chrisben

Yes plastic centres with metal tyres. Backwoods is currently changing to a new owner as it has been on hold for some time as Pete's become a full time carer as his wife is ill with dementia. It says on the website that he is in negotiations but no timescale that he can give.

Good Day

    Sorry on closer inspection i saw they are metal tyres , i was fooled by all the black.The pick wires are supplied with the kit.

Thank you

Hi

  I bought a Etch Brass kit and started to building  it. Got to  assembling of the chassis, the wheels in the kit are PLASTIC ,so how does the pick up from the TRACK work.

I am little confused anybody help me please.

Thank you

image.jpeghere goes....as promised....just reassembled and running again...suddenly front assembly seizes up.....de jevu ...panic...fear....no just clumsiness on handling for photo had pushed the crosshead and slidebars in....colliding with front coupling rods....gentle easing out and back to working order. I fear had I done this with the original motor this would have proved too much for it..in any event I hope I have assisted this debate/ investigation best wishes Brian......to be fair my selfies always look better blurred....

Hi, i also bought a Garratt about  2 years ago,(Live in South Africa) it ran for a 1/2 hr with no load something burnt out.Hattons sent me another one,(It nearly got lost in the post ,arrived 9 months later).

However i ran it for about 1 hr and its still OK.I was thinking of replacing the motors with MASHIMA MOTORS.before something happens, i have to do this myself.

The fitting of the flyweights and plastic coupling over the shaft, is it a tight fit by hand, are they glued on ?.

I will be visiting my son in Middlewich near Crewe  from 18June to 24 Aug, is there anybody in the area that can do the conversion ? 

Regards

Chris  Benadie

Mine arrived yesterday and also had a problem with one of the bogies constantly derailing. After a bit of investigation I found that one of the guard irons was too long - it was actually touching the surface of the rail. I snipped it back a bit and have had no problems since. It also has some small parts not glued on straight, a skewed hand rail and one footstep missing its step, but all fixable and it runs very well.

Good day

     Also bought BG ,I live in South Africa I have problems with it.You mentioned  bogie mine the front bogie  if I remove it  and run loco  without its ok , then front does not derail.Is it possible to add some image of how to repair the problem and what to look for.For me to send it back to Hattons is to expensive. 

Thanks

That's an untested idea, since I don't own a Garratt, and am not going to; as they didn't operate in my 1957 - 62 window.

 

The execution of additional pick ups: if push came to shove and there was no way of preventing meltdown in situ with heatsinking or similar, then it would have to be disassembly to enable the job if it proved necessary. Or even a complete revision of the pick up arrangements, which I have done on several RTR models over the years when the maker's pick up concept has proven duff. But I am not in a position to advise on the specifics here as a non-owner.

 

I would hope that with pick up provided on four driven wheels each side, and paired in bogies for flexibility, that simply adjusting the wipers for full contact throughout the side to side movement of the wheelsets would be enough. That's equivalent pick up to a centre motor BoBo type, and these things are rock solid for current collection with the wipers properly adjusted. I still always check that all wipers make full contact on new models, force of habit over many years buying RTR where typically half the wipers were  ineffective. Although matters have improved of late, there is still often some improvement possible.

 

Any owners of the tweaking and modifying persuasion had a go in this department?

Thanks for the reply.I will surely give it a checkout and decide.

Shame about the damage and poor assembly on your example, but every confidence in Hattons doing the right thing in their usual style. Thanks for the invaluable photo essay.

 

The strange 'jewellery chain' links on the drawhook: a spontaneous improv. in China when they hadn't got the right three links components on the build line? One of those situations where it is definitely better to leave it off, rather than 'try'.

 

In fairness, with pick up spread over four compensated axles, a pair in each bogie, over that distance (and it must commoned to both motors since there is a single decoder socket): that is going to be more than adequate as a design if all the wipers are in contact. And with the pick up strips externally mounted any modifier can quickly solder on four more wipers to take care of the centre drivers if they wish.

Hi

       I have bought a Garratt from  Hattons , was deliverd 2 days ago.I live in South Africa .I was very impressed with the Loco, however the electrical pick up,s don't all touch the wheels.In the post you mention"the pick up strips externally mounted any modifier can quickly solder on four more wipers to take care of the centre drivers if they wish " .I looked at the possibility but the pickup strips if heated up by the soldering iron will this not melt the plastic ,which they are mounted in. I thinking of soldering on much firmer pick up wires , the present one,s don't have enough spring.Any suggestions please.

Thanks