Elgar

Thanks Ray, you've gone to a lot of trouble and I much appreciate it.

Gulp! Sounds daunting indeed to my nearly 78 year old brain cell!  I've now found my headset magnifier and been taking a closer look into this matter! 

I'm beginning to think that the reason I thought Hornby had fixed the problem is that I had actually removed less of the overhang than I thought which is why the two models look so similar!

Measuring up again with my (analogue) micrometer in several places round the circumference shows that, in fact, I hadn't got the front quite "square" so the effect was more noticeable at the top than the bottom. I was (subjectively) quite pleased with the result at the time but you clearly took the better option in leaving the thing alone!

Should have known better - for Hornby to alter the mould would have been a major undertaking!

I'll try to follow your instructions above just to see if I can manage it even though I don't seem to have anything to contribute just now!

Best regards

Bob

Hello Ray,

Thank you - yes, we're gradually getting back to "normal" again. The items were indeed all Railroad quality as you'd expect at that price. (I notice the latest one has been shorn of its speedo cable to save another 5p!)

I must be one of the world's worst photographers but am going to pop off one of the smoke deflectors and try to get a snapshot. I've presently no idea how to get any pic onto RM Web let alone get it to appear in any particular place! Will try to work it out so you can see what current production looks like - hope I won't have made myself too stupid!

In the meantime I've measured the dimension from the front boiler band to front of smokebox and make it 37mm. This is the same as the DoG I modified in 2014. If I'm honest, I can't really remember now what that one was like before it was attenuated but do remember it seemed quite a lot of stuff cut away (Certainly the smokebox rivet line was lost during the process and had to be

restored)

Hope to be in touch again soon.

Regards

Bob

Hello Ray,

Have been out of circulation for best part of two years and came upon this thread while looking for something else! I expect you'll be light years ahead of me but just in case not, I took advantage of a keen special offer at Hattons last week and bought my very first "train set"! (DoG with 3 Pullmans and some other gubbins).

Was setting about correcting the smokebox front problem when I noticed that Hornby had already done it for me - just as well as this one has the very firmly glued in type you encountered.

Hope you are keeping well, best regards

Bob

Thanks Ray,

Don't think I'd expressed things too well re the "quartering". Despite having a wheel quartering jig bought when the excellent Modelspares was still trading, I haven't actually checked my DoG wheelset yet! I was just using the term to describe the symptoms of the problem. I've put the original solid rods back on and run the loco a bit more and it has freed up a bit. Like your CoL my DoG developed a bit of a "waddle" with the jointed rods which is not there with the solids.

I'd checked my jointed rods carefully against the originals and they were OK (funny thing is I can't now remember where the hell they came from!) One thing I need to have a look at concerns the crankpins on the centre drivers. On my loco these had not been fully pushed home - thought this might have been to ensure clearance between the return crank and the simulated gearbox of the plastic Caprotti bits. Will try pushing the pins right into the recess provided and see if it makes any difference. (Was interested to note that Hornby has punched the locating hole in the return crank at a slight angle to bring the business end of the crank into alignment with the axle) I'm obsessed with Caprottii stuff and

am working on how to get the centre of the gearbox bearing to align with the axle. Have improved the reversing rod problem by cladding it in Albion Alloys brass tube from Expo but it's a bit thick so will have to redo it in the next size down!

Incidentally, had an EMail from Hattons today informing me the my order for R3191 was not going to be fulfilled as Hornby had eliminated it from the production list - looks like the whole range is going to be pulled so we'll have to make the most of what we have! Tried ordering a couple of bits from Service Sheet HSS400 but East Kent didn't have any (surprise,surprise!)

Feel sure we will speak again.

Regards

Bob

My loco ran "lumpy" out of the box so decided to try the jointed coupling rod suggestion. First results were disappointing with the loco running even more lumpy going forwards. However, it ran beautifully backwards!

The rods I had used were an old, well travelled pair and the rivets on later examination were a bit on the slack side.

I conclude that tightness of these rivets is fairly critical. Because the drive is from the rear wheels, any sloppiness is pushed forward so presumably quartering is being disturbed. In reverse, (now "front wheel drive") any slack seems somehow to be distributed more evenly.

I'll try re-rivetting my rods but would suggest to anyone trying this solution that not just any old set of rods is going to do the biz!

Just had an E-Mail from Hattons advising that the "pukka" DoG R3191 has been deleted from the production list and no info as to whether it has gone for good

Elgar

Re question above "what is the little tank for", i believe these were water strainers.

Regards

Elgar