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Oxford Rail announces - OO gauge GWR Dean Goods


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Speaking of coal loads, it makes you wonder if the loco crews were ever in danger of a landslide, possibly while under heavy braking. Never heard of this happening though looking photos of mountainous coal loads I could perceive a risk! 

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The lined Oxford Model Dean goods still does not look right in addition to the points raised so far with a copper capped chimney the chimney should be parallel and slightly taller rather than using the later cast iron taper type with a copper cap painted on!

 

I expect the prototype photo the dome is painted rather than brass. If the dome was brass I would have expected the smokebox door hinges to be polished too.

 

David

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I think it looks better than the Oxford offering - the cabside cutout is a better shape and the washout plug holes are streets ahead of the weird things on the Oxford model.  It is let down by some detail items but they are all the sort of thing which are fairly simple to deal with and overall I think it has stood the test of time remarkably well considering its origins.

 

I find I am bound to agree.  As I have inter-war Dean Goods, inside and outside framed, in the form of white-metal kits, I am likely to want just a single belpaire example pre-(Great)War.  I had hoped that would be the Oxford model.

 

The Mainline body captures the prototype well, particularly the cab-side cut-out and the firebox profile.

 

I suspect the answer might be to use Oxford's chassis and tender and attempt to graft the Mainline loco body onto it. 

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Speaking of coal loads, it makes you wonder if the loco crews were ever in danger of a landslide, possibly while under heavy braking. Never heard of this happening though looking photos of mountainous coal loads I could perceive a risk! 

Only if the brakes were good enough. :jester:

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I've seen loads of photos with the coal piled high like that. Probably more than I've seen with empty tenders that modellers seem to prefer.

 

Just Google Image GWR Dean Goods to see what I mean. Obviously ignoring locomotives that are out of service or "on shed" awaiting coaling.

 

 

 

 

Jason

Logically, any photo showing a really big pile of coal will have been taken on-shed or within an hour or so of the loco entering service.

 

The abundance of photos showing it will have been influenced by insensitive contemporary photographic emulsions causing a bias towards pictures being taken [a] during the brighter times of day and of locos standing still. They are also cleaner before they have done much work and that has always attracted a disproportionate share of photographers' attention. 

  

If operating a layout to a timetable a part-loaded tender is less likely to attract comment than one either piled high or in need of replenishment. I generally aim at three-quarters full which still reveals some internal detail but clearly doesn't portray a loco that should be heading for the coaling stage.

 

John

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Speaking of coal loads, it makes you wonder if the loco crews were ever in danger of a landslide, possibly while under heavy braking. Never heard of this happening though looking photos of mountainous coal loads I could perceive a risk! 

The bigger risk in normal service was pieces falling off a loco in motion if there was a kick or lurch. Brake force was typically insufficient to disturb the coal heap.

 

In case of collisions, then there are reports of injured loco crew trapped in cabs and in the worst cases crushed against the boiler backhead by unrestrained coal from the tender having moved into the cab by its own momentum. This was a sufficiently common occurence that after the Castlecary collision the Investigator noted that the high all steel front of the tender of the A3 had prevented such injury to the footplate crew, despite an estimated 60mph impact.

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I think it looks better than the Oxford offering - the cabside cutout is a better shape and the washout plug holes are streets ahead of the weird things on the Oxford model.  It is let down by some detail items but they are all the sort of thing which are fairly simple to deal with and overall I think it has stood the test of time remarkably well considering its origins.

Those are my feelings at present and I believe the Commet chassis is fairly straight forward . Will have a look at the model when it arrives

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Logically, any photo showing a really big pile of coal will have been taken on-shed or within an hour or so of the loco entering service.

 

The abundance of photos showing it will have been influenced by insensitive contemporary photographic emulsions causing a bias towards pictures being taken [a] during the brighter times of day and of locos standing still. They are also cleaner before they have done much work and that has always attracted a disproportionate share of photographers' attention. 

  

If operating a layout to a timetable a part-loaded tender is less likely to attract comment than one either piled high or in need of replenishment. I generally aim at three-quarters full which still reveals some internal detail but clearly doesn't portray a loco that should be heading for the coaling stage.

 

John

 

 

 

Many of the photographs I'm looking at are on trains. Mainly in BR days in the wilds of Wales. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gwr+dean+goods&biw=1366&bih=651&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjbwfKVvufPAhWLAcAKHef8DIgQsAQIJw#imgrc=_

 

I'm trying to ignore anything pre grouping.

 

 

Jason

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The other thing that looks different to me is the smokebox door.  The photo of 2309 has the early type with the raised ring around the edge whilst the model seems to have the later one but it's a bit difficult to tell from the angle of the photo.

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One of the great things about this site is the expertise.  It seems to me that the degree to which a lack of detail or an inaccuracy is tolerated is a matter of personal preference.  Personally, I wouldn't say that the criticism have been trivial.  Lacking the Nth degree of possible detail or making a reasonably necessary compromise on accuracy is one thing.  For me, avoidable accuracies are harder to accept. 

 

Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that there are too many mistakes and inaccuracies on this model.  It would need a lot of attention, some straightforward, some quite serious. Given this and that, for me, the ancient Mainline loco shell captures the shape and look of the prototype, I am pretty unpersuaded by this release.  To come in second, cosmetically speaking, to a 40-year old moulding is pretty poor, to be honest. 

 

My only question is whether this model - £95 from a box shifter - is worth it for the chassis and tender?  The comet chassis is £20 - what do you get for that, just an etch of the loco chassis?  With a new tender u/f, wheels, motor, gears etc, I wonder which option is the most economical?

 

Somewhat galling to take a brand new, modern, full-price release only to chuck away a major part of it, and buy a second hand model to canibilise, but might it be the best option?    Somehow the Mainline/Comet route appeals more, and feels as if it would lead somehow to a more "honest" model.  I cannot explain why I feel that.

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I'm 75% through a mainline / comet rebuild. It is enjoyable but there are other costs - tender frames, motor, gear box, consumables etc. It should work out cheaper unless you include your own time (at £10/ hour you'd have around 6h to break even... ) It is, however, enjoyable.

 

I do have an Oxford one on order - largely as I suspect I will paint br black (a cowardly decision but one taken by many fine modellers) but I'd like one with the shiny colours!

 

David

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One of the great things about this site is the expertise.  It seems to me that the degree to which a lack of detail or an inaccuracy is tolerated is a matter of personal preference.  Personally, I wouldn't say that the criticism have been trivial.  Lacking the Nth degree of possible detail or making a reasonably necessary compromise on accuracy is one thing.  For me, avoidable accuracies are harder to accept. 

 

Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that there are too many mistakes and inaccuracies on this model.  It would need a lot of attention, some straightforward, some quite serious. Given this and that, for me, the ancient Mainline loco shell captures the shape and look of the prototype, I am pretty unpersuaded by this release.  To come in second, cosmetically speaking, to a 40-year old moulding is pretty poor, to be honest. 

 

My only question is whether this model - £95 from a box shifter - is worth it for the chassis and tender?  The comet chassis is £20 - what do you get for that, just an etch of the loco chassis?  With a new tender u/f, wheels, motor, gears etc, I wonder which option is the most economical?

 

Somewhat galling to take a brand new, modern, full-price release only to chuck away a major part of it, and buy a second hand model to canibilise, but might it be the best option?    Somehow the Mainline/Comet route appeals more, and feels as if it would lead somehow to a more "honest" model.  I cannot explain why I feel that.

 

The comet chassis is just frames, spacers and coupling rods. The tender chassis kit is woeful, however if you don't mind a bit of hacking you can get just the 7'6" underframe and make that fit the plastic frames, which looks infinitely better. 

 

post-21854-0-65739500-1477056398_thumb.jpg

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Having noted that the great B12 wheel scandal has just imploded in a single short reply from Hornby, I shall wait until the actual model appears before dismissing it.

 

Fair enough.  I continue to liaise with Oxford.  Some potential issues are best judged upon release.  That said, it must be admitted that there are some demonstrable issues with 2309.  It remains to be seen if they can and will be corrected.  

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I find I am bound to agree.  As I have inter-war Dean Goods, inside and outside framed, in the form of white-metal kits, I am likely to want just a single belpaire example pre-(Great)War.  I had hoped that would be the Oxford model.

 

The Mainline body captures the prototype well, particularly the cab-side cut-out and the firebox profile.

 

I suspect the answer might be to use Oxford's chassis and tender and attempt to graft the Mainline loco body onto it.

 

As both seem to have oversized splashers, I would be tempted to use Oxford's running plate to get the rivets.

 

Oakhill

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I was in Swindon today so took the opportunity to have a good look at 2516. One suspects, logically, that Oxford Rail have examined / measured / scanned the only surviving prototype. One thing that struck me in particular was the smoke of rivets..

 

Also a picture of the firebox - I took lots of other snaps. Available on request!

 

Davidpost-22698-0-10377400-1477330798_thumb.jpeg

post-22698-0-48215200-1477330919_thumb.jpeg

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... One thing that struck me in particular was the smoke of rivets...

 

 The curse of predictive text? It is usually possible to work out the intended word, but I confess myself stuck here.

 

But it would make a nice collective noun for rivets, which to the best of my knowledge don't enjoy one. We only have to use it enough, and it will get into the OED.

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The curse of predictive text? It is usually possible to work out the intended word, but I confess myself stuck here.

 

But it would make a nice collective noun for rivets, which to the best of my knowledge don't enjoy one. We only have to use it enough, and it will get into the OED.

  

I'm sure he means smokebox rivets. I alluded to these carbuncles earlier.

Thanks Coachmann and 34c - correct on both counts. I suspect apple's dictionary and algorithms don't assume you are trying to type smoke box!

David

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