Great British Locomotives

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...With Swindon having the policy of standard parts, would this model pass as a class other than a 45xx...

Fundamentally, whatever was Swindon standard about it has been through Lima's distorting lens. To get their ringpiece into it, vertical stretch was necessary, is the bottom line.

[darrel]

Sorry you guys, new to this kind of thing. I've attached my original which I posted in 'Blogs' (sheer ignorance)

 

Hi Nick

It was mentioned somewhere on here the plan was for 50 locos however I have not seen anything official from Amercom to confirm that. I rather suspect that they will continue to make them as long as they make a profit on them. When they cease to be viable that will be that, so we will have to wait and see how many they eventually make. To date there have been 16 locos 15 steam one Deltic. Issue 17 is the HST power car due out next week issue 18 is the 45XX a fortnight later, what follows that is anyone's guess though smiffy of this parish has posted a list many times although the situation is fluid.

Many others have found Amercom difficult to deal with over the phone, however the two times I phoned them they were very Helpful. It may be easier to just buy the HST even though you don't want it and swap it for something else.

[darrel]

So the HST is out next week pity it would appear to be the old Hornby version. I have an idea what to do with one but I won't give you any clues

[TheQ]

Sadly Stalham didn't have the 45xx, just issues 1 and 2 of the Mallard build and strangely, mallard GBL

[Smiffy2]

The 45xx isn't out yet. The Inter City 125 is next Wednesday (October 1st) and the pannier a fortnight after that.

[emperordalek]

I shall be selling my 45XX a soon as I get it - GWR not my scene and I don't like to mess my local post office about in cancelling that one. so if any one is interested. ......Will just be wanting basic price + plus RM 2nd class medium parcel rate. Still haven't sold my  "Standard 4MT" yet either....hint hint!

[Il Grifone]

This morning Greenhithe Asda still had a D11, but they didn't anymore once I had left! I wasn't going to get one, but destiny insisted........

 

The Lima 4575 can be improved no end by slicing through the body just above the 'lip' at the bottom and removing a strip of plastic. Cutting the plastic surround from the top of the motor, then allows reassembly. There was an article on doing this in the model press years ago which also converted it into a 4500. This class is a bit of a Swindon one-off and really the only other possibility from it is a 4400, but wheels would be a problem. (The wheels from the American 0-4-0s might fit and are about the right size, though I think they have too many spokes.) The Lima wheelbase is even -  unlike the prototype - so the fact is the other way round on the 4400 can be ignored.

 

EDIT for senior moment regarding location!

Edited September 29, 2014 by Il Grifone

[darrel]

I've not considered the transfers yet there is another issue with the grills on the side being difficult. I already have 4 of each model in the series ordered,didn't fancy messing my local newsagents around by reducing the number then increasing them again later.genisis models do the cabs fir the prototype HST

[nickx]

Many thanks for that Darrel. I agree they have been helpful on the two occasions they answered the phone but as I said having tried to call for five days , no answer and the line being disconnected yesterday, I feared GBL had reached the end of the line (ho ho)

[Moxy]

The Lima 4575 can be improved no end by slicing through the body just above the 'lip' at the bottom and removing a strip of plastic. ..... There was an article on doing this in the model press years ago which also converted it into a 4500.

Thanks for that, I haven't seen the article to which you refer, but the same sort of 'cut & shut' had occurred to me.  Does anybody know how wide the strip of plastic removed needs to be?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Moxy

[Il Grifone]

Thanks for that, I haven't seen the article to which you refer, but the same sort of 'cut & shut' had occurred to me.  Does anybody know how wide the strip of plastic removed needs to be?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Moxy

 

IIRC I removed about 2mm from mine. I will try and remember to check the drawings against the model. The motor fixing moulding is quite generous, so there's quite a bit of scope. I did try replacing the round slide bars with square section, but found it would need new crossheads.

 

I was hoping (but not expecting) that the GBL version would be copied from the Bachmann version, which would have resulted in 2 or 3 sales, but as it is I doubt I will buy any.

 

It would appear that the Lima chimney cap will fit the old Trix 56xx, but this seems an expensive way to go about it.

[Moxy]

Thanks for the info.  I wasn't planning on motorising my GBL 45xx, just keeping it as a static model, but even to a non-Great Western fan like me, the Lima/GBL version is obviously too tall, so if a bit of gentle plastic bashing, a repaint and perhaps some new brass plates makes it look at bit more like a real 45xx, then I'll be happy with that.

 

Cheers

 

Moxy

[railroadbill]

Had a lima 45xx once many years ago. It was a surprisingly good runner, perhaps because there was a lot of play in the driven wheels keeping them on the track for better pickup. Think a 2-6-2 tank makes a good running model, certainly on tight curves because of the short wheelbase. Didn't look great but that was what was available at the time. Think I may still have the edition of Model Railway Constructor that had the article about lowering body and also converting to the earlier flat top tanks version but I'm now away for a couple of weeks. I'll search it out when I'm back and report back. 

 

Got a couple of the excellent Bachmann 45xx models (when they were £34!) so don't think I'll be getting this one, got enough new projects as it is thanks to this thread. :-)

 

ps Put Butler Henderson in display case next to desk and it does look very good.

[Corbs]

kingfisher24 is making a NB C10 Atlantic out of 2 GBL 'Directors' - pretty cool, see post here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/61066-scottish-locomotives/page-6&do=findComment&comment=1605204

[Theo C. Cupier]

Just as I thought that  the local ADA (Frome branch) had stopped stocking the GBL partwork, not having had the previous 4MT and apparently, the current issue,  two Butler-Hendersons appeared on the  shelf this morning, with only two days to go to the next issue. 

I already had one  (picked up in Kirkcudbright of all places and probably will  be a swapsie),  so still two left when I left the store.  Both have the folder with them too.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Theo C. Cupier

[Il Grifone]

IIRC I removed about 2mm from mine. I will try and remember to check the drawings against the model. The motor fixing moulding is quite generous, so there's quite a bit of scope. I did try replacing the round slide bars with square section, but found it would need new crossheads.

 

I was hoping (but not expecting) that the GBL version would be copied from the Bachmann version, which would have resulted in 2 or 3 sales, but as it is I doubt I will buy any.

 

It would appear that the Lima chimney cap will fit the old Trix 56xx, but this seems an expensive way to go about it.

 

Laying my spare Lima body on the drawings (in Russell) the boiler centre line and the tanks are about 2mm too high. Generally the dimensions seem OK, though I have doubts about the chimney. The Lima body is secured to the running plate by two screws, but whether the GBL version will dismantle as easily remains to be seen.

[tmz06003]

There were 6 GBL HSTs in my local Asdas in Edinburgh this morning, I bought 2 of these. The paint finish on the 2 I picked was better applied than the 4 I rejected, the problem being the blue base colour showing through the yellow and grey applied colour.

 

I found another 2 in WH Smith at the Edinburgh Fort and purchased these as well, the paint looked better than those in Asda.

 

On opening the packaging, one of the WH Smith batch had a blurred horizontal joint between the yellow and blue on the side, the other one was much better. Overall the finish is much better than the awful Deltic.

 

This is definitely a clone of the original Hornby HST, down to the internal fitted glazing and drivers desk.

 

The GBL model represents an original HST without the later applied exhaust cowl and with the guards compartment window, just like the original Hornby version.

 

Comparing the GBL model with the original Hornby, the paint finish is more gloss on the Hornby and matt on the GBL, the paint shades are otherwise a good match.

 

I've attached some photos to compare these, the Hornby one has the Craigentinny nameplate I added years ago and no set number. The GBL model is numbered car number 43105  and set number 254025 in the correct positions matching Hornby, the printing is again well applied.

 

The GBL model has a separately applied lowrer fairing, on the Hornby model the body is all one piece. The joint is slightly open and more noticable on some GBL models than others. The coupler hatch door is more defined on GBL and finer on the original Hornby.

 

The chassis is metal on the HST and has considerable weight, I can't recall another GBL model with an entire metal chassis but then I've not taken all of mine apart. Wheras the Deltic was extremely light the HST is much heavier. Underframe and bogie sides are plastic, one bogie side snapped off when I touched it with little force so beware! It's easily reapplied with glue though.

 

As for motorising, the biggest problem is that the GBL body is slightly thicker and won't fit on my Hornby HST chassis, to make it fit the entire side right round would have to be cut off the Hornby chassis and I personally don't believe this is worth the effort. Cutting a hole in the metal chassis to fit a motor would be difficult, far easier with the plastic Deltic chassis. Fitting an unpowered or powered Hornby bogie would therefore be difficult. However, cutting the metal GBL screw retainers leaves a hole aligning with the centre of the bogie and would allow an adapted bogie with a centre pivot to be fitted for an unpowered car.

 

The GBL bogie itself is no use for motorising as the wheels and frame are, as usual, formed as one piece in metal. 

 

As a static display in a shed to fill some space this would be ideal, the wheels are blackened and look more convincing on the original Hornby model. Remember to insulate the wheels though or you'll get a short circuit! Possibly some thin insulating tape under the wheels would do the job, or place the loco in an electrically isolated section using insulated fishplates.

[Il Grifone]

Hi,

The shape at the lower front of the GBL HST is completely wrong and worse than the incorrect Hornby from which is copied. The GBL windscreen is also the wrong size.

I will not be reviewing this release as it has no value as a model for serious use.

Regards

 

The one I saw in the local Asda had a very poor paint finish, but then I wasn't (interruption to watch 70 017 go past on a container train) going to get one anyway. I have several Hornby ones already and they're cheap enough anyway.

[Brit70053]

Personally I find this the least appealing GBL model to date and I understand The Weatheringman declining to review, although I appreciate tmz06003's critique.

The subject is out of period for my interests and I'm even finding difficulty in accepting it as a display model.

Steam Locos or conventional diesels (eg Deltics, Peaks, Westerns) can look ok as stand alone display items, but to me an isolated single 'Power Car' just looks odd and to be missing something - the remainder of the train?  Even something like a Class 91 Electric could get away with this better.

 

I think this one will find itself in (less than) splendid isolation.

 

Regards,

 

                John

[Smiffy2]

I completely agree. I just don't see the marketing sense in this choice.

[darrel]

My big fear is that with two poor models in a row there will be a slump in sales Amercom might pull the plug.

Not been to the shop to pick mine up yet but the photos don't look good. Cutting the cabs off to make prototype HST power cars is looking more and more like a good option. I wonder if the gap in the front fairing can be fixed either by gluing it together or using filler.

[298]

I completely agree. I just don't see the marketing sense in this choice.

I'd argue that it is probably one of the most successful class of locomotives ever built in the UK, and has only recieved such negative opinions because the Chinese cloning factory have spawned a Pup.

 

Take a step back here- this series isn't aimed at modellers and doesn't represent the future of the hobby as something capable of delivering readily available high quality models in large numbers that have been built down to a price, it's aimed at the itchy partwork collectors after something new to collect dust with. Some of the issues might have been accidentally good thanks to their parentage and variable losses in translation, but that's more by accident from a business that you wouldn't expect to produce consistent results...

[Horsetan]

....the Chinese cloning factory have spawned a Pup....

...which reminds me that a total dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

[Corbs]

Some of the issues might have been accidentally good 

Ha! Spot on.

[Steamport Southport]

I don't really know what everyone was expecting from the HST. If it was a super detailed state of the art model then you've come to the wrong place to begin with. If you want a cheap model for running on a model railway then there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of motorised Hornby and Lima models on Ebay for just a few pounds. This is one for the purchaser to do as intended and put it on a shelf.

 

 

Jason