57xx

On 07/02/2024 at 10:08, 57xx said:

I know I want a 43/53xx but still not sure which one. Livery-wise I was thinking Shirtbutton as my 63xx is Great Western, but with all these options of steampipes (or not in the case of potential liveries) and chimney types, I need to get my head down with some research.

This dilemma seems to have resolved itself... An email came in this morning saying Rails had shipped my shirt button Mogul. Only I didn't remember ordering it at any time! I check on my account and it wasn't listed in the orders, so I gave them a call - Apparently I placed the order last May 2023. 🙈

2 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

 

Feels like 40:1, like the Romfords of all those years ago, but apparently now completely out of fashion, was the right approach.

 

Why do manufacturers think the laws of physics will change for their new locos?

 

I was thinking similarly when I read the improvements had changed the gearing to 30:1. 45:1 randomly sprang in to mind as being better, it multiplies the motor torque more too giving better haulage,

25 minutes ago, Tim Dubya said:

 

Did that transfer to Wizard with the other MT kits and bits?

Yes it did, I saw it on there the other day when looking for other parts.

2 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

But the Airfix one is equally atrocious with all those chunky mouldings, the conical steam done, the visible seams, etc,...

I never said it was perfect but for it's age it passes muster once detailed. 

I'm doing a training course  for work this week. In America. West coast America. The only thing is I'm still in the UK! 😀 This means my "working day" is starting at 3:30pm and finishing at 11:30pm. This does mean I have my morning and half an afternoon free to do other things. So apart from household and garden chores, I have also made some more progress on the Fruit D.

The brake levers and vac cylinder would now operate all four brake blocks.

Scrap etch, Mainly Trains brake detailing pack and a couple of brass lace pins came into play here. I've also since taking the pic, drilled the back of the brake blocks with a 0.5mm dimple in case any evidence later comes up of cross shafts bracing the brake blocks.

I'm thinking with the time I have today, I am going to get on with doing some drawing for a much delayed project. 🙂

6 minutes ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

At this point a new tooled one probably makes more sense, because I'm not sure all these modifications to the Hattons/DJ one would cost much less to do.

Question manufacturers would be asking is how big would the market be for one? Yes, many people would like one. But how many would pay over just keeping their older ones?

My two Hattons/DJ ones are perfectly fine, so as nice as a new tooled one would be I wouldn't upgrade. And I'm sure others would be the same.

I have no doubt new ones will be done one day, but I'm not sure how high up the priority list they would be. Only the industry can answer that one.

I would have one. My DJM atrocity is consigned to gather dust as it runs like a complete bag of sh*t. Any time I see one, my eyes are drawn to the bloopers on it. With the great power of hindsight, I wish I had returned mine as not of merchantable quality and stuck with my Airfix one with Mainly Trains detail pack. At the time I thought it would be a very long time before anyone decided to produce another version, so hung on to it for some unfathomable reason.

25 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

My guess is that they have 48xx under inspection and they won't say anything until/unless they figure out a way to make it work better. We know that the mechanism is a dog and 0-4-2Ts are always difficult to get to balance nicely. So there's a chance that it might be silently consigned to the bin as being uneconomic to fix (which was more or less its state at Hattons, of course)!

12 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

With the 14XX, we don't want exactly the same body, because the current body features a plastic frame that traps the motor and a large mazak block up there. That is an abomination and needs to be consigned to the scrap heap as soon as possible.

After posting, my thoughts did turn to the fact it would probably be easier to start from scratch and do it properly from the ground up. 

1 hour ago, chuffinghell said:

 

.................and a 14xx complete with a fully detailed Auto coach, pretty please with bells on

See Dapol...

3 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Back to the 48xx for a second…. When Accurascale release it, could they also get rid of the inset for the numberplate please!

 

I never did understand the logic for it!

 

(As well as the missing ash pan and running capability’s)

Thanks. 😎

 

 

And fix the dome so its not a seamless join onto the boiler cladding. Its not supposed to be one amorphous blob.

5 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

Your nipple height or Chesty Morgan's?

 

I suspect that many on here won't know her, Google is your friend!

Waist level?

On 03/02/2024 at 08:39, gwrrob said:

Photos of the new batch of Dapol mogul are surfacing online, these are courtesy of Cheltenham Models.

 

 

On 03/02/2024 at 11:48, Fair Oak Junction said:

Edit: I also can't help but feel that if you are trying to have your locos blend into the scenery more, painting huge block letters/numbers on them in white is counterproductive.

As is polishing the chimney cop and safety valve cover. Unless they were trying to dazzle the boche snipers.

I know I want a 43/53xx but still not sure which one. Livery-wise I was thinking Shirtbutton as my 63xx is Great Western, but with all these options of steampipes (or not in the case of potential liveries) and chimney types, I need to get my head down with some research.

2 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

 

I've never managed to avoid duty when something being repaired is returned to me in Spain. The Spanish customs depot don't understand it at all.

That's convenient for them, gives them an illegal little side earner.

14 hours ago, Quarryscapes said:

Well I caved. DC Supplies had graded Manors at £80 a pop, so I've just been running in Lydham and Hook Norton Manors around my set track loop. This loop has never been cleaned since purchase some 7 years ago, yet Lydham ran faulessly and after initially presenting a strange stumble so did Hook Norton. The stumble was odd, It ran perfectly in reverse, but forward it would pick a section of track to cut out as if it had been suddenly grabbed. I'm not sure what the cause was, but after picking it up and turning it to face the other way it started behaving as flawlessly as Lydham. I look forward to adding Hinton and Foxcote to the stud as funds and releases allow. 

£80 is an absolute bloody bargain for the Dapol Manor. It is a very good model IMO, and stands up very well to "the other version" which had, IMO, rather a bit too much fawning over. Not that the other one was bad, it was also very good with it's own foibles, but some people overdo the partisanship thing.

15 hours ago, Coach bogie said:

I would like to recommend the David Andrews book on the moguls. Details of every locomotive. with images and description of all the variations/modifications. I had to borrow a friend's copy for years until I found a signed copy in a charity shop.

 

There is one on eBay at the moment

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305063111671?epid=90960035&hash=item47072dabf7:g:SFcAAOSw~lBk0nKp

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

That one went quick, luckily there are actually plenty of other copies on there (although 1 more less now).

10 hours ago, MrWolf said:

That was probably.me getting hold of the wrong end of the stick to be honest! 

Yes, no, maybe? It was a good shout. Clasp brake wagons effectively have this with the yokes, it got me thinking that a long wheelbase vac braked wagon Brown Vehicle (passenger stock) might need something like that.

On 04/02/2024 at 08:39, MrWolf said:

If you can get in at a shallow angle, could you drill a small dimple behind each brake shoe pivot and spring in a suitable length of wire secured with a little super glue?

I've had a look at as many underframe pics as I can and can't see any signs of a cross shaft between the brake shoes, but I've not seen anything clear and definitive. For now I will leave them, but I have found a nice bit of scrap etch for the link between the main cross shafts and in my box of Mainly Trains etches there's a sheet of brakes spares that has some small levers that can be adapted to attached the link rod to the cross shafts.

Deleted: didn't finish reading the thread.

13 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

The wagon on the extreme left looks taller; its number 539[??] implies that it is an N2 of Lot 462, also a 20 ton type, since it's clearly not a bogie wagon. Not having the book in my hands, I can't check on these subtleties of appearance.

The side stanchions and buffers look to be N2 to me. I think you may be right about the right hand most wagon too, one of the tell-tales of the N4 is that they had 12" deep solebars as opposed to 10" on other diagrams.

More progress on the Fruit D. The buffers are looking a whole heap better thanks to Lanarkshire Models.

Work then moved on to the brake gear. The levers, V hangers and brake rods were all drilled out to take 0.7mm brass wire and then the whole lot threaded together. I then realised there is no vac cylinder lever, so knocked one up quickly from scrap brass. 

Upon looking at the drawings in the kit and then in Atkins et al, I also realised there is also rodding missing between the two cross shafts at each end of the brake gear. As it is, a lever will only apply the 2 brake shoes at the relevant end. I'm torn between trying to find more suitable brass strip or file it under CBA.

9 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

They always look like prison vans, don't they?

I wonder if I should get Railtech to do a G4S livery for one?

1 hour ago, chuffinghell said:

No problem, happy to help

Found them where I left them, in the little baggie on the workbench (along with a couple of other empty bags, so nearly missed them). They are now safely stuck on the CC7.

3 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

 

 

My fault! the 25” GW that was at my request when originally discussing it with @railtec-models based on the information I had to hand

 

 

I hadn’t considered later time periods, apologies for that

 

As for the brake handles I will happily print some more and send them to you if you like?

 

 

It's not your fault at all, Chris. If anyone's, it would be mine for not checking on ordering, caveat emptor and all that. I'd still have ordered them anyway for all the branding and numbers. As I'd already got some additional 16" lettering in the order too, it wasn't an issue. 🙂

Thanks for the brake handle offer. I know I put them somewhere safe... Famous last words. I'll be in touch if they don't turn up.

An update on the CC7 - I ordered decals from Railtec for the CC7 and went ahead to tart it up. It was only then I spotted they just supply the 25" lettering on the sheet which is too early for me. Luckily several other sheets had dropped in my basket whilst ordering the CC7 decals so I had some spare 16" G W letters to apply. The end result is below.

The roof has had a first wash of dirt and some woodwork showing through on the steps. The body now needs some weathering too.

Just noticed the brake handles are still missing. I hope I can find them!!

On 17/01/2024 at 08:26, Mikkel said:

 

It looks good, despite the challenges. I still haven't tried a Parkside kit, must have a go some day. The parts looks nice and crisp.

 

If you do go for one Mikkel, pick one of the later kits. Some of the earlier ones are not as crisp and underframes not very well detailed. Overall though, I'd probably put them at #1 spot above Cambrian and Coopercraft.

I think you'll get as many suggestions as responses on here. I've got a Harder & Steenbeck Silverline as my posh airbrush. I also use the cheap Chinese one that came with my compressor. they both give good results. The H&S is much easier to clean and feels nicer to use, but as far as the end result on wagons, both do the job well. It all depends on your budget really.