Liverpool and Manchester 'Lion'

[peterfgf]

18 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Mine (1930 , sound fitted) arrived yesterday. It is a lovely model. I read through the instruction manual, removed the loco and tender from the packaging, and placed it on my programming track. Nothing happened. The new  loco option on Decoder Pro either timed out or reported a random manufacturer ID for the decoder. No movement at all. I did try another decoder and that allowed it to state there was a short on the programming track. There wasn’t as it could identify other locos I tried. So I assume the short is somewhere in Lion. 
I have filled out the warranty form online at the Rapido website. Hopefully something will happen. It really is a splendid model and I look forward to it moving about !
Tiny

I had a similar problem, DOA - dead on arrival.  Sent back to Rapido, with pre-paid postage label, and returned very quickly.  Excellent service. Well done, Rapido.

[RapidoCorbs]

19 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Mine (1930 , sound fitted) arrived yesterday. It is a lovely model. I read through the instruction manual, removed the loco and tender from the packaging, and placed it on my programming track. Nothing happened. The new  loco option on Decoder Pro either timed out or reported a random manufacturer ID for the decoder. No movement at all. I did try another decoder and that allowed it to state there was a short on the programming track. There wasn’t as it could identify other locos I tried. So I assume the short is somewhere in Lion. 
I have filled out the warranty form online at the Rapido website. Hopefully something will happen. It really is a splendid model and I look forward to it moving about !
Tiny

Sorry to read about the issue with you Lion. Submitting the form automatically creates a ticket, then our warranty dept. can contact you directly as they work through the job lists.

 

[Tony_S]

15 minutes ago, RapidoCorbs said:

Sorry to read about the issue with you Lion. Submitting the form automatically creates a ticket, then our warranty dept. can contact you directly as they work through the job lists.

 

Thank you. I have never had a DOA for a factory fitted sound loco before but I wasn’t too worried about it being sorted, I had every confidence in Rapido’s after sale service.

It really is a nice model, a bit smaller than the first Rapido I bought which was the APTe.

Tony

[shedman]

Thought I'd have a bit of fun with my 1980's Lion, and create a train for it for my Heritage layout, Highfield. The result is attached. A Hornby 4w 1st LC&DR, a Rapido Loriot Y with a Hornby Railroad 4w coach body, and  Western Region Toad. I call it the Highfield Thunderflash.

[JSpencer]

On 26/08/2023 at 14:33, shedman said:

Thought I'd have a bit of fun with my 1980's Lion, and create a train for it for my Heritage layout, Highfield. The result is attached. A Hornby 4w 1st LC&DR, a Rapido Loriot Y with a Hornby Railroad 4w coach body, and  Western Region Toad. I call it the Highfield Thunderflash.

 

Nice photo, was the LC&DR a repaint you did yourself?

[shedman]

41 minutes ago, JSpencer said:

 

Nice photo, was the LC&DR a repaint you did yourself?

Thanks. No, it's a Hornby generic 4w.

[JSpencer]

3 hours ago, shedman said:

Thanks. No, it's a Hornby generic 4w.

LBSCR ? I ask because I'm not aware of Hornby doing LCDR (London Chatham Dover Railway).

[shedman]

17 hours ago, JSpencer said:

LBSCR ? I ask because I'm not aware of Hornby doing LCDR (London Chatham Dover Railway).

Sorry, yes you're correct. It's an LBSCR 0ne. 

[Guardian]

As the weather was good, I took the opportunity to picture Rapido's "Lion".

 

L. & M.Rly. no. 57 "Lion". 1930s condition. Rapido 913001/501.

 

I am very pleased with this model. Metal body, fine metal wheels, loco-tender connection with close coupling mechanism, hook-and-tension coupling at the rear of the tender. Reduced friction resistance by electrical pick-up through the axle bearings. The model looks great and reflects the 1928 ff. state. Only tiny little blemish is the small gap along the boiler between the upper and lower parts of the boiler.

 

In particular the driving characteristics are very good. The model creeps at minimum speed - below walking speed - across points. the tractive effort of the model of 179 g weight is very good compared to it's size. This model is made for working adequate trains and not just sitting in the showcase... 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Guardian

[Schooner]

Now people have had Lion on their layout for a little while, could I canvass for opinions on her real-world performance?

 

I'm particularly interested in slow-speed running, control, and torque. 

 

My DC layout is small (a glorified inglenook), but contains plenty of curved inset track; requires the shunting of 5ish whitemetal kit wagons and rarely sees controller power turned up above '30' (a venerable Gaugemaster DS). For comparison, my Hornby W4 Pecket (with a Neilson box tank body, weight c.85g) loves the layout, but struggles with the maximum torque requirements at those minimal speeds. The High Level kit Neilson with its 108:1 gearing fares better. I'm wondering where Lion, with her large drivers, sits on this spectrum?

 

If I were to get a Lion it'd be in this guise:

(images linked from @TurboSnail's excellent workbench thread)

 

...courtesy of @BlueLightning's shop, available here. So, no tender pickups but scope for extra weight if required.

 

What do owners think? Would Lionesque be a good fit for my requirements, or is she only really happy at higher power settings/speeds?

 

Thanks!

 

Schooner

[Dana Ashdown]

I have a question about the water pumps.

 

Hornby appear to have managed to fit water pumps behind the wheels of their Lion and Tiger. However, I can't see any on Rapido's Lion.

 

Did Rapido forget the water pumps?

[RapidoCorbs]

Bear in mind that the chassis design is rather different between the two brands. The RTUK one has a solid chassis block betwixt the wheels.

[Schooner]

On 11/10/2023 at 17:24, Schooner said:

...could I canvass for opinions on her real-world performance?

 

Don't all shout at once, now!

 

Well I took the plunge and placed an order. Lion  runs beautifully, in general. However, in astern she is noisy (electric-sounding buzz rather than mechanical-sounding), increasingly sharpy around a sticky spot in the rotation.There being little friction in the rods etc, I'm assuming this is in the mechanism proper.

 

Sound familiar to anyone? Hints/tips on fixes?

 

The saddle tank has just arrived from Oak Hill Works, so a near future job will be re-wiring the loco to do without the tender. I'd be grateful for any and all advice with this too :)

 

Cheers,

 

Schooner

[RapidoCorbs]

2 hours ago, Schooner said:

 

Don't all shout at once, now!

 

Well I took the plunge and placed an order. Lion  runs beautifully, in general. However, in astern she is noisy (electric-sounding buzz rather than mechanical-sounding), increasingly sharpy around a sticky spot in the rotation.There being little friction in the rods etc, I'm assuming this is in the mechanism proper.

 

Sound familiar to anyone? Hints/tips on fixes?

 

The saddle tank has just arrived from Oak Hill Works, so a near future job will be re-wiring the loco to do without the tender. I'd be grateful for any and all advice with this too :)

 

Cheers,

 

Schooner

 

Reverse running should be the same as forward. Please do drop us a line via the warranty form if there is a defect.

Edited November 13, 2023 by RapidoCorbs

[Pint of Adnams]

Just as an aside, I was looking up something else in Bertram Baxter's British Locomotive Catalogue 1825-1923 volume 6, Kestrel 2012. This volume covers inter alia the constituents of the Great Eastern Railway. The line drawing on the cover is of an early 0-4-2 locomotive named Tiger, which turns out to be the second of two locomotives built in 1848 by Sharp Brothers for the Eastern Counties Railway, the first being named Lion.  Lion was scrapped in 1872 and Tiger in 1871.

 

In appearance this pair have lower round-topped fireboxes and steam domes on the first ring of the boiler, behind a similar style but slightly shorter chimney.

 

How serendipitous is that?

[big jim]

The Hattons Black Friday sale has just bagged me the 1980s condition lion for £100, pleased with that after I cancelled my titfield deluxe pack, earlier in the day I’d nearly bought the Hornby tiger train pack, glad I didn’t in the end! 

[steviesparx]

37 minutes ago, big jim said:

The Hattons Black Friday sale has just bagged me the 1980s condition lion for £100, pleased with that after I cancelled my titfield deluxe pack, earlier in the day I’d nearly bought the Hornby tiger train pack, glad I didn’t in the end! 

Any idea what make the  decoder is in the sound fitted version ?

[298]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

The Hattons Black Friday sale has just bagged me the 1980s condition lion for £100, pleased with that after I cancelled my titfield deluxe pack, earlier in the day I’d nearly bought the Hornby tiger train pack, glad I didn’t in the end! 

 

I did wonder what to do with a Lion, should I get one-apart from to run on a Woodhead route layout. Then I had the idea of Titfield Thunderbolt in a 1980s dystopia, with Lion hauling a mouldy caravan on a Lowmac with a burnt out Shark behind...

 

40 minutes ago, steviesparx said:

Any idea what make the  decoder is in the sound fitted version ?

 

ESU, isn't it? 50 quid for a sound decoder that I could put in a broad gauge loco (another layout pipedream) seems like a bargain.

Edited November 21, 2023 by 298

[298]

So, Lion has arrived- with a few questions:

 

What do I re-numer it as? My big book of locomotive names says it was number 57, or maybe 5027...

 

There appears to be paint missing from the front of the chimney/smokebox flare- really not worth sending back for, but is anyone else's the same?

 

f8...really?

 

Not a full NEM socket, so I'll have to run it with a kadee fitted shunters truck. It's a beautiful model and runs exquisitely.

 

[Butler Henderson]

It would suggest the chimey has been knocked off and reattached.

 

It does have a NEM mount, just the 363 style which is rare on UK models despite a number having a result very protruding 362 mounts fitted. As such 363 style coupling are rare for UK used couplings but a 362 plastic shanked coupling with a bit of care can be trimmed to fit a 363 mount. Use the supplied 363 coupling as a template for cutting/trimming the 362.

[RapidoCorbs]

On 25/11/2023 at 22:36, 298 said:

So, Lion has arrived- with a few questions:

 

What do I re-numer it as? My big book of locomotive names says it was number 57, or maybe 5027...

 

There appears to be paint missing from the front of the chimney/smokebox flare- really not worth sending back for, but is anyone else's the same?

 

f8...really?

 

Not a full NEM socket, so I'll have to run it with a kadee fitted shunters truck. It's a beautiful model and runs exquisitely.

 

 

That part of the chimney may be a paint defect as it looks like primer showing, apologies that one slipped through. Let us know if you want us to look at it.

[Ian Hargrave]

On 21/11/2023 at 19:50, 298 said:

 

I did wonder what to do with a Lion, should I get one-apart from to run on a Woodhead route layout. Then I had the idea of Titfield Thunderbolt in a 1980s dystopia, with Lion hauling a mouldy caravan on a Lowmac with a burnt out Shark behind...

 

 

ESU, isn't it? 50 quid for a sound decoder that I could put in a broad gauge loco (another layout pipedream) seems like a bargain.

Just an idea that’s going through my mind. How about Lion with some Accurascale Chaldrons ?

[5Dublo2]

1 hour ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Just an idea that’s going through my mind. How about Lion with some Accurascale Chaldrons ?

I think that will look good ... but you will need to get clever with the couplings as the tender has NEM363 (restrictive installation) coupling mounts and not NEM362 (pocket/receptacle) coupling mounts and the Chaldrons come with some NEM362 compatible magnetic couplings

Edited November 27, 2023 by 5Dublo2

[Ian Hargrave]

23 minutes ago, 5Dublo2 said:

I think that will look good ... but you will need to get clever with the couplings as the tender has NEM363 (restrictive installation) coupling mounts and not NEM362 (pocket/receptacle) coupling mounts and the Chaldrons come with some NEM362 compatible magnetic couplings

Many thanks for the warning,duly noted.Thus far,a Hornby Peckett,a Rapido Hunslet and a Planet Victory have each managed my Chaldrons with West Hill NEM mounted couplings without any difficulty. So that’s disappointing news.

[5Dublo2]

6 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Many thanks for the warning,duly noted.Thus far,a Hornby Peckett,a Rapido Hunslet and a Planet Victory have each managed my Chaldrons with West Hill NEM mounted couplings without any difficulty. So that’s disappointing news.

I am actually hoping that West Hill come up with some NEM363 compatible pivoting couplings as it is not just this loco that has the short mounts, the SECR 6 wheel brake vans and the Loriot-Y wagons also have them