At what age does something become collectable and vintage.

[GoingUnderground]

1 hour ago, Il Grifone said:

The connections to the brush gear are rather cr poor on the Tri-ang Co bogie. On one side the 'spider' has a tag to connect to the brush. not perfect but it works. Instead of another tag on the other side, there is a complicated arrangement through the pivot bolt. The plastic pivot for the brush is inclined to melt through overheating. An EM2 bogie powers my model of 10000 (or maybe 10001). I must get on and finish it. Lockdown and Brexit make it difficult at the moment.

 

A scrap chassis will provide the assembly for the pivot for another power bogie. I find they are quite powerful without a second bogie and there is plenty of room for lead* in the body.

 

* Other less toxic materials are available, but we are not going to eat it.

The "complicated", I prefer "ingenious" arrangement forms part of the very neatly concealed Track/Overhead switch for the EM2. This is used unchanged by the Classes 31 and 37 as well, except that they have a bridging washer fitted below the bogie pivot nut that links the contact strip to the pivot nut electrically which itself sits on the brush spring. The bridging washer takes the place of the sliding phosphor bronze strip used to switch between track and overhead supply. 

 

Rovex could have used a mirror image contact strip for the 31 and 37, but stuck with the arrangements designed specifically for the EM2. The plastic moulding can soften if the brush arm heats up excessively, I have had one soften and distort on me, but  I cut out the softened/melted part and replaced it with a piece of paxolin PCB, which won't soften or melt, superglued in place. This same softening/melting problem can apply to the Tri-ang era Hymek as it uses the same styrene plastic moulding as the EM2, and Classes 31 and 37, and I think the Transcontinental Series Budd Railcar. The brush arm and brush assembly is the standard Rovex one as used in the X04 motor, but the brush holder on the X04 is not thermoplastic and doesn't melt if the brush arm does get hot. Yuo could call using as many components as possible across as many models as possible "penny-pinching", but economists call this the "economies of scale".

[GoingUnderground]

And just in case anyone is in any doubt, the Tri-ang EM2 is my favourite loco and eminently collectable, followed by the Trix EM1, the Tri-ang Steeplecab, and the Tri-ang AL1. The Bemo RhB Ge4/4 "Krokodil", Bemo RhB Bernina Ge4/4 "Krokodil", and Roco Ce 6/8 "Krokodil". are my favourite European prototypes, and I regard them as "collectable" irrespective of their age. You may have noticed a common theme running through this list, and you'd be right, I prefer electric traction, including trams and even trolleybuses - blame my parents for living in "Metroland".

 

I'm afraid that the bigger the steam loco, the less I like it. 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 tanks and the like have a charm, and that makes them "collectable" to me irrespective of age. I have an L&Y Pug, an SECR P Class and a Terrier simply because I like the look of them, whereas A2s, A4s, Black 5s, Merchant Navy, Jubilees and the rest of the kettles that get so many modellers fired up don't do much for me. Or, to put it another way, the bigger the steam loco the less it interests me and the less collectable it is.

[Il Grifone]

How about this one?

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FS_E551_001.jpg

[GoingUnderground]

11 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

How about this one?

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FS_E551_001.jpg

It knocks spots off this https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9b/91/e9/9b91e9e450d242d3ae70ede03832f28f--steam-locomotive-rail.jpg

 

But please can we avoid playing "my loco's uglier than yours" games.

Edited February 7, 2021 by GoingUnderground

[Il Grifone]

Ugly?

That's a solid reliable piece of Italian engineering!

 

The Leader, on the other hand, is best described by, "It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

Edited February 7, 2021 by Il Grifone

[GoingUnderground]

4 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

Ugly?

That's a solid piece of Italian engineering!

As I said, I'm not playing games.