OO gauge GWR Mogul and Prairie

[melmerby]

On 12/12/2020 at 16:47, melmerby said:

 

Thanks both for the suggestion.

 

I have found, via Google, a number (0345 602 1021) for the local office and have just tried that.

It said via automated voice "welcome to Royal Mail's dedicated re-delivery service"

I then found another number (0345 774 0740)

That said "Welcome to Royal Mail's customer service"

 

Both said the office was now closed.

I will try them again tomorrow or Monday

 

 

I tried both numbers again today.

Neither actually go through to Moseley DO.

After going through six or seven levels of choices I got the final message

"Sorry we are very busy and cannot take any more calls"!

 

I cannot find any other numbers.

 

 

 

 

[tomparryharry]

50 minutes ago, melmerby said:

I tried both numbers again today.

Neither actually go through to Moseley DO.

After going through six or seven levels of choices I got the final message

"Sorry we are very busy and cannot take any more calls"!

 

I cannot find any other numbers.

For all of the stress & strain this has caused, it might have been easier for you to jump in the car, and go and collect it yourself!

 

Best wishes,

Ian. 

[Mallard60022]

I respect the frustration to a degree but there us actually a thread elsewhere to comment about RM. Can we just concentrate on the Mogul and its' various virtues and weaknesses? 

I refrain from saying stfu about the delays, as that might be taken for being rude.

P 

[57xx]

On 10/12/2020 at 15:02, Adrock said:

I was just coming on to ask about what the consensus is then on the running qualities, as it seems that a few people have definitely reported having good runners. I think, from memory, the DCC-fitted ones seem to be performing better. I cant recall a DC owner posting that they had a perfect runner, but happy to be corrected. I am debating what to do, whether to return and see if I get a good 'un, or just stick.

 

I got round to putting mine on the rollers at the weekend, worked fine on DC (ECM Compspeed), forwards, backwards, no binding at all. Seemed to crawl ok too. Still needs trying out on track to see how it responds when dealing with it's own weight and stock, but so far so good.

[Pteremy]

On 11/12/2020 at 22:59, Cofga said:

For those interested YouChoos has an excellent page on disassembly and installing a speaker in the tender. He also took the boiler off ...

 

Looks like the body should come off without disturbing the cylinders etc.

[Chuffer Davies]

Back in November (21st - Page 61) I mentioned my intention to design a replacement Nickel Silver chassis in order to convert the Dapol Mogul to EM for running on our Hungerford exhibition layout.  Since then I have been beavering away on the computer drawing up the required components in CAD and have just finished the initial design stage.  As previously mentioned my preferred approach to designing model railway rolling stock is, as far as is possible, to draw up the components on top of an official drawing that has previously been imported in CAD and scaled to 4mm/foot.  

 

The following image is a screen shot of part of my work pad in CAD illustrating some of the components that have been prepared in this manner.  

 

 

The next stage is to arrange them into frames in preparation for sending the CAD files off to the etching company for processing.  This is quite a laborious process and care must be taken to ensure that all the components are attached to the frames with small tabs.  Failure to do this will result in the components dropping away to the bottom of the acid bath never to be seen again.  The following is the result of this afternoon's endeavours.  

 

  

It'll take a few days to finish organising all the components in their frets but hopefully by the end of the week I will be ready to send the file off to the etchers.  

 

The more I have worked on this project the more impressed I have become with the quality of the model that Dapol have produced.  I have just removed the bottom of the boiler wrapper from the chassis casting so that I can re-attach it once I have packed the boiler with lead.  I was amazed to find that Dapol have gone to the trouble of recreating all the rivet detail around the seam where the boiler attaches to the back of the smokebox, even though this is virtually impossible to see when it is glued to the Dapol chassis block.

 

 

I'm guessing it will be a couple of months before I have the metal work in my hands.  Hopefully I will have managed to get sufficient of the design correct to be able to create a working chassis from the version 1 etches.  There is always the risk that a fold line is missing or on the wrong face of the metal, even if all the dimensions are correct, so the first test build is always a bit of a hit or miss affair.  

 

Here's hoping!

 

Regards,

Frank

Edited December 14, 2020 by Chuffer Davies
Spelling

[Harlequin]

1 hour ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Back in November (21st - Page 61) I mentioned my intention to design a replacement Nickel Silver chassis in order to convert the Dapol Mogul to EM for running on our Hungerford exhibition layout.  Since then I have been beavering away on the computer drawing up the required components in CAD and have just finished the initial design stage.  As previously mentioned my preferred approach to designing model railway rolling stock is, as far as is possible, to draw up the components on top of an official drawing that has previously been imported in CAD and scaled to 4mm/foot.  

 

The following image is a screen shot of part of my work pad in CAD illustrating some of the components that have been prepared in this manner.  

 

 

The next stage is to arrange them into frames in preparation for sending the CAD files off to the etching company for processing.  This is quite a laborious process and care must be taken to ensure that all the components are attached to the frames with small tabs.  Failure to do this will result in the components dropping away to the bottom of the acid bath never to be seen again.  The following is the result of this afternoon's endeavours.  

 

  

It'll take a few days to finish organising all the components in their frets but hopefully by the end of the week I will be ready to send the file off to the etchers.  

 

The more I have worked on this project the more impressed I have become with the quality of the model that Dapol have produced.  I have just removed the bottom of the boiler wrapper from the chassis casting so that I can re-attach it once I have packed the boiler with lead.  I was amazed to find that Dapol have gone to the trouble of recreating all the rivet detail around the seam where the boiler attaches to the back of the smokebox, even though this is virtually impossible to see when it is glued to the Dapol chassis block.

 

 

I'm guessing it will be a couple of months before I have the metal work in my hands.  Hopefully I will have managed to get sufficient of the design correct to be able to create a working chassis from the version 1 etches.  There is always the risk that a fold line is missing or on the wrong face of the metal, even if all the dimensions are correct, so the first test build is always a bit of a hit or miss affair.  

 

Here's hoping!

 

Regards,

Frank

Maybe this also is a diversion too far from the topic of the Dapol Mogul and would be better in a topic of it’s own?

 

[Craigw]

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

Maybe this also is a diversion too far from the topic of the Dapol Mogul and would be better in a topic of it’s own?

 

 

I would rather read it than endless problems with the UK postal service. 

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Craigw said:

 

I would rather read it than endless problems with the UK postal service. 

So would I

[Craigw]

33 minutes ago, melmerby said:

So would I

 

You have my sympathies. Living in Australia I have had some 'interesting" experiences with the various postal services in 2020.

 

Regards,

 

CraigW

[Les1952]

One thing with  Royal Mail Small Parcels.

 

The QR code on the "stamp" label contains your tracking number. The postman has to "zap" that to say it has been delivered.  At that point the GPS is entered into the Royal mail system.  If something claims to have been delivered and you haven't seen it the Royal Mail website will give you the GPS of the location where the label was zapped- ie where it was delivered to.  It also gives the scan of the signature on the Postie's machine for "signed-for" items.

 

You can find your own GPS on the web and use this to check it came to you (or a next-door neighbour).  There is also a site where you can enter a GPS and you will get a google map with the location pinpointed.  One parcel to me that was "delivered" had the code zapped in the car park of an industrial unit about a mile away.  I wrote to the local delivery office pointing out MY GPS location and the name of the location where it was zapped, with a printoff of the signature and GPS from their website, requiring the head of the delivery office to locate and retrieve my parcel.

 

Two weeks later it was delivered by my regular postman- who was on a rest day on the day of the original delivery.  Nothing back to say "sorry"....

 

Les

 

[Pteremy]

17 hours ago, Chuffer Davies said:

 

The following image is a screen shot of part of my work pad in CAD illustrating some of the components that have been prepared in this manner.  

 

 

 

 

 

If that is the drawing in GWJ v19 you are working to it is described as a drawing of the first 20 43xx built, the 'short cab version'. As I understand it later versions including the 63xx's would have had 9 inch longer cab sides and frames. Hopefully Dapol's frame is the right length?

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Les1952 said:

One thing with  Royal Mail Small Parcels.

 

The QR code on the "stamp" label contains your tracking number. The postman has to "zap" that to say it has been delivered.  At that point the GPS is entered into the Royal mail system.  If something claims to have been delivered and you haven't seen it the Royal Mail website will give you the GPS of the location where the label was zapped- ie where it was delivered to.  It also gives the scan of the signature on the Postie's machine for "signed-for" items.

 

You can find your own GPS on the web and use this to check it came to you (or a next-door neighbour).  There is also a site where you can enter a GPS and you will get a google map with the location pinpointed.  One parcel to me that was "delivered" had the code zapped in the car park of an industrial unit about a mile away.  I wrote to the local delivery office pointing out MY GPS location and the name of the location where it was zapped, with a printoff of the signature and GPS from their website, requiring the head of the delivery office to locate and retrieve my parcel.

 

Two weeks later it was delivered by my regular postman- who was on a rest day on the day of the original delivery.  Nothing back to say "sorry"....

 

Les

 

At the risk of straying offside again, my parcel is not actually "lost" according to Royal Mail, but they do not know it's whereabouts as it isn't in the location it was last scanned.

Apparently it couldn't be delivered because it was "doubly labelled"  (This information was passed to Derails from their RM account manager.)

As such Derails have sent me another and are claiming for a lost parcel.

 

Now lets get back to the main gist of the thread, hopefully with me contributing with my findings on the performance and build of my mogul.

[Chuffer Davies]

26 minutes ago, Pteremy said:

 

If that is the drawing in GWJ v19 you are working to it is described as a drawing of the first 20 43xx built, the 'short cab version'. As I understand it later versions including the 63xx's would have had 9 inch longer cab sides and frames. Hopefully Dapol's frame is the right length?

Hi,

thank you for thinking to draw my attention to this but I was already aware and have made the necessary adjustments.  Whilst I would have, under normal circumstances, ordered a frame plan of the correct prototype from the National Railway Museum’s archive, this has effectively been shut down since March so is not currently an option.  I’ve had another drawing on order since March and am still awaiting it.  The article in the GWRJ was the only available alternative hence I’ve used this instead.  
Frank

[Quarryscapes]

30 minutes ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi,

thank you for thinking to draw my attention to this but I was already aware and have made the necessary adjustments.  Whilst I would have, under normal circumstances, ordered a frame plan of the correct prototype from the National Railway Museum’s archive, this has effectively been shut down since March so is not currently an option.  I’ve had another drawing on order since March and am still awaiting it.  The article in the GWRJ was the only available alternative hence I’ve used this instead.  
Frank

It's back up and running now, they contacted me a while back asking fi I still wanted to carry on with an order placed in April. I did, and the drawings arrived very promptly afterwards.

[PMP99]

My early BR black one arrived this afternoon.

Immediately checked round for defects, the only issue I have found so far is one motion bracket was very slightly loose.

On this one all the buffers were correctly located and the smokebox dart in place.

 

I have only tried it on DC but like the first one I bought, it runs beautifully in reverse. Going forwards there seems to be a slight tight spot, although only noticeable at a crawl. It is having a bit of a run on the rolling road at the moment, but I am pretty happy with this one too.

 

Hopefully the DCC chip will be along soon so I can try it out further.

 

Graham

 

For those concerned about posting I was supplied with a RM tracking number by the vendor. That tracking number was never recognised by RM tracking site until after it was actually delivered!

[57xx]

20 hours ago, Craigw said:

 

I would rather read it than endless problems with the UK postal service. 

 

It would be better in it's own thread in Kitbuilding though, Rather than having to sift through all the posts one here to track it, it would be in one easy to read thread. It would get a wider audience too.

Edited December 15, 2020 by 57xx

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, PMP99 said:

My early BR black one arrived this afternoon.

Immediately checked round for defects, the only issue I have found so far is one motion bracket was very slightly loose.

On this one all the buffers were correctly located and the smokebox dart in place.

 

I have only tried it on DC but like the first one I bought, it runs beautifully in reverse. Going forwards there seems to be a slight tight spot, although only noticeable at a crawl. It is having a bit of a run on the rolling road at the moment, but I am pretty happy with this one too.

 

Hopefully the DCC chip will be along soon so I can try it out further.

 

Graham

 

For those concerned about posting I was supplied with a RM tracking number by the vendor. That tracking number was never recognised by RM tracking site until after it was actually delivered!

I am at last in receipt of a Dapol Mogul (Thank you to Derails for sending a second one and DPD for 24Hr service)

 

Bodywork is all present and correct, slide bars are horizontal, buffers all present and correct. paintwork is very good. The tender coupler locked in nicely.

I have only tried it on DC on a rolling road and as commented by PMP99 above it runs better in reverse than forward but has improved with only a little slow running in.

(So much for Dapol's claim of not needing running in!)

N.B. I am using a bench top power supply (stabilised DC and no feedback)

Forward requires 4.7v to keep the wheels going, reverse only needs 3.7v  both of these figures are higher than I usually find for DC running when new.

Hopefully both will be around 2.5 - 3.0v when fully bedded in.

The driving wheels are commendably concentric on the axles and virtually no side to side oscillation when on the rolling road (better than usual)

 

IMHO a better job from Dapol than the AEC/GWR railcar and well worth the money.

Just needs a bit more running in and then I can fit the decoder (Zimo MX618N18)

[KGV]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

I am at last in receipt of a Dapol Mogul (Thank you to Derails for sending a second one and DPD for 24Hr service)

 

 

What's the betting that Royal Mail finds and delivers your original one tomorrow?

Seems that you have received terrific service from Derails though.

 

[melmerby]

11 hours ago, Pteremy said:

 

If that is the drawing in GWJ v19 you are working to it is described as a drawing of the first 20 43xx built, the 'short cab version'. As I understand it later versions including the 63xx's would have had 9 inch longer cab sides and frames. Hopefully Dapol's frame is the right length?

It says Lot 183, which were indeed the first 20 from 1911, which were also the last Locos to carry Swindon Works plate below the smokebox door

[Chuffer Davies]

4 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

It would be better in it's own thread in Kitbuilding though, Rather than having to sift through all the posts one here to track it, it would be in one easy to read thread. It would get a wider audience too.

Hi,

thanks for the suggestion and in particular thank you for explaining your thinking behind it.  Possibly this was Harlequin’s thinking also.  One of my problems with RM Web is that there is a lot of really interesting content but it is often fragmented and it takes me a lot of effort to find it.  In fact I tend to just stumble across content that I subsequently subscribe to such as this topic.  That having been said I have decided to follow your advice and set up a new topic (Chuffer’s Workbench) to cover all my projects and I will post all future progress on my Mogul conversion there but for continuity I will continue to post links to my Mogul posts here.   
Regards,

Frank

[The Stationmaster]

22 hours ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi,

thank you for thinking to draw my attention to this but I was already aware and have made the necessary adjustments.  Whilst I would have, under normal circumstances, ordered a frame plan of the correct prototype from the National Railway Museum’s archive, this has effectively been shut down since March so is not currently an option.  I’ve had another drawing on order since March and am still awaiting it.  The article in the GWRJ was the only available alternative hence I’ve used this instead.  
Frank

Did you try the GWS?  They have a large collection of Swindon loco drawings and publish a comprehensive list (although some items on the list might need a bit of translation but they can help with that I've found).  Even if they have not yet scanned the drawing their charges are very reasonable and you end up with an excellent quality .TIF file of the dimensioned drawing.

 

Sorry that has come out in bold - I can't get shot of it for some rreason.

[Tallpaul69]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Did you try the GWS?  They have a large collection of Swindon loco drawings and publish a comprehensive list (although some items on the list might need a bit of translation but they can help with that I've found).  Even if they have not yet scanned the drawing their charges are very reasonable and you end up with an excellent quality .TIF file of the dimensioned drawing.

 

Sorry that has come out in bold - I can't get shot of it for some rreason.

Bold, or italics?- Don't think it matters so long as we can read it!

Particularly when the content is worthwhile and informative, so keep going.

[Chuffer Davies]

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Did you try the GWS?  They have a large collection of Swindon loco drawings and publish a comprehensive list (although some items on the list might need a bit of translation but they can help with that I've found).  Even if they have not yet scanned the drawing their charges are very reasonable and you end up with an excellent quality .TIF file of the dimensioned drawing.

 

Sorry that has come out in bold - I can't get shot of it for some rreason.

HI,

I was not aware that they had such a facility.  If I need any Great Western drawings in the future I may well contact them but I've got all I need to complete my design for the Mogul.

Frank

[JST]

Woopee! My factory fitted sound Mogul arrived to-day.

I must admit that straight out of the box running qualities were superb. Very smooth and the slow running is excellent. I ran it in on the rollers (although Dapol say don't bother) and I must say that it sat quite still on the rollers with the wheels turning which tells me al lot about the wheels and axles/bearings. I checked for fitting issues of the motion etc. but all was well.

Any issues? ... well yes a couple.

1 At first I got no response whatever from the loco. I discovered that although the decoder was in the smokebox, it was not plugged in. Maybe came loose in transit.

2 After running in, I put the loco on the track and it promptly derailed at every set of points. Inspection revealed that the pony truck wheels back to back was miles out. You didn't need a micrometer to see it, it was that obvious. However, a very easy to fix and now it runs beautifully.

3 As reported by others, the firebox glow is barely visible, but I will live with that.

 

All in all I am very pleased with this loco. When you look at the cost of a Zimo sound chip plus two speakers, I do not think the price of buying the factory fitted sound  is unreasonable.

 

Here is a short poor quality video (taken on my iPad) which at least gives an idea of how the loco runs.