Cofga

I went back and looked at the photos of the samples on the Accurascale website and I can see why they suggest against uncoupling the tender on a frequent basis. They appear to be using a multi-pin JST type connector for the wiring and those can be a pain to disconnect and you run the risk of pulling wires loose in the process. When working with the 9-pin JSTs on a decoder I use a hemostat to grip them but you can’t likely do that given the lack of space between the tender and engine. It will be interesting to see just how easily they do come apart, however given all the attention to details they have gone too so far I bet they have a solution for us!

I have made coal loads by carving a block of dense extruded polystyrene foam to fit the coal bunker, then painted it black and glued on the coal using PVA or epoxy. With a steel washer embedded in the block you can lift it out with a magnet. I also have done coal and rock loads for my hoppers (American models) by making foam masters, then using those to create silicone rubber molds. I then cast the basic loads in 2 part casting epoxy with an embedded steel washer. Finally afterwards I added the coal to the top using either type glue. As for the coal size I seem to remember reading it varied a lot based on source and time period. There is a reason hammers were part of the fireman’s kit, breaking up large lumps of coal apparently was a common necessity.

Just get a DCC Concepts Motive Power Depot. With one you can drive your loco right onto the integrated track, lift it off the layout and place it in the padded storage box without ever having to touch it much less disconnect the tender. The unit is so solid you can ship the loco in it and lift it from the box, put it on the layout and drive away.

Yes, I actually ordered one with the LokSound decoder fitted and it ran horribly. After some investigation we reached the conclusion that the LokSound decoder had been tweaked for the original 5 pole motor and then when the cheaper one was swapped in, the performance tanked. I made numerous efforts to adjust the decoder but finally gave up and installed a SoundTraxx UK steam decoder and it runs well now, but of course it is too light or the motor too weak to pull much more than its tender on a flat! Back a couple of years ago @Harlequin posted this about the DG motor: When I was researching these types of motor, looking for a replacement, I found out that they are mainly used in, ahem, personal massagers... Which may explain why I am so concerned about motors.

Yes but, these days everyone expects at least a second run so some will always sit on their hands and wait to see how the first batch turns out. When I got my GWR Mogul I wished I had waited as the version I preordered actually did not arrive with the outside steam pipes as originally listed and I had actually changed my order just for that detail—thanks Dapol! Had I waited I believe that version arrived in the second run. So there are arguments for the wait and see approach. And of course there is the uncertainty of two models of the same loco being promised at about the same time. Just look back at the large prairie kerfuffle.

Hattons says they are due in between July and September 2022 which is pretty close to that 6 month lead time estimate.

I don’t know what speaker you used but for really good bass frequencies I have found that “high bass” speakers give the best sound for steam locos—much better than the flat round ones or even the best “sugar cubes”.

Sorry, I have been otherwise occupied the last week and am just getting back to catching up on this thread. I seem to have stirred the pot a bit so let me say that from an accuracy standpoint I applaud the extent to which Accurascale has gone in producing a potentially great model. My only question concerns the performance and I hope to see they have found a really good performing motor for that end. Fran and Accurascale have made a good faith effort to answer relevant questions on that matter and for that I am thankful and applaud their willingness to provide these details. From the announcements it appears we will not have all that long to wait to see the final products from both companies. Given the positive reviews of the Accurascale Deltics, if they get even close to their details and performance their Manor will be a winner.

I have been in this hobby 50 years and a contributing editor to a couple of model railroading magazines writing about DCC and other topics for over 30 years and in that time I have never seen a 3 pole motor that could operate as well as a 5 pole skew wound or coreless motor. Given that experience I am not willing to take the chance that Accurascale has managed to reinvent the wheel unless I see one in operation personally.

I am preparing to order some crew for my Bulleid Pacifics and need some advice. On my Channel Packet the driver has a proper seat but the fireman has what looks like a shelf to lean on. On my East Asiatic both the driver and fireman have a similar shelf that appears too high to try and sit on so another leaner? My West Country Class locos have the same type of shelves for the driver and fireman so again are these just there for them to lean on. It mainly makes a difference for the drivers since in the first case he will need to be seated whereas with the other two locos it appears he will be standing. Thanks—Larry

I agree and the lack of a precise description leaves a lot of room for interpretation. If there is no iron core then it is a coreless motor so why not say that?

With respect to the 3 pole motor will it be skew wound or straight? Most quality models today have either a 5 pole skew wound or coreless motor. I am on the cusp of making a final decision as to which to buy so this 3 pole really is a concern for me. I would think by now you have this sorted out.

Blackmoor Vale is the one that runs like new, it’s the more recent Torrington that has the split gear. The funny thing is I have 40 year old Athearn locos with their original “Made in America” axle gears that still run like new but the newer “Made in China” locos with a similar mechanism have split gears after just a few years of operation. The folks at AC Models and Spares wrote back that I need the replacement gear set so I am wondering whether the idler gear in that set is the same as the one used on the driver axle in these older locos. Problem is no supplier in the UK seems to have any of those either. I have one more trick to try this weekend and if that doesn’t work I may have to take up 3D printing!

Sounds like it might have been the same dealer. The model of Blackmoor Vale I got from Rails was as near perfect as could be. The box looked like it just came out of a container from China and not a scratch or tyre wear to be found. I could easily be convinced it had never been out of the box in the last 20 years. Runs almost as smooth as both new Merchant Navy Pacifics with flywheels that I got last year. I am now really bummed as I heard back from Hornby and apparently the molds for the old models have been “lost” so there apparently are no replacements to be had unless one turns up as old stock at one of the shops that deal in spares. I guess it will make a good static model or for parts.

My entertainment for the afternoon was to diagnose the problem by swapping the center driver from a loco that works great with the model giving me fits. As expected the problem followed the driver, so it is not a gear train issue just a bad gear on the driver. Looking closely it appears there is a small crack running from the axle outwards and exiting between two of the teeth. This creates a big enough gap between those teeth to allow the idler gear to skip and it happens once per revolution since that is where the crack is. So it is just going to sit on a shelf until Hornby imports a replacement gear or axle set. The positive side is I now know how to tear down and reassemble the entire driver assembly and associated parts. More fun than I bargained for when I bought this one. The lesson learned is only buy pre-owned locos from a dealer like Rails of Sheffield who now only sell pre-owned equipment on their website in “like new” condition. The rest apparently is relegated to their eBay store. At least the dealer I bought from refunded me £20 to cover my costs for a new driver set and Royal Mail shipping to the US.

Didn’t work, still jerks once per revolution so there must be a gear tooth missing. I’ll have to check both the drive and idler gears to see what is amiss. This may just end up as a spare parts loco.

Thanks for the Lendons tip, but it appears no one in the UK has the replacements. I find it hard to believe that no one has a simple replacement gear for these. I bet an RC model shop has drawers full of similar gears so maybe a trip there will turn one up. At any rate I pulled the driver out today and the gear is not split but it has stripped on the inside where it contacts the axle splines so just spins. I will clean it up and try the superglue fix but am not hopeful as it is a very thin gear and not much contact surface area for a reliable bond. I’ll let you know in a few hours how it comes out.

Thanks, I’ve done this kind of thing before. I have found that if you scribe a line across the wheel/axle end you can easily get them back into perfect alignment when reassembling them. A light sanding of the axle end will then remove the scribed line. Actually the replacement set of drivers is only about £8 if and when they get them back in stock again so may be an easier option than replacing a gear. I just need to find someone who has them in stock—is Peters Spares the only parts dealer in the UK? Of course shipping to NA may be double the cost of the drivers!

Well it appears that the main driver gear on my Torrington WCC pacific has split creating jumpy action when it does run and just spinning at other times. I checked Peters Spares and they are out of stock. Who else would be a possible source of Hornby spares? Also does any sell just the gear or the center driver, Peters Spares only stocks the full set of 3 replacement drivers. Thanks

Oh bother, I was afraid of that. I guess I’ll just consult the books and find a photo of the loco I want to model and make what changes I can plainly see, the valves and deflectors being most obvious.

I am looking for approximate timeing on a couple of detail changes. First. when would the smoke deflectors have been extended from the short as-built version to the long or standard length versions? Second it is my understanding that the safety values were originally a cluster of 3 located in front of the whistle and that they were changed to 2 located to the rear of the whistle. Further I think these safety valve changes were made when the boiler pressure was reduced from 280 to 250 psi, correct? Are there any spreadsheets or webpages that list these dates owr even approximations? Thanks

What were these weather covers made of? Were they rubberized canvas or just plain canvas? Finally were the sides convex as in your example or straight? Thanks

I do like the NH locos but there is evidence that N&W designer Frank Noel based the J Class design first on Southern Pacific GS locos but that one was deemed not fancy enough. Then he tried a design based on elongating the NYC Hudsons but that was too fancy. Finally he came back with the now classic streamlining and that bold red/maroon stripe on the glossy black body, coupled with the massive power of the J’s put them a class ahead. Besides, my grandfather worked for the N&W and during the 1980s excursion years they used to park no. 611 in Manassas VA where I lived and I got to explore it at will. I now model the Southern Railway mainline between Charlottesville and Lynchburg VA where several Southern trains were handed over to N&W J’s for the run across N&W territory. My interest in the Bulleid pacifics grew out of ads for the Battle Of Britain class models I saw during the 1970-80s in some US model magazines showing their distinctive nose treatment. That design stuck in my mind for 40 years and then I saw the recent Hornby releases in the Neville Grove YouTube Spamfest video and its been downhill ever since.

Perfect, exactly what I was thinking of in my question, I’ll look forward to seeing your update. Although I had the link to the sremg website I had never dug down far enough to find your table and other info on the Bulleid pacifics. These have replaced the A4s as my favorite UK streamlined (air styled) steam locos. My favorites still are the USA Norfolk & Western J class 4-8-4 class and the Southern Railway Raymond Lowey streamlined 4-6-2—Larry

Given the changes that took place over just a span of a few years in the late 1940s just how closely has Hornby been at pairing the correct livery with the correct cab configuration and the correct tender? Are there any spreadsheets that present all this information in a concise manner, particularly the tender information?