More model ideas

[NXEA!]

7 hours ago, NZRedBaron said:

Well, I can't recall if I've ever posted ideas on this thread; but I will make the same suggestions and comments that I made on the similar thread about Rapido models, such as their Jones Goods engine.

 

On the one hand, it's all very well and good making those high quality models; but if they don't have appropriate stock to haul, whether passenger coaches or goods wagons, then it's all a bit half-baked; for instance, it's fine and good to have the 'Buckjumpers' (J67/68/69) in GER livery, but without proper GER coaches or wagons to haul, then the job feels only half done.

 

On the other hand, as a shameless LNER-ist with a slight fondness for Scottish and East Anglian operations, it would be nice to fill out the roster there, with some ex-NER equipment (like Raven's S3 class, aka the LNER B16/1's), Gresley's K2 moguls, or even some of the more oddball designs, like the GER Class T26 'Holden Intermediates' 2-4-0's, aka LNER E4's.

I’ll second an LNER E4 and GER corridor coaches please! 

[Southernman46]

11 hours ago, MJI said:

 

They do 37s, and 37s pull them

Agreed, 40's do this instead ....................... 👍

[atom3624]

I remember as a teenager in the 70's going to a model railway show at the Bluecoat Chambers, Liverpool city centre, and being really impressed with a smooth-running P4 layout, the locomotive having an actual crank, with working inside cylinders and running reliably.

 

I details are going to an extra level, this might be something to consider - certainly pull quite a coup over the other established 'steamie' manufacturers - just a thought.

 

Al.

[The Johnster]

Done in H0 for years with Shays, Climaxes, &c, so shouldn’t be too difficult.  In the same vein, rotating drive shafts on 1st-gen dmus and GW railcars would be a welcome addition.  We are often told that British modellers gib at the prices that would need to be demanded for such features, but I’m not so sure; we seem to be in a sort of detail/feature arms race for newly tooled models and the recession, coupled with increased prices and inflation, does not seem to have dampened demand for new models in general.  There may not be much money around in the economy, but there’s plenty in modelling…
 

There is a somewhat blurred line, simultaneously extremely fine, between ‘worthwhile’ detail/features and gimmicks, and a worthwhile detail/feature becomes a gimmick very quickly if it is not done well.  DCC (and the NFC control system that will almost certainly replace it so that locos can have on-board rechargeable power supplies in the future) enables working features such as opening sliding doors on coaches with indicator lights, so there seems little reason not to include features such as those mentioned above and others such as Walchearts valve gear setting; but the decisions will be made by marketing departments, and probably led by H0 companies.  New materials, stronger, less brittle, and more easily worked to fine tolerances may make finer operating features easier and cheaper to produce in future; my crystal ball gets a bit misted up sometimes, but you can bet that there will be finer detail and some of it will be operating!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wickham Green too]

Yeah, before long we'll have the technology for a REALISTIC Giraffe Wagon an' Battlespace Rocket Launcher ................. always thought the originals a bit gimmicky !! 🤪

[Dunsignalling]

9 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Done in H0 for years with Shays, Climaxes, &c, so shouldn’t be too difficult.  In the same vein, rotating drive shafts on 1st-gen dmus and GW railcars would be a welcome addition.  We are often told that British modellers gib at the prices that would need to be demanded for such features, but I’m not so sure; we seem to be in a sort of detail/feature arms race for newly tooled models and the recession, coupled with increased prices and inflation, does not seem to have dampened demand for new models in general.  There may not be much money around in the economy, but there’s plenty in modelling…
 

There is a somewhat blurred line, simultaneously extremely fine, between ‘worthwhile’ detail/features and gimmicks, and a worthwhile detail/feature becomes a gimmick very quickly if it is not done well.  DCC (and the NFC control system that will almost certainly replace it so that locos can have on-board rechargeable power supplies in the future) enables working features such as opening sliding doors on coaches with indicator lights, so there seems little reason not to include features such as those mentioned above and others such as Walchearts valve gear setting; but the decisions will be made by marketing departments, and probably led by H0 companies.  New materials, stronger, less brittle, and more easily worked to fine tolerances may make finer operating features easier and cheaper to produce in future; my crystal ball gets a bit misted up sometimes, but you can bet that there will be finer detail and some of it will be operating!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be enough difficulty in persuading the trade to make models of units without loading the menu with a bunch of new ideas for extra features....  

 

John

[MoonM]

14xx?

[atom3624]

If we believe a quarter of what Sam had to say about the last 14xx, a 'latest standards' version would be brilliant - very, very popular locomotive - model and heritage full-scale railways, and obviously their original use on branch lines - very popular to model.

 

Al.

Edited April 6 by atom3624

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, atom3624 said:

If we believe a quarter of what Sam had to say about the last 14xx, a 'latest standards' version would be brilliant - very, very popular locomotive - model and heritage full-scale railways, and obviously their original use on branch lines - very popular to model.

 

Al.

 

However most of them didn't work on branch lines....

 

Might be worth looking at the actual allocations of them and hopefully dispel the myth of the GWR branch line. They were just lightweight passenger engines.

 

http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/042_1400det.htm

 

http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/042_5800det.htm

 

I blame that film,,,,

 

 

Jason

[BVMR21]

11 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

However most of them didn't work on branch lines....

 

Might be worth looking at the actual allocations of them and hopefully dispel the myth of the GWR branch line. They were just lightweight passenger engines.

 

http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/042_1400det.htm

 

http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/042_5800det.htm

 

I blame that film,,,,

 

 

Jason

Didn't know there was a 14xx based out of Brecon shed (1474/4874 appears to have been), interesting links.

Still generally speaking, people think of them as perfect branch line locos, so having them as an option to a high standard, with a quality mechanism, wouldn't go amiss. Especially when the prices and unavailability of the better of the 2 models would conduce, at least myself to believe that there is almost certainly a high demand for such a model.

[MJI]

16 hours ago, atom3624 said:

If we believe a quarter of what Sam had to say about the last 14xx, a 'latest standards' version would be brilliant - very, very popular locomotive - model and heritage full-scale railways, and obviously their original use on branch lines - very popular to model.

 

Al.

Small prairies for branches, 14xx worked local mainline services.

[atom3624]

6 minutes ago, MJI said:

Small prairies for branches, 14xx worked local mainline services.

I suppose if you think about, it makes sense what you say.

The 14xx could be 'more local stopping mainline services' where the gradients could be limited for the heavies.

Branch lines, as we see with many of the 'heritage' railways have some pretty difficult sections which the small prairie could be better suited for.

Whatever, the 14xx would be a very popular model for many.

Al.

[Roy Langridge]

6 minutes ago, atom3624 said:

Whatever, the 14xx would be a very popular model for many.

Al.

Fully agree, but as I have said before, if we are looking at a new 0-4-2, a GWR 517 would be great. 
 

Roy

[Steamport Southport]

It's as much the myth of branch lines that needs to be knocked on the head. There was only about twenty of them and some were worked by locomotives up to and including Kings!

 

Such as the Kingswear Branch.

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/newton-abbot-to-kingswear-also-brixham-branch.html

 

Minehead Branch was usually worked by Prairies and Moguls.

 

Think of the 14xxs as more the precursor of the DMU, you even got them working into Paddington on local trains to places like Southall and Greenford. It wasn't the closure of the branch lines that killed them, it was DMUs.

 

 

 

Jason

[The Johnster]

The branch line myth also applies to auto-trailers; you could certainly find them on bucolic backwaters but the bulk of their work, and that of the associated locos, was on suburban services over main lines.  

[tomparryharry]

TBH, I think young Sam doesn't quite understand the haulage capacity of steam locomotives in the real world. If there was heavy snow on the Penygraig branch, the 14xx would be taken off, and substituted for a 6-wheel loco, such as a pannier.  On other times, the loco would be rostered to the job regardless. 

 

There are well-known photographs of the 48xx racing between Gloucester & Standish, up against Scots & Jubilees. A large Metro would be ideal, having a slight edge over the 48xx in terms of weight, range & haulage. 

[MJI]

Stroud Valley was a good example of 14xx usage .

[Dunsignalling]

47 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

The branch line myth also applies to auto-trailers; you could certainly find them on bucolic backwaters but the bulk of their work, and that of the associated locos, was on suburban services over main lines.  

The auto-train concept was more necessary for suburban work.

 

The service frequency on most branch lines didn't require quick turn arounds and, in most cases, all the work was done with one loco and a single crew on each turn.

 

Many branches carried greater goods traffic than a 14xx could handle. Hence the dominance of small prairies or 57xx.

 

John

[The Johnster]

Exactly.  Though auto-working was common on short urban branches where intense rush-hour traffic needed fast turnarounds.  Auto-trailers were developed from steam railmotors, which were introduced originally to compete with new electric tram suburban expansion around the turn of the 20th century, with which the first trailers were designed to run.  These SRMs generally proved to be victims of their own success and struggled with the timetables, so the obvious next move was to use the trailers with auto-fitted locos, ideally redacted surplus but still useable stuff like 517s and Metros.  The SRMs were rebuilt into trailers over time, the last one going in the 30s, and the 48xx/14xx was the first of a series of locos specifically designed for auto-work, a modernisation of the 517.  Modernised 2021s followed in the form of the 54xx, then the smaller-wheeled 64xx for gradient-infested routes.  The ultimate was the number of 4575s fitted with auto gear for an extension of auto-work in South Wales in 1953. 

 

Of the small prairies, the 44xx and 45xx tended to gravitate to true branch line work of the bucolic backwater sort we love to model, but not exclusively; 4575s were used on longer branches like the Cardigan where their axle loading could be accommodated and the extra water capacity of the larger tanks was useful. 

[G-BOAF]

Unfortunately has to return a new model for repair last week.

I was amazed when I put the address of the new repair centre into Google Earth Pro and moved the images back to 1945, that this facility is situated on the site of Darlington Bank Top Shed (51A). Unless the AS team are taking fanaticism to a whole new level, I presume this is just coincidence, caused by commercial common sense, rather than seeking out a site for repairs located specifically on a former engine shed. But it must be a (global) first to have a model railway repair facility based on the site of the real thing???!!!

 

However now they have got it, one of the many Darlington based steam classes surely is a must, just for the authenticity of carrying out warranty repairs on the actual site where the prototype was serviced and repaired. (just a shame they can't open a UK-based tooling room a little further North in Darlington).

 

Just something I thought was worth flagging and celebrating (and surprised the AS team themselves have not made a thing of this, given the 'authenticity' it adds)!

[McC]

12 minutes ago, G-BOAF said:

Unfortunately has to return a new model for repair last week.

I was amazed when I put the address of the new repair centre into Google Earth Pro and moved the images back to 1945, that this facility is situated on the site of Darlington Bank Top Shed (51A). Unless the AS team are taking fanaticism to a whole new level, I presume this is just coincidence, caused by commercial common sense, rather than seeking out a site for repairs located specifically on a former engine shed. But it must be a (global) first to have a model railway repair facility based on the site of the real thing???!!!

 

However now they have got it, one of the many Darlington based steam classes surely is a must, just for the authenticity of carrying out warranty repairs on the actual site where the prototype was serviced and repaired. (just a shame they can't open a UK-based tooling room a little further North in Darlington).

 

Just something I thought was worth flagging and celebrating (and surprised the AS team themselves have not made a thing of this, given the 'authenticity' it adds)!

 

Total Coincidence (and we don't have a view of the running lines from the lab) :) (Ok, well actually we do :) 

[Craig1989]

When’s the next announcement boys it’s been far too long since one 😂

 

cheers Craig 

[McC]

3 hours ago, Craig1989 said:

When’s the next announcement boys it’s been far too long since one 😂

 

cheers Craig 

 

Oh very soon. Our ‘launch later’ mantra means that things will be much much closer to delivery before revealed 👍👍

[atom3624]

1 hour ago, McC said:

 

Oh very soon. Our ‘launch later’ mantra means that things will be much much closer to delivery before revealed 👍👍

Does that include the Class 40 then .... just asking?  😊

 

Al.

[TrainsRule88]

2 hours ago, McC said:

 

Oh very soon. Our ‘launch later’ mantra means that things will be much much closer to delivery before revealed 👍👍

Exciting! 
 

Got my fingers crossed for a new class 153 DMU 😀