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Oxfordrail - Adams Radial

John M Upton

By John M Upton,
in Oxford Rail

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bertiedog

bertiedog

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They do not actually say Mitsumi on the motor case, but at £1.99 for 5 they are far better made than the cheap Hong Kong types of can motor. I ordered 5 to check them out, might be useful as point motor unit, using a wire on the worm, to drive the wire left and right, with a limit collar for a rest at the end of each stroke. Not exactly a slow motion point motor, but cheap!

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Nile

Nile

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The motors in the photos may not have Mitsumi on them, but the ones that arrived did, and they seem identical to the one I fitted inside my first Radial.

Other good news is that Hattons have the LSWR version in stock, no photos yet tho'.

 

I should add that these motors don't come with screws. You will need some M2 screws 2mm long. These can also be found on ebay (laptop screws).

Edited by Nile
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Mike Riley

Mike Riley

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Well, I've just ordered these for 1.99 post free from Hong Kong.  But I still can't believe that one can get 5 quality motors for this price.  How does the seller make a profit?  Or the manufacturer?

 

Mike

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bertiedog

bertiedog

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Well, I've just ordered these for 1.99 post free from Hong Kong.  But I still can't believe that one can get 5 quality motors for this price.  How does the seller make a profit?  Or the manufacturer?

 

Mike

They seem to be a clear out at present, possibly old stock for use in say a VHS recorder, the eject motor, etc. The Mitsumi are not toy motors.

These sort of clearances occur regularly and end up on Ebay. At the moment tiny micro motos and gears in gearboxes are common on Ebay, they are motors that drove the aperture or focus in digital cameras, now done by linear motors or stepper motors. They are suitable for 2mm locos or very small OO etc. (search micro DC motors)

 

However these Mitsumi have enough power for 00 being larger and 12volt rating.

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bertiedog

bertiedog

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In stock at HMCg a lot to remove the block! - did have 24 at £84.45. Looks very nice but chassis block under boiler is a big visual flaw, a great pity!

But it also means Hornby are charging a lot more to remove the block! I suspect the other advantage of the Hornby will be slightly smaller flanges , as Oxford are a bit on the large side by Hornby's standards these days. Apart from that there cannot be much else that will differ greatly.

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Martin_R

Martin_R

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But it also means Hornby are charging a lot more to remove the block! I suspect the other advantage of the Hornby will be slightly smaller flanges , as Oxford are a bit on the large side by Hornby's standards these days. Apart from that there cannot be much else that will differ greatly.

The second issue 30584 appears to have reduced flange size compared with 30583 so LSWR version should be the same.....

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bertiedog

bertiedog

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Well, one of the LSWR livery version is on the way from Hattons, so we shall see if the flanges are altered a bit. Not too concerned about the boiler, I must take the black one apart to see if the motor mount can be altered by milling or sawing the chassis. It may need a round bottom piece added under the boiler section.

Hornby must be concerned that Oxford are able to deliver the locos when they cannot. The whole practice of announcing things so far in advance is slowly catching up with all the UK suppliers, and now we have duplication which does nobody any good.

The various makers should do better sales research first rather than relying on reaction to news of a release, then they can announce things with only a few months at most. We don't want to go back to a take it or leave attitude, but it needs a bit more attention to the market place.

Stehen

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Adams442T

Adams442T

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But it also means Hornby are charging a lot more to remove the block! I suspect the other advantage of the Hornby will be slightly smaller flanges , as Oxford are a bit on the large side by Hornby's standards these days. Apart from that there cannot be much else that will differ greatly.

 

I pre-ordered mine from Rails of Sheffield at a cost of £105.99.  I think for that price to avoid having to disassemble the loco, cut the block, and then having to create and paint match the lower boiler half to their LSWR green it's well worth it.

Edited by Adams442T
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bertiedog

bertiedog

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Well, that's a much better price than suggested retail, the Oxford Adams radial is about £85 or thereabouts. In passing the black frame block does not look so bad in the LSWR green livery as in the all black version, it blends into the black panelling of the LSWR green quite well.

 

One item intrigued me about the Hornby Adams radial, early released shots showed plastic connecting rods and crosshead, was this just a 3d printed mock up, or are Hornby really going to use plated plastic? The Qxford version is metal and the crosshead commendably scale sized.

 

On past experience I would expect the Hornby may run faster than the Oxford, Mine is now just about run in, the only tweak was to the bogie wheel bearings, which were tight, the motor is quiet and slow running is good.

 

It looks from photo that the Green LSWR version has the same slightly larger flanges than Hornby, they show against the M7 and the T9, which are commendably small, and near RP-23 type. The Oxford flanges certainly do not affect running, they are just larger, with less root radius. They run dead smooth over Peco code 75 points, as does the M7 and T9, and the Beattie 240 and 02.

 

Stephen.

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chris45lsw

chris45lsw

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Not sure if Oxford's 488 is finished in truly "LSWR condition" or "as preserved".

 

Either way, it's not for me but I saw one at my local dealer's yesterday and it does look good. 

 

John

It's in "as preserved" condition.  To backdate it to LSWR the solid coal rails on the bunker would need to go.  What else needs changing I do not know, but the filled in coal rails are the biggest "sore thumb" to my mind.

 

Chris Knowles-Thomas

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Prometheus

Prometheus

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A query, and please do forgive me for not reading back through 63 pages to see if there is an answer in there somewhere......

 

I had an opportunity to examine the latest Adams release this afternoon and noticed a traction issue. On the flat it was competent enough: on inclines it struggled considerably however. On closer examination I noticed that the rear driver did not touch the track, sitting a fraction of a millimeter too high. I suspect that this may be a consequence of the rearmost wheel set sitting perhaps a fraction too low, lifting the driver very slightly, but I cannot confirm this.

 

Has anyone else noticed this ?

 

Tony

Edited by Prometheus
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bertiedog

bertiedog

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A query, and please do forgive me for reading back through 63 pages to see if there is an answer in there somewhere......

 

I had an opportunity to examine the latest Adams release this afternoon and noticed a traction issue. On the flat it was competent enough: on inclines it struggled considerably however. On closer examination I noticed that the rear driver did not touch the track, sitting a fraction of a millimeter too high. I suspect that this may be a consequence of the rearmost wheel set sitting perhaps a fraction too low, lifting the driver very slightly, but I cannot confirm this.

 

Has anyone else noticed this ?

 

Tony

It may need attention to the bogie wheel, it may be set a bit low, and needs adjustment, the axle holes can be open up a bit, or the support altered, but the first thing is to set it on level track and the rear wheel must lift a fraction to ensure the drivers are all in contact. It is not major surgery to fix, just a bit of common sense adjustment. On mine it does rise up, and no problem.

 

Stephen.

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bertiedog

bertiedog

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     The LSWR " as preserved " green Adams Radial Locomotive version has arrived from Hattons this morning, and certainly looks the part. The paintwork looks fine etc. The dome flange does still look a bit courser than the images of the Hornby version suggest, where they show it flush.

 

     The "under the boiler block" issue is still there on this version, but looks no worst in the green livery. The running is good straight from the box, it will need running in, but is smooth and quiet. The wheels are un-altered from the earlier ones, the flanges are a bit on the large side compared to the latest Hornby types. I checked the level of the drivers against the rear radial wheel, and there is clearance, meaning the loco sits firmly on the drivers. It runs smoothly through Peco code 75 points, and the back to back measurement is correct on all the wheels. No wobbles or eccentricity on any wheel. It draws about .4 amp with no load, and responds well to a PWM controller, tested mainly on pure DC though. I have not fitted DCC, as I have come round to not using it due to the expense added to the cost.

 

     I think an order will be placed next for the Hornby version as well, in a different Southern livery if available. It will be an interesting comparison between the two model designs.

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