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What have you run today?


AMJ

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Recently dusted off my old Triang Rocket and single coach. I doubt if it'll ever get DCC fitted to keep it prety original. Unlike a lot of modern locos I had forgotten that you need to give it plenty of juice to get it moving and only if the wheels and track are very clean. Poor pick ups on such a short loco.

 

I still have my first loco which is a Hornby 0-6-0PT (1970's) painful runner compared to the likes of the Bachy 08 but still gets a run from time to time.

 

Also gave the Wrenn BR Std 4 2-6-4T a run - got sidelined for the Bachy for day to day running.

 

Dad has a Trix OO Flying Scotsman.

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The last interesting running session I had was on saturday gone in my parents' loft. I started with a Hornby Dublo 'Bristol castle' and ended with 'Mallard' from the same stable. In between I tried several BR N2s (69567 - but then all the 3rail BR ones were, including the rare late one with coal in the tender that I tried) and an LMS one which seemed more intent on smoking than moving - one for the repairs department. There were also two 4MTs (80054 the both of them) and two 'Duchess of Athol' locomotives. I tried four different 8Fs (48158 needed attention though the other three ran well - 48109 and 48073 are converted to 3rail). The plain green Deltic spat its perished traction tyres off and proceded to smoke (for repair now) and the converted Crepello ran fine. D8000 ran well, though it waddled worse than a cheap lady of the night.

 

Rolling stock: LNER D1 and D2 coaches, along with an assortment of BR and LNER liveried vans. It was an interesting running session, telling me only that the Hornby Dublo 8F was and still is a fine model, whilst their version of the class 55 has to rank as being the least like its prototype model ever made.

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It was an interesting running session, telling me only that the Hornby Dublo 8F was and still is a fine model, whilst their version of the class 55 has to rank as being the least like its prototype model ever made.

 

The HD 'Deltic' suffers from their 'short' mentality. !5" curves means reduced length. Their competitors (Trix and Tri-ang) got over this - at least in part.

 

I would propose for lack of realism:-

 

Trix 'Compound' and 'Hunt' and worse still their 'Schools'. Tri-ang (Hornby) 'S class 0-6-0ST, 'Princess', 'Hall', 'Arthur' and 06 diesel. (I still can't used to the equation Hornby = Tri-ang! :unsure::blink: )

 

Excluded from the above are all the weird 0-4-0s manufactured as starter locos. I started with 'Duchess of Atholl' aged 4 (nearly 5 - I'm a Capricorn)! You can't count the Hornby (proper Hornby) 0-4-0T LMS maroon tank I had at age 2. Post war Hornby was strictly 'toy train'. Shame really I would have loved one of their 4-4-0s. (Still would, but you can buy ten 00 locos for the current price of one of these.)

 

Latest run is the 2-6-4T I'm restoring. Here's a (rubbish) photo of her. She's sitting between a Trix U.S. Passenger loco and a 2 railed HD N2.

post-6780-127417021772.jpg

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.... telling me only that the Hornby Dublo 8F was and still is a fine model, whilst their version of the class 55 has to rank as being the least like its prototype model ever made.

Its Lima counterpart upholding this fine tradition presently in their Railroad range, of course wink.gif

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Ironically I think the green versions of the HD deltic sold more than the correctly liveried versions. This seems held up by the prices that "St Paddy" and "Crepello" command over their unamed green sister.

I think that's 'cos the green one came out first, and HD waited until it sold out before doing a re-run in the correct two-tone green. Sceond run models have always tended to sell less as many potential customers would already have one.

 

I've only got 2 HD models - the Co-Bo, which I rather like (at least it's the correct length), and the EMU which I finally acquired several years ago after many years of coveting. Both are complete and original, but not mint - so I can play with them :rolleyes:

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Latest run is the 2-6-4T I'm restoring. Here's a (rubbish) photo of her. She's sitting between a Trix U.S. Passenger loco and a 2 railed HD N2.

 

Looks better for having new pony wheels, was never that keen on the plastic ones HD used. My Fairburn tank was converted from a Wrenn version so metal tyres all round. The Standard tank is a big favourite of mine; Chris Leigh's "Modelling BR 1948-1968" features a super-detailed version (by Alan Gibson, I think) which is a superb take on the HD model.

 

David

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Maybe I've missed something here, but why on earth would one want to super-detail a crud HD 2-6-4T with outsize motion designed over 50 years agowacko.gif when there is a darn good Bachmann 2-6-4T available?

 

Because;

 

(1) The HD model was the only RTR one available when that book was written (alternatives = build your own or buy a megabucks DJH kit).

(2) Partly for the satisfying "I did that feeling" and partly for reasons of cost, I'd rather by a cheap 2nd-hand loco and put a bit of work into it. The end product might not be the highest standard around, but no-one else will have one exactly identical to it (same reason I've always assembled my own bikes rather than buying off-the-peg).

 

David

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And they're almost indestructible!

Seriously, the appearance of the Bachmann version did put a stop to my plans to detail up my first 4MT from 1954. I did get as far as reprofiling the wheels to EM and fitting Gibson 9 spoke pony/bogie wheels :). Unfortunately I overdid one of the drivers and she then kept derailing. She now has replacement wheels and a new armature. (the original had a section of copper burnt away through use - still ran though!) I now have five of them but that's another story.

 

There's a nice article on the Dublo 4MT in the November 1954 Meccano Magazine

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I ran my rake of renovated Airfix Type B ESSO Tanks, well some of them at any rate. I've removed some hideous amounts of linka plaster which was plugged up inside the tanks which I split open in the end...I started a thread on the very subject, following Il Grifone and Bertiedog's advice. Having brutalised the tanks and glued them back together I set about fitting brake blocks from the debris I got sent when I bought them thanks to the previous owner.

Next was to fit romford bearings in the axle housings and then new sets of Hornby wheels. Admiring my handywork I got a call from SWMBO..."HAVEN'T YOU SPENT ENOUGH TIME IN THERE???" she subtly inquired.

 

I look forward to my next escape with bated eagerness...

 

Only joking...I love her really.

 

jules ;)

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Admiring my handywork I got a call from SWMBO..."HAVEN'T YOU SPENT ENOUGH TIME IN THERE???" she subtly inquired.

 

I look forward to my next escape with bated eagerness...

 

Only joking...I love her really.

 

jules ;)

 

Been there! :blink::(

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