Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?

[atom3624]

One day after the eagerly awaited pre-ordered Evening Star arrived, 72000 R2846 Clan Buchanan arrived ....

I have plans for this one as well, as it's not going to stay as Clan Buchanan.

There were only 10 made, 15 others had been planned, but insufficient raw materials delayed production, then the 'modernisation plan' scuppered this completely.  None are preserved .... but .... one new one is being built - mentioned earlier.

This will become 72010 Hengist.  I've already fitted a 71000 Duke of Gloucester body to the tender, then the renaming / renumbering will start.  I'm anticipating this to be 'a little ugly', but the 'Clan Buchanan' nameplate is only tampo-printed on the blinkers - I'll remove this with whatever 'least destructive' means possible, respray if necessary the blinkers, then affix the Fox Transfers' etched plates - this is why I have to remove the original plates - they're considerably longer than those for Hengist unfortunately - not a simple tack on top of original job.

Renumbering will be a combination of scraping, Brasso, etc., but the 'most confined' possible to limit visual appearance 'demerits'.

Al.

Edited June 7 by atom3624

[VESPA]

I have all the Clans Hornby made. I never saw one in real life and if I had visited Manchester more or Liverpool I may just have seen one. Good luck with your number change as I have successfully changed several Britannias names and numbers. I am having a bit of a spend at present due to unsold stock of all makes losing some 25%-50% of the RRP. I also have picked up some "as new" coaches or my next project, the Motor Rail train with 4 Newton Chambers car carriers, a Restaurant Buffet a few open corridor MK1 with "E" prefix numbers and Brake coach. I am contemplating 1 Sleeping Car.

[Deem]

1 hour ago, atom3624 said:

One day after the eagerly awaited pre-ordered Evening Star arrived, 72000 R2846 Clan Buchanan arrived ....

I have plans for this one as well, as it's not going to stay as Clan Buchanan.

There were only 10 made, 15 others had been planned, but insufficient raw materials delayed production, then the 'modernisation plan' scuppered this completely.  None are preserved .... but .... one new one is being built - mentioned earlier.

This will become 72010 Hengist.  I've already fitted a 71000 Duke of Gloucester body to the tender, then the renaming / renumbering will start.  I'm anticipating this to be 'a little ugly', but the 'Clan Buchanan' nameplate is only tampo-printed on the blinkers - I'll remove this with whatever 'least destructive' means possible, respray if necessary the blinkers, then affix the Fox Transfers' etched plates - this is why I have to remove the original plates - they're considerably longer than those for Hengist unfortunately - not a simple tack on top of original job.

Renumbering will be a combination of scraping, Brasso, etc., but the 'most confined' possible to limit visual appearance 'demerits'.

Al.

I could be wrong and I am sure, someone will correct me. Isn't Evening Star is 9F with 2-10-0? Or does hornby make Evening Star in 4-6-2 Clan as well?

[atom3624]

😉

Evening Star 92220 is indeed a 9F  2-10-0.

Evening Star 66 779 is a Class 66 Co-Co.  I received the AccuraScale Class 66 on Tuesday, awaited for perhaps 18 months.

The following day the Clan R2846 72000 Clan Buchanan I had 'won' over the weekend also arrived - lovely model it is too.

I'm going to be 'amending it slightly' to become 72010 Hengist - a newbuild (relatively) light Pacific anticipated to be completed by soon after 2030.  Changes will be via Fox Transfers' etched plates, and me removing the tampo-printed 'Clan Buchanan' nameplates on the blinkers, then changing the number (very carefully!!) on the cab sides.  Plates might arrive tomorrow all being well - shipped yesterday.

It's a beautiful model and will look great.  I've a Duke of Gloucester tender body which fits perfectly, to permit the 'higher water capacity' they're anticipating - already fitted.

Al.

[atom3624]

1 hour ago, VESPA said:

I have all the Clans Hornby made. I never saw one in real life and if I had visited Manchester more or Liverpool I may just have seen one. Good luck with your number change as I have successfully changed several Britannias names and numbers. I am having a bit of a spend at present due to unsold stock of all makes losing some 25%-50% of the RRP. I also have picked up some "as new" coaches or my next project, the Motor Rail train with 4 Newton Chambers car carriers, a Restaurant Buffet a few open corridor MK1 with "E" prefix numbers and Brake coach. I am contemplating 1 Sleeping Car.

Those Newton Chambers car carriers look really nice - tempted by some of them myself ....

Al.

[atom3624]

The Fox Transfers' etched 'Hengist' nameplates - including the smokebox door 72010 number plate - arrived today .... so I might be busy.

I don't want to rush this, but it's something I've done 5 times already - Hornby locomotives have been changed - a B17, B12 and 3x super detail (previous) Black 5's.

Al.

[ellocoloco]

Please don't laugh guys, it was in an Ebay bundle with some coaches I wanted for my next project. I really am amazed at how quiet and smooth it runs given its appearance would indicate a fairly hard life.......I guess now it will go in the back of the cupboard in case I ever have grandchildren with a remote interest in trains!

[atom3624]

You could leave 100% as is, and use to shunt as/where required, or consider it a 'project', and see how far you could detail it up, no matter what it is meant to be, and see where you get ...  could be a bit of fun!

Al.

[ellocoloco]

@atom3624 Unfortunately there are plenty of projects in my mind if not actually on the work desk at the moment! Like my Nellie and Desmond, its great fun but won't really fit with what I want (one day) to create. 

[Rana Temporia]

Those Lima models will last forever. Does it have a coupling at both ends? Some in the cheapest sets didn’t. They usually came with a greeen tank wagon (BP?) and two covered wagons one of which I think was Coca-Cola. The larger of the two diesel shunters Lima used in cheap sets has a wheelbase that makes it ideal for the Airfix/Dapol rail bus kit. 

[HST Mainline]

On 06/06/2024 at 18:00, 96RAF said:

Given modern can motors have such a poor rep for longevity, I wonder why folk bother to run them in these days.

I don't know if you refer to me running in my locos, in that case, it is not my experience that the can motors are bad. I know people say that, but it is not my experience.

I cannot speak about the science in running the motors in, because I really do not know, but my experience is that motors that have sat still for some time benefit from being exercised a bit. That is what I do when I "run them in". I let them run at a generous speed for an hour or so (in each direction). They seem to work better after that.

Each to his own I guess.

[96RAF]

11 hours ago, HST Mainline said:

I don't know if you refer to me running in my locos, in that case,

Not you, just running in in general. Todays motors and plastic power trains are a long way removed from the old sturdy motors and metal gear trains which did benefit from a bedding in period.

Locos do run better once warmed up and I can see that during my automatic running where it takes a little while before stopping distances become exact.

[ellocoloco]

@Rana Temporia It only has the rear coupling so I guess one of the cheaper sets. I ended up with it as it was being with two HO Mk1s that will look good with my Trix Scotsman.

[Yelrow]

 have the same Lima loco. Its a great runner. I use it when first building new lines, as a Guinea pig.

[Brew Man]

Talking of Lima locos and other Lima rolling stock, I used to note that in certain quarters of the modelling fraternity, (not really thinking of this forum) Lima was very much a frowned-upon brand. Does anyone know why? I've got one or two Lima models and to me they look fine, especially for their age.

[Rana Temporia]

Lima’s first entry into the UK market was HO with cheap models of the class 33 diesel and a 3F with scale length MK1 coaches, a couple of UK wagons and plenty of re-liveried continental wagons. They were cheap, just like the Playcraft range from a decade or two before and not great scale models. When they brought out the OO range they were cheaper than comparable Hornby products, although in the case of the King the Lima offering was far superior even though I believe it used a chassis from a German loco. The rolling stock was quite coarse but comparable to some other contemporary offerings until Airfix and Mainline came on the scene. 

The Lima diesels were quite good and used a well tried and tested motor that is virtually indestructible but is noisy and smelly (from an electrical point of view) also not great at slow speeds and goes to very fast almost immediately. I have a number of Lima locos and I don’t have a problem with them once I’d fixed the mazak rot problems with the steam locos. 

Hornby are still using some of the Lima bodies so that can’t have been that bad! I think the reputation of Lima models being poor came from the cheap sets they had which were available virtually everywhere and had that diesel shunter or the larger version, there was also a poor model of a steam loco either as a tank or with a tender that looked vaguely American. I have seen it in GWR, Southern and LMS liveries usually with two MK 1 coaches in appropriate colours. They run very well but I suspect that nothing remotely like them ever ran on these islands (or anywhere come to that). 

[threelink]

I have always found Lima pancake motors (as in the D2785 switcher model) very reliable and, if regularly serviced, very quiet. The switcher model lends itself to hacking and alteration. I shortened one to minimise the throw over so as to make buffer shunting more reliable and dressed it up as a mid 20th century British outline private contractor diesel shunter. It's freelance but very convincing. If ever I see these locos going cheap (as they usually are) I snatch them up. The motors are ideal for powering all sorts of different models. The Playcraft wagons mentioned by Rana T can be made to look quite reasonable with a little work (re-wheel, replacement couplings and a repaint). Just like Triang stock they are cheap as chips.

[Irishmail]

On 09/06/2024 at 12:58, Brew Man said:

Talking of Lima locos and other Lima rolling stock, I used to note that in certain quarters of the modelling fraternity, (not really thinking of this forum) Lima was very much a frowned-upon brand. Does anyone know why? I've got one or two Lima models and to me they look fine, especially for their age.

Lima models (though not as detailed as todays offerings) are still quite acceptable.  I have several class 37, 47, 50 & HST's along with a couple of 117 DMU's.  Easy to strip down the motors and add extra pick-ups, even on the wheels with traction tyre's and it improves the running no end.  I have also fitted some with DCC and I get nice slow running even in speed step 1. 

Another advantage with the old Lima models is that you can add as much detail as you want. 

[Too Tall]

I have been on a mini spending spree of late, gathering more SH locos for my in progress layout, This one arrived today:

Sold as New ... possibly, more likely in "as new condition" might have been how I would have worded it, either way, apart from some over exuberant oiling she looks good to me. With a bit of gentle cleaning I think she will be a sweet addition. A quick test with a 9v battery  has her running very smooth and quiet, I will give her a thorough going over when I fit the DCC decoder.

Quite likely I paid more than I should have, but after research, this was the Hornby production year and livery I wanted, with the 8 pin DCC socket in the tender, so to me it made sense 🤪

Edited Thursday at 13:10 by Too Tall

[Deem]

4 hours ago, Too Tall said:

I have been on a mini spending spree of late, gathering more SH locos for my in progress layout, This one arrived today:

Sold as New ... possibly, more likely in "as new condition" might have been how I would have worded it, either way, apart from some over exuberant oiling she looks good to me. With a bit of gentle cleaning I think she will be a sweet addition. A quick test with a 9v battery  has her running very smooth and quiet, I will give her a thorough going over when I fit the DCC decoder.

Quite likely I paid more than I should have, but after research, this was the Hornby production year and livery I wanted, with the 8 pin DCC socket in the tender, so to me it made sense 🤪

Very nice looking loco, if that's what you wanted and you are happy with purchase then it doesn't really matter if you paid little more.

Edited Thursday at 17:47 by Deem

[Too Tall]

Another one arrived today, I thought looks pretty good for a "Railroad" model, and TTS sound fitted too !
I did have a moment of wondering if the chip wasn't happy with my controller, but it sorted itself, so I am "chuffed" with this beauty 😄

Edited Friday at 09:59 by Too Tall

[atom3624]

Looks a nice model - glazing, lamp brackets, separate handrails and brake hangars as well.

The colour looks OK as does the lining as well.

Al.

[Too Tall]

And the last of my latest spending spree, a 56xx to share branchline duties with my 4575.
A bargain I feel. looks as new, runs smooth and cost me £43.50 inc delivery.



Fitting an HM7k decoder, speaker, and hopefully, stay alive, should exercise my brain cells !

Edited Saturday at 11:12 by Too Tall

[atom3624]

I think they were worked hard on coal trains as well - 28-, 38-, 52- and 72xx territory ....

Al.

[LesXRN]

On 13/06/2024 at 15:08, Too Tall said:

I have been on a mini spending spree of late, gathering more SH locos for my in progress layout, This one arrived today:

Sold as New ... possibly, more likely in "as new condition" might have been how I would have worded it, either way, apart from some over exuberant oiling she looks good to me. With a bit of gentle cleaning I think she will be a sweet addition. A quick test with a 9v battery  has her running very smooth and quiet, I will give her a thorough going over when I fit the DCC decoder.

Quite likely I paid more than I should have, but after research, this was the Hornby production year and livery I wanted, with the 8 pin DCC socket in the tender, so to me it made sense 🤪

I have the same loco, albeit an old tender drive version that had been sat in a box since 2004. I converted it to DCC last month, as well as some other tender drive loco's and it runs a treat.