snowy1051 Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Hello, is it ok to mention Ebay? There has appeared on Ebay.com a Wrenn "Barnstable". It is in Washington State, USA. I am interested but have very little experience of either Wrenn or Hornby Dublo, locos. I had a "Dorchester" in the 60's and ran it and ran it and it never let me down. The owner has fitted a screw coupling on the front and a Tri-ang tension lock on the tender. My question is, what do I need to look out for on this particular loco and will it run on code 100 trackwork without it bouncing through the pointwork? Also, do the altered couplings in any way detract from the locos' originality and collectabilty? Thank you. The item number is 291894095068 if anyone feels the need to look at it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
6029 King Stephen Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 The loco is named "Barnstaple" - a small town in North Devon in the South-West of England and depicts a rebuilt West Country loco, although I believe that Wrenn used the same body for rebuilt Merchant Navies and that they appeared in some non-prototypical liveries for a post-nationalisation loco, such as Southern Malachite green with Southern on the tender. However, their weight provided impressive haulage capacity and they were about twice the price of a Hornby loco at the time I wouldn't imagine that a Hornby Dublo or Wrenn loco would have any problems running on Code 100 track as they are comparable to any 1980-1990's era Hornby stuff. I have a Hornby Dublo "Duchess of Montrose" that is unpowered that I bought really to practice airbrushing and lining (but have failed to do either yet) and I have run it up, down and through my code 75 C&L and SMP pointwork and it seems to go through this OK without running along the sleepers. I once had a Hornby Dublo "City of London" loco that somebody had fitted with scale wheels to and this ran really well on the Code 100 I had at the time. Regards, Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 5, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 5, 2016 Note the Triang type couplings were probably original. When the Hornby Dublo loco stud was absorbed into the "Triang Wrenn" range one of the first thing that happened was a mod to Triang couplings with a provision for Dublo/Peco type couplings if required. These locos were being sold alongside the current Triang offerings so had to be compatible. I have (the remains of!) a Wrenn Castle which I have had from new which had Triang couplings although at the time I was mainly HD so retrofitted Dublo ones. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 The Dublo/Wrenn ringfield motor is extremely powerful, but its downside is that it fills the cab with motor. With any collectable, condition is everything, but as already stated, the tri-ang coupling on the tender is almost certainly original. The front coupling is the standard Dublo dummy hook. These turn up on eBay from time to time at a reasonable price, but the postage to the States will probably cost more than the item. A certain number of spare parts are still available. Basically check that the paintwork is in good condition, the model is undamaged complete and functional. A decent Barnstable is likely to fetch over £100 over here, but I suspect rather more over there. A good box can add 50% or more to the value. Code 100 track should be perfectly satisfactory for running. The wheels are a bit coarser than the NMRA standard - back to back 14.2mm and flange thickness about 0.8mm I tried to find the item on eBay but putting the number produced no results. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yelrow Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 The clue is in the location. Tis on ebay america. I buy often from there, but be mindful of post, and Custom Charges. They can, (customs, that is ) hold on to stuff, for some time, if minded. john Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 The H/D Barnstaple is a good solid reliable piece of kit. I know of two original H/D ones still working just fine on a layout laid with Peco Code 100. The driving wheels are too small. the bogie wheels far too small and liable to come loose on the axles and the cab is full of motor, however if you close couple the tender by shortening and re drilling the draw bar and glaze the cab windows you can barely see the motor. All in all a first class bit of kit. Outlast a Bachmann by at least 3 times. Pulls ridiculously well for a Bullied, 24 coaches easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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