Roy L S

I haven't felt a need to test the limit of haulage, but 20 Farish Presflo wagons and a Brake Van and it isn't at all taxed. In reality I doubt a single Clayton would manage 20 loaded Presflos that easily, I suspect the weight with a brake would be well over 600 Tons, I can visualise bits of engine letting go! Smoke generator function for engine fire anyone? Roy

Divide the 0.65mm by two as it is the radius measurement which will reflect the extra height from the axle to the rail, but nonetheless still a reasonable chunk of the 0.8mm all the same, I mean when someone is quibbling about 0.5mm and you see what that actually is on a steel rule with those graduations all I can say is....really??? Regards Roy

I absolutely agree Chard. From my measurements the discrepancy is 0.8mm but even if it were 1.3mm then 1.3 / 2.065 (British N is 2 and 1/16mm to the ft) = 0.63 ft x 12 = 7.5 inches.... The discrepancy could be at least partly explained by the necessarily oversized gap between bogie and loco body. Quite honestly it feels to me as if some people aren't satisfied unless they can find something to complain about in a model. Roy

Don't forget tyre-wear too, it all adds up!

I measured one of mine from rail height to the roof apex and found it to be exactly 27mm. This, at 2.065mm to 1ft works out at 13ft 1ins whereas it should be 12ft 8ins so it is actually by my measurements a "whopping" 5 ins over scale in height or circa 0,8 of a mm. Obviously it would be better if it were spot on, but personally I can live with that, I think it is a terrific model and am delighted it has found its way to market. Roy

I recall that the original DJM spec was for one tyre on each bogie with un-tyred axles in the box. Like Les I am not unduly bothered as my layouts have no gradients so in double-harness they should cope more than adequately with the trains I plan them to haul. Roy

I wonder what a real 17 would have managed on a 1 in 25 without blowing a gasket or two! Roy

That is correct, I believe the Coronation was one such.

I know a lot of Clayton fans (me included) are absolutely over the moon by the announcement, having thought that our chance for a RTR one in N went with the demise of DJM! Roy

Hi Geoff. Yes, it is the one that DJM initiated, but he never got it further than 1st EP and was unable to progress the project because of a dispute over the tooling (it later became clear it had not been paid for). He even asked prospective purchasers to pay up front to fund the 2nd EP but since he could not progress the model this was refunded. So, DJ never got as far as finishing the tooling and getting to 2nd EP stage and had certainly never got as far as commissioning a production run. What happened was that the factory retained the tooling and sought a purchaser/commissioner of a production run, having supplied at least one finished and unpainted loco for testing and reviewing. EFE have clearly taken this model on subsequently and commissioned the locos that are soon to be released - nothing to do with DJM at all. So to conclude no, this loco was never even close to production under the DJM banner and release now doesn't indicate anything positive about the health or viability of DJM at all. Regards Roy

That's not long to wait at all, in fact just about long enough for me to persuade myself I should order another! Roy

That strategic???

I wonder if there might be room in the tank for a Micro-Cube speaker, that could be worth exploring...

No, postage is free on the Clayton so it seems it must be some kind of anomaly probably because they are looking to send the decoder on its own. Regards Roy

Checked again this morning. Rails still show the 17s as a forthcoming release, so either they need to update their website or there is something odd going on with your order. No doubt in a matter of hours we will find out! Regards Roy

Pah! My two still show on my RoS account as pending...

Hi Angus The Dapol 26 body can be a real swine to get off, that one really doesn't reflect any lack of capability. Diesel bodies in general can be tricky because they have to be a snug fit. Of course we don't know exactly how the Clayton fuel tank comes off yet, but I would hope it to be a lot easier! Regards Roy

But for the Clayton from all accounts you just need to pop off the fuel tank, unclip the Next 18 blanking plug and replace it with a Next 18 decoder which just clicks into place - the work of a few minutes. Regards Roy

If they are in the country, then presumably they have been sample-tested and warehoused somewhere? Is the next step distribution to the retailers? I have tried to find the answer on the main EFE thread but there is such a lot to scroll through it is entirely possible I have missed something. Roy

it seems strange. I asked my friendly local model shop on Monday if the 8Fs were still due in August and he kindly spoke to Barwell for me. He was told the end of August at that point so I wonder what has suddenly changed... Agreed the delay it isn't life threatening, the only reason I am disappointed is that I had been hoping it would arrive in time for my birthday in September and dropping suitable hints... Roy

I voted for the 40 (have two) and to be honest it doesn't surprise me, in terms of quality and features it was a bit of a game changer, coreless motor, Next 18 and sound ready all on top of a superbly detailed and sweet running model. I suspect the C scored as highly for all the same reasons, it is a beautiful little model and I am still having to remind myself that this tiny loco comes "plug and play" for DCC sound! In terms of the region I model I could never have justified one, but thankfully Rule 1 is my friend! Roy

I think we need to wait and see what other modifications have been done before drawing any conclusions about their view of original model. I don't think many people criticised the model from a cosmetic standpoint, it was all to do with the mechanism and most specifically the unnecessary and problematic gear-train coupling the wheels. Regards Roy

But they will be a horror to assemble. If you have the ballast load out you will find that the interior sides of the wagon are a separate set of mouldings which are a swine to get back in if they come loose. Rails have them at £28, they have only produced four liveries one wagon of each so they appear to be quite cautious, I guess the market will ultimately decide. They are pretty reasonable models in my opinion but as I have four original black ones personally shan't be looking for any more just yet. Roy

The King never got as far as tooling on DJM's watch, the only tangible things produced were some rather crude 3D prints. Roy

The King CAD work went to KR Models and I believe the Shark too so unless there is some collaboration I suspect not. On the other hand there was some CAD work done on the J94 and Baby Deltic and there were supposedly some other wagons in gestation (LSWR Road Van for one) so maybe these may be next? Roy