A worrying trend.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

I’m sorry Dave, but I can’t do that...

[Wolseley]

I have a Wrenn LMS red 2-6-4T body in very good condition (other than the number being almost gone from one side and some scuffing on the lining) and a Dublo 2-6-4T rolling chassis (minus pony truck, bogie, pickup and armature) in excellent condition.  After looking at the parts on offer on eBay, I ended up buying a rather sad looking but running (albeit sluggishly) complete Dublo 2-6-4T for £48.95 plus postage from the UK to Australia, for which the vendor was asking only £4.71.  Much cheaper than separately buying an armature, pick-up, pony truck, bogie and fixing screws.

[cypherman]

54 minutes ago, Wolseley said:

I have a Wrenn LMS red 2-6-4T body in very good condition (other than the number being almost gone from one side and some scuffing on the lining) and a Dublo 2-6-4T rolling chassis (minus pony truck, bogie, pickup and armature) in excellent condition.  After looking at the parts on offer on eBay, I ended up buying a rather sad looking but running (albeit sluggishly) complete Dublo 2-6-4T for £48.95 plus postage from the UK to Australia, for which the vendor was asking only £4.71.  Much cheaper than separately buying an armature, pick-up, pony truck, bogie and fixing screws.

Hi all,

Wolseley as I mentioned earlier I have done the same with a castle. £90.00 for the bits plus p+p or £40.00 inc p+p  for a full if tatty working castle. No brainer. Plus I get some extra spares for my spares box.

[Il Grifone]

22 hours ago, bobthemilk said:

Sorry guys I m a bit obtuse  in this matter of  fitting x04 motors to a dublo  8f of either persuasion , 1/2 inch or ringfield . I have a few dublo 8f s in my tuit box,  less motors , but spare x04 motors . Is this easy for a left handed 10 thumbed buffon like myself to attemp and any pointers/instructions on how to do it...........

 

many thanks in anticipation

 

bobthemilk - foothills of the pennines

 

 

There are two problems fitted an X.04 in place of the Dublo motor. The gears are different and making a motor mounting. Luckily I found a spare layshaft on eBay. The Dublo and Tri-ang motors both have 3/32" armature shafts so it's just a question of swopping the worms. They are a tight force fit on the Tri-ang motors so need a puller or a large file to destroy the worm, taking care to not destroy anything else. The Dublo worms are soldered on, so just need heat. Fixing the replement then requires some locking compound. I can't remember the relevant make/code off hand, but Araldite would do. Fixing the motor then needs two loops at the front to hold the two lugs and a hole drilled and tapped 8 BA* for the rear fixing screw. This needs to be adjustable to set the correct gear mesh - just short of intimate contact - a cigarette paper was suggested as a feeler gauge IIRC.

Then just connect up the wire(s) from the pickups to the brushes. and away she goes. (Some final tweaking may be necessary.)

* To be in sympathy with the original; metric or even American threads will do.

Silicon sealant has been suggested as a motor mounting, but, not having tried it,  I can't say any more

[Il Grifone]

4 hours ago, Wolseley said:

I have a Wrenn LMS red 2-6-4T body in very good condition (other than the number being almost gone from one side and some scuffing on the lining) and a Dublo 2-6-4T rolling chassis (minus pony truck, bogie, pickup and armature) in excellent condition.  After looking at the parts on offer on eBay, I ended up buying a rather sad looking but running (albeit sluggishly) complete Dublo 2-6-4T for £48.95 plus postage from the UK to Australia, for which the vendor was asking only £4.71.  Much cheaper than separately buying an armature, pick-up, pony truck, bogie and fixing screws.

 

£48.95 seems a bit high for a dud 4MT tank, but it depends how quickly you want it. The sluggish running is probably the usual crud and/or a tired magnet (unless the shunt is wound right in - this would need removing for a Wrenn body anyway.

Reasonable prices for the bits IMHO are armature £10, pickup the same (though they seem to command higher prices (fit a Märklin skate instead? about a fiver), pony and bogie a fiver ( a bit more if you want the correct pivot screws as well but a 6 (IIRC) BA cheesehead screw and a 4mm or 5/32" bush will do instead. (A dead CD player can possibly supply these - they are used in the sled mechanism or cut a piece of brass tube). Of course several sets of postage to Australia will alter things a bit.

Now we are out of the EU with Boris's fantastic deal ( ) and we join Australia's trading block, this may change.*

*If they will have us. I remember how long it took us to join the (then) Common Market. (We should  have joined when it started, but xenophobia was rife even then.)

 

[bobthemilk]

5 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

 

There are two problems fitted an X.04 in place of the Dublo motor. The gears are different and making a motor mounting. Luckily I found a spare layshaft on eBay. The Dublo and Tri-ang motors both have 3/32" armature shafts so it's just a question of swopping the worms. They are a tight force fit on the Tri-ang motors so need a puller or a large file to destroy the worm, taking care to not destroy anything else. The Dublo worms are soldered on, so just need heat. Fixing the replement then requires some locking compound. I can't remember the relevant make/code off hand, but Araldite would do. Fixing the motor then needs two loops at the front to hold the two lugs and a hole drilled and tapped 8 BA* for the rear fixing screw. This needs to be adjustable to set the correct gear mesh - just short of intimate contact - a cigarette paper was suggested as a feeler gauge IIRC.

Then just connect up the wire(s) from the pickups to the brushes. and away she goes. (Some final tweaking may be necessary.)

* To be in sympathy with the original; metric or even American threads will do.

Silicon sealant has been suggested as a motor mounting, but, not having tried it,  I can't say any more

Sounds like a project in the offing - many thanks

 

Bobthemilk  -  foothills of the pennines - silly soft stuff forecast

[GoingUnderground]

Breaking up an item is common everywhere and will happen whenever someone thinks that the parts are worth more than the whole. It even happens to entire companies, but then it's called asset stripping.

 

I have bought components from obvious asset strippers/breakers when I really needed a part, but try to avoid them if I can because of their high prices. As others have said, you can spot the asset stripper by their list of items for sale on ebay. But buying spares for a rare and long discontinued model or even the model itself is a bit like buying land, they're not making it any more.

 

I too have heard it said that the HRCA had members whose reason for bidding at their auctions was to resell on ebay. If I had any Hornby O Gauge or Dublo to sell I'd put it on ebay simply to maximise the potential number of buyers as that ought to attract a better price than selling at a closed auction like the HRCA ones which I have attended in the past.

[Wolseley]

8 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

 

£48.95 seems a bit high for a dud 4MT tank, but it depends how quickly you want it.

 

 

It was a good price once the cost of postage to Australia was factored in.  It will be interesting to see what the actual cost of postage is once it arrives.  I feel that the vendor has underestimated the cost.

[cypherman]

23 hours ago, Wolseley said:

 

It was a good price once the cost of postage to Australia was factored in.  It will be interesting to see what the actual cost of postage is once it arrives.  I feel that the vendor has underestimated the cost.

Hi all,

You do not say whether it is 2 or 3 rail chassis you got. The 3 rail engines seem to be a bit cheaper. But there are several of those engines going for £45-£60 working and in good condition both 2 and 3 rail on Ebay at the moment. But as you say there is the cost of postage to take into consideration.

Edited December 29, 2020 by cypherman

[Steamport Southport]

This has always gone on. But I've noticed it being worse since lockdown happened.

 

I've been after a Mainline/Hornby/etc N2 body for a while. Should be about a tenner, but I'm seeing them for £40! 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/132902792444?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=132902792444&targetid=1000151318540&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9075129&poi=&campaignid=10204066968&mkgroupid=107296203972&rlsatarget=pla-1000151318540&abcId=1145985&merchantid=110524410&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-qT3sZXy7QIV4-jtCh07XQANEAQYByABEgLR__D_BwE

 

But I think the problem is the lack of exhibitions and swap meets. Everyone is trying to squeeze the last penny out of things. So prices have gone up.

 

Have you seen the price of things like second hand books? They've rocketed. I don't mean collectable first editions, but bog standard books.

 

I'm afraid it's the collectors market that is being hit. If you want new stuff then you can just go to a shop or buy online.

 

It'll hopefully ease when places start reopening.

 

 

Jason

[Il Grifone]

I am wondering if we are going to see any more fairs once the pandemic is over. A year's shutdown is enough to kill most businesses. They seemed more full of tat even before the crisis and I noticed several regular stallholders not appearing.

 

I checked on eBay and Dublo 2-6-4Ts seem rather expensive at present though there was a tidy example at a reasonable price. It can't have seen much use as the collector shoes seem almost new (possibly replaced?). Märklin skates seem to have increased in price. It's probably due to the collapse in the value of the pound caused by Brexit. (The Markets don't appear the share the enthusiasm of Boris and Nigel....)

Edited December 29, 2020 by Il Grifone

[Silverfox17]

I used to have a stall at Doncaster a couple of times a year to sell of my stock not needed and found people wanted things cheaper and cheaper. I had a couple of very nice Dublo 2-6-4's for £25 each which did not sell although I was offered £15 for the pair to take of hands, I said no.  In the end I had to to put both and a spare chassis as one package on Ebay which sold for £45, one bidder.

 

One loco was a Dublo Deltic repaint that would not sell on Ebay for £90 a few times I tried and someone at the fair did get me to drop down to £80 for it. That night a friend who I had seen at the fair told me it was on Ebay and sure enough it was, £495. It was his perogative to do what he wanted but my wife says she will recogonise him and he will not get any more reduced items. Sellers name "Daves locker room" from Alfreton.  No idea if it ever sold at that as it was on for a good 6 months so he could have been offered a lot less but more than he paid to pass on. His items, always buy it now, are generally quite expensive anyway, one to keep away from. 

 

Regarding stalls, Doncaster was always quite big but the year before Covid there were a handful not taken up and not as many buyers. With the stall prices going up I said we probably won't be going again as a seller but will still go as a visitor although that could be a while as even if they opened late next year I don't know how safe I would feel about it yet, vaccine or no vaccine.  

 

Looking at the unofficial time calander for vaccines I am due Feb/March and my wife Apr/May for ours. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Silverfox17

[cypherman]

1 hour ago, Silverfox17 said:

I used to have a stall at Doncaster a couple of times a year to sell of my stock not needed and found people wanted things cheaper and cheaper. I had a couple of very nice Dublo 2-6-4's for £25 each which did not sell although I was offered £15 for the pair to take of hands, I said no.  In the end I had to to put both and a spare chassis as one package on Ebay which sold for £45, one bidder.

 

One loco was a Dublo Deltic repaint that would not sell on Ebay for £90 a few times I tried and someone at the fair did get me to drop down to £80 for it. That night a friend who I had seen at the fair told me it was on Ebay and sure enough it was, £495. It was his perogative to do what he wanted but my wife says she will recogonise him and he will not get any more reduced items. Sellers name "Daves locker room" from Alfreton.  No idea if it ever sold at that as it was on for a good 6 months so he could have been offered a lot less but more than he paid to pass on. His items, always buy it now, are generally quite expensive anyway, one to keep away from. 

 

Regarding stalls, Doncaster was always quite big but the year before Covid there were a handful not taken up and not as many buyers. With the stall prices going up I said we probably won't be going again as a seller but will still go as a visitor although that could be a while as even if they opened late next year I don't know how safe I would feel about it yet, vaccine or no vaccine.  

 

Looking at the unofficial time calander for vaccines I am due Feb/March and my wife Apr/May for ours. 

Hi Silverfox.

I have just bought a H/D 2 rail Deltic Crepello with quite reasonable conditioned body but perfect working order for £60.00 inc postage. Just needs a little touch up of the paint. To get the money you were asking for that Deltic it would have to be in it's box and in moderately good original condition. Repaints are difficult to sell IMHO as by repainting it you have automatically devalued it. Plus one persons idea of a nice repaint in invariably not some one else's.  Daves locker room would have about zero chance of selling at that price as mint ones are going for about £175.00 boxed. Except for one chap who has overpriced his at £295.00 on Ebay.

As far as vaccines go your head will not explode or your arm drop off. It is no worse than the flu vaccine. I get my second dose at 9am new years day. So no partying for me on new years eve as it will be a 52 mile round trip to get it.....

[Silverfox17]

I have sold many Dublo repaints all at a good price except for Diesels, these do not seem to be as sought after as something different like a steam loco.  Mine was a Co-Co body which did not have the raised edges. It was in an Dublo style individual named box as most of my repaints.  I do not class repainting of any of my models as devaluing them.  

[Blandford1969]

Its simple really, if people did not buy them at the prices dealers would not break things up. However people do buy them which encourages them more. Lets face it some buy things just to break them up to sell for a higher price than as a whole. 

[5050]

On 30/12/2020 at 11:08, cypherman said:

 I get my second dose at 9am new years day. So no partying for me on new years eve as it will be a 52 mile round trip to get it.....

How did you manage that!?  I've no idea when I will get my first and I'm (allegedly) high(ish) on the list at 74.

[Mark Saunders]

The sum of the parts is greater than the whole!

[Il Grifone]

14 hours ago, 5050 said:

How did you manage that!?  I've no idea when I will get my first and I'm (allegedly) high(ish) on the list at 74.

 

I'm not quite 74 (Friday week) and am wondering the same thing. Italy  is pushing the vaccine and here in Sardinia, we don't suffer from overpopulation, but Italian red tape yes.... On the plus side, Covid is rather less prevalent here and we don't suffer from anti-mask covidiots.

 

Back on topic, what is it particularly about the Dublo Deltic that makes it so 'not right'? It's not just the lack of length. Is it over height too? Part of the problem was rushing to get the model out ASAP and missing some last minute prototype design changes. (Hornby suffered from the same thing twenty years on with their Class 58.)

Edited January 3, 2021 by Il Grifone

[cypherman]

Hi all,

I am 62 year old nurse working on the frontline. That's why I got my vaccine. Now if any one here wants to come and do my job I suggest you go and volunteer at your local hospital. So I am a key worker. What I am trying to say is that there is nothing to worry about getting the vaccine. Especially with all the crap that the idiotic conspiracy theorists out there a spouting. I have had my second dose and I am still here with nothing more than a slightly sore arm.

Edited January 3, 2021 by cypherman

[Wheatley]

14 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

The sum of the parts is greater than the whole!

Quite. Some of the language used earlier in this thread is OTT ('unscrupulous.... greedy... shameful ...). If I've got one, whatever it is and I'm disposing of it then with very few exceptions it's entirely up to me whether I sell it as an ongoing project, give it away, break it for spares or landfill it, no matter how rare or unique it is. Annoying possibly, but hardly unscrupulous. 

 

There's a Series 2 Landrover sitting on the drive which I'm realistically never going to finish. Its a runner but it needs some welding. I could sell it as it stands for about 2 grand or break it and make double that. Which I eventually do will depend entirely on what I can  be bothered to do, not what anyone else thinks I should do with it. 

[cypherman]

2 minutes ago, Wheatley said:

Quite. Some of the language used earlier in this thread is OTT ('unscrupulous.... greedy... shameful ...). If I've got one, whatever it is and I'm disposing of it then with very few exceptions it's entirely up to me whether I sell it as an ongoing project, give it away, break it for spares or landfill it, no matter how rare or unique it is. Annoying possibly, but hardly unscrupulous. 

 

There's a Series 2 Landrover sitting on the drive which I'm realistically never going to finish. Its a runner but it needs some welding. I could sell it as it stands for about 2 grand or break it and make double that. Which I eventually do will depend entirely on what I can  be bothered to do, not what anyone else thinks I should do with it. 

Hi Wheatley,

We were not talking about people selling of their spare parts etc. But dealer deliberately buying in models with the intent of splitting them to sell their individual parts. You did not buy the landrover to strip but to restore. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by cypherman

[Wheatley]

So ? That's free market economics, if that's how the dealer chooses to maximise his profit then good luck to him. 

[Mark Saunders]

13 minutes ago, cypherman said:

Hi Wheatley,

We were not talking about people selling of their spare parts etc. But dealer deliberately buying in models with the intent of splitting them to sell their individual parts. You did not buy the landrover to strip but to restore. 

Thats the basis of a whole industry but have you tried getting spare parts in recent years it’s not like the good old days when the same parts were in production for years! I think I’ll break my Mainline 56 for spares rather than sell it complete!

[cypherman]

15 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

Thats the basis of a whole industry but have you tried getting spare parts in recent years it’s not like the good old days when the same parts were in production for years! I think I’ll break my Mainline 56 for spares rather than sell it complete!

Yes I agree about the spares situation. But you did not buy the 56 to deliberately split for spares. We are talking about dealers buying in to deliberately and doing that. The charging extortionate amounts for the spares. Things like £20-£25 for a front bogie for a H/D castle. I bought a whole castle for £33.00 including postage. It is not really that they are doing it. But the high prices they are charging for the parts. And quite often even with these high prices they have the nerve to charge postage. You want to pay their prices be my guest. I am willing to pay reasonable amounts for spares but not in my humble opinion be ripped off.

Edited January 3, 2021 by cypherman

[Wheatley]

There must be enough people daft enough to pay the high prices asked otherwise it wouldn't be worth their while breaking it. But there clearly are so it is a viable business.