250BOB Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Many thanks to Rob for the excellent and inspiring photoshop pictures. Best Regards Ashley I agree Ashley...............this loco was off my radar initially, even though I am 65 yrs old, I never saw one. Its down to this thread, and also the fantastic and atmospheric pictures from Rob that inspired me to part with £200. So if you are reading this Rob "Its your fault !!!" Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted June 7, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2014 I'm nervous Ian...!!!!!! I can appreciate that sentiment...to order or not...and then perhaps run the risk of them selling out before you've made your mind up.On the other hand,if they make a pig's ear of the weathering.......A case of damned if you do & damned if you don't..hope not. I confess,I haven't yet placed an order.Anyway,good luck with it,whatever your decision is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 It will be interesting to see how Heljan have represented a heavily weathered Garratt in 266208 No 47996, I was rather dissapointed with the light weathering on 266202 LMS 4978 as their was very little weathering on the boiler and tanks, however, Steve Johnson of Grimy Times was let loose on it and made a superb job with his vision on how it should look and I'm now delighted with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) I wasn't going to bother with a B-G but watching a DVD this morning provided enough inspiration to lash out 200 smackers on the heavily weathered Garratt with early totem on cabsides. I'm one of those old fashioned modellers that models a particular period of railway history, in my case the 31st April 1954 just before 11.30am on a warm sunny day. A Beyer-Garratt was working a test-load via Guide Bridge and Stalybridge thru' Greenfield to Diggle exchange sidings on that particular morning with driver Cole Miners-Friend and fireman Fuku-Y-Basterd of Hasland plus Inspector Injector and a fitter from Gorton. Of course, this working will run every day until I move the date! Edited June 7, 2014 by coachmann 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted June 7, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hope there are no signal checks because if it does not get there before 11:30am it will be out of your time period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monjac Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I wasn't going to bother with a B-G but watching a DVD this morning provided enough inspiration to lash out 200 smackers on the heavily weathered Garratt with early totem on cabsides. I'm one of those old fashioned modellers that models a particular period of railway history, in my case the 31st April 1954 just before 11.30am on a warm sunny day. A Beyer-Garratt was working a test-load via Guide Bridge and Stalybridge thru' Greenfield to Diggle exchange sidings on that particular morning with driver Cole Miners-Friend and fireman Fuku-Y-Basterd of Hasland plus Inspector Injector and a fitter from Gorton. Of course, this working will run every day until I move the date! Is there any truth that Leslie Garratt is the Great Grand daughter of Beyer-Garratt. She could fire for me anytime.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I can appreciate that sentiment...to order or not...and then perhaps run the risk of them selling out before you've made your mind up.On the other hand,if they make a pig's ear of the weathering.......A case of damned if you do & damned if you don't..hope not. I confess,I haven't yet placed an order.Anyway,good luck with it,whatever your decision is. Ian I lost my bottle about 5 or 6 weeks ago when I could see on Hattons website, that those released already were selling fast.......I thought maybe the heavily weathered ones would be in great demand, so I took the plunge and ordered one. It is just such a unique model, and at £200......well I just hope I have made a good decision. Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 (edited) So often,a factory weathering job is less than special.If Heljan get this one right,it will fly off the shelves.We can only wait and see. I think what we will be looking for is a good general dusting with soot and track grime in appropriate areas. Buyers can embellish their versions with rust and scale, as it's not easy to make sprayed whites and browns look very convincing when done by a line-worker who is only has a vague idea about how a steam engine works, and even then, no two were the same. p.s. it's 47996 due in June heavily-weathered 47971 lightly weathered block letters 47992 pristine Suddenly it doesn't seem like so many versions in the list. Of interest is the single 7-series LMS numbered No.7983 pristine due June, the only model with the 7-series numbering which I think lasted longer than either the 4-series or BR-series numbers (might be wrong) in the life of these imperfect heroes. There is an interesting post in the Edward Thompson thread about the tendency of Fowler's engine's bearings sometimes running hot... that it was mostly the overhead application of lubricant, not size of bearings which mattered. Although piston design, valve timing and such is certainly relevant... given that the Garratts are considered to have suffered from Fowler's inadequate bearings, like the 4F and 7F, it might have been as simple as better lubrication... Edited June 7, 2014 by robmcg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Hattons are showing 266206 LMS lettering on cabsides & block-style numbers on tanks, this had previously been shown as sold out, one in stock if anybody is interested. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcltel Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I think I have done Hattons a service unintentionally, I got mine as soon as they first came out and have been happily driving it round the MMRG Hilandale layout to the admiration of all. This has stimulated two of the junior members to pressurise their doting parents/grandparents/uncles etc into buying them one. So now we have three circulating on Hillandale - not always at the same time though. I still wish it was Gresley's monster but am happy with it as it is, well worth the money even though I have paid less for several 'as new' USA Mallets with DCC sound on eBay. Incidentally the sticking front bogey wheels seem to have responded well to a drop of oil and are now rotating in both directions of travel. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperlad Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 A bit disappointed with mine. I was originally waiting for one of the heavily weathered versions but impatience took hold and yesterday made a, not inconsiderable, trip to Hattons and bought a lightly weathered plain black version, 47995. After unpacking, the loco looks very good indeed, it's size, weight and detail are all impressive. The weathering is extremely light and, as a previous poster mentioned, little, if any, applied to the boiler and tenders but I had already decided to apply my own weathering in due course. However, the grab handles are all very bright and could, perhaps have been blackened during production for a more realistic look. I then fitted a Lenz decoder into the recommended area under the firebox. For such a large loco I was surprised at the limited space for a decoder and on my example most of the space was taken up by the three plug and socket arrangements plus a lot of excess wiring. The excess wiring was simply rolled up an shoved into the space and for the less nimble I guess it would be easy to, accidentally, break or detach some of the soldered joints. However, then came the running which is a bit of a disaster. On almost every curve (radius three or greater) the rear set of driving wheels would derail and when crossing most points it would short circuit and bring everything to a sudden stop. I guess that the back to back wheel spacing is incorrect but I'll do a bit of further investigating today. The track is all Peco 100 with, generally, large radius points and I have not faced this problem before, despite running large engines, for example, Hornby 8F's and Bachmann WD 2-8-0.....even double heading them has not presented any previous difficulties. Having not had to adjust the back to back wheel spacing before I don't know if it's something I can do accurately or, if it's possible at all, maybe it's a return trip to Hattons. As I said earlier, I'll do a bit more playing and fiddling before I embark on any modifications. Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated especially if anyone else has experienced similar problems. It would be a shame to use the Garratt as a static display model only as I would love to see it hauling a proper rake of wagons. PL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 (edited) I don't know if it's much help but there may be a way to set the pivot for the rear 'engine' slightly further back from the cab/boiler section, as this as ordinarily set does not allow for much rotation, certainly not enough for type 3 curves or even large radius set track points, by my guess. (my diorama is basically straight track) I would look at this before re-setting gauge on wheelsets. A lot of retailers' photos show this pivot behind the cab, on the rear under-frame, incorrectly set, sometimes not located properly at all, cab sitting too high. My LMS part-weathered engine became detached at this point during my ham-fisted handling of it and it appeared to have more than one pivot position. Worth checking I would say. Certainly with the 'standard' or close pivot setting the engine would have trouble negotiating less than about 3 feet radius curves, and again, if you look at retailers pics they never show this pivot with much angle in the rear engine section. Surely it has ability to traverse type 3 radius, by design? A query to Hattons would probably get a response. Hope this helps, good luck. Rob Edited June 12, 2014 by robmcg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Peter Beckett Posted June 13, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 13, 2014 On the main track I started to derail around a particular 18 in curve with a join in the middle of the curve. I replaced that section of rail as the join was out of guage. I found that the back to back on the pony wheels was too wide so they were adjusted. I now use a BTB guage purchased from DCC Concepts. The Garratt with 50 loaded coal wagons can now travel at any speed on the main track. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my Garratt successfully went all the way to my branch line station through the peco points without any trouble (not at speed). It certainly looked odd to see a Garrat in a small country station I also purchased a DCC Concepts MPD-460 MPD loco storage - 460mm long at A$54.95ea and it is brilliant both for storage and maintenance, well worth getting! The Garratt is waiting for right of way at Manchester Road. Peter 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markeg Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I asked Hattons yesterday when the next batch of Garratts were due and they are expecting them in the next two weeks. Good news Mark in OZ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperlad Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Thanks for the tips guys, there has been some improvement. I dismantled the Garratt yesterday, mainly to tidy up the wiring around the decoder location, add the extra detailing parts and re attach a couple of bits that had fallen off. Interestingly, one part that had become separated was the rotating bunker support which is located above the two leading driving wheels on the rear set. It wasn't totally detached but loose and resting on the wheels. Along with the above I also added a bit of lubrication to the motion and pony wheel axles. After careful reassembly I plonked it back on the track and, hey presto, it works fine. There are now only two areas on my layout that are a derailing problem, one is a reversing curve and the other, a curve followed by points but I can live with that. More importantly, the shorting problem has gone away. After a bit more 'running in' I added my entire stock of wagons (48, so not quite as many as Peter) and, just for good measure, two GUV vans, the Garratt gently pulled away from a standing start as though it was running light engine, astonishing! Next job is to be a big brave lad and set about it with paints and weathering powders but I think I'll leave it a while longer in order to work up a bit of courage. PL. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Now that many of you have a Heljan Beyer Garratt I was wondering if anyone has had the Olivia's sound installed in their model and if so, what is your view on it, I've had Olivia's sound fitted to LMS 4970 and I am more than happy with it, especially the random fire box flicker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Peter Beckett Posted June 13, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 13, 2014 I have Olivias sound in my Garratt and I am very impressed with it. There are 3 whistles (F2 long, F3 short and F8 acknowledgement). The way that it goes in and out of sync is great and having never heard a Garratt (If I did I can't remember as I was 4 when we emigrated) it sound realistic to me. Below are the function keys Functions: F0: Lighting *** F1: Sound On/Off F2: Whistle F3: Whistle F4: Steam Blowing Off (Also a Random Sound) F5: Shovelling Coal (Also a Random Sound) F6: Injector F7: Despatch Whistle F8: Driver Acknowledgement ** F9: Buffer Clash F10: Coupling F11: Flange Squeal F12: Water Fill F13: Rail Clack F14: Coasting/ Clanking* F15: Fade Out Sound (From 28/08/2012- V4 Only.)+ F16: Aux 2. Neil Bishop also does a digital delivery for the file. Send him the decoder Serial Number and payment via Paypal and the sound arrives by return email. I do have a Loksound programmer so I can install the files myself. Having the file is good insurance against any accidental loss Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Hi Peter, Yes, I'm very pleased with Olivia's sound and as you say the way the loco goes in and out of sync is brilliant, i'll be having my whole fleet of Garratts, four so far, fitted with Olivia's sound as time goes by, just have to get the other remaining eight first. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Hi Peter, Yes, I'm very pleased with Olivia's sound and as you say the way the loco goes in and out of sync is brilliant, i'll be having my whole fleet of Garratts, four so far, fitted with Olivia's sound as time goes by, just have to get the other remaining eight first. So you too have the disease? Is there a support group? The impending arrival of heavily weathered versions has made me nervous. I nearly bought that single LMS /BR number version Hattons had a few days ago, but I bravely resisted! I noted the cab-rear was poorly seated (too high) in the photo and the front tank filler cap was missing, which helped. My theory is that I could buy 47995 and a lot of numeral transfers and crests, and have all 33... or, more prudently for me, photoshop 'em all who are these men in white coats? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Hi robmcg, please keep posting your photoshop pictures of the Garratts, i for one certainly enjoy them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) I will certainly photograph my pre-ordered 266208 or 47996 when it arrives, if it arrives ,,, no be strong! be positive! With all the debate over the years about their shortcomings, both main mechanical ones could have been overcome with bottom-feed lubrication to bearings, and long-travel valves, I suppose the mixed feelings of crews and fitters ultimately meant they were like so many things in British engineering, close, but not quite right. And I never did like 8Fs... so competent ! So there will be due attention to the task! And they did do good work on carrying a lot of coal to London. 1951 fog? What 1951 fog? (I shouldn't make fun of that) but during their lives England certainly was run on coal! edit; I note that part-weathered revolving-bunker 47995 in early BR (no tank numbers, no crest, number on cab-side) is down to exactly 10 in stock, not the usual 'more than 10 in stock'. Edited June 15, 2014 by robmcg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Anybody hazard a guess as how many of each type, so far, were made.?? For instance, if 47995 is down to 10 left in stock.......did we start with 100, 250, or 500.......possibly 1000. My first BG purchase is just round the corner (47996).......I wont buy any more of them......one on my layout will be sufficient. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I believe the number of models produced of each Garratt is dependant on pre-orders received, 47996 will without doubt sell out very quicky as this seems a very popular choice on this thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hawkins Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I'm really unsure if this link will work, but, it should show, fingers crossed, LMS 4970 in action followed by a 8F on my layout 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Works fine, and what an impressive loco the Garratt is in motion! Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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