Hornby Caledonian 0-4-0 loco

[ColinB]

I have a really old 1980s version of the Hornby Caledonian Loco, I was looking to upgrade this to DCC, so I thought I had better put better wheels on it. The motor looks reasonably modern is quite quiet, a Scalextrix type motor. As I searched through the Service Sheets and Peters Spares, it looks like Hornby have not really updated it from my version. Is this true?  Also I know these were obviously used as shunting locos, where on earth did they get their coal? There is no tender and unlike tank engines no obviousl coal bunker.

[The Doc]

Hornby has updated the chassis since your version.  Recent models have a much lower top speed and are much easier to control at slow speed.  However, it's still not DCC ready.

 

The originals often had a permanently coupled truck with coal on board - something like a 3 or 5 plank wagon.

[The son of Triangman]

 

 

The gearing has been updated on the 0-4-0 and an inductor added, wheels and coupling rods blackened, coupling rods are a bit thinner too.  Today's versions run a lot slower due to the different gearing.  They can be made DCC by hardwiring a decoder inside the loco body./media/tinymce_upload/4e11a55fec36045d8d155a5a0fab64eb.jpg

 

 

[96RAF]

Wire a socket in...

/media/tinymce_upload/a9f2e510d0374e07c7a902215c3c17bf.JPG

 

What is wrong with the existing wheels.

[The son of Triangman]

 

 

No room in the old Hornby pug alas for a socket, Rob.  The dowlais tank has quite a bit of room as does the 06. Originals had chrome plated wheels, later ones are chemically blackened, coupling rods on China made ones are thinner.

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[ColinB]

There is enough room in mine for a 6 pin socket at the front under the chimney, so that is what I will do. The wheels and valve gear look a bit chunky, but looking at all the chassis and valve gear in the 2020 catalogue, they look about the same. I must admit looking at the gears on Peters Spares site they looked about the same. Trouble is if I ordered a set, I imagine my one is based on imperial sizes whereas I assume on the new one they will be metric. I will just put the DCC socket in, it isn't worth changing anything else. Fortunately my one has a metal based loco body so is quite heavy. The really good thing is the motor is quite quiet, not like my old 0-6-0s with the X03/X04 motors.

[The son of Triangman]

 

You could take the front weight out and put a micro decoder in the smokebox, but I prefer to keep weight in the front.

 

 

[ColinB]

You don't need to with the Caledonian, the body is the weight.

[Jimbo1707820979]

 Thanks, Doc for your explanation.  Was the "permanently coupled wagon" liveried as Caledonian or just any old wagon ?   

If Caledonian, has anyone any pictures of the animal ?

It would be very useful to see a picture as I would be able to try modelling something.

[Fazy]

The coal was kept in two small bunkers at the front on the cab. looking sideways on the two square bits in front of the cab below the saddle tank. often exter was kept at the back of the cab in sacks. if the loco was needed further afield then a old retired coal wagon was turn into a coal tender. Though it had been modified for this use. 

[Going Spare]

If you search "Caledonian Pug loco photos" you will find a few depictions of their tenders.

[malB]

Whilst yes many small 0-4-0 saddle [and other] tanks had a wooden [former waggon] tenders many industrial may nt have depending on the size of the system they worked on as in this photo, taken aty Marley Hill on the Tanfield Railway. The main subject being visiting Austriety 0-6-6 st No 60, with Hawthorn Leslie built No 2.

 

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[Jimbo1707820979]

Thanks. Nothing very clear but it seems they used "any old wagon" 😀  Hornby have acknowledged the use of a wagon by leaving a rectangular hole in the back of the pugs i.e. /media/tinymce_upload/cc3eb50eae403760a359908a9b7dfaf1.JPG

[Buz]

Hi all

These locomotives did not have tenders as such no water was carried other than in the saddle tank.

Rather they towed home brew coal bunkers this could be anything from a flat top with a pile of coal on it to quite well built elaborate coal bunkers and anything in between.

As a side note you can prototypicaly have 1 only in full Caledonian livery as one of these little pugs was actually painted in that livery and used as a station pilot the rest where black.

If you can find one a Triang wild west 4wh toy tenders (good luck with that) they are just as hard to find if not harder to find than the yellow Swedish?? coaches. The tender makes a nice believable fake tender for this loco and would be a good hiding place for the chip and should have extra pick ups fitted for running reliability.

Failing that a flat top with a three sided box to contain the coal or neatly cut up and tidied up open wagon will work with a box for the chip and pile of coal to hide it.

I was lucky I found a tender minus wheels and got it wheeled pick ups fitted painted in CR livery and permanently connected to the loco works well, Note mine is std DC not adapted to the modern techno-mage stuff.

regards John

 

[Jimbo1707820979]

Some nice ideas, Buz. I am also thinking of incorporating a kind of chute on the wagon which would match up with the 'hole' in the back of the pug.

[ColinB]

There was a new chassis on EBay for not much money so I thought I would buy it and do the comparison. The gearing looks about the same, the motor has two resistors in series, obviously a means to slow it down by reducing the voltage at the motor. The wheels are much finer but I would say that they are probably the same conrods but plated a dull black. The good news is that it still fits my Caledonian loco, so I have done an upgrade for very little money. I will now add dcc. I will add it does make my loco look a lot better.