Mainline class 43XX GWR Mogul surprise

[Steamport Southport]

1 minute ago, melmerby said:

Name a GWR era trailer that was available in quantity.

 

Twelve is about the most of any one diagram.

 

 

 

Which is my point.

 

They were rare and most were nothing like the Airfix model being large 70 footers or rebuilt from steam railmotors.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_Autocoach

 

200 odd excluding BR versions out of thousands of GWR coaches.

 

Yet we all had them, usually more than one. Along with a King, Castle and Cornish Riviera coaches all on a shortened version of Ashburton....   

 

 

 

Jason

[The Johnster]

Agreed; the bulk of auto work was urban commuter traffic, often on main lines, and at one time the GW divided it's trailers into 'suburban' and 'branch' types, the difference being the provision of a guard's compartment for the branch type.  Many were rebuilt from steam railmotors, themselves a response to urban residential expansion, halts, and competition from expanding Edwardian electric tram networks.  The biggest single type numerically were the A26/A29 (the only difference being that A26 had single passenger vestibule doors, and A29 had double, inherited from the SRMs), 70 footers converted from SRMs; there were 28 of them. 

 

The A31 type, also converted from SRMs and featuring single and double passenger doors, were not divided into different diagrams on that basis for some reason.

 

 

[melmerby]

Just tried my Mainline Manor, not run for a while.

Oh dear, driving wheels lost their quartering and locked up and when I dismantled them the wheels were quite free on the axles on one side

It's fitted with a dcc decoder so I decided to try just the motor & idler gear on it's own, sounded like a broken sewing machine, extremely rough and more than 100mA off load as well as a strange fast - slow rhythm (could be the decoder, I suppose.)

I think I will wait for the Accurascale model and not attempt another Comet chassis job.

[Claire RJ]

A long time ago I bought a Mainline Mogul and it is only recently that I got it out to run. After only a  little running the front driving wheels came apart on this split chassis . Does anyone have any tips as to whether it is possible to repair / rectify. eg is it possible to perhaps cement them back together?

[The Johnster]

You can buy the centre plastic axle 'muffs' as 3D prints from Shapeways, and the inner ends of the original Mainline half-axle are square to fit into the muff.  If the wheel has shifted on the outer end of the axle, it may be possible to drizzle a little superglue into the fitment, but you need to be absolutely certain that the quartering is correct as you only get one chance to do this!  If it is the inner end that has shifted or the original muff has failed because the plastic has split because it has become brittle with age, then the Shapeways muffs will resolve the issue but ensure that the fit is good and again that the quartering is correct.  It must be absolutely spot on, or the motion will bind and cause poor running, and this may be a problem if the square recesses or inner ends of the half-axles are worn, and they may be despite low mileage due to the severe wear of the recent running.

 

Maybe time to retire the loco to shed lurking duties in favour of a Dapol; depends how much time and money you are willing to put in to rescuing it.  Comet (Wizard Models) do a chassis kit for this loco, but this is £37.50 before you buy wheels, pickups, gears and motor, and you are probably looking at about £100 to complete the job.  Another £40 or so will buy you a new Dapol  from Hattons', and that will run straight from the box...

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

I think Peters Spares do the relevant replacement parts.

 

Also try Replica. ISTR they still had some spares left. Unfortunately the website is down at the moment.

 

 

Jason

[Claire RJ]

Thanks to both! Much food for thought here. I have other locos so may put this one aside for having a go at a repair on a cold winter evening.