Oxford Rail announces - OO gauge GWR Dean Goods

[No Decorum]

My credit card clicked over today so it was off to The Hobby Shop at Faversham for some retail therapy and, much to my surprise, I found a sound-fitted #2309 waiting for me.

 

First impressions are that the loco itself looks a lot better in the flesh than it does in the pictures in this thread. Won't have a chance to get the loco on the track until this evening as the sun is shining and the garden calls as well as a trip to the local tip to get rid of some garden rubbish accumulated during the week.

 

One thing that that I have noticed is that Oxford has finally fallen in line with all the other manufacturers by moving the details label from the back of the box to the end of the box. A small thing but much appreciated!!

 

Keith

Yes, it saves the job of printing a label and sticking it on. All I need now is for Bachmann to start printing the running numbers onto labels.

[Guest Midland Mole]

We tested a sound DG in the shop yesterday, and tbh we were not very impressed. The sound was very tinny and not pleasant to listen too. I admit to being a little disappointed, and am glad I opted for a non-sound version.

Alex

[eastglosmog]

Glad to say that after an awful lot of jiggling around, bit of filing, packing of the oval drawbar hole and micro adjustment, I have managed to get the drawbar to pivot and give about 0.25mm of bearing surface for the fall plate on the tender - so now reliably goes round curves without falling off.  I am not sure how long the bodge up will last, so I had better build a new drawbar with holes at the required spacing.  Agree  with 34thelettergbetweenB&D - the Bachmann drawbar is far superior.  (Don't have any Hornby tender locos, so don't know about them.)

Having got it to stay on the track, it has been running haulage and slow running tests this evening.  Passed both, pulling 18 wagons up my gradients, which is all I need, although with a bit of grunting at slow speed.  Seems very responsive to the controller and can crawl along very well.  Top speed is not high, but quite high enough.

Next thing will be to send it to the paint shop and give it a 1946 type livery.  The rather garish dome which differs in colour from the also supposed to be brass safety valve cover and the rather coarse lining is a help here - will have no qualms about painting them over!

[The Johnster]

Glad to say that after an awful lot of jiggling around, bit of filing, packing of the oval drawbar hole and micro adjustment, I have managed to get the drawbar to pivot and give about 0.25mm of bearing surface for the fall plate on the tender - so now reliably goes round curves without falling off.  I am not sure how long the bodge up will last, so I had better build a new drawbar with holes at the required spacing.  Agree  with 34thelettergbetweenB&D - the Bachmann drawbar is far superior.  (Don't have any Hornby tender locos, so don't know about them.)

Having got it to stay on the track, it has been running haulage and slow running tests this evening.  Passed both, pulling 18 wagons up my gradients, which is all I need, although with a bit of grunting at slow speed.  Seems very responsive to the controller and can crawl along very well.  Top speed is not high, but quite high enough.

Next thing will be to send it to the paint shop and give it a 1946 type livery.  The rather garish dome which differs in colour from the also supposed to be brass safety valve cover and the rather coarse lining is a help here - will have no qualms about painting them over!

 

I'd replace the awful brass cap on the chimney with a proper copper one as well.  Having finally seen one of these in the plastic flesh at my local emporium, I think the model looks fine and if it runs well I'd be quite happy with it if I wanted one. but the brass and copper work, the glory of a GW loco in full Edwardian regalia, is all wrong; the safety valve cover looks like copper to me, the painted brass dome looks like a dome painted in brass paint of too light a colour, and the copper capped chimney...

[Compound2632]

and the copper capped chimney...

 

... is in the wrong place.

[Miss Prism]

I'd replace the awful brass cap on the chimney with a proper copper one as well.

 

Tapered chimneys, as fitted to the Oxford DG, were never copper- or brass-capped.

 

2309, as depicted by Oxford, has the wrong chimney, and (as Stephen points out) in the wrong position.

 

2309, as depicted by Oxford, should have a parallel chimney. Its copper cap would have become painted over at sometime in the late Churchward era.

 

Tapered chimneys started to appear on DGs c 1920.

[Edwardian]

I'd replace the awful brass cap on the chimney with a proper copper one as well.  Having finally seen one of these in the plastic flesh at my local emporium, I think the model looks fine and if it runs well I'd be quite happy with it if I wanted one. but the brass and copper work, the glory of a GW loco in full Edwardian regalia, is all wrong; the safety valve cover looks like copper to me, the painted brass dome looks like a dome painted in brass paint of too light a colour, and the copper capped chimney...

 

... is in the wrong place.

 

Tapered chimneys, as fitted to the Oxford DG, were never copper- or brass-capped.

 

2309, as depicted by Oxford, has the wrong chimney, and (as Stephen points out) in the wrong position.

 

2309, as depicted by Oxford, should have a parallel chimney. Its copper cap would have become painted over at sometime in the late Churchward era.

 

Tapered chimneys started to appear on DGs c 1920.

 

Quarryscapes of this parish produces a 3D-print parallel chimney suitable as a replacement, but, as Stephen and Miss P say, it should be mounted further towards the rear of the smokebox, as was the case pre-superheating of the DGs. 

 

I suppose you could then re-number for one of the wider frame lots and overlook the various other errors and inaccuracies, which is fair enough for those who are happy or able to live with them, unlike my rather more OCD approach!

 

I think if I wanted a B4 DG c.1914, I'd keep the tender and chassis from the Oxford model, but then use a Mainline body as a better (less inaccurate) starting point for back-dating (better cab profile, better firebox profile, better handrail arrangement and smaller splashers - would save a lot of the corrective work necessary on the Oxford body-shell).

 

A picture I had not seen before of a B4 Dean with top-feed: http://i1.wp.com/www.adrianvaughan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/slough-propel-ECS-copy.jpg

Edited July 22, 2017 by Edwardian

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Glad to say that after an awful lot of jiggling around, bit of filing, packing of the oval drawbar hole and micro adjustment, I have managed to get the drawbar to pivot and give about 0.25mm of bearing surface for the fall plate on the tender - so now reliably goes round curves without falling off.  I am not sure how long the bodge up will last, so I had better build a new drawbar with holes at the required spacing.  Agree  with 34thelettergbetweenB&D - the Bachmann drawbar is far superior.  (Don't have any Hornby tender locos, so don't know about them.)...

 Good job, got it to work as the designer probably intended but didn't quite achieve! I was interested in this aspect of the model, as an insight to what might be coming when Oxford venture an LNER group tender loco.

 

(In the same vein, if anyone cares to describe how the Dapol OO A4 loco and tender are coupled I would be interested.)

 

(Mention of Hornby. After many years of the most manky device imaginable, their Triang-Hornby era origin 'loose and floppy with maximum risk of shorting and visually intrusive appearance' connector; Hornby went directly to a classy job, as good as any ever seen in OO RTR, on the Britannia. An elegant drawbar mounted in the dragboxes, with options of a train set curves position, and a dead scale position. Looks right, functions beautifully. PERFECT.

 

Now the fly in the ointment. Since that 2006 introduction, nothing of this quality has been seen on their subsequent designs! What they now offer is a lot better than the old Triang-Hornby connector, but falls significantly short of what was demonstrated on the Brit. I find myself fiddling around with every one of their tender loco releases that suit my interest to improve matters. On several of their locos it has been possible to transfer the drawbar into the neatly modelled dragbox openings for the desired improvement in appearance. It could be done by the product designer...)

[Welchester]

A picture I had not seen before of a B4 Dean with top-feed: http://i1.wp.com/www.adrianvaughan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/slough-propel-ECS-copy.jpg

 

I like the driver's hat.

[eastglosmog]

 Good job, got it to work as the designer probably intended but didn't quite achieve! I was interested in this aspect of the model, as an insight to what might be coming when Oxford venture an LNER group tender loco.

 

.........

And, to be honest, gave me a lot more enjoyment in sorting it out than I would have got from it working straight from the box!

[Edwardian]

I like the driver's hat.

 

Worth modelling, if only to confound the cognoscenti at exhibitions, club rooms, RMWeb etc!

[The Johnster]

Slough, the white man's grave, I tell you, Carruthers... the heat, the flies, and those incessant pounding native drums...

Edited July 22, 2017 by The Johnster

[Welchester]

Come, friendly bombs...

[dibber25]

Come, friendly bombs...

I lived nearby for 20 years andSlough isn't really that bad. The French chateau-style station is very fine. Of course, MTK was based there for years but .......... (CJL)

[Welchester]

The French chateau-style station is very fine.

 

Isn't it rather similar to Baden-Baden?

[The Johnster]

Dunno, is it is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll see m'self out....

[Tim Hall]

Isn't it rather similar to Baden-Baden?

So good they named it twice.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

I lived nearby for 20 years and Slough isn't really that bad...

But not actually that good?  It has the unique distinction of being the only location I have visited in the UK where a driver performed the following manoeuvre: turned from flanking service road across the pavement to the lights controlled pedestrian crossing, actuated said crossing to halt traffic on the main drag, drove across and parked on the service road the other side. This behaviour had much in common with the customer service attitude ot a business based there, with whom I once had the acute displeasure of attempting to work. The common coupling with 'of Despond' has stuck in my mind as a result. It cannot be an accident that the place name actually means 'foul and miry place' or 'swamp'. And we have John Betjeman's assessment already quoted: he was right about St Pancras, so has some traction in these matters...

 

...The French chateau-style station is very fine...

Isn't it rather similar to Baden-Baden?

 Perhaps then it should be 'Slough-Slough', a name capable of many pronunciations and  interpretations?

[The Johnster]

The Muse has taken me.  To the tune of 'Cosher Bailey's Engine':-

 

O his girlfriend was from Slough-Slough 

An she 'ad a china bow wow

Which she kept upon a shelf; 

A bit of a dog 'erself

Did you ever...

 

I'll expect my Nobel Prize for services to cultural heritage in the post, then, shall i?

[Quarryscapes]

This may interest those who haven't drifted off to whatever planet some of you are on...

 

 

"Hello from Locomotion Models

We thought we would take some time to give you an update on the model you have ordered - Dean Goods
Due to further quality improvements on the last sample we have received from the manufacture there will be a delay in delivering to the UK.
The new estimated time of arrive will now be late summer.
We are aware this may cause you a lot of frustration, however we are working with the manufacture to maintain high quality production. They will in turn keep us updated on the progress and date of release.
As soon as we have a firm update on delivery we will be in touch with everyone in due course.
Kindest regards

Simon and Stuart"

[amdaley]

This may interest those who haven't drifted off to whatever planet some of you are on...

 

 

"Hello from Locomotion Models

We thought we would take some time to give you an update on the model you have ordered - Dean Goods

Due to further quality improvements on the last sample we have received from the manufacture there will be a delay in delivering to the UK.

The new estimated time of arrive will now be late summer.

We are aware this may cause you a lot of frustration, however we are working with the manufacture to maintain high quality production. They will in turn keep us updated on the progress and date of release.

As soon as we have a firm update on delivery we will be in touch with everyone in due course.

Kindest regards

 

Simon and Stuart"

 

Thanks for that Quarryscapes.

Its a pity Locomotion don't bother replying to customers who email them asking about the Deans Goods.

Fortunately some of their customers are also members here 

Here's hoping Locomotion's model of the Deans Goods will resemble the prototype at some time during its life.

[lofty1966]

Dean Goods , DEAN , DEAN , DEAN......No 's'

Place has gone to the dogs I tell ye !

[Coppercap]

Dean Goods , DEAN , DEAN , DEAN......No 's'

Place has gone to the dogs I tell ye !

You've obviously not seen the title of the other DG thread!

[57xx]

 

Its a pity Locomotion don't bother replying to customers who email them asking about the Deans Goods.

 

Indeed, I sent them a query a month ago, got the read receipt and been met with a wall of silence, not even an acknowledgement.

[lofty1966]

You've obviously not seen the title of the other DG thread!

I did but as it was posted by Kommandant York , I was to scared to mention it ! ;-)