Rana Temporia

JJ you probably know this now having been but that huge narrow-gauge loco is a Breyer-Garratt made by Bayer Peacock in Manchester. I think this one is 3’ or 1m, I can’t remember which. They made some standard gauge examples for the LMS and one for the LNER Which lasted into BR days. None were preserved. Hatton’s produced a model in 00 and Kitmaster used to do a plastic kit in 00. I think Hatton’s are looking at producing an N gauge model. The loco consists of a front driving ‘bogie‘ in this case with the water tank on it, a central boiler section suspended from the two driving sections and a rear driving bogie with a coal bunker or oil tank depending on how the loco is fired. There were a lot sold overseas which is where the one in the museum came from. There are several 2’ gauge examples on the Welsh Highland Railway which have been returned to the UK from Africa. This concept allows a very powerful articulated steam locomotive to be Created within the confines of the loading gauge in use on whichever railway it is on.

JJ, Did you go in the stinky sewer? 😆 A direct tram ride gets you to Bury where the East Lancashire Railway is a 5 min walk from the terminus, always worth a visit. The last time I went to the MS&I specifically on a visit was when they had the Garratt event which was a good few years ago. They had real ones, minature ones and model ones. It was a great day. I must find the photos at some point. I have used the meeting rooms since as a training venue for incident response. A fantastic place and difficult to get everyone into the room on time as there was so much else to see. Using the venue commercially also contributes to keeping the museum free so a good place to go!

As long as you keep the wheels and track clean and use an appropriate controller most of my old stock will run on decent modern track including Hornby and Peco set track. It won’t run on the track sold under the Mainline brand or any other with a rail size of less than code 100. One of my work colleagues brought an old loco in that had similar problems to yours, he was trying to run it with a new controller, as soon as I put it on one of mine there was nothing wrong with it. He ended up buying a new controller. Also, as stated above make sure the fishplates are fixed to clean track, if one has got hot I’d replace it as it will have become oxidised and a poor conductor. I’d clean the contact area on the track at the same time too. Check the loco by applying power direct to the brushes on the motor, while you are doing it make sure the insulating sleeve is in place on the insulated brush as that is a common short circuit source. If you are still getting a short it’d be useful to post a picture of the motor and the underneath of the chassis.

Marty, big difference with the musical equipment is you can use any make of components of the right value, you are not restricted to a single manufacturers products such as motors and you can replace the individual components for ever. BTW I have made several different versions of Big Muff clones for people, the one I always used live and for recording was a clone of the version made for Guild called a Foxy lady, the 3 knob version. Sustain forever! I actually liked the Op amp version too but I lent it to someone never to be returned......but that’s a different forum.

I think the left hand one is called a ladder crossover? There is a mirror version of yours where the line from Chorley meets the WCML south of Preston and the train usually crosses to the far left line (down slow?) after joining from the right. The Virgin Pendolino and Voyager trains also do it on the WCML around Stafford i think to take the long route to London via Wolverhampton and Birmingham and that layout is similar to yours. I spent a lot of time travelling to and from London while on a project last year and was amazed that an eleven coach train could traverse such a junction so easily. I always got the fast train when possible. 2 hours from Wigan to London with a single stop at Warrington BQ, I can’t complain about that!

I managed to get this at a nice price on an online auction site as I assume no-one else wanted it on the day. I had wanted one of these since it was reviewed in Model Railway Constructor in the 1070s (I was still at school so couldn’t afford one then). It runs perfectly,the seller said it has had hardly any use and I can believe it. the wheels are spotless. What I don’t understand is I seem to remember the short 4 wheel coaches being reviwed at the same time. I have some with Playcraft on the bottom and with Peco type couplings. The chassis on this loco was never designed to have any coupling other than the ones it has. Is this a later chassis or were the coaches and loco produced concurrently with different couplings? /media/tinymce_upload/d947f330be408202d2becdddf87c3869.jpg

Are the Hardy’s Hobbies kits the ARC ones re-released? I made a couple of the Barclay kits on Hornby pug chassis and I’d just bought an Electrotren loco to make one of the HCs when he stopped trading. Those on the Hardy’s website look easy enough to make, I might get one.

Thanks for the concern RAF96. From the smell I am pretty sure that it’s cat urine and I have been washing my hands every time I have touched the box or loco. My partner used to keep rats and their urine didn’t smell like this! She was the one who first noticed the smell. Due to my work I am well aware of the diseases that rats can carry and the measures to take to minimise the risk but all mammals can also carry them including cats (and people) so I always take care. I have access to Virkon S which is a disinfectant used in hospitals and during pandemics such as foot and mouth. It also kills Crayfish plague and other infectious diseases of the aquatic environment so can be used to soak fishing nets in to prevent spread of diseases between fishing ponds. I am undecided on whether to try and keep the stinky box. The loco fits well in the polystyrene tray but I may abandon it for my own health and safety. This does arise another point which I have previously dismissed though. When I get back from an exhibition or swapmeet with my junk/treasure depending on your point of view my partner often asks if I know where the objects have been. Of course I don’t but she has said they could be filthy and covered in germs, which they possibly are. I never clean them unless they are particularly filthy (suitcase full of old Tri-ang stuff that had been stored in an attic without the lid closed properly is one example) and I’m always having a brew/biscuit when I’m checking them over and carrying out any necessary repairs or maintenance. As far as I know it’s never made me ill. Is this something anyone else considers? I definitely don’t want to get to the stage of someone I used to work with who wouldn’t read a second hand book in case the previous owner had read it on the toilet. That’s too far!

Due to the importance/usefulness of Sarahagain’s posts is there any way these can be made sticky so permanently at the top of the forum, or maybe a separate ‘Maintenance and Repair’ thread added. I would also like to see some of the work Margate Richmond has posted in there if this could be done, such as the 3MT tank restoration and the Hymek repair/restoration. It could be a go-to for people who acquire some of these older locos which have the potential to run for a very long time yet and who don’t have the background of repairing them either as an amature or a professional that some of us have.

Thanks, I couldn’t get it to work off my iPad, just ben on my computer and it worked fine.

/media/tinymce_upload/96cda58aa919ead18b9fc87cf999cc77.JPGI recently picked up this old Jouef loco on an online auction site, fully boxed and with it's tender. I have repaired and serviced a number of these previously so after checking that all the valve gear bits were there I decided to buy it for spares. There are a couple of different versions of this loco, the earliest one I know of was sold under the Playcraft brand in the Uk and is green. they are usually great runners with geared drive to the rear wheel via a layshaft from the motor. The later version like this is black and has a rubber band drive to the layshaft which is where most of the problems occur. An even later version has the correct to prototype double slidebar piston, finer valve gear and a motorised tender. The valve gear isn't a problem as all it needed was a nut and I have a bag full. Next to try the motor, worked fine but as expected there was no drive to the wheels so the body was dismantled and the band exposed. /media/tinymce_upload/ad7e5a7b7129fc2a8da5026d05f2b781.JPG This was flipped off the motor and the layshaft removed from the chassis. /media/tinymce_upload/59a0522f2aea0e3e2771811af6d83119.JPG /media/tinymce_upload/693613c5f7339145c95f99286f2a0959.JPG As can be seen the rubber band drive is egg shaped, a common occurrence when the loco hasn't been run for a while. As these are no longer available I usually use a Hornby traction tyre of the correct size. The Jouef part number for their band is the same as the traction tyres on the rear wheels of the loco. I think this one is off a Hornby Class 58. /media/tinymce_upload/86a86e86a8ec078ed488d02a86461d53.JPG Notice the difference in shape. With the band replaced and the loco reassembled it ran perfectly at first. One thing my partner noticed when I put the box down was a strong smell of cat urine. The box looks as thought it's been damp and it smells. On close examination of the loco I noticed that the valve gear had a sticky substance on it jamming up the pistons. Possibly cat urine although the loco and tender don't smell, the movement must have caused it to gel up and jam the works. After cleaning this away and lubricating the moving parts it now runs 100% so I may sell the one I was going to repair off for spares. This one is in better condition! Note that despite the fact that this loco is a 2-8-0 (or 140 in French terms) it will easily negotiate 1st radius curves. One thing to watch out for when re-assembling these locos (or the 0-8-0 tank) is to make sure the wiper pick ups are behind the wheels. I hope this is useful to someone.

Early on in this time period I would have said blue class 20s in pairs, blue class 25s in pairs, blue class 37s, 40s, 45s and possibly 47s. I think Railfreight grey came before sectorisation so grey (some with red stripe) class 37s and 31s, possibly class 56s and 47s. .

LC&DR thanks for the kind words. I’m glad it went to someone who wanted it and will enjoy it. 😆

I think the standard train formation was 7 coaches with 2 first class, a restaurant and four second class but I may be wrong. I think they were extended later but the more modern shorter formations would not be in the blue/grey liviery. For your Lima set if you can’t get Lima coaches I would recommend getting the Jouef Mk3s as they are contemporary and will have a similar level of detail and match the set better than the modern supper detail coaches. i think you’ll have to take the buffers off to be prototypical for the HST. The Jouef coaches are easily available second hand. If you want the better modern coaches the Hornby ones are ideal. The contemporary 1970s Hornby coaches were way too short BUT it meant you could have the correct formation on train set curves Even if it didn’t look very prototypical. A shame as they were well finished and had well designed flush glazing for the time they were made. They also ran very well. And yes, the Lima HST did have directional lights in both cars.

I think you are trying to do what this guy does; https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=9&ved=2ahUKEwiezuKF9p7kAhVQMewKHWkCDNMQFjAIegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ooworks.co.uk%2F&usg=AOvVaw1PznU_vpjYClVujhM8Ohtx If you are looking to scratch build locos then you would probably have been in a better position a couple of decades ago when there wasn’t so much RTR choice and there were a number of suppliers for chassis kits, boiler mountings, smokebox doors etc for just about every conceivable loco. Most model shops stocked them, you could get replacement Romford wheels virtually anywhere and every place you went had a box of domes, funnels, safety vales, you name it. I suspect that there are still some suppliers out there, I don’t know if Mainly Trains is still going, I know he was running stocks down ‘cos I bought some stuff off him cheap! Springside might be able to supply Some parts. Other than that I think you will be on along search on Google or other search engine of choice. Always remember though, a really well designed and built loco can be ruined by a bad paint job which can be more difficult than it sounds and costs a lot to get it done professionally. You would also need to be looking at someone like Fox transfers for finishing off properly.

Tony, the rivet is quite common, I have also had a couple of Jintys and an early ’Nellie’ with one rather than a the more usual clip. WRT the MK2 motor they are a pain in the backside! I had to replace all the wheel bushes on mine as you have to take the wheels off to dismantle the chassis to get it out. Shortly after it was running happily and then stopped dead. The armature totally burned out so I had to dismantle it again. Luckily the X04 armature is a direct replacement but Dismantling a full chassis and re-quartering the wheels for a second time is annoying. I wouldn’t bother again. Of interest is the spacer on mine was the same as the one on the plunger princess shown above rather than the tube type on the service sheet with the mk2 motor. All this for something that only I know is there as you can’t tell once the loco is re-assembled!

Providing Dapol have included all the original Airfix parts it should be a doddle as there were extra pieces in the kit to either make it longer or wider. In your case there were two specially shaped pieces that fit between the walls and were narrower at the bottom to fit the corbels at the base of the walls. I’m not sure if you had to shave a bit off the sides of the roofs. I made mine longer when I built them in the 1970s and had to fit the two kits back to back with doors at each end as the rear of the shed was a flat while the front was angled at 45degrees to take the door moulding. I think there were extra roof joists in the kit to make this easier. I think this shed was based on a GWR one. Still a nice model and nice and sturdy once built The only real issue is the mouldings on the windows which would probably be much finer if done today. There are a couple of books produced by the industrial railway society on industrial loco sheds, I managed to get vol 1 and 2 quite cheaply On line. Very interesting!

From RM June 1985 /media/tinymce_upload/b12021a38921c6689e15df44e11c11fb.jpg And Model Rail, Burnley that became Modelspares /media/tinymce_upload/bf9fd2ef969f6afcbf146218fa7c061d.jpg

Blackwells of Hawkwell and Modelspares of Burnley were my go-to for spares for years and both were extremely helpful. There was an article about Blackwells in one of the model railway mags with pictures of their spares room where they proudly announced ”more than a million spares”I think. They used to produce a spares catalogue, I may still have one somewhere amongst my other ‘junk’. I keep finding odd stuff as I am clearing out.

I used to do the knockout the old axle and add new bearings thing but the plastic is getting more brittle as it ages And I got sick of having to replace the bogies anyway. I just go for new bogies now, usually taken from scrap more modern coaches at swapmeets. Regarding he wagons, I just replace the chassis with a more modern plastic one if it’s a wagon I haven’t got. There is always someone who wants the heavy cast wagon chassis on an auction site! Also, the chassis on the cheap Lima 00 box vans are the right size for Hornby Dublo tank wagons, you just have to cut a rectangle of black plastic and the same size as the chassis to mount the tank on.

The same pick up is on the B12 and I think the Ivatt and Flying Scotsman. You might be able to find a cheap chassis with one on, especially for the B12 and avoid having to make A new one as this particular pick up wire has some awkward shapes in it. I usually use a B guitar string for manufacturing new pick ups and make them to a master, they usually solder easily providing you clean them properly first. I’m not sure as I haven’t worked on one of these for a while but I think there is a dip in the chassis moulding to take the wire and there was some black papery insulator that went between the chassis and the metal. I don’t have time to have a look today but I think I have a spare chassis in a box so will have a look. Have a look for the service sheet online it might show the arrangement.

LC&DR more than happy for Adam to pass on my email. How do I contact him?

Recent online auction purchase for not very much at all. Less than £10 including postage and all bought as non-runners. I only got them as I wanted the motor (if it worked) and the smokebox door of the continental tank MK2 256. However, on testing with no cleaning whatsoever they all worked apart from the Nellie and this was quickly traces to someone having wound the pick-up around the screws in the baseplate and soldering a wire across the brushes to make two dead shorts. I have tested the motor and it is a great runner so will take the time to fix it. The body is almost perfect so i will print off two new nameplates and replace the body of my other ‘keeper’ for this loco. The bit of wire visible in the photo is what’s left of the pick up. The 256 has a bit of plastic broken off the front but as I only got it for spares I don’t care. The 00 Jinty has a set of steps missing (see photo) but I have a scrap body with a set to cut off and replace with. The TT jinty is complete but has some repairable damage to the couplings. Shame the BR logo is missing off one side! They all need a good clean and light lubrication and I am happy with the parts I got for what I paid. The TT loco is no use to me so will be off back to auction when I get round to it as will the 00 version as I already have too many! I really would like to have some of the TT range but I have to be realistic with my space as I have to downsize my OO/HO collectionnas it is. ☹️ /media/tinymce_upload/e74433f992a86cdbb45749b36bde1dc2.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/1a0a804a8a0f6c2f8c42a120359a4f69.jpg

How about a modern version of the Tri-ang Freightmaster set? Class 31 and a motley assortment of wagons.

Elloloco I have had quite a few 3-6-0 locos in boxes of ‘treasure‘, for example a Tri-ang B12 with one of the bogie wheels missing..........