Hornby Dublo - Modern Image?

[D9020 Nimbus]

9 hours ago, Lantavian said:

 

The LNER announced plans the year before nationalisation to replace steam on London-to-Edinburgh passenger services with a fleet of diesels

The LNER certainly said this was their plan, but they didn't have much money, so could they have afforded it? Then again, in the US the first roads to dieselise were often the least wealthy…

[Nearholmer]

11 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

Wasn't 1,600 HP more that a single F-unit?

They began at 1350hp, but progressively increased, so I think it was the same at the time.

[Il Grifone]

I don't think we can blame Riddles for continuing with steam (was it his decision anyway?), but whether a whole new series of designs was necessary is another matter. Only the 9F was a step forward, but was it really needed? Certainly 71000 was not required. Building another Duchess would have been the obvious move (assuming it was really required at all. She replaced an experimental locomotive and 10000 and 10001 were surely the way ahead).

Edited June 19, 2020 by Il Grifone

[DCB]

The whole post war spending spree killed the railways. There was no return on the investment, the larger locos just burned more coal and didn't last the 25 years needed to recoup the investment let alone return a profit.

Riddles was probably right to continue with steam but wrong to design new locos and wrong to build batches of non standard locomotives.   Black 5s  8F's  Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 and 2-6-2T made eminent sense, Maybe  there was a need for a 4MT 2-6-4T with 5ft 8" wheels for the London Suburban area to fill the gap to electrification and a 2-6-0 version but not 3 different 4MTs and certainly there was no real need for a Britannia, or for the 9Fs.  The Clans made a lot of sense, to accountants, if no one else, so maybe another 55 Royal Scots or 2A boilered Black Fives would have been a better investment.  

[PatB]

Back on the subject of whether Dublo should have persisted with 3-rail, let's not forget that the US market, whilst embracing state of the art technology in H0, has stuck with 3-rail in 0 until the present day, admittedly with various financial hiccups for the main current player, and the disappearance of others. While the UK market is obviously much smaller, the idea that some people would prefer 3-rail is not, in principle, bizarre.

[Il Grifone]

The great advantage of 3 rail is simplified wiring, as Meccano Ltd. found to their cost trying to do 2 rail properly with live crossings on the pointwork. Lots of  various single and double insulating rails especially without insulated joiners and a flimsy polystyrene base are not suitable for a toy. the later' Simplec' points were too late (and awful! - I have a couple, but just to complete the collection).

 

Märklin's solution of stud contact (it worked for them!) might have been the answer. It remained compatible with the earlier system, only requiring skates for existing locomotives, which is a simple home or dealer replacement.

[Mountain Goat]

On 20/06/2020 at 04:15, DavidCBroad said:

The whole post war spending spree killed the railways. There was no return on the investment, the larger locos just burned more coal and didn't last the 25 years needed to recoup the investment let alone return a profit.

Riddles was probably right to continue with steam but wrong to design new locos and wrong to build batches of non standard locomotives.   Black 5s  8F's  Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 and 2-6-2T made eminent sense, Maybe  there was a need for a 4MT 2-6-4T with 5ft 8" wheels for the London Suburban area to fill the gap to electrification and a 2-6-0 version but not 3 different 4MTs and certainly there was no real need for a Britannia, or for the 9Fs.  The Clans made a lot of sense, to accountants, if no one else, so maybe another 55 Royal Scots or 2A boilered Black Fives would have been a better investment.  

 

When I look at a black 5, if it wasn't for the external valve gear, I would be looking at a castle in appearance, and the castles were often preferred by the engine crew to kings as they regarded castles as the superior loco.

Black 5's were equally as successful. A pretty sound and sensible design.

 

 

I have often wondered about bicycles, as I have been in and out of the bicycle trade for years... And looking at a groupset for example... Just when they get things right, they go and change things with an entirely new design and mess things up big time, and I have found the same for the entire bicycle. They seem to be getting things just right when someone starts a new fasion and it all goes to pot with problem after problem that the new design has... Often these new designs are old failures re-invented. It makes me ask why they don't just stick to what works well and has passed the tests of time where one knows they work and last, and just stick to that design. Why do they keep trying to re-invent old catastrophies and claim they are new? 

At least the origional people to design some of these mess ups had an excuse as they did not know unless they tried it. 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Mountain Goat

[Il Grifone]

And where did Stanier receive his training?

Having tried one, the LMS running department wanted more 'Castles', but had to wait until the thirties to get them... (or at least a reasonable facsimile).

 

The bike thing just proves what I always say, " The greatest (and most overpaid) PITA are 'designers'. All designer output should be overseen and approved by an engineer.

For instance, why is going to cost £900,000 to paint a  flag on the tail of an aeroplane?

 

[SR71]

On 19/06/2020 at 03:36, sagaguy said:

 Ernest Marples,transport minister at the time ,made Beeching his useful idiot.Being a partner in Marples Ridgeway,road constructors,it suited Marples to shut the railways down.He wouldn`t get away with this conflict of interest today,at the time,we had a pretty tame press.

 

I thought there was a road link but was searching for a link to Beeching not Marples. At least I now know why the national network into London was retained as far as East Grinstead, home to Baron Beeching of East Grinstead

[sagaguy]

Subject back on track,this is a selection of my SR Electric fleet,all converted to 3 rail.Perhaps not quite the modern image but a bit more moderna than steam.

 

                      Ray,

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 19/06/2020 at 03:36, sagaguy said:

.....wouldn`t get away with this conflict of interest today......

 

Oh, I don't know. There seem to be a few of the present lot who like to give it a try.

[sagaguy]

In all fairness,giving it a try and getting away with it are two different things!.

[Il Grifone]

38 minutes ago, sagaguy said:

In all fairness,giving it a try and getting away with it are two different things!.

 

True, but they seem to get away with it very well,especially across the pond. Our lot seem to be following their example.

 

(Oops politics - I'll say no more!)