reverse. Simply not good enough. 

It was suggested when I took the first back that I should consider going DCC to get the degree of control I seemed to require. Why? 

Other locos run to an acceptable standard on the existing set up. So as far as I am concerned there are no changes required there. My recent purchases haven't been acceptable runners and have been returned as unfit. 3 x Beattie Well tanks ( tight spot on all three despite much running in) 3x Peckets as per above. 

A Heljan 1366 was fine after reading up on here about issues with tight axles. An adjustment to the chassis base plates ( can't think of the correct term....) but why two  of them !! and things were all good. 

A Hattons P class was perfect straight from the box as was a Dapol B4. 

 

Has the above contributed to my malaise?

 

Can't say for sure but its been a tad disappointing. In total, nine locos tried and only three found to be good enough. 

 

 

On the back of the Peckett debacle, I dug out Westminster by way of a comparison. I knew the new one wasn't acceptable but I sought confirmation. Was I expecting too much? I wasn't disappointed so no. Westminster ran very well, slowing to a nice crawl and halt. Nothing abrupt about that one. 

 

Therefore the new Peckett is packed up and its now awaiting a return to the shop. Not sure how that will go to be honest but it isn't right so why should I accept that it is? 

 

In the meantime, I shall continue to play with my trainsets..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob. 

[Oldddudders]

DCC does not improve poor running over DC - how could it? What it may do is smooth out acceleration and deceleration, but it cannot compensate for a chassis that is mechanically challenged. 

[MrWolf]

You beat me to it and it makes me wonder how someone who has only just got interested in model railways would react to such events.

It's knocked Rob's duck off and he's not exactly new to the hobby.

 

It reminds me of being in my early teens and buying some of the (then) new generation of super detailed locos from Airfix and Mainline. The running qualities of which were rather disappointing and I drifted off into other interests.

 

Have we come full circle or just not moved on in almost forty years? 

[Oldddudders]

I think the current, or at least recent, fad for tiny bijou tank locos by several manufacturers is asking for increased precision in the mechs. As Rob has identified, if they work they are adorable, but I have multiple little tanks that don't really do the biz. Pickups are often the problem, too. Put loco on rolling road, and wiggle it around until it finds the juice. Leave it running gently for a few minutes, put it on the track - nothing. Oh well, back in the drawer it goes!

[keefr2]

11 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

buying some of the (then) new generation of super detailed locos from Airfix and Mainline. The running qualities of which were rather disappointing and I drifted off into other interests.

I had exactly the same experience. I'd always been into static aircraft and car modelling so went back to concentrating on those. I'm now disposing of a lot of the models accumulated over the last umpteen decades and having followed Rob's (& others) threads really fancy trying to actually finish a small layout for the first time. I do have a Bachmann Pannier that runs nicely but fancied investing some of the funds into some of the really nice looking new locos that have been produced in recent years. But I have to say that if someone as experienced in the art as Rob has trouble making the things run I'll have no chance. So it's really making me wonder why bother as I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of returning things that are just supposed to work....

 

Keith

[Mick Bonwick]

Consider this:

 

If we're given more, do we then expect more?

 

It's a vicious circle, isn't it? The greater the level of detail we see the more we have to be critical of. The more precise the portrayal of motion the greater our expectation of perfection.

 

I'm not saying that I disagree with Rob, on the contrary, but I wonder how much more we are going to have to pay if we want complete perfection. I have several small things in the 'sort it out later' box and tend to play with the ones that work nicely. I do tend, these days, to wait until others have had the chance to evaluate and report back before I commit to more expense. The risk of something selling out before I get mine is something that I have come to accept.

[Ighten]

I have the same issue on Tunstead Moor as I look to add  a second loco.. Its designed like Robs as a small shelf diaroma type layout.. I dont really have an issue with trying to keep to one theme as its unlikely I will ever have more than one loco on the layout at a time so rule 1 applies leaving me what I thought should be lots of scope..

 

2 pecketts later and one terrier  I am still scratching my head and holding the credit with the local shop.. 

 

It doesnt help Im helping to build an n gauge layout for a friend whose tiny new class 66 (Dapol) and 37s(Bachmann Farish) run around at all speeds like smooth silk with flywheels galore..

 

The irony is my initial purchase to get going was  the much lamented but highly reduced in price Kernow DJ models 1361 which runs as smooth as silk even at a crawl despite its noisy all wheel  geared drive train.

 

Perhaps it simply comes down to anything with such short wheelbases just has to be 100% perfection QC  running on 100% perfectly laid track - but we cant do anything about the first but cross our fingers.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Ighten

[keefr2]

25 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

The more precise the portrayal of motion the greater our expectation of perfection.

 

I don't expect perfection, just that something that is sold as a working model does just that - work, and works properly, if not perfectly. Is that really too much to expect? We've just had a new washing machine delivered. Plug it in and it worked. Some of these locos are getting close to the same price as said domestic appliance - why are they not plug and play out of the box too?

 

Keith

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, keefr2 said:

I had exactly the same experience. I'd always been into static aircraft and car modelling so went back to concentrating on those. I'm now disposing of a lot of the models accumulated over the last umpteen decades and having followed Rob's (& others) threads really fancy trying to actually finish a small layout for the first time. I do have a Bachmann Pannier that runs nicely but fancied investing some of the funds into some of the really nice looking new locos that have been produced in recent years. But I have to say that if someone as experienced in the art as Rob has trouble making the things run I'll have no chance. So it's really making me wonder why bother as I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of returning things that are just supposed to work....

 

Keith

 

Hi Keith, 

 

Please don't let my recent experiences influence any progress you make with any projects. My last Peckett worked well enough so I guess I was right to expect this latest example to be the same. 

 

My 0.4.0 Pecketts did need tweaking, one moreso than the others. That said, mine all now run well enough to risk showing to others at an exhibition and that's my view. It's either right or not. 

 

The bencemark for me is the Dapol B4 or my Hattons P class. They are exceptional but there have been those who have had issues with their P class. 

 

50 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

Consider this:

 

If we're given more, do we then expect more?

 

It's a vicious circle, isn't it? The greater the level of detail we see the more we have to be critical of. The more precise the portrayal of motion the greater our expectation of perfection.

 

I'm not saying that I disagree with Rob, on the contrary, but I wonder how much more we are going to have to pay if we want complete perfection. I have several small things in the 'sort it out later' box and tend to play with the ones that work nicely. I do tend, these days, to wait until others have had the chance to evaluate and report back before I commit to more expense. The risk of something selling out before I get mine is something that I have come to accept.

 

Yes, Mick, we do expect more. The level of detail and fidelity has increased in leaps and bounds in recent years, as has available small prototypes. There are many more small locos avaiable now, as OD points out. Most of these spent their days shuffling wagons about which, funnily enough, is what we want to do with them as well. Its therefore only right and proper that the quality  of running increases pro rata. Overall, I think it has and what I have recently experienced is not the norm. 

 

I am positive the running of the recent Peckett is as a result of a fault and not something that can be 'run out' over time. Normally I wouldn't tinker but after three attempts I thought I would investigate. The motor seems to start with much lower voltage going forwards than back, when it starts with a lurch and halts abruptly.

 

Other issues were what I initially thought was the problem, the captive nut in the wheel into which the crankpin screws had been pushed through the back of the wheel.

 

I thought this might have been snagging on the pick up as it rotated. Having reseated it, this was not the case. Removing the body to check for issues in the motor department proved tricky. The rear screw holding the body on was insanely tight.

 

My usual modelling screwdriver would not shift it and I had to resort to a grown up screwdriver. Lifting the motor and pushing the rolling chassis back and fore showed all was smooth with no obvious binding. I used both light finger assistance and pulling / pushing with another loco for this. I changed the pick ups with a new spare set I keep for Westminster ( the new Pecketts have a different type now) but this again brought forth no change. Hence my thought that this is a fault. PaulRhB has suggested checking the slide bars and motion brackets but these seem fine. 

 

So back it will have to go. I have spent enough time looking into it and running it in. 

 

I think we all develope a liking for certain more dependable locos. It's the natural thing to do. You know they will work and as such there is no stress involved when playing with these and this is after all, supposed to be a hobby to relax with......

 

 

But its nice to be able to add to that dependable roster from time to time....

 

Rob. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by NHY 581
Sausage hooves