AndyG

I noticed the same with the Oxford Adams Radial. From cold the loco needs a lot of power, both light engine and with a load, from a Gaugemaster D to get running, but speeds up significantly after running for a few minutes. This occurs with all three of my Radials. I don't have an issue with it, and am simply curious as to the reason why, as none of my Hornby, Bachmann or DJ/Hattons models exhibit this behaviour.

My R3531 is a beautifully smooth runner-and here comes the 'but'. From a cold start it runs almost silently, but after a few minutes a gear-grinding/whining noise develops and gradually grows in volume, eventually becoming unbearable. This happens when running in either direction, but appears to be quite random; sometimes I can get through a running session with no issues, and sometimes the noise develops when running forward but not in reverse, and vice versa. I should add that the running quality is not affected, and I pair the loco with the pull-push set. Can I also add that I'm hesitant to start fiddling around inside with all the separately added parts needing to be removed and replaced. As of now the M7 makes an attractive ornament in my cabinet, and deserves better... Thanks for any suggestions.

You know what? At the end of the day LD is going to have to go back on his grand plan and sell these at a discount. Why ? Well no one wants them at their original price , so that’s the only way to shift them. He’s going to look pretty stupid with a warehouse stacked high, which presumably costs him money in storage charges (back to these high distribution costs), as the company runs out of working capital. Somethings got to give. Hopefully learning from past experience they will offer discounts to their retail customers to shift them

 

The 71 was a poor choice of model to make . Even worse to bring out a second batch. There was never going to be a huge demand for an uninspiring box like loco restricted mainly to South East England . The Southern enthusiasts may be vocal looking for one, but in the wider market these are not particularly useful models.

I suppose you could say the same of, for example, the Adams radial. That was an even more localised class, restricted to one short branch in BR days. They seem to have sold well  however, and I bought three of the Oxford offerings.

Interesting, we were having a running session this morning and one of our M7s was similarly noisy, albeit in both directions, which it hadn't been before.

 

It sounds rather like the gear whine you get from a Portescap, but with a lower note. 

 

Unfortunately, it only got run for a couple of minutes at a time.

 

Won't get a chance to investigate for a couple of weeks but I'll post if I find anything.

 

John

Thanks, I'll be interested to find out what on earth this is. 

Could it be the gear/motor retainer showing signs of mazac rot, and expanding a bit, causing a bit of slackness?

 

Andy G

I do hope it isn't rot. I returned an M7 to Olivia's which had arrived with a warped running plate.

I have R3531 (30129), a lovely model, smooth running and reliable, and which I run with the Hornby pull-push set. However it has a strange issue; from cold, and run bunker first, it has a whining/grinding noise which doesn't affect the running quality, and which gradually fades to silence after being run for 5-10 minutes. Occasionally this also happens when running chimney first, but less frequently. I hesitate to be taking the thing apart to see what might be going on (I have no idea what to look for anyway!), so can anyone suggest what it might be? I thought it might be poor gear meshing, but as it seems to disappear with running I'm a bit baffled...

Thanks.

What an excellent post.

 

I too missed it the first time around, and came here via Wright Wrights. 

 

A superb description and example of how we don't really know what colour we are looking at in photos.  I recall a thread arguing about what colour 01 001 & 2 were at Holyhead, one person posting a photo that made ne look a dark green colour.  I saw this loco myself, it was black, without a doubt, but many chose to believe the rather poor photo rather than eye witness account!

 

Thank you for your scientific demonstration of the difficulties reproduction of colour presents us with!

Try 'The Big Four In Colour, 1935-50' (ISBN 1 899816 08 9), for examples of how different film (remember that?) emulsions represented colours. Little wonder that it's so difficult to replicate pre-grouping and pre-nationalisation liveries with no original examples remaining for analysis. I still prefer 35mm for accurate colour rendition over the infinitely tweakable digital alternative. There again as previously mentioned we still have to bear in mind differing colour temperatures during the course of a day, with the blue end of the spectrum more prominent in the morning, and red toward late afternoon, all of which will affect our perception of colour. Then there's aerial perspective to consider...

How is this done? I haven't attempted any weathering at all, as yet, but I'm intrigued as to how paint spraying delicate steam loco valve gear, etc, is done without everything sticking together.

I'm another who has had great service from Kernow. Both my 02 and E4 arrived well packed and quickly. I even called to thank them for their service; something of a rarity these days and something Kernow should be proud of. I'll most certainly shop with them again-something I definitely won't be doing with a well-known, small, Sheffield retailer...

The frame and buffer beam is plastic, not metal and can often be found to be distorted due to poor reassembly when it has been taken apart at some point.  The M7 is probably one of the most complicated chassis and body models Hornby have ever produced with a mind boggling number of small parts beneath the running plate which I have found out having rebuilt quite a few second hand demics of my own over recent years.

 

The metal is the main chassis block and in eight or so years of handling them I have yet to come across any matzak rot in any yet.

Thanks; I didn't actually check what material the frame was made of. Perhaps being told that 'it has been in the display cabinet for a while' should have thrown up a warning signal. Has the shop's cabinet been in full sun, I wonder? Could that have distorted the plastic?

At the Radial trials at the first floor of the stables. Godlingston Manor, Swanage the maximum load for the Hornby Radial was six ex LSWR coaches compared with six Hornby Maunsells and five Bachmann Bulleids. The maximum load for the Oxfordrail Radial was four ex LSWR coaches compared with six Hornby Maunsells. This does not present a serious problem to me as I am only running two to four coaches with the Radials. It does mean that the Oxfordrail Radial is operating at full capacity with four ex LSWR coaches so it may shorten the life of the motor and the gears.

 

When reviewing rolling stock I would like the magazines to mention their free running ability and whether they are prone to derailments. Often this will be of academic interest as the rolling stock will have sold out long before people are able to see the review. 

I have R4746 and R4747. Both run freely with no issues at all over Setrack, with no derailments, either pushed or pulled, including over pointwork, although it did take some lubrication and plenty of running to get them really loose. My Oxford Adams Radials pull them happily; my 02 will pull one but struggles a bit with both.

Most disappointing. Today I'm having to return a Hornby M7 (R2504) bought used (presumably, because it wasn't mentioned on the retailer's website), because the entire running plate from the tanks forward is distorted, bending downwards, to the point where the splasher is showing daylight from separation from the running plate. The buffer beam is also canted to one side. What a shame on an otherwise perfectly running model. There was also an unidentifiable bit lying in the bottom of the box, broken off from somewhere or other. Has anyone else experienced this problem with their M7?

If someone else comes up with the "underscale track" line , I swear to cow (copyright Raj from Big Bang theory), I will snap !

Change the record , Puhleeze

I promise I will as soon as the rivet counting stops. Deal?

Anything but yet another bloody pacific! Yes they're big and impressive but look frankly ridiculous on the average layout where your prototypical 12 coach train won't fit. The only pacific which doesn't look daft is a Bulleid with one or two on on the Withered Arm.

There were three (at least) height positions for the smokebox handrail on the class: 'above the upper smokebox hinge', 'aligned with the upper smokebox hinge', and 'below the upper smokebox hinge'. As far as I know, 1363's was always the last of these. Kernow's 1363, as in that EP, has put it as the first of these, but maybe Kernow wants to portray 1363 in an original ('pre-GWS' as it were) non-preserved condition (for which I do not have evidence). If that is the case, the light perimeter on the smokebox door becomes sillier than it is already.

 

As I say, I do not know what Kernow is attempting to do.

On such a small model are you really going to notice a possible millimetre or two's 'discrepancy' on your loco which is already running on, presumably, 7" underscale OO track which is absolutely not correct but apparently perfectly acceptable?

After some trepidation I ordered from Kernow, yesterday, the 02 in late BR (30225) which arrived today! I'm delighted to report that it ran perfectly out of the box in both directions over Setrack 2nd radius track and insulfrog points, with not a hint of the binding on curves, derailing or hesitancy which has been reported both here and elsewhere. Happy Christmas Dave and thanks for producing such a charming model, and I look forward to many more offerings of the less than mainstream and predictable locos and stock.

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