adb968008

Fair enough, it just feels theres a desire to rip these to pieces. A cap falling off is unfortunate, but many more models have had far worse in history, but it seems to be magnified to a huge issue. Ive not had the issue myself, but creative solutions, rather than hoping the manufacturer does it is really the only fix at this point, for those who have this issue at all..

Why is everyone quoting me on the shaped axles. i wasnt endorsing it, I agree it wasnt the best. I was just pointing out why it may not be used. by all means keep ripping apart my previous suggestion on screw threaded axles, I think it has more mileage and i’m more inclined to defend that idea in this some what destructively themed thread. it would be nice to see some more constructive counter proposals, though I can see why those with such ideas might not want to raise their heads above the parapets, theres more germs flying than in a covid sneeze. ive had my 3 class 66’s 3-4 months now, they work fine, nothing's fallen off, nothings growing on, they arent rolling over to be tickled.. they just seem to work ok... perhaps I can post a picture and let folks rip em apart for me, tell me what i’m missing and why Ive wasted £450 ?

Wouldn't it be cheaper just to build new ? I assume what was reclaimed was the stone/brickwork ? I wouldnt have thought 60 odd year old salt air exposed roofing steel work would have been much use ? If the stone work was saved, building new roofing, window frames etc isnt that expensive at modern standards ? sheds a shed at the end of the day, public no go areas in 2020, so its purely functional.

Elephants were used for shunting & loading / unloading in India with regularity during the British times.. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/marshalling-of-a-goods-train-by-animal-power-shri-subrata-nath/HQGaSNe7pZ82Qg ive seen Elephants being used In commercial usage in Thailand this century, in the centre of Bangkok ! sadly trains and wild elephants dont mix well on the mainlines in the country.

How are footplate crews socially distancing ? Keeping The driver at firemans Shovel length apart ? , each using their own steps ?, not using tank engines ?

37262 was, my favourite, plain engineers grey with car headlamps. it rescued us on the Clansman on December 29th 1990, piloting 47550, several hours late, at least 3 hours from Inverness in a snow storm that made the brand new 158’s extinct... (they ended up hurriedly as hybrid 156/8 with 1 car from each), an interesting mix of stock with 47550+37262+ PO Red BG, mix of mk2’s and even a stray motorail that were left over from the previous night... very adhoc, several hours late, quite a long train and a great memory. I recall we were stranded overnight at Inverness, our planned train being canceled, the days between 26-30th were particularly bad. To compound it, BR had just moved the 37/47s away from IS as Sprinters had just come ontap. 47550 arrived with the down Clansman into Inverness (last nights train Which must have been several hours late too) only about an hour before it went back south.. the IS 08 shunted it out, grabbed a guv, reversed the stock back and 47550 grabbed 37262 on shed (it was the only other loco there that morning) and went back onto the front... then off we went.. even in the days before mobile phones and snow drifts, word got out, someone managed to grab a picture at Kingussie... (not my image / flickr url) A pair of 26’s on ploughs went North, which made us later still, and piece de resistance was Strathspey railways Green class 27.. D5394 on BR Metals, clearing points around the station during those days (we tipped off Railscene who managed to get up and film some events during that week, all back in the days when snow didnt stop the job and every effort was made...). 37261 Caithness, in Large Logo blue was also a Highland line favourite, had it a few times on Wick / Thurso and Kyle lines.. So 37261.. L/L Blue, 37262 Engineers Grey.... and 37430 in Intercity / Mainline livery, with Tinsley plaques, Metal logos as it worked Manchester-Blackpool Club Trains thats my wishlist.

i might be wrong, but I think Kader has a patent on that, in several shapes. it was used for ease of quartering of steam loco wheels onto plastic axles for much of the 1990’s, spares of which are harder to come by, and legitimate 3rd parties haven't produced substitutes.

Were all profit seeking salesmen, looking for opportunities at heart.

Politicians must make excellant n gauge modellers then.

Dan is a greater than average volunteer at the Dean Forest Railway, and often puts this ahead of ahead business... if you visit there, you never know where you might find him... He even took time out from the shop to come say hello to me and my little one, on a rain sodden morning last october during a visit to the railway... and I mean soaking wet.. the was more water in Parkend than in the River Severn. we all have day jobs, but we all have weekends too. (I did ask if he thought the DFR would entertain a home to a 142 but he said everyone there laughed..so theres still room for improvement though).

I think you missed the Irony. I actually look forward to the near identical post every quarter from the same user, its amusing as much as it must be frustrating... if a new n gauge model were to pop up each 1/4 we’d lose a consistent ironic post ! (Maybe replace it with a blue plaque to mark the thread’s place in history) ;-)

my thought is basically like a good old fashioned nut and bolt.... Axle with the bolt thread at each end, caps as the nuts. Markits make a really nice tool for tightening round pins into a rod thats barely noticeable, hence why them.

66 wheels don't turn ? Steam loco wheels definitely do rotate on their axles ! The Markits/Romford example are both wheels are screwed the axle and the Crankpin Pin into the wheel... for decades. The screws on rtr steam are just restraining the rods but are screwed into the wheel, not the connecting rod.. they just stop the rod coming off, which is the same purpose as a screw on cap.. be it on a bottle, jar or in this case a loco axle. As I said don't read too much into it.

Conrods don't routinely unlock on steam locos so I don't see why this would be any different. dont over engineer the solution, keep it simple.

The mods required: 1. remove rods. 2. remove centre wheelset and trim the crank pin (its deeper to allow the extra rod to the cylinder), I actually bought a spare wheel set from AC models (£8) and pushed the pin out and swapped it from the spare wheelset as I’ve a few to do and I’m time shy, I just swapped the other wheelSet on the 2nd loco I’m doing. 3. The cylinder itself is a separate piece and comes out (occasionally its got the bars attached to the frame support not the cylinder but it just pulls off). 4. The slide bar frame support is moulded plastic part of the motor housing, I just snipped it off. 10-20 minutes effort, needs a wheel nut spinner, small screwdriver and a pair of track cutters. hardest part was trying not to disconnect a pick up wire whilst handling the motor.., just to avoid the need of soldering it back on.

Maybe there’s an oppourtunity for Markits to step in here ? a replacement axle, with screw thread and screw on covers ?

Have you tested it for strength, Ive found several of my DJModels are a bit shy on traction.

Wow I just saw that. I bought a Northern one a few months back (see back a few pages), the respray quality is fantastic, I mean right up there with rtr finish. I’m tempted by that Strathclyde one, i’d recommend it from my “Northern” experience, its not that much above rrp all things considered.

Model railways arent disposable and have a consumption life of decades. The counter to 100k Jintys, 37’s/47s etc in the 1980’s was to raise the stakes by increasing the detail levels so people trade up. That cash cow has been pretty much exhausted with most popular types twice, thrice retooled since. What happened next was higher prices for smaller volumes. This has opened a whole new market for niche models that otherwise would never gave seen light of day, but also widened scope for models in other countries where demand was not large enough prior... e.g. Being a Polish railfan in the early 2000’s was limited to german prototypes with PKP paint on... in less than 7 years nearly ever major modern prototype has been tooled by around 5 manufacturers, Massive growth in Portuguese, Irish, Danish, Swedish even Chinese state railways modelling etc. This widened demand for chinese factory space, who have raised prices and have healthy pipelines of work stretching years, though bigger money will always find a better place in the queue... so if you want something made... go big, as going small will end up making you wait a long time for 2nd runs. Whats not happening is enough innovation, small tweaks here and there, but the product today stands very well next to the product of year 2000, even if its replaced that of the 1990’s... at a sense of being on topic, the class 158 fits here.. I eagerly awaited the new tooling, only to find it sits.. well nearly identical to the old tooling... ok its got DCC gubbins, a second superflous motor and DCC gimmicks/couplings, which all very nice, but as a DC user offers little for me... so I decided to stay current in livery and buy new, but I’m retaining my older ones as theres little incentive to upgrade. (Same story applies on ViTrains37/47, Duchess, Princess, J72, v1/v3, Bachmanns 66 isnt that bad, and quite possibly upcoming 37/47 too may not be traded up). so what happens when all the viable high, mid and small market stuff has been done ? my worry is the UK is becoming like German modelling in the 1990’s.. loads of duplications, stagnant market, high price, large volumes of stock, leading to struggling manufacturers, the only winner will be the ones holding the toolings.

Posh = Exotic. You mean she wasn't from Newcastle then ?

Limas problem was not too many liveries, but making too many volume of each livery... 92001 was a limited edition of 3000... alongside a half dozen non-limited near identical class mates. I recall being told at the time, they made 40k of them. imagine someone today making 40k class 88’s ? I’m not even sure theres demand for 4000.

Its been there since at least 1999 when I went. Theres several worse locations in Poland, you’ll find rotting hulks, steam, diesel and electric in all parts of the country. That said UK has much more, France even more (half the class 58 fleet is rotting onLy a few yards from sidings with 100+ SNCF locos in it, with the scrapmans claw coming ever closer to their inevitable meeting with the Peugeot raw materials goods in dept. But then that isnt communism and so the perception of hidden secrets and doom wouldn't fit the narrative, even if it probably was more appropriate.

i think you live in too much hope, that you imply this was his second time around the circuit suggests people didn't learn from the first time. As for a 3rd time... I doubt given how high profile DJModels was, that forgive and forget would be so easy if there was a “next” time. That said if there was a “next” time it might not be “railway” modelling either, other hobbies are out there. its all over bar the shouting for this one.

I think its the same one used on the 63xx I handled that at Warley last year, dead simple fitting, and has the pivot either side so its a close coupling but also handles corners. works nice, but caution it looked delicate... will have to see what it looks like “in service”.

why whats the point? it wont change anything.