Phatbob

The Belle model is basically a loco plus 4coaches and unless you have some severe gradients a second motor will give little in my opinion and may result in the pair of motors jerking the unpowered coaches between. Good prototypical idea but in my view a waste of money.

Waste of who's money?  The bl00dy thing wouldn't go through a fiddleyard fan of just two points!

Given the extra cost of fitting an extra motor in China, versus the saving from only tooling one driving end underframe, is it worth spoiling the ship for a ha'p'th o' tar?  I've spent over three hundred hard-earned quid on something not fit for purpose.  I think Hornby's shareholders could perhaps cope with 50p less in dividends in the short term to avoid p155ing-off their customers in the long term.. 

I've had a reply from Hornby wrt to my complaint I sent them, prompt and polite.  The traction tyres option is out as no suitable wheel sets are available.  I'll wait and see what else they might offer. 

This question is not really about the coach pack, but it didn't seem worth starting a new thread. Does this set have directional lighting for the headcodes?  It has been mentioned on another forum that it does not - although Hornby says it does. Does it require a second decoder?

No lights in the headcodes boxes in the one I've got, despite what the web-site might have to say about it.  Just some rather nasty, "far too shiney" stickers to put over the umber painted headcode boxes.  The '4' is way wrong and scarely recognisable.  I put them on for the Burges Hill show (only bought the thing the day before!) but they'll be removed and replaced with something offering more fidelity to the prototype. I'm not into DCC, but as there are only internal lights, powered directly off the track, I feel it safe to say that only one decoder is required.

Oh, what is the weight compared to the previous versions?

Feels about the same as the previous version from handling the things, but it's not been on the scales for a pukka check.

Could be an axle or two not correctly seated in the Bogies. Or the back to backs are not correct.

Thanks for the suggestion, but everything was checked-out and okay.  The only issue was the wheel spins and lack of movement.  It was fine on plain track on the level and ran pretty well going downhill!    It would not go through the points out of the fiddleyard starting from rest.  Just spun it's wheels.  We developed a method of banking it out of the fiddleyard using the train behind, but that doesn't eliminate the fundamental problem.  It looks like putting pick-ups on every coach is generating too much friction.  Some modification is required and that's really not good enough afer spending over three hundred quid!  Hornby should be doing the development, not their customers (assumes "grumpy old man mode").

I picked up my new Brighton Belle set from my local model shop on Thursday.  Looks the dogs danglies.
All present and correct.  Motor coach bench tested fine.
Now the bad news; it was set-up on Saturday for a good running-in session on Star Lane at the Burgess Hil show. 
What a dissapointment.  Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.  The 5 car set was unable to exit the fiddle yard without being "banked".  Massive wheel spins through the points and on the up-hill part of the layout (the gradients are not that sevre).  Previous encarnations of the 5BEL work fine on Star Lane, but this one will need either more weight in the motor coach, traction tyres, or a second powered vehicle.  Hopeless.  Those of you with gradients, complex pointwork, tight curves or anything other than plain level track on your layouts beware. 
 

Greetings RMweb.
Star Lane will out on show at the Burgess Hill exhibition this Saturday. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/136814-burgess-hill-model-railway-club-2018-exhibition-sept-1-2018/
Roundhouse and I, amongst others, will be there making a mess of operating it.
Do drop in and say hello.
Cheers,
Bob.

hi

DAS000364 is interesting also in that it shows what I assume is (one of) the warrington transporter bridge(s)

in the background (I believe there used to be more than one)

 

regards

mike j

Have a butcher's here. http://www.warringtontransporterbridge.co.uk/

The friends of the Warrinton Transporter Bridge have provided all their info on the site above.  Feel free to join them and help the cause!

(Disclosure of self interest:  I'm one of the friends of the Warrington Transporter Bridge)

Its a pity the Dean Goods will not be available with (as per Aves excellent books) ROD markings.

 

As for the railgun, I think, at the price it is at, it will sell like hotcakes.  I've already started converting my fiddle yard into a ROD depot and gun siding.  But what aout shells?  I want a pile of them stacked beside a siding (again as per Aves photos), ready for delivery to the gun.  Does anyone of a military modelling bent, know what could be used, in any scale for rail gun shells?

Real unfired bullets? (small ones of course).

In w

Before I pose the question I’ve searched RMWeb and Google images to no avail so here goes. Note I do not possess a copy of Keith Parkin’s book on Mk1 coaches so can’t refer to that.

The Bachmann 57’ Mk1 BS comes with guards periscopes whilst the Replica 63’ one does not. Photoghraphs show the shorties working out of KX were fitted with them but I have yet to find an image of the roof of a long BS. Surely both long and short ones would have beeh fitted with periscopes? Have Replica missed them off?

Tim T

In what year is your layout set?  That's the key in determining whether there would still be periscopes or not.

I rode in a brakevan with a working stove about a year ago on a tour of Scunthorpe Steelworks.  Does that count?

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_10_2017/post-1557-0-20758400-1508578557.jpg

A link to the thread on my "Bodmin Generally" showing Mike Peace's model of a Hawksworth slip coach (converted Hornby).

As the mk5 set control cabs have been designed as close as possible to be like a Class 68 cab; out of curiosity How fast would an 88 be able to shift a mk5 set in diesel mode, And what are the cab differences?

Good questions, and I have no idea what the answer is.

I suspect that for a new fleet of bimodes the fat ladies would have to get even fatter, with a much beefier diesel engine on board.  Then we get into weight issues etc.

Of course, the alternative is "back to the future" and have a quick exchange of locos at the appropriate stop.  This would be easier if the push-pull sets had a cab at both ends.  Better still, have push-pull sets with corridor cabs at both ends and get ultimate flexibility...........

A couple of other reasons why "they" may be looking at loco-hauled push-pull sets rather than units for future XC rolling stock.
Firstly, they're cheaper to buy and to operate once you get to about 5 coaches.
Secondly, should there ever be an unexpected outbreak of common sense at DafT and a rolling programme of electrification finally gets underway, they offer a far easier upgrade path from diesel to electric traction, possibly with interim use of a new elctrodiesel class?  Future savings in replacement costs too as you don't have to replace the coaches and locomotives at the same time, which has to be good for cash flow.

I went along to the show today.  Impressed with the size of the show for only a four quid entry free!  Do pop along tomorrow if you can.
It's for a good cause.
Good grub for not a lot of money either.  I can recommend the homemade bread pudding.
I got some secondhand bargains too. :-)

"......How do you know if you're made it as a railway modeller?......"

I felt like I'd "made it" the first time a well respected exhibition manager asked me to exhibit my new layout without even seeing it first!

An act of such faith in one's ability builds a sense of achievement that hard to believe, until it happens.

I bought one of these on Friday, a BR green one.  Is it my faulty perception, or is it the wrong shade of green?  The model appears to me to be BR standard loco green.  As built, the colour used on the 07 was didtinctly lighter and more like the old SR malachite green.
What is the opinion of the hive mind on this?
At the moment I'm seriously considering returning it.

Will the pick-ups actually work this time?

I have used the Fleischmann Profi couplings within a number of fixed rakes in 00.  Appart from some errant models, where the NEM standard coupling box is NOT actually NEM standard (e.g. Bachmann MkI coaches), I have no problems with them down to 36" radius curves (N.B. I've not used them on anything tighter than this, so can't comment).  I've even used them between 4 wheel wagons in a fixed rake with no issues.  I prefer them to the Roco/Hornby type as they are far more robust.  Also, as you can bulk buy then (50 at a time IIRC) they work out cheaper too, and a lot cheaper than Kadees for example.   They work perfectly well with the Keen Systems products.  I glue them in to the open based Keen Systems box with canopy glue (basically, PVA) so if they do fail they can be removed with a bit of effort, without damage.   I've also used them for things like close-coupling Hornby 2BIL and 2HAL units on Star Lane.
HTH

I knew there was a reason why I have an aversion to binary 

There are 10 types of people in the world.  Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

P.S.  00 size version of the class 120 DMU please Heljan.

Appledore will be appearing at the Great Central Railway's event this weekend.
Should be a great weekend.  My layout minions and are are all looking forward to it.
I'm off this afternoon to set-up.
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/134318-gcr-model-event-2018-151617-june/
Do pop in and say hello.

I'll be there with Appledore.
Do say hello.

If they had bi-mode 230s, would it be possible to run onwards from Bidston into Liverpool? Or at least Birkenhead? It would make a much more attractive offer.

Diesels carrying fuel are not permitted through the single track tunnels under liverpool AFAIK.  Network Rail do run their diesel powered maintenance trains from Birkenhead as far as James Street station, but no further I understand.  Theoretically possible therefore that a Wrexham train could run as far as James Street, then turn-back.  But not go around the loop under Lime Street and back out that way.

I am intrigued on the Keen/Kadee mix for coaches.  

 

My understanding on how the Keen close coupling work is that the tie bar forms a rigid link between the two sliding parts of the coaches couplings which opens up the gap between the coach ends.  How does this wok with a Kadee which has a flexible head?

 

Could you expand on the working solution please Phatbob?  Any photos would be much appreciated.

The OP concerned problems with Kadees and Bachmann MK IIs.  Keen systems produce replacement parts for the Bachmann close-coupling mechanism that positions the NEM box in the right place.  THe Bachmann NEM  boxes on their MK I and MK II coaches are too high and set too far back.  So the geometry of the CCM is wrong and there are consequent problems.  Using the Keen system replacements sorts it all out.

Bodmin Generally is now set up at the Transport Museum, Manchester.  Now ready for a couple of days on show at MRX 2018.  I gather that there's a wedding on somewhere tomorrow and some footballing going on in that London, but I'm sure everybody will come on down to the show instead.
Please!

I've been happily modifying old stock to Kadees for a year or so now, commonly with Kadee #5, #18, #147 & #156.

 

However, I'm a bit stumped by some Bachmann coaches with NEM pockets. The #18 I have are way too short and I'm not sure if #19 (long) or #20 (extra long) is the correct option.

 

Before I go out and buy, please can anyone tell me which Kadee I need to suit the Bachmann coach below (model 39-371):

 

Coach view (Mk2 - predating the Mk2a -  BSO)

20180517_192321.jpg

 

NEM coupling view

20180517_192420.jpg

 

Thanks

Ian

I recommend you to get some of these http://www.keen-systems.com/Couplings.html

and fit #18s to them.  Job done!