OO Fell (Batch 2)

[billy_anorak59]

The recess and silencer for the auxillary engines looks to still be completely missing on one side too. They should be present on both sides of the roof as there where two auxillary/blower engines one either side of the loco centreline.

 

[stewartingram]

So, the conclusion is that the body moulding is still as bad as batch 1?

[chris p bacon]

9 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

So, the conclusion is that the body moulding is still as bad as batch 1?

Yes.

 

[cctransuk]

6 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

Yes.

 

 

They were never going to - and never will - correct the body tooling.

 

CJI.

 

[stewartingram]

Ah well, that's me out of the frame for one then.

[Colin_McLeod]

On 14/08/2023 at 18:28, No Decorum said:

I wonder if the tender will be attached to the smokebox end so that the fireman can see at night how much coal he has left.

 

They say sarcasm is the lowest form of  wit.    

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, Colin_McLeod said:

 

They say sarcasm is the lowest form of  wit.    

 

Maybe so - but it's a point well made, IMHO!

 

CJI.

[AY Mod]

On 15/08/2023 at 10:56, leezer3 said:

There are some self-styled 'experts' (trolls), who are the entirety of the problem, and the moderators are totally failing to reign in the vitriol.

 

KR's communication is abjectly poor, and said 'experts' made suggestions, which were either brushed off or ignored totally, along with often confused and misleading communications to the general public, and a general scarcity of images of the work in progress / feedback to the community at large.

 

A bizarre post. You make a reasonable assessment in the second paragraph where the root of the problem lay, but, somehow, in the first paragraph blame others, and me, for it. 😠

[leezer3]

I'm not blaming anyone personally- You have a thankless job.

 

However in my opinion, the various KR threads have gone well beyond the bounds of constructive criticism + debate and instead have degenerated into bashing them at every opportunity.

Sooner or later, we as customers need to accept the situation as-is.

 

It's the moderators job (and yes, I've done this elsewhere albeit on a smaller scale) to reign this in and bring it back to a reasoned discussion.

Bluntly, 20 pages of an outraged screaming echo-chamber that the model fails to represent the prototype before the last thread got locked is *not* that, and that's exactly the same way this thread is going.

Edited August 18, 2023 by leezer3

[No Decorum]

4 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

 

They say sarcasm is the lowest form of  wit.    

In an attempt not to sound like a numbskull, I will say that I’d be utterly delighted if KR were to produce future models which were reasonably accurate and worked well, bearing in mind the compromises that have to be made to create a working model in 00.

[chris p bacon]

2 hours ago, leezer3 said:

Sooner or later, we as customers need to accept the situation as-is.

 

I can't decide if that is either the most ridiculous or funny thing I've read in ages. 

 

It isn't difficult to make a near accurate model, I'd actually say it's harder to produce an inaccurate one when help has been offered. 

[cctransuk]

8 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

 

I can't decide if that is either the most ridiculous or funny thing I've read in ages. 

 

It isn't difficult to make a near accurate model, I'd actually say it's harder to produce an inaccurate one when help has been offered. 

 

The  problem, as I see it, is that KRM are producing models of popular, though niche, prototypes BUT, are adopting standards of accuracy that meet their own requirements.

 

Unfortunately for KRM, many / most modellers have rather higher standards!

CJI.

[AY Mod]

3 hours ago, leezer3 said:

You have a thankless job.

 

I've made it a little easier by removing your access to the topic so I don't have to read any of your passive aggressive stirrings.

[zoomer1979]

My hope is that the second batch is a good improvement, so that others can get a decent running model. I also hope those that were working on improvements for the accuracy of the model (new parts to add to the body) are still willing to do this for those who want it (me 👋)

Neil.

[jjb1970]

On 16/08/2023 at 03:13, cctransuk said:

 

They were never going to - and never will - correct the body tooling.

 

CJI.

 

 

Exactly, it is what it is. If the factory has addressed pick-up issues and toned down the gloss finish that might be enough for people who were OK with the body issues. To address those needs pretty much a full retool which isn't going to happen. The Fell is a locomotive that really interests me as it is a very maligned machine (the concept of engine driven auxiliary blowers to alter the power-torque-speed characteristic is very clever if you want to use a mech drive) but I will continue to give this a miss. Very disappointed but c'est la vie.

[cctransuk]

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

 

Exactly, it is what it is. If the factory has addressed pick-up issues and toned down the gloss finish that might be enough for people who were OK with the body issues. To address those needs pretty much a full retool which isn't going to happen. The Fell is a locomotive that really interests me as it is a very maligned machine (the concept of engine driven auxiliary blowers to alter the power-torque-speed characteristic is very clever if you want to use a mech drive) but I will continue to give this a miss. Very disappointed but c'est la vie.

 

There's always the Judith Edge kit - which will be my solution.

 

CJI.

[The Stationmaster]

13 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

The  problem, as I see it, is that KRM are producing models of popular, though niche, prototypes BUT, are adopting standards of accuracy that meet their own requirements.

 

Unfortunately for KRM, many / most modellers have rather higher standards!

 

CJI.

I think that sums it up in some very well chosen wotrds.

 

The only things they have announced so far which might tempy t me were teh Palbrick (it didn't after I heard what an experienced reviewer thought of it).  The other is 'Bellerophon' where the promise that it would have working Gooch valvegear implied some very clever engineering and a model worth having just for being able to watch that as it moves.    

 

But I hung back from ordering because of the way things had gone with previous models from them and what we have seen of others they have in development.  Because alas they seem to manage the exact opposite of 'under promise and over deliver' - which is exactly what has happened with 'Bellerophon'; so I have not placed an order for one and never will.

[Colin_McLeod]

16 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

The  problem, as I see it, is that KRM are producing models of popular, though niche, prototypes BUT, are adopting standards of accuracy that meet their own requirements.

 

Unfortunately for KRM, many / most modellers have rather higher standards!

 

CJI.

Good comment.  KR Models would have been very popular  if they produced these models thirty years ago when many would be have been happy with a model that bore a passing resemblance to the prototype.   Modellers' expectations have increased  since then.

[selset bill]

Despite the level of negativity on this forum towards this model, I ordered one (black) from Batch 2 and it arrived last Saturday.

I am very pleased with my purchase, it looks the part and runs beautifully.  I saw the prototype once, at St Pancras in about 1952 or 3,  I didn't count the bonnet grills, nor did I note the position of the numbers. I never even noticed what fittings there were on the roof! However the model definitely has the feel of what I remember seeing all those years ago, and if it has errors I will live with them.  I personally think having it in a different condition on the two sides is a bonus and a stroke of genius on KR's part. If others disagree, thats fine. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Performance wise it is amazing. It took ten coaches up my 1 in 30 return line on test, much more than it will normally be called on to do as my fiddle yard and platforms will only take eight and the ruling gradient on the rest of the layout is 1 in 60. 

The only problem I have had is that in a couple of places the outside cranks fouled the overhanging coping of my platforms, but a quick trim sorted that out.

In short, I am a happy bunny!

[Grovenor]

On 31/07/2023 at 20:13, Trains4U said:

Please don't use this thread to open old wounds/arguments or grind axes :)
 

Doesn't look like many people read that request. 😒

[Human8984]

Does anyone know where i can aqquire a BR black DCC ready version of this as Rails have sold out and KR's website is being funny at the moment. Further to that, What livery would this loco have worn had it been completed by the LMS?

[No Decorum]

A brief search turns up Trains4U. As for LMS livery, it would likely have resembled 10000.

[Trains4U]

 

21 hours ago, Human8984 said:

Does anyone know where i can aqquire a BR black DCC ready version of this as Rails have sold out and KR's website is being funny at the moment. Further to that, What livery would this loco have worn had it been completed by the LMS?

Hi

yes we have them available 

 

http://www.trains4u.com/c/883/KR-Models

Edited September 5, 2023 by Trains4U

[xm607]

Having built the etched kit I would say that reworking the KR models Fell would be easier, the photos show the modified early side of my KR Fell, along with the roof. The work entails, moulding the Louvres and the central grill and producing a thin resin casting to fit, reshaping the end top from bulbous to sloping flat. On the roof, cutting out an reposition the erroneous water tank filler cut out, and adding filler caps, adding fine mesh to the vents behind the cabs, making the exhaust cutout and providing new exhausts, drilling out the main exhausts. On the ends, provide lamp irons from staples, make and fit Vacuum and steam heat hoses, new brass cab handrails, and on the bogies provide the lozenge cross bolsters, then paint and weather!

I am at Warley this weekend, stand B39, and I shall have it with me but not on my layout there, because it’s N gauge.

[AMJ]

A nice video on the construction of the real loco along with how it works can been seen in this period Shell film