Slimming Down a Class 08?

[Ray Von]

Hi all, I have a Farish Class 08 which - unless I can alter it - I will have to retire.

The problem arises when it approaches platforms, the connector rods catch on the edges and derails or jams the loco. (You can see in the pic how far they stick out from the body of the engine.)

I don't really want to reduce the width of the platforms as they already sit quite far from "normal" carriage stock and loco's.

The connector rods are simply pushed into the plastic brackets on the wheels with brass pins, so it occurred that with some judicious filing, and reinsertion of the pins and rods - I could reduce the width?

Thoughts and suggestions??

Edited February 22, 2021 by Ray Von

[Bristol_Rich]

It might not help resolve the issue, but it looks like the coupled wheelset has been inserted upside down. The raised points on the coupling should point upwards.

[Ray Von]

4 minutes ago, Bristol_Rich said:

It might not help resolve the issue, but it looks like the coupled wheelset has been inserted upside down. The raised points on the coupling should point upwards.

That's probably my doing, they've popped off a few times! 

[DCB]

Bit of filing, here and there suck it and see, you can always stick it on eBay as a non runner if you muck it up.  It could be the back to back is wrong, too narrow, letting the loco crab or run out of line. Being wider than scale width is a common issue with models, its worse with HO but its the UK prototype high platforms which cause the issues. just for once the usual issue of model platforms being too high should actually help. but in any case the full size 08 is narrower over the cranks than most outside cylinder locos.   Maybe a thorough investigation would find the issue is limited to just a few places which can be altered to accommodate the over width 08.   Churchward on the GWR was told his proposed  locos were too wide, he fitted templates indicating the new profile to a Dean loco and ran it to see what if anything hit it.  The amount of stuff it hit was minimal.

help 

[Ray Von]

22 hours ago, DavidCBroad said:

Bit of filing, here and there suck it and see, you can always stick it on eBay as a non runner if you muck it up.  It could be the back to back is wrong, too narrow, letting the loco crab or run out of line. Being wider than scale width is a common issue with models, its worse with HO but its the UK prototype high platforms which cause the issues. just for once the usual issue of model platforms being too high should actually help. but in any case the full size 08 is narrower over the cranks than most outside cylinder locos.   Maybe a thorough investigation would find the issue is limited to just a few places which can be altered to accommodate the over width 08.   Churchward on the GWR was told his proposed  locos were too wide, he fitted templates indicating the new profile to a Dean loco and ran it to see what if anything hit it.  The amount of stuff it hit was minimal.

help 

After lovingly filing, sanding and crafting and reconstruction of the new slimline version of the class 08 - I can confidently confirm, it don't work!

The holes in the connector rods are very large, this is to accommodate the pegs on the wheels - once the pegs are removed, the rods sort of just dangle from the rivets - as the shafts of which are thinner than a trackpins.

When power is supplied the wheels lock, due to driving set not being able to transfer their momentum.

A solution might be a complete re-fabricating of the rods in brass, but I feel that it would be academic - as the width was still a hairs breadth over that needed for platform clearance.