robmcg

I know it's subjective, but I rather like Hornby's 'usual' BR colours. If I was to make any comment on the appearance of the new Castles, it would be the see-through appearance of the front wheels, inside cylinders and frames. This can be fixed by one means or another by dark plasticard or similar, and in any event is perhaps nit-picking of a very fine model. Rob

Indeed this will be a nice model, and I presume would go well with the new suburban carriages. I'm wondering when L1s took over from presumably A8s or A5s on the coastal lines? Rob

There would have been considerable variation in ride height when fully loaded with coal and water, also the age and setting of springs would be an influence, and general running would accomodate a few inches of vertical play. Just a thought, having ridden on several similar mainline locos back in the 60s. Rob

I am simply amazed by the level of detail Hornby have acheived with this series of L1 models. Today I have unpacked Britannia 70010 'Owen Glendower' and test-run it. Perfect running, all sorts of details already fitted by the factory, firebox area plumbing a little too brightly painted but out with the dilute black ash-coloured dry brush... and the coal etc to go on. Should look the part with red and cream Mk1s For what it's worth the loco was purchased (Liverpool) on 15 December just in time to be held up by bad weather, but arrived here in NZ on 29 December, not too shabby a present on my 60th birthday! Together with a weathered Fowler S&D 2-8-0. As to the L1 photo, I like the weathering, and especially the figure on the platform. It's nice to see such relatively stationary and little-modelled human 'stance'. The roof ventilators look right to me, but photos of prototypes in different light be a better way to judge? Rob

Well, I'll play. Is it the drainage bead? ...or whatever it's called. Curved vs inverted 'v'? Rob

Amen to that! athough I do rather enjoy counting rivets ... I wonder how long it will take for 60532 to travel from Liverpool to NZ? I must be patient methinks, in today's 30C Canterbury sunshine it is quite easy to be patient.... and I expect the Royal Mail to get this model, along with four others purchased up to 8 days ago, to the airport forthwith! In optomistic expectation, (maybe some lessons from the 1963 'big freeze' apply?) Rob

Indeed the accuracy of recent models does sometimes give rise to unwanted consequences. It's hard to say how widespread the problem is. Perhaps a spring and/or weight arrangement like Wilks' would be practical, (thankyou Wilks for the photos) .. if you can find and bits and pieces which would suit. Otherwise, as you say, some more complex answer may be necessary. At least we have a reasonable idea why the problem occurs... slight variations in clearances of gauge, bearings and pivots, and track alignment (which may not be much different from the prototypes!). Any spring would be painted matt black and be near invisible, too. Lovely, lovely models! Rob

That is very interesting. Neither of my locos (as in the video) have any fore-aft rocking at all. They sit dead square on flat track. The black version has barely detectable vertical foat in the centre axle, under 0.5mm at a guess, and the BR green version no detable float at all. I think the axles are drilled without vertical play, probably to spread adhesive weight. There may be a good case for replacement by Hornby if the engine rocks noticeably fore-aft on a flat surface. The parts are made on drilling jigs which may sometimes wander or err. That said, the vertical, horizontal and rotational tolerances and free play in the front pony and rear bogie should accomodate a small amount of inaccuracy in the set of the driving wheels on track with some rises and falls and twist.. The spring seems like another do-able option. I wouldn't personally want to remove the wheels and ream the axle-housing, or 'ease' them, then re-quarter the wheels and re-assemble..a spring would be far easier! MRE online magazine today had a contribution suggesting that accurate back-to-back gauge on the wheels of L1s and other similar locos was a very important factor too. Best, Rob

Here is a video showing several passes of my two L1s. Alas I wasn't able to replicate a derailment! It does show the pony truck quite well especially in the last scene. Rob Edit; also found this excellent L1 prototype clip,

I had exactly the same de-railment issue with my apple green BR version, the 'straightening up' effect on a code 100 Peco medium radius point, after a short piece of type 2 radius Peco code 100 Setrack, regardless of whether the point was set straight ahead or curved (at the slightly wider radius). This was all pinned to flat thick medium density fibreboard (MDF). Pretty flat, but not absolutely perfect. My black early crest BR version does not derail anywhere. Neither loco has the front model hook style coupling fitted. No weights added, back-to-back flanges look pretty close to correct. Vertical and longitudinal play in the pony truck mounts is the same in both locos. After looking at this thread and others on the subject, I sat down today to compare both locos., in search of an answer for the de-railing green version This has been fitted by me with the supplied 3-link coupling, as well as the longish brake pipe. Both locos have both transit screws back in place snugly, both have similar vertical free play for the pony truck in the captive 2-pin arrangement. In both engines the front wheels adopt a sideways angle somewhat greater than needed, due to the gauge and tolerances of the flanges/wheels. The black one had a very slightly stiffly rotating axle, but this has gone after a little running. The green one had slight roughness in the mounts when the pony truck when pressed up against the body and moved from side-to-side. I rubbed it back and forth to remove any flashing or roughness of surfaces involved. This loco (when right-way-up, sitting on bare flat surface) showed a tendency to twist its axle when the flange pushed on right-hand curves, lifting the outer flange very slightly, possible because of roughness or slight binding in the pivot pins, or binding with the underside of the engine frame/smokebox area, or a remote chance, contact with brake pipe or 3-link coupling. The black one did not show this tendency at all. With the green one, fitted with the coupling and brake pipe, there was almost zero clearance between the coupling and front face of the pony truck. The fore-aft movement of the pony in its mounts was not always smooth, either. (Sorry for being long-winded!) So I wiggled and moved all the various pivots and joints through a full range, using mild pressure, until they seemed to be more 'free'. Especially I ensured that the fore-aft movement of the pony truck was free, regardless of angle of rotation. I tested this also by watching the loco start after stopping in reverse, and vice versa, it shows a few mm of fore-aft by design, after all. Result, no derailments at all, at any speed up to a scale 60mph. Conclusion? I cannot be sure but I think the free play of all the parts is essential, and that a tendency to twist the front axle when some sort of binding occurs in the pony truck mounts is at the nub of it. Hope this is of some value. and this photo shows the issue where the derailment USED to happen.. just about or ahead of the green loco.. Rob

Well, for S & D people the weathered Fowler 7F is in Liverpule... Are UK airports working ordinarIly yet? Rob (NZ) (and no, I don't expect a late BR A2 before Xmas down here! )

Thankyou for the details Nick, much appreciated. Rob

Thankyou Wilks, That is an excellent suggestion and I like the practical effect, I'll try it on my green BR version which has an occasional front wheel derailment, on the transition from type 3 radius to straight, after perhaps seeing if a tweak to widen the back-to-back doesn't improve it, as well as checking assembly of the pony truck etc. Rob

If there was any advertising that the edition was limited to 1,000 then it would be unethical to simply increase the number of the 'edition'. But we surely cannot expect that the model won't be in production in various guises more or less as long as there is demand.

Thankyou for the reply, my rather unsupportable speculation comes from photos in old P B Whitehouse 'Branch Line Album' books, where I had a feeling that some Scottish engines had unusual paint here and there, and alas the books are packed away somewhere. Best, Rob

This is an excellent point well made. All power to those who make great effort to make models into beautiful and exact representations of a particular time place or scene. Would it be true that some Scottish sheds allowed non-standard paint finishes to locomotives in the 50s and 60s? Photos I have seen in many many books and magazines over the years suggest this may be so, but I do not know enough about the maintenance and repair of such as 2Ps and Compounds in Ayrshire, or Black 5s in LNER sheds, to be able to make anything other than conjecture. Such as light paint on smokebox door hinge-plates (yuk) or even worse, white driving wheel tyres! There were some terrible things done in Scotland. I blame Culloden. Rob

That's a lovely photo of a beautiful locomotive. I incline to go with the black running plate sides but suggest that together with sandbox covers it might sometimes be down to works and paintshop apprentices, or other unrecorded edict(s). In NZ at least a lot of locos got individual treatment from not entirely official sources. In any event I look forward to Blue Peter! Rob

Marvellous work Ian, I don't know about variations in running board paint, nor sandbox cover colours, but enjoyed making this photo yesterday... I hope others will enjoy it too. Rob

Your weathering and photography is truly inspirational, Ian. Thankyou. I hope this slightly different version of my BB A2 will be of interest; I have edited or manipulated certain bits as I presume are obvious. They certainly are lovely models. The title is simply 'Boy on bridge'. Rob

Lovely pictures all, and here is a version of BR days with boy on footbridge doing what I used to do...! (although not above a Scottish A2..) Wistfully thinking of youth! <g>

Thankyou for the compliment. I used a 60w tungsten bedside reading lamp close to the rear of the tender pointing forwards, with a tungsten filter setting in the Canon A620 camera. The moulding seam low on the boiler is painted out, and contrast and brightness is modified here and there, various parts are painted with a picture editing brush, bent, 'fettled' and so on but nothing at all has been done to the model itself. Some might say that it's not an entirely honest photo, but I treat it as being rather unashamedly re-touched to give an appearance of the prototype Cheers, Robbie

Thankyou Max, I have darkened the pic a little as here, to suit my laptop LCD screen as opposed to my older TFT laptop... Whatever the nature of exact detail for the running plate, it really is a beautiful model. I retouched the seam on the boiler, amongst other minor tweaks. Forgive me for perhaps falsifying the exact nature of the model here and there. Also this and similar photos are in 'Questions and Answers' after a query about carriages for the Apple Green BR A2. Rob

That explains it very well. It would be hard to alter the model, though... I have taken this photo of the lovely 60537, editing certain minor things ... Cheers, Rob

Thankyou pH, I greatly enjoy seeing locos in places which history often records as 'unlikely'! Rob

For those interested, I have started a new picture of A2 60528 and have straightened the footplate and cutoff lever somewhat using photo tools, and begun a few other bits and pieces.. starting with the fuller version of the photo a few messages back. I don't know to what extent Bachmann use digital enhancement in their catalogue photos, Hornby use it extensively, but neither stoop to the extremes I use. Below are the original 'straight out of box picture, and the retouched version below that. Rob