Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 On 29/09/2023 at 18:43, 33C said: If I was going to do another, I would use cut down 9F chassis, (plentiful) or Hornby 8F chassis. A 4 wheel motor bogie in the tender with plenty of weight for power. The more I think about this, the more I realise the performance would be better, if the wheels are correctly oriented according to the isolated wheels being on opposite sides for each chassis (front “bogie” has the insulated driven wheels on the left, rear has the insulated wheels on the right, due to the pickup being achieved through the chassis like other Triang and, to that extent, early Hornby models) then the problem of a small power pickup range is sorted. Really tempted to give that a stab now, if only I could find the 9F chassis for cheap, based on the current eBay prices I don’t want to be paying anywhere in the region of £60 to £80 on motorising a £30-£35 kit! But if that’s the only option then I might go for it, I really want a Big Boy to run on either my layout or the club layout now… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 2 hours ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said: The more I think about this, the more I realise the performance would be better, if the wheels are correctly oriented according to the isolated wheels being on opposite sides for each chassis (front “bogie” has the insulated driven wheels on the left, rear has the insulated wheels on the right, due to the pickup being achieved through the chassis like other Triang and, to that extent, early Hornby models) then the problem of a small power pickup range is sorted. Really tempted to give that a stab now, if only I could find the 9F chassis for cheap, based on the current eBay prices I don’t want to be paying anywhere in the region of £60 to £80 on motorising a £30-£35 kit! But if that’s the only option then I might go for it, I really want a Big Boy to run on either my layout or the club layout now… Ebay 186072722095. Good starting point? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 Considering something like that, buy a complete loco and a lone chassis, would work out much better too since the spare IC125 motor bogie I’ve got is missing most components too (gutted it’s armature assembly for a class 47, but that’s another story), so the motor from the working 9F could easily be disassembled and put into the 125 bogie I want to use for the project. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) Welp, first City arrived, and guess what dumb me did? That’s right, I broke the crank! Going to try and glue it back on, unsure of how well this will work though, things were going so nicely too… At least I figured out how NOT to assemble one of these. Edit: Only just noticed there’s no quartering whatsoever! Cranks are offset by 180 degrees instead of 90, and the cranks on the right side are 90 degrees off from the counterweights! Is this a problem on my particular model, is it my building, or is this a problem on all the CoT kits? Edited October 4, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings Added detail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DK123GWR Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said: Welp, first City arrived, and guess what dumb me did? That’s right, I broke the crank! Going to try and glue it back on, unsure of how well this will work though, things were going so nicely too… At least I figured out how NOT to assemble one of these. Edit: Only just noticed there’s no quartering whatsoever! Cranks are offset by 180 degrees instead of 90, and the cranks on the right side are 90 degrees off from the counterweights! Is this a problem on my particular model, is it my building, or is this a problem on all the CoT kits? I have found that when trying to build one in the past. The only running example I have seen had static connecting rods - perhaps for this reason? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Lightly roughen the surfaces of both and then drill a hole in the centre of the axle and crank. Use a bit of wire or, a track pin with the head cut off, to centre both before glueing. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 (edited) Can probably salvage the City’s unbuilt tender, but I’m gonna save that for later. In the meantime, anyone order another Prairie? Decided to make another, might experiment with more liveries on this one… And the fourth… Maybe even a fifth… The church of Swindon grows stronger… Either that or my addiction to this d@mn kit does 🤣 Edit: You can also notice a change on the second Prairie, I finally swapped out the front bogie! Cut-down Triang 3MT bogie, handles my layout brilliantly now, and it looks more accurate! Edited October 5, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings Added detail 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 32 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said: might experiment Try something like this. Mine is free rolling but may do another using the Truro kit....AHhahahahaha! 7 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Or, B.R. black... Or, a 56XX class 0-6-2T... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 (edited) 54 minutes ago, 33C said: Or, B.R. black... Princess chassis, right? I’ve been debating what the true best Triang chassis for one of these would be, Princess is too short, and Jinty is too long, fine for running but they aren’t the most realistic. Going to get this third Prairie finished on the Jinty chassis, but after that I might look into alternatives, considering the same one I mentioned for the 4-6-0 4MT, a Triang/Hornby 70s 0-6-0 chassis, the E2/08 (also used under the B12 and Ivatt 2MT I believe), the wheel spacing isn’t as far apart as a Jinty but it isn’t as close together as a Princess, seems it’d be a perfect fit… Would still use the early Princess wheels, that’s set in stone at this point. Edited October 5, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings Replaced “second” for “third”, I’m already losing track of the Prairies! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 4 hours ago, 33C said: Try something like this. Mine is free rolling but may do another using the Truro kit....AHhahahahaha! Welp, I know what I’m doing after I sort out the third one I have in the works. Two Prairies and a 4MT, right? Just need my usual order of Princess wheels and a Jinty block on top of it, then I’ve got myself a night! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 6, 2023 Share Posted October 6, 2023 20 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said: then I’ve got myself a night! ...........all the best things come out at night.......... I have dug out all my Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol kits, in various states. Lets see what happens! ah hahahaha! (Thunderclap! Lightning! Mild drizzle...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) Got the third one finished from a mechanical standpoint, here’s my little army as of October 9th… Right to left is the order of oldest to youngest (Prairie on the far right is a bog standard Airfix GMR Prairie, wanted at least one which looks more modern), I could probably make a whole fleet of these if I bought busted GMR Prairies for cheap… But this is more fun, a little pricier but it’s more satisfying than buying a ready to run model, in my opinion at least. Edited October 9, 2023 by Hacksworth_Sidings 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I'm about to put a working Airfix/GMR prairie on Ebay if that's any help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Already got a GMR Prairie, going to swap the busted cylinders from my first Prairie kit model for those from the kit, wouldn’t want to buy a perfectly good model just to rip it apart for spares. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Was scrolling through Discord messages with a friend and I found this… I actually started making this from a Prairie kit earlier this year for the person who made the original edit, never actually finished it though as they redesigned the fictional “Lake” class to be a 2-4-2T. Rather tempted to give the “Lake” another go, but instead of the massive Fowler 4P 2-6-4 chassis I might try and be a little more true to the original and go for a smaller chassis… Either a B12 or a Princess modified to a 2-6-4 config to better fit the squat dimensions of the original edit. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Friend sent me an old, damaged pug they want to put onto a bo-bo config using some cheap train set bogies, upon opening the box I find it’s an original Kitmaster pug! I feel somewhat bad about what I’m going to do to it now… 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR71 Posted October 21, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 21, 2023 Not mine but on our vintage stand at the Beckenham and West Wickham show at Forrest Hill School today. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
41516 Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 So the blurry black blobs on a job lot photo I assumed was going to some form of christmas toy turned out to be this: A Kitmaster 241P Mountain! (too large for my normal folded A3 photo backdrop...) Missing front bogie, tender floor/bogies and a few other bits. What an unexpected beast - not sure what to do with it! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 56 minutes ago, 41516 said: So the blurry black blobs on a job lot photo I assumed was going to some form of christmas toy turned out to be this: A Kitmaster 241P Mountain! (too large for my normal folded A3 photo backdrop...) Missing front bogie, tender floor/bogies and a few other bits. What an unexpected beast - not sure what to do with it! Triang Flying Scotsman chassis, leave the rear, kit drivers on, ( I would use the unflanged pair), floating, glue an extension to the rods to look like they are attached. A couple of coach bogies on a plasticard floor on the tender and voila! it's a runner. Cheapo! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, SR71 said: Not mine but on our vintage stand at the Beckenham and West Wickham show at Forrest Hill School today. We've all done it....haven't we? Whatever, it was a change from a "Jinty"! Edited October 21, 2023 by 33C added photo. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 22, 2023 Share Posted October 22, 2023 Friend is sending me a busted Hornby Fowler 4P chassis, same one we were going to use on the original “Lake” model. Did some measuring on my own 4P model and found the drivers on that are the same size as early Triang Princess wheels, still using the early chassis design where only one wheel is insulated too. My Prairie army is nowhere near complete, but now I’m debating if I butcher my 4P as well and use the finer scale wheels on a Garatt so I can run that on the club, or if I use them on a bog standard Prairie and keep the Garatt on Princess wheels, confined to my Triang track… 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 So I’ve shown off these Prairies to dad, who I’ve recently edged back into model railways after he purchased a Lima class 20 from a job lot I’m selling off for a librarian, and apparently my craftsmanship is good enough that he wants one too! I have a huge temptation to buy all the components I need and see if I’d be able to make any money off building and selling these now 🤣 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacksworth_Sidings Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Begun prepping the chassis’s for three more Prairies, going to try and use tender drive 5MT wheels on two of them, with shallower flanges I should be able to take those two to the club. If I suddenly become inactive after finishing these three, I’ve likely been kidnapped by the 6100s I’ve bought into this world and set ablaze inside of 6106’s firebox as a sacrifice to the great Collett. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted October 28, 2023 Share Posted October 28, 2023 A memory has just come back to me, it's not something I ever actually attempted but back in the late 1960s I had an Airfix railbus and a Scalextric set, and the clueless me wondered if a Scalextric drivetrain (motor/gears/axle) could be used to power it. The answer was yes probably, but its acceleration would most likely have given the Starship Enterprise some stiff competition 🤪! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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