Forthcoming Bachmann Cravens DMU

[Guest Max Stafford]

Watch that one andy, he's trouble, I tell ya...!

 

Dave.

[charliepetty]

Shame they are bringing out the wrong version, as Batch A3 with the twin windowed brake van is not that well spread in Green Era, what a shame. They should'nt nick the information out of my booklet, as the one I sent them must have had a couple of mistakes in, oops!

 

It did only cost a pound though!!!

 

Charlie P

[Pete Piszczek]

No, it means he's been a feeving beggar at the weekend whilst I was photoing stuff on the Bachy stand.

 

You gotta admit that fellow is getting good at balancing narrow gauge on that wide track...

 

 

 

[GD]

Just discovered this photo of a class 105 with a roof mounted headcode? Can't ever remember seeing one like this before, a depot mod???

http://davesnorthwestrailwayarchive.fotopic.net/p63353426.html

[Pennine MC]

Just discovered this photo of a class 105 with a roof mounted headcode? Can't ever remember seeing one like this before, a depot mod???

http://davesnorthwes.../p63353426.html

 

Nope, that's one of the short lived class 113 Rolls Royce-engined power twins. See the ubiquitous Railcar site for more info.

[GD]

Nope, that's one of the short lived class 113 Rolls Royce-engined power twins. See the ubiquitous Railcar site for more info.

Cheers for that, a little before my time I'm afraid but a beast all the same.

[Guest Max Stafford]

As long as it's a Cravens, I'm not overly worried about the idiosyncracies. Some ran on the ScR and that'll do for me - bog carts aren't dignified enough in my book to justify in-depth examination!

[Intercity125]

I visited the Train Collector Society event at Sandy this afternoon and spoke to Bachmann. They expect the first Craven units to be shipped from China in the middle of this month, with the product in the shops by August/September. There is a chance that the Class 03 shunter will also be in the shops around the same time.

 

I saw the decorated samples of the Craven 105's and have to say that the speed whisker version with silver window frames looks very good indeed.

 

I hope this information is of use and doesn't repeat what's already been published on here.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

(aka Intercity125)

[08221]

Does anyone have any updated news regarding the expected arrival/availability of the Cravens DMU's - very keen to have a couple of blue ones renumbered as Bletchley > Bedford units from the 1970's.

[gronk the shunter]

Does anyone have any updated news regarding the expected arrival/availability of the Cravens DMU's - very keen to have a couple of blue ones renumbered as Bletchley > Bedford units from the 1970's.

 

ON the Bachmann site the green one is showing as expected in the next 60 days, no sign of the blue one yet though

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Yeah, the blue ones were often late, or never showed up; and here comes a 31 with half a dozen mk1 non-corridor rust buckets...

 

Is there any information about sound effects for these miserable devices? Although generally resistant to onboard sound, this would be the one item I would make an exception for, the full comedy turn of all the interior fittings rattling and 'Yeeyeeyee - parp' noises and all ...

[JohnR]

Just had a tweet from Model Rail saying they have just had a green one in for review. However, the review ones are normally air freighted in advance of the slow boat from china.

[158722]

Yeah, the blue ones were often late, or never showed up; and here comes a 31 with half a dozen mk1 non-corridor rust buckets...

 

Is there any information about sound effects for these miserable devices? Although generally resistant to onboard sound, this would be the one item I would make an exception for, the full comedy turn of all the interior fittings rattling and 'Yeeyeeyee - parp' noises and all ...

 

Sound should be fairly straight forward. Check what prime mover was and go with that most DMUs ran AEC/Leyland Horizontal 6 cylinder 150hp. We have 101 104 107 and 108 121 131 running similiar chips and no one has made any adverse comment, The installation seems to have more affect on the way they sound. The 101 e.g. being particularly successful as the body seems to act as a secondary sound box.

Check the 101 out here

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/airthreypark#p/u/2/0udzlP3ggyc

 

It is as loud as it seems too!

 

The one that I think I would go for an alternative sound would be Gloucester 128 parcels cars where the exhaust seemed to give them a much 'fartier' sound....memories of Man Vic in the late 1970s!?

 

S

[giz]

 

The one that I think I would go for an alternative sound would be Gloucester 128 parcels cars where the exhaust seemed to give them a much 'fartier' sound....memories of Man Vic in the late 1970s!?

 

 

The 128s had the bigger Leyland/Albion 900 series engines as also used on the 123 and 124 Inter City units so it's not surprising they sounded different. These engine were about 14 litres rather than around 11 for the usual Leyland 680s or AEC 220 units.

[coachmann]

I once filmed a 104 Unit slowing for Glan Conwy station, then as it opened up again there was a throaty vibrating rasp - rasp - rasp from the exhast. That reminded me of the 105's for some reason. Am I right?

[Sc59401]

Sound should be fairly straight forward. Check what prime mover was and go with that most DMUs ran AEC/Leyland Horizontal 6 cylinder 150hp ... The one that I think I would go for an alternative sound would be Gloucester 128 parcels cars where the exhaust seemed to give them a much 'fartier' sound.

The exhaust system design does seem to affect the sound. I have a tape recording I made of Swindon Cross-Country (Class 120) units departing from Paisley Gilmour Street during Ayr depot's "Indian summer" of DMUs and they sound much raspier than the White Circle Inter-City (Class 126) units from the same builder and with the same AEC 150hp engines. We've never had quite the same sound effect from the preserved Class 126 unit (unfortunately).

[coachmann]

I think the thing that made the Cravens 105s special was this..... The Derby Lightweights, Heavyweights, and all those Units that carried the Derby 3-wndow front end were everywhere....They were common. Against this onslaught, I think the 105's joined the elite group of Units regarded as interesting.

[115johnb]

The exhaust system design does seem to affect the sound. I have a tape recording I made of Swindon Cross-Country (Class 120) units departing from Paisley Gilmour Street during Ayr depot's "Indian summer" of DMUs and they sound much raspier than the White Circle Inter-City (Class 126) units from the same builder and with the same AEC 150hp engines. We've never had quite the same sound effect from the preserved Class 126 unit (unfortunately).

 

Sc59401 regarding the 120/126. I have fond memories of these and loved them, I for one would snap a couple up if Bachmann or Hornby ever produced them and you wouldn't hear me moaning if a rivet was out of place!

 

I always knew them as class 126, what was the difference? and I for one am looking forward to my 105 when it arrives, it's callled modelers licence, run what you want!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

However, where the class 105 was the standard unit (KX suburban) and practically the only DMU to be seen for the first ten years of their operation, it was still interesting. Just how many of your teeth fillings would come loose in the struggle up the Northern Heights? Would it actually make it to the planned destination? When would the unwary gent's briefcase fall off the luggage rack? The rattling of all the internal fittings was a thing to hear. In summer with the windows open you could hear everything rattling away as it pulled off the platform, while standing on the platform the other side of the four track. The engine note was like a big bus engine, very similar in tone to the old RT bus, with the quite musical comedy 'parp' at every upward gear change. Thankfully they don't make them like that anymore.

 

Of course there was the compenstion of the forward view if the driver was so obliging as to leave the roller blind up. Now that was fun. Sadly they don't make them like that anymore for UK service, except for DLR.

[Andy C]

However, where the class 105 was the standard unit (KX suburban) and practically the only DMU to be seen for the first ten years of their operation, it was still interesting. Just how many of your teeth fillings would come loose in the struggle up the Northern Heights? Would it actually make it to the planned destination? When would the unwary gent's briefcase fall off the luggage rack? The rattling of all the internal fittings was a thing to hear. In summer with the windows open you could hear everything rattling away as it pulled off the platform, while standing on the platform the other side of the four track. The engine note was like a big bus engine, very similar in tone to the old RT bus, with the quite musical comedy 'parp' at every upward gear change. Thankfully they don't make them like that anymore.

 

Of course there was the compenstion of the forward view if the driver was so obliging as to leave the roller blind up. Now that was fun. Sadly they don't make them like that anymore for UK service, except for DLR.

 

Gawd, I feel quite nostalgic now for those buttock clenching rides up Werneth Bank to Oldham when every gear change carried the tense expectation of will it, wont it?

[coachmann]

Gawd, I feel quite nostalgic now for those buttock clenching rides up Werneth Bank to Oldham when every gear change carried the tense expectation of will it, wont it?

This makes me wonder if it was when they were getting on in years. When new they could climb from Hollinwood to Werneth like the clappers seeing as all the Oldham 105's had engines in every car. 20 minutes from Man Vic to Oldham Central was about right in 1958-9. Not so with the remaining steam hauled trains. A 4F or clapped out 'Crab' could take 35 minutes of straining on the drawbar. The pre-Diesel 2-6-4T's never seemed to have any time-keeping problems.

[Andy C]

This makes me wonder if it was when they were getting on in years. When new they could climb from Hollinwood to Werneth like the clappers seeing as all the Oldham 105's had engines in every car. 20 minutes from Man Vic to Oldham Central was about right in 1958-9. Not so with the remaining steam hauled trains. A 4F or clapped out 'Crab' could take 35 minutes of straining on the drawbar. The pre-Diesel 2-6-4T's never seemed to have any time-keeping problems.

 

I had quite a few epic climbs in them in the late 70s early 80s when they were very tired Coach - but they always got there in the end. Better than after the 2002 Manchester show social in the Marble Arch, when on the last train from Manchester to Rochdale via the Oldham loop the well overloaded 142 failed at Washbrook Lane Bridge on Werneth bank!

[BrushVeteran]

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has details, numbers, photos of the few Kings Cross area sets which ran in blue with small yellow warning panels. I recall there were at least five sets and some had a slightly larger yellow panel which wrapped around to the driver's door pillar. That will give me an excuse for a blue one!

[mark54]

The Video 125 DVD Diesels & Electrics Vol.3 has a nice sequence taken in summer 1968 on the ECML at Stanborough (between Hatfield and Welwyn garden City). This includes some Cravens sets with blue/small yellow panels on some of the cars and one with a large yellow wrap around over the drivers door. Unfortunately the numbers are too blurred to read them.

 

Mark

[coachmann]

If you just hitch a new diesel onto old stock, the only thing missing is the chuff-chuff-chuff. But DMUs really were a case of in with the new. The old non-corridor coaches quickly dissapeared and with them much variety and many years of history stretching back to 1911. I just wanted to mention this seeing as to most people the most visible change was no steam locos.

 

Going of what Andy C has said, it is obvious the Oldham Loop Cravens Units really had deteriorated over the years.