Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?

[atom3624]

Seems that they're very popular models!

I hope many are actually running them, not just keeping them untouched in boxes, on shelves, in closed rooms ...

Each to their own, but the instant a new addition arrives in my house, it's on the rails.

Al.

[ace2507]

Hornby carriages normally have a small clip in each corner of the chassis - looking from underneath. It is often part of the glazing, so will be clear plastic. You really have to be very careful in moving them, as they tend to snap off. If you can get one corner free, usually by sliding a piece of plasticard (an old credit card) between the body and the chassis will work - but do it very carefully. The other thing to bear in mind is that very few coaches will have a slot in the top of the compartment walls, so you will have to cut/file a slot to take the lighting strip. I have five sets of Mk3 Maglights, but have not got round to fitting them yet.

 

 

Thanks for the tips, I think I'll try it on some older carriages first.

[Rana Temporia]

I had been after one of these coaches for some time. Managed to get one along with the clockwork loco for very little indeed! Unusually the loco still has the BR totems and even the key. Both run perfectly but I am not sure the loco should have the buffers? I thought they all just had plastic protrusions.

[atom3624]

My old retool super detail Princess Elizabeth has been on the 'repair bench' for some time. There's something wrong with the motion, and I just cannot get it right - not certain what, but may revisit.

To faster track her recovery, I decided to find a suitable chassis. None available, so found a 'good used' same older super detail Princess, which will donate her chassis, hopefully it's working well enough. I'm still hoping to repair Lizzie's original chassis one day.

Al.

[ColinB]

Bought a Duchess off EBay as a non runner. Put it on the test track and yes it did not work. Opened up the loco to find a DCC decoder hardwired inside. So I removed the decoder, rewired the loco so the decoder is now in a socket in the tender. I then put a plug onto the DCC decoder to find it actually works and it is a Lenz. Amazing purchase. This is not the first time it has happened where I buy a non runner to find it is because it has a DCC decoder fitted.

[Tony57]

My Latest buy Hornby Dublo Duchess Body and Tender Body repainted into BR Blue named as City of Birmingham, a neverwas.

[Potterton]

@Rana Temporia

You are right. The original loco's didn't have buffers. My first train set, (when I was 3 years old; I'll be 63 next month!), was The Dockmaster. One of those clockwork engines, a red open wagon and a blue fish van with a circle of Super 4 track. I still have it, (see attached photo), and it still works. The only differences are that it never had the BR totem or rods on the wheels. Incidentally I also have a pair of those coaches acquired sometime later; one from amongst a load of railway "stuff" I got from my cousin who had never shown any real interest and one from a neighour's son.

[Rana Temporia]

Potterton, I thought that was the case. I have quite a lot of top-tanks and of mine only the electric versions have buffers. As Pat Hammond describes in his section on these locos, the earlier ones have rods and decals. Some have no cylinder moulding and there are different types of funnel.

I have one that is 4WD but I suspect it doesn’t have the original chassis, it came in a box of junk. The early black, blue, yellow and green ones have the rear wheel drive only with the piston rod, the later ones have no rods at all and no decals.

Hornby were trying to compete with the likes of Playcraft and anything that could be done to cut costs was done so. I was surprised that the coach has an interior, I would have expected that would be left out for cost and to reduce weight for a clockwork loco to pull.

The top tank moulding was modified to produce the Wild West loco.

I have a few of the oddly coloured wagons that were available in clockwork sets only. Great fun!. Unfortunately although I have all the electric locos and stock from my childhood I don’t have any of my original clockwork locos which were either worn out or got given away. The only exception was my Jouef/Placraft class 21 diesel which was swapped for a couple of Mainline wagons along with the coaches and car transporter that was in the same set. I have managed to get another one along with two different French OH electric locos and a diesel. The Tri-ang/Hornby clockwork mechanism is a direct copy of the Jouef one which was itself a copy of a pre-war one.

[508006]

I recently purchased a triang hornby A3 chassis complete with I think its an X03 or X04 motor and fitted with the locomotive wheels from a 1980s version of the scotsman instead of the old original wheels with the thick flanges so it will happily run on my layout.

Now all I need is to find a tender for it in either the LNER or BR green as I have 2 bodies foer the chassis at home so a tender with either body on it will complete the loco.

[Ighten 1707822464]

This was going to be a Limby project. IE a Lima body on a new railroad chassis. But after a full service I discovered it was in good enough condition to warrant DCC upgrading it and after a stress test adding a TSX chip to it. It now crawls as well as anything just with the wrong sounds as the only brush engine out yet is the 31.

So far new flush glazing has been fitted. Handrails corrected. Etches and name plates from fox added.

Still to do. Quite a lot. The roof needs repainting as it never carried dark grey. Full buffer and coupling details. Radio masts. Very very light weathering on the chassis.

[atom3624]

Nice job. I hope the model appreciates your efforts in raising the bar!!

Al.

[atom3624]

The Princess 'donor' locomotive project worked well - seems a pity, but I'm very attached to my old 'detailed up' Lizzie.

The chassis' finally started loosening up a little, but now has a 'gentle ticking' rather than clicking. Yes, all bolts are OK - nipped gently.

This is speed related, and coincides with wheel rotation / location, so implies valvegear somewhere - typically some minor adjustments / tightening are required and I hope to have her silent again.

Al.

[atom3624]

Accurascale 37 043 Loch Lomond has arrived - initial impression is as others have said - impressive!

Al.

[atom3624]

Thank you for rotating the photo!!

The locomotive is 'like a ghost' when circulating on the tracks - at all powers up to perhaps 80% it's near-silent.

At 680g it's also very heavy, and all-wheel-drive so hauling is not an issue.

I don't have the 'sticking' coupling that Sam had - mine articulate without issue.

Al.

[wairoalbany]

Just received a Hornby APT NDM with decoder from TMC. Very nice.

[Rana Temporia]

I just bought this online thinking it was OO as I am sure Mettoy or Brimtoy made a OO clockwork Britannia and Spam can. On opening the box I was a little surprised to find a huge clockwork train! It still has all the buffers and transfers and I think is Mettoy.

The mechanism wants to work but due to the warped body I think the pistons are sticking and I can’t work out how to get the mechanism out to check it over. I have added some sewing machine oil to the parts I can access and it has freed things up a bit but I don’t want to get anything near the old plastic which I think it cellulose acetate.

I have no use for it so unfortunately it’ll have to go.

[atom3624]

Well I had a day which required calm and concentration - fitting the detailing to that Class 37 - those parts require great care, but all seems OK and Loch Lomond is circulating without problem.

Al.

[Loewietje]

Lord President and Thane of Fife arrived recently, and I am really impressed. Also great the way the tender is designed to take the TXS decoders, never soundfitted a loco so fast, under 2 minutes, opening and closing of the tender inclusive.

The guard irons were missing, I hope Hornby can fix that soon.

Apart from that, th only things that might complete the detailling pack are some lamps and fireman's tools. The fireman and driver are of course nice aditions to the detailling pack.

[atom3624]

Just received a good, used B.R. blue Bachmann Class 47.

DC only, ex DCS, but with head / tail lamps - latter switchable which is nice.

Bushes must have been bone dry as some screeching observed on first use, so within 10 minutes of receipt, the lid was off, bogies dangling, chassis loosened, and the motor lubricated, then the bogies - bushes each end and gears.

Result - very quiet, smooth and an excellent performer.

A few little tweaks required - add some hoses, snow plough perhaps, and she's ready.

Came with etched plates 'Hadrian' which is nice.

It's a former 'digital sound' locomotive with the DCC chip and speaker removed, which means there's no fans. 'DS' fans located quickly on their site, and ordered.

Al.

[81F]

A Piko 0-4-0 which bears a very strong resemblance to the old Hornby International tank.

It carries the number 98 003 and is in DB black with red frames like a lot of other German Locos. Oddly it also carries a molded running number 80018 on its cab and smokebox door which coincides with an 0-6-0 with a ver similar body.

[wairoalbany]

Received a couple of TGV intermeidate cars today.

[LesXRN]

As we are in the UK at the moment I couldn't resist a trip to Trident Trains in Cheshire.

I needed a load of rail joiners and track pins, so that was my excuse!

I'm glad I went as they had some pristine pre owned loco's for sale.

My new additions are a Hornby weathered 8F, a Hornby weathered Fowler 2-6-4 and a Bachmann Crab, also weathered. They look brand new so I'm really happy.

I've ordered Zimo sound decoders and speakers for them all from the chaps in Lincoln.

Happy days.

[81F]

Another Rapido Lion but this time in 1930s condition.. I would have bought the Hornby one if it wasn't for the couplings.

[atom3624]

Do you have the 6220 blue Coronation to run alongside?

[508006]

My latest purchase was a tender driven version of Black 5 number 44932.

The motor was rather rough running as there was oil all over the motor and even a complete clean up didn't solve the issue, the solution I found was to fit the last remaining cd motor I had and try it with that after fitting pickups for the insulated wheels on the loco and connect a wire between the loco chassis and the drawbar contacts.

The only visible wire passing between the loco and tender is from the self made puckups for the insulated wheels to the motor.

Once everything was done 44932 was coupled to 7 suburban coaches and was very quiet in operation with them. Whether black 5 locos actually hauled suburban coaches or not I am not sure but it was just a test and a very successful test too.