Vanguard 5374

A good few months ago, I started to draw up a Jinty for 1/120 in the hope that making a chassis wouldn't be too demanding, but I put the project aside to get other things completed. Now I've gone down the route of actually completing the design work so all parts can be produced to make a fully working model. The body is going to be sold as a kit of parts, but the chassis will be sold and available via Thingiverse so anyone can attempt further TT locomotives. I plan on changing wheelbase to offer several suitable generic 0-6-0 chassis for various locomotives. Progress so far on chassis design, not much to show. 3mm Society 12mm wheels are being incorporated due to availability and ease. I've roughly modelled my chosen motor, this one, roughly in place so I can work out gears and mounting locations. Will have more to show within the next few weeks but it's coming along at a rate I'm happy with.

For what they are, very well. Have heard it’s a reused bogie from one of the Bachmann USA releases, but they do have a 8 pin decoder socket too for those who use DCC. I seem to recall Tram modellers snapping them up when they were first released.

Small, cheap (£12.50), 4 wheels and in need of drastic improvement to make a decent model. It's not a Hornby 0-4-0 though 😉 Now stripped apart, various fittings and details applied (radiator bonnet and light from a Lledo van, horn from a Majorette lorry, barrel from a 1/35 Tamiya set, exhaust from sprue etc) to create a 1/32 15" home built shunting locomotive. Just got to regauge the chassis down to 12mm gauge now, have been told it can be done so it's happening. Once done, I've got two more to regauge to provide chassis for TT locomotives.

Before you paint the black areas, I've noticed a few people paint their models and miss a bit bit of detail. 43277 has matt black around the front cab window and lights, whereas the rest of it is more of a satin. Doing this to my own model as I'm going for accuracy where possible.

Starting to paint the black now, picking up a 58 that I started years ago to complete it too.

Now with a coat of Orange, starting to get there. Black will be going on tonight.

I wasn't expecting it to be something completely new and I did think it would be a reworking of the standard Freight livery but I'm glad it isn't. Certainly looked good alongside one of our Tampers.

I had convinced myself that I didn’t want to do any more modern locomotives for my OO collection as I want to concentrate on TT, but I had the chance to have a good look at newly painted Colas 43277 shortly before it left to go back to Derby. Inspired, I’ve purchased two power cars to be painted up as 43277 and 43251 as they were whilst being named. I started as we all do by stripping the model down. It’s not too bad on these older models and I find there are less fittings to be lost in doing so. Still like to bring an older model up to modern standards where possible, plus it’s better on the wallet too. I’d rather spend £20-50 on a locomotive to repaint and detail instead of £150-250. Once stripped and rubbed down where possible, it’s been given coats of primer to show blemishes and areas that need correcting. Have noticed a few issues with how the body is and using it to represent 43277 so it’ll be getting minor surgery this weekend to get it looking more like the real thing.

Still a work in progress but there is a Peckett W4 in there somewhere…

Whilst I'm stuck in a rut over where to go with my TT plans for a shed based layout, I've decided to go down the route of building a Ikea APA based micro layout after purchasing one last year. I've been stuck on what to do modelling wise with it, having planned OO9, O9 and TT ideas but nothing really stood out when I put it on paper. Having started to purchase a few Hornby Thomas items for my son (6 months old, start them young!) I had a quick look over one of the books I loved, Very Old Engines. The idea of using some RTR items from Hornby and Accurascale along with kits to model freelance Era 1 railways has been tempting and now I have started to dabble in it. I purchased four Bachmann Prussian coaches which are being tweaked slightly to remove the obvious origin. A Liverpool and Manchester style livery will be applied, with notes taken from the illustrations in the books. Luggage racks will be built and placed upon the roofs, and I'll replace the dumb buffers with some more appropriate fittings. I first decided to fit one with a tension lock, as I felt that I would adopt the couplings for ease on the layout. Having trialled it, I wasn't happy with them so have removed the coupling and reverted to the Bachmann bar type coupling which works well for what it is. Another reason for choosing this as a model is that I had been designing a Neilson Box Tank for the Hornby W4 Peckett chassis. Not a perfect replica, but good enough for me. I'd started building the model but had put it aside to focus on other projects, so it was good to get it out and rework it for this project. Having removed a coach body, I decided to build a single plank wagon upon the chassis to give me some variety in the stock I am running. Not based upon any particular example but will be detailed in due time. I've started to give some details to the Neilson tank. Dumb buffers have been made to match the Bachmann coaches, with details being copied from photographs of other Neilson locomotives. Due to working to a budget, one side will show this model as locomotive No.1 and the other as locomotive No.2. Still need to paint the Neilson and complete it but yesterday I purchased some Accurascale Chaldron wagons. These will be repainted and couplings replaced to match the Bachmann type, whilst I did try running with the magnets they just don't work correctly for my needs. Enough on the stock for now, I'll be updating on the layout next as I have built the APA unit up ready to start laying track and build a small fiddle yard to attach when needed.

We have had a good few Neverwazza models from KR, Rapido and even Hornby now, so I do wonder if a Canadian spec model could be done for the planned events that never were? Buffers removed, panels plated over, knuckle coupling, relevant fittings changed etc etc. Yes the planned testing never happened, but given how low the production runs are on these models it could be a good idea for another run in the future.

R30287 really surprises me, we've had plenty of decent industrials over the past 20 or so years from Hornby, yet they've been sat on this tooling for so long and only now have gone for a livery that isn't L&Y, LMS or BR. A good few were sold into Industry making for something a little different.

It's been a few years since Bachmann did a release that wasn't a Graham Farish model. Perhaps the chance to do so has now gone, duplicating an exact loco for the same market isn't going to benefit anyone. They had their time to make another run, I'm glad to see Hornby have a go at it.

Hate to drag up Marklin again, but they've managed a steam loco in a similar range: https://www.maerklin.de/en/products/details/article/29308 Not the prettiest model, but I imagine it's a delight to the intended audience.

When did Bachmann last release a model of DP1 for OO? Quick look on ebay reveals some customers are happy to pay £200-£350 for a model of the loco, if it is a limited release by Hornby I am sure they will be able to sell a few batches.

I think the real missing item here is an adaptor wagon to allow for using normal tension lock fitted stock with these items. Marklin do one for their system I believe, seems like a no-brainer for Kohler & co https://www.thekidstrainsetcompany.co.uk/marklin-my-world-kids-train-set-adaptor-wagon-26-p.asp

I’ve been dabbling with TT since purchasing some Peco track work and BTTB locos to convert, and have now settled on what to build. Going along with the lyrics of the Beatles song, I plan to make the scenery a homage of sorts given what I want to model. Layout will be a loop, not sure on size yet as I’ll be measuring it to fit my car boot. A tramway will be in place using a motorised Tiny Hong Kong tram (TTn9) and a small narrow gauge feeder (TTn6.5) will be in place as I want the layout to show what is possible with the scale. To start the scenery, this Corgi WhizzWheels ERF Simon Snorkel fire appliance will be rebuilt into the fire engine that the fireman with an hourglass likes to keep clean. Guess it’ll have to be spotless. Going with that, you know that the high street will feature a bank, a roundabout, a fire engine etc etc. Not very imaginative I know but I want to make the layout fun.

British OO and N both set their standards many years ago, many have been refined and altered but they’re still mongrel standards compared to the rest of the world. Triang did this with TT3, and as such it was not used outside of the UK as far as I know. If mechanisms to fit models had been available all of those years ago, we would see British outline HO scale as a dominant market player instead of OO. Modern advancements allow for TT to be correct at 1:120.

OO gives a track gauge of just over four foot, TT (when not 3mm to the foot) gives a far closer track gauge like you would get with P4. And that is straight out of the box. Add to that space in houses is getting smaller, that’s why I moved when Peco did their announcement.

I wonder if the 66 will be a shared models between Arnold and Hornby, so can reduce the cost due to spreading the tooling charge. If it is the Lima model scaled down, it’s not the worst model to work upon to do to detail and improve it.

Presumably like all online purchases, if you order the wrong item you can send it back to either exchange or refund. Hornby aren’t inventing e-commerce here.

Great to see Hornby following Peco, Gaugemaster and Heljan providing for TT. Makes me wonder now if other companies are going to watch it develop before having a go themselves.

Typical RMweb thread drift, but... I will feel sorry for any manufacturer who decides to do this with the demands of modern modellers. I've spent the past three and a half years working on Plasser Tampers, and have seen that each one is different in layout and details, even if it is one of "twin" machines. Even with machines built now, different companies have different specs on their machines so to tool it accurately would be costly. Different air tanks, different accumulators, different eccentrics, different donkey engine placement, different mess room layouts etc. The Bachmann model is a great makeshift for most people, if you can overlook the HO scale of the Lilliput model.

Slightly out of scale but I don't know if it would be noticeable with the smaller nature of these early locos, various models have been done in HO scale from different manufacturers. Bachmann have produced a Norris 4-2-0 which is similar to locomotives used on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, and Trix have made a model of Der Adler with coaches. Perhaps the former would be a cheap entry into providing Era 1 models for Bachmann UK to introduce? Bashing fodder can be found in the Dapol Rocket kit. Have seen a few convincing models produced from that kit.

I'm buying the Hornby one as I'm wanting to split the coaches from the loco. It is good value in this form: I'm tweaking the loco to a condition I want, I do not run DCC and I despise sound so happy to run it as is. Few modifications needed but I guess that's railway modelling for you, even the most detailed models need correcting for class members and details. The coaches are going to be converted for use on a freelance shelf project I'm working on. Don't buy into brand loyalty but if it does use common parts to the existing Rocket model, such as motors etc, I'll be even happier. I'm keen on getting details right for my models and it's a good starting base to do so, interesting to see what the Rapido one looks like alongside but I'm happy with this one for my needs.