34theletterbetweenB&D

This was one of Bachmann's products from their initial probe into the UK OO market. The mechanism is a low cost construction with numerous weaknesses, well documented by a good many postings here and elsewhere. That said, the lighter locos - of which this is one - do tend to greater longevity. I'd suggest not going overboard on it, just a decoder to make it a runner, with the proviso that first you open it up to make the modifications essential to isolate the the motor terminals completely from both chassis halves. It is not necessary to take the outside rods off the coupled wheelsets, just take the glued on cylinders off the chassis block stubs and then drop the complete assembly out once the keeper plate has been removed. What you will find inside is hard to predict, it may all be in good condition, or alternatively the many essential plastic components that provide the isolating function between the chassis halves may be failing. And test and test again on reassembly to be certain that both motor conections are fully isolated from the chassis halves I successfuly converted a good number of the LNE group models to DCC about 20 years ago, and they lasted four to six years in intensive operation, with much swapping of any parts with life left in them until I had worn through the plating on all the wheelsets; one exception, a particularly good early A4 mechanism with much heavier plating that still runs, long ago fitted with a Hornby A3 body, that mechanism and body combo is now coming up 30 years old. The motors in all these were good, they appear 'unburstable', and I also salvaged bodies, bogie and trucks, etc. for repurposing, so not a total loss.

Pourquoi? Just in case it is relevant, when I wanted a 9F with real loco traction for outdoor use, I lobbed an Airfix GMR motor from an N2 (five pole job clearly based on the MW 005 motor design) into an early Hornby push along 9F chassis, that had a chassis block with the shaped section to allow an XO4 to drive on the unflanged wheelset. That combination would still slip the wheels when made up to 800g and held back on the track. And after some years very effective service - neither trainload, nor rain, nor adverse gradient, nor headwind, or any combination of same, ever stopped a train it was hauling - it hurled itself off the track. Two wheels had slipped on the axles and the coupling rods were very bent. There would appear to be a limit to how much torque RTR OO friction fit driven wheels will stand, if worked hard for long enough. (The motor and driveline to the axle were all absolutely fine and the mechanism had all damaged parts replaced, it now lives indoors with a regular plastic body and has given no trouble since.)

Also possible, one of the plastic couplers = 'drivecup' that the dogbone ='driveshaft' engages, is slipping, or alternatively a gear in the drive train is either missing, or out of alignment sufficiently that it isn't engaging the gears either side. The driveshaft not present or properly engaged is most likely, exactly as Darius suggests. The items in quotes are Bachmann's terms, and you will find them in the attached spares list. https://Bachmann-spares.co.uk/category/1-branchline-diesel-parts/class108dmu/chassis?page=1&sortby=5&numper=100

The Gresley and Thompson types available from Hornby were secondary service stock; rather than inner suburban stock for which at the southern end of the LNER there were articulated high capacity sets, see below*. Otherwise it is kits at present, other than the dated BR mk1s from Bachmann. Coming soon: *The very very exciting announcement of (GNR/LNER) Quad Arts from Ellis Clark. BR mk1s, from Accurascale, with the very necessary lav compo in addition to BS and S.

Story of my life, two, each in their own way desireable, present themselves. Happily there's no law against bigamy in model railway.

Bought the very lovely Hornby P2 as no 2003 'Lord President', and had it all in pieces after test running was complete, decoder now in Loco, tender wiper pick ups removed, etc.. It's way cheaper than a self build model would be. Does that answer the question? (Overall I rate it very good.) The main motivation was assessing the mechanism for a future project acquisition. Gresley would so have advanced to a 4-8-4 had he been spared...

This culture doesn't trouble me: before there was RTR OO worth purchasing as a model, everything had to be built by DIY using kit components. Now we get fully assembled kits, and happily an increasing proportion of these fully deserve the 'RTR' label: Joy unbounded, I don't have to run the loco, carriage and wagon works, more time for my real interest in timetable operation. But all models that come my way get taken apart to some extent, because improvements and adjustments can be made. Hornby's product typically gets the most extensive treatment, because among the current brands it has the largest content of toytrainium in its offerings, which can be discarded: first to go are wiper pick ups on tender wheels. (They are only fitted to try to help the loco get over the dreadful design set track pointwork, completely unnecessary on a live crossing layout.) And there's much more besides. As far as I am concerned, now that it is generally recognised that scale dimensions and appearance - insofar as that is possible within the necessary OO compromise for UK subject matter - all is generally well. The minor problems and deficiencies can be quickly fixed: HURRAH! Once there's a plain and simple Hornby Black 5 in BR late crest on sale, it'll be in pieces on my bench the moment it's completed infant mortality acceptance testing. Yes, they can in their RTR HO product, which is made to a long time well developed standard, with an extensive range of toytrainium input and performs impressively. And it is so marvellous that 'modellers that can' adopt P87 to get rid of the toytrainium and have true scale models, which - surprise! - won't get around the minimum radius HO set track curves. There's little point in making comparisons between RTR HO and RTR OO, which developed on very different paths reflecting aspects of national character, there ordnung, here gung-ho; the chance of any future convergence is so small as to be ignored...

No external added frames visible on my PC screen. original condition in this respect.

That's better, edging closer to an 'ordinary' unnamed BR late crest version, minus doodads and promotional polished metal work, all ready to be reliveried in LMR standard filth.

Not been aware of any DCC fitted mk1s from Bachmann. What these have is the pick up system on the axle pinpoints, which I think was first seen on the mk1 based Met-Camm Pullman cars, and MU carriages, and performs well both in respect of pick up and free rolling performance; at last displacing the Trix Commonwealth bogie from its position as the most free running RTR OO item. Welcome additions to the mk1 range which further increases the lead of the reigning champion in number of vehicle variations covered from a standard format design.

Completely unintentionally, I spent most of career based on and around sites which formerly had extensive rail served industries, the evidence of which regularly 'surfaced' when new construction was underway. Top marks for temptation...

That's the biggest strike against traction tyres, for all of us 'power via the rails' operators: it is desireable that all the powered wheels should be available for current collection, as they are the most effective for this purpose. However, the materials choices long available include much superior options; thus my over fifty year old Rivarossi model with original translucent traction tyres, (which I only spotted after near three decades of ownership!) still as good as ever. And Hornby now own Rivarossi, so they have that 'better shot in the locker'! Had Hornby or Lima offered such a high grade traction tyre to the UK market forty-some years ago, instead of their death spiral contest for the cheapest and nastiest mechanism they could foist on RTR OO, we might be having a different conversation now. Personally I am very happy with loco drive and weight on metal wheels for traction. That Spaceship on a heavy drag makes noise on the track discernably different from the little Humpy shunting a single wagon in the yard, just the way the real locos did...

That's not been the opinion of the KWVR team I have spoken to (now a decade past admittedly). I live roughly 24 miles North of Trafalgar Square, and the KWVR is my conveniently accessible preservation outfit: ten minute walk to station, pick up an IC225, St Evengage - Leeds, local train to Keighley, KWVR to Oxenhope, three minute walk to my late parent's door: and return. The best of the current network at the time, and steam traction, for a grand day out.

Not a shed, but an unheated single skin brick, mineral felt roof outbuilding in SE England, same climate as Oxford. Largely RTR OO on commercial nickel-silver rail track, and it works completely reliably. Untreated steel tools will rust but nothing horrific, all the steel components in the models have been trouble free these past twenty odd years, including the mild steel tyres on MGW wheelsets. However, I wouldn't venture mild steel rail, as an old length of tinned steel rail flexi track I found a few years ago was in a bad way. In the same location, madam's garden shed, all timber, felted roof, on a concrete base, uninsulated, ventilation under the eaves overhang, never any condensation. Given half a chance I would extend the model railway into that with confidence, but the horticultural expert firmly expresses a different opinion on this proposal.

The GNR's Hatfield Luton and Dunstable would be a gem. Really attractive countryside running through an SSSI woodland and along the Lea valley via the Parks of Brocket Hall and Luton Hoo; with mainline connections to the ECML and MML, (and potentially the WCML if the LNWR branch from Leighton to an end on junction at Dunstable was also preserved). Present day, close proximity to the M25, M1 and A1M, and an international airport, in an area seriously short of preserved steam railway operation, and abundantly equipped with a population possessed of money to burn on entertainment.

Then again Hornby have yet to notice how even their best models have the shine taken off them when advertised standing on their own dreadful set track. Here's someone who has done the very thing you propose. https://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=57802&hilit=copperclad+set+track+points

Usual thing with artists, daubings bear no relation to writings. That's why they have given up on realism and gone all random...

Did you first have to cut clearnace into the interior of the Brit rear truck casting to allow the wheels in at all, or have Hornby corrected that? (My two are first releases from 2006.) Mine will manage down to 30" centreline radius. Hornby's A3 and A4 pacific mechanism has (or possibly had as mine are all as released in 2004/5 and Hornby do tend to tinker) a very useful feature, the moulded Cartazzi truck frames are made in a flexible plastic. Once the crude 'post' for the wheelset has been reduced in width to allow sufficent sideplay for the loco to negotiate something a little under 36" radius without the frames fitted, the frame moulding can be split at the rear and once excavated internally by removal of the moulded ribs, the wheelset will 'nudge' and thus flex the inside frame on a curve less than 36" radius. No idea what the final limit on minmum centreline radius might be, 36" is the safe choice. The W1 and P2 are definitely 36" minimum radius without more hacking than I am confident undertaking.

That's a worn mechanism generating vibration in the audible frequency range. The body provides a lot of extra surface area to more efficiently couple the vibration to the air mass, so you can hear the racket properly. The cure is to refurbish or replace the worn parts or find a replacement mechanism in better condition. (It is usually difficult to isolate RTR bodies sufficiently from the mechanism to have much effect.)

I shall celebrate in traditional fashion with Satay on a lance, then Basmati rice accompanied by Rendang, Gado-gado, Loompia Semarang and other Indonesian delights, all washed down with Weissbier, followed by Peach Melba. I should have fairly authentic dragon breath after that lot, but if not some slivovitz can be brought into play.

Start with the cheapest bodyshell (or two) you can find typical of classes you want to repaint from whatever are your target brands, and practice until confident of your technique delivering a result you like.

Good news for me, if there are many of the same opinion, there should be good availability when an 'extemely ordinary' all black late BR version appears... My questions about any new product are: 'Could I produce a model equally good by DIY for that price?' and since Bachmann's WD 2-8-0 of 1999 the answer has typically been 'no way!'. And following on from that, 'Is this model good enough as a starting point for the usual work required to bring RTR OO product up to the standard of appearance and performance I require?', and this is the first RTR Black 5 model I have seen that provisionally puts a tick in that box. I had hoped for a metal loco body which works to such good effect on Hornby's B12/3, would some kind soul care to weigh the Black 5 loco alone please? At very least the lights and loco to tender linkage are coming off, weight is probably going in the loco body, and filth shall be liberally applied for that 'final decade of LMR steam' appearance.

The G5 is a gem, I take my hat off to you. Plenty of low hanging fruit just begging for this superior arrangement. 😄

Five minutes inspection of Bachmann's construction plan on their two 0-4-4T's will reveal how it should be done: all metal construction above the driven wheels, lightweight tackle (coreless motor, DCC socket) and all plastic construction to the rear of the coupled wheelbase. Result: centre of gravity within the coupled wheelbase, resulting in stable traction pushing or pulling, uphill or down. (I am a little surprised there hasn't been more noise about this from the Southernistas.)

I would take that up with Dapol if you want an explanation, as it is a combination of their product offerings.