What to aim for?

An interesting debate has broken out, and been locked, (no change there then) in a small corner of the interweb. It all kicked off because some one asked an event organiser if their show was a commercial show or not. The difference being that most of the UK’s model railway hobby exhibitons/shows are organised by a club or society to generate funds for the organisation. Some clubs are set up as charities or companies and have full accounts, committees, and others have nothing formal at all. As a generalisation its fair to say the annual exhibition can have a huge impact on the club and its financial viability, sometimes helping it to survive and pay for premises and equipment, and other times taking the club to breaking point or worse if the show bombs for a particular year. There are a large number of shows in the UK ranging from Warley, the biggest, and a commercial venture, to the village hall run by a very small club of a handful of members. Warley whilst a commercial show, is run by a Ltd company from Warley club using their members. The following debate was interesting, there are a good number of foamers piling in too, especially those who clearly haven’t been on the exhibition circuit, (not referring to either organiser) and know very little about it.
Read this thread next to put it into context. Warning, it is twenty minutes of your life you won’t get back.

http://sevenoaks-model-rail-show/

These two shows David’s ‘Railex’ and Harrys ‘Sevenoaks’ are at the opposite ends of the show spectrum. If you want a football analogy, Railex (a club show), is up there pretty much always at the top of the Premier league season in, season out, and Harry’s is (currently) conference (but a commercial show). However if Harry managed 900 footfall on his first single day show last year, he did something very well or got lucky. I’m inclined to believe it was the former, he did well. Lets face it conference teams do go up as well as down, same too for the premier league. I suspect if tied to another event like a beer festival then that could have helped very well, as would being in a densely populated urban location (South London, good lad!) City and town locations charge a commercial rate for their venues, there have been any number of comments in the modelling community, about how we no longer see the inner city shows we used to. In simple terms its the shopping centre retail park effect. Why pay a premium for an in town location when you can get a gym hall cheaper and easier to access? Easy to access is critical for success, for both exhibitors and visitors. If you run a multi day show you need to get exhibitors located in easy distance from the venue, so on day two, they can actually get there.

I understand why David (Railex) asked if it were a commercial show, and if so where (in general terms) the income went, which isn’t unreasonable. I view exhibiting at shows and accepting the invite under who its for? (do I support their aims?), where it is?, and what expenses they are paying. Every show I have attended either as exhibitor or operator, in effect I have made a financial loss. I accept that because I support the aims of the organiser, and obviously I get a good deal of enjoyment out of it as I actually want to attend. There are some exhibitions that have taken the piss with the exhibitor/trader generosity/co-operation, people don’t go back, and word gets round among exhibitors and traders through the jungle telegraph too. Things like having your truck locked in a car park that no one has the key to at break down, or Vietnamese boat people style cramped accommodation, being ignored by the organiser through the show, incorrect or insufficient space allowed for the layout/stand are the types of things that get noticed.

I think whomever said if you paid people even the NMW national-minimum-wage-rates , the viability of shows would change significantly, and that is true. Harry mentioned he paid petrol and subsistence, perhaps if there were clarification if that includes van/car hire and overnight accommodation for those travelling longer distances, (though perhaps he’s not had that to deal with yet). It appears that the exhibitors for Harrys show are local, for David at Railex that isn’t the case. When I did Railex from the east midlands, he had accommodation+van hire+fuel for me, and 3 x petrol for my operators whom are (literally) spread across the country. Again my team doesn’t take the piss with requesting expenses, in effect rounding down fuel and not charging a mileage rate. For example if one of my operators charged using annual mileage HMRC 40p/mile rate, there would be an extra £94 for him alone, rather than £20 for fuel. If I were to charge at the cheaper annual mileage rate at HMRC/25p rate for my three oppos you’d still be looking at around £160 that we don’t actually currently ask for. I use the HMRC rate as reasonable if you’re going to give all exhibitors the same T&C’s. https://www.gov.mileage-and-fuel-allowances
The above of course doesn’t take into account travel time, set up, exhibition appearance, and break down, travel home, which are all show ‘duties’. If exhibitors charged NMW for that, only those with the deepest pockets could pay, but likely wouldn’t.

Albion Yard. No photoshop, this is what the exhibition visitor got to see.

I’ve been asked by some exhibition managers to attend with either Albion Yard, or Bawdsey. Often I get a where are you from? and then a discussion in my hearing that this one will do, he doesn’t have far to come, and then an offer to attend a lower league show. I’m always polite but they often take a step back when I say they likely can’t afford us. This is because we aren’t a charity, and as mentioned in para one, there are very different quality shows across the exhibition circuit. I don’t want to be treking around with a layout to shows I wouldn’t attend as a visitor, arranging leave is a problem too for two of us who work in the aviation industry, not everyone has weekends free. And no, I’m not going to use local enthusiasts to the show to operate my train set, unless I personally know and trust them. That’s part of the enjoyment of a show for the exhibitor, taking a layout and team out, it is part social too. The team is a key part of the layout, they know how it operates, and can assist with repairs in the event of failures, and can engage the visitor, knowing about the layout and what it represents, rather than saying ‘dunno, its not mine’. The team if its a good one help with efficient set up and break down, that helps the organiser too making the show run with less hassle.

A question perhaps to be asked is for a commercial show, why shouldn’t exhibitors get better T&C’s than they do now?, a nominal appearance fee for example, the same for any layout regardless of size, to acknowledge the effort the owner/team has made. It has to be the same, to prevent the ‘size’ argument kicking off, ladies, look away now. If its for a club/society which puts something back into the hobby then I, and others may take a different view regarding full expenses and ‘appearance fees’. Even though a club/soc. exhibition is providing capital/funds for their organisation, that helps sustain and grow the hobby. For example it means there is a club that a newbie of any age can join and progress in the hobby from. That doesn’t detract from a commercial show bringing people in too, or giving them direction to progress in, but even allowing for charitable donations etc, a commercial show is there to make profit for the organiser to put in their pocket. The commercial show needs the clubs/exhibitors who provide the layouts (with whatever T&C’s), to have a show. Without those layouts the commercial organiser would have to make or buy in layouts and staff, to actually have a show. I have no problem with commercial shows at all, but I don’t work for my employer for free whom are making a profit, why should an exhibitor provide their effort without payment from a commercial organiser?

So, he who pays the piper calls the tune. Perhaps the pipers are realising the pay packet, from some organisers, is empty.

http://www.railex.org.uk/ Aylesbury

http://www.modelrailwayexhibition.com/ Sevenoaks
Out of courtesy I’ve let both the managers know of this posting.

NB: Now you’ve read this too thats about 40 minutes of your life you won’t get back! The easyJet vs BA argument example in the forum thread isn’t relevant to this debate apart from in a simple sentence that they were different. (I was there)

Are Hornby hitting the right notes

Well it’s very nearly a year since the last foam filled festival of angst and fundamentalist fervor. In one sleeps time will Hornby hit the right notes with, (allegedly), two new steam engine projects, a passenger coach, (singular), and a host of new liveries across the range from Railroad to high spec tooling models? Will they generate a wordless Wednesday?, sometimes it’d be nice to think that could happen, but within five minutes it’ll likely be the endless, ‘my wallets in danger’, I’ll be watching this one’, to Why aren’t they doing a blooyellowred one? That might make a change of course from the current tempestuous, I want one, I want one, I can’t get one. (Don’t forget to write it in capitals on their facetube link, they need plenty more ‘Twenty Yard Hardmen’ in there. Shouting. A lot.) At Warley, Hornby made a surprise announcement of LMS horseboxes and LMS Period 3 suburban stock, North Eastern Region hopper wagons, A class 71, and an Adams radial tank, with hard copy models and test pieces (excepting the 71) on show. This of course has followed the furore of the cheek of Hornby to announce a Great Western King class locomotive in September.

LMS Horse box

(Please excuse the image quality snapped using a mobile phone)

In this era of ‘social media’ it appears to be the done thing to have your say, it’s your right, or the law or something. Historically, or perhaps histerically Hornby have always kept their cards close to their chest regarding what they are announcing. Hence the surprise relating to some of their above announcements. Apparently Hornby doing what they’ve done for years, i.e. keeping quiet and then telling people what they are doing, are now ‘spoilers’ for other manufacturers. Well I say other ‘manufacturers’ but DJM would currently be far better employed writing romantic novels, their listings being more akin to The Pulitzer Prize ‘Best Fiction’ nominations. The manufacturers model prototypes are always worth studying closely, assuming the manufacturer puts images of them out, some don’t even up date their own website with images of their own products, or announcements about packaging… Bachmann seem well ahead of the game here. When you see a pre production model from them, you get a very good idea of how the finished product will look.

Bachmann 64XX
Pre Production model

The LMS Twins were a case in point, The Hattons model manufactured by Dapol is chunky, no other way to describe it and the pre production models were the same when shown at a forum members day. The Bachmann pre production model had far more finesse to it, the group of modellers I associate with all waited to compare the Bachmann model when released, and then subsequently bought it over the Hattons/Dapol model. The Kernow 02’s also are exhibiting the same chunkiness around the cab, and general bodywork, with very noticeable thick cab sides. Compare the Kernow images 02 (  K2101O2SteamLocomotive  ) to an equivalent Hornby M7 tank and you’ll see what I mean, the Hornby model has a finesse to it that the Kernow/Hattons/Dapol models don’t capture. I think the indications of the quality of the end product from these prototypes is maybe overlooked, or is it the majority of the Ready to Run market purchasers being less discerning/bothered about detail and quality issues? Some of electricnoses pigeons are coming home to roost. The FTG models SPA freight wagon has a design fault in that the couplings are too short resulting in buffer locking and an inability to couple like for like wagons without modifying them. It seems odd that the manufacturer hasn’t acknowledged the issue, they are surely aware of it having subsequently posted on the same page of the net that the problem is discussed, and presumably is still supplying inherently faulty products.

At Warley, Rapido   www.rapidotrains were showing their pre production models of the APT-E, and as an addition to the UK product, they were showing their ‘home’ market products, which are second to none in terms of fidelity. To those unfamiliar with Rapido this was an easy way to show their companies capability, and quality. Interestingly just over a year ago they were in the UK and brought two pre-production models with them albionyard.the-canadians-are-coming/ At Crewe, Jason and Dan were very engaging and a year later we have them back in the UK with a UK product to show. The Canadian models which were prototypes are now, (within the year), available and are of very high quality. Compare that to the UK market, what a difference.

Rapido HO GMD-1

Rapido HO 52’6″ Gondola

What this shows is that there are manufacturers out there who listen and get on with it. Hornby over the past couple of years maybe haven’t done so well in that respect, with no disrespect to Simon Kohler,  hornbysimonsays  who has always been polite and professional when dealing with Hornby matters, but I see a change in Hornby in how they are interacting with people. Their use of Facebook with the GWR King saga was very, very, clever indeed, and I think we’ll see more of that to come. I think not only will we see the quality and availability of models change from Hornby, I have a strong feeling we are seeing the beginning of a business model change too. And, if I’m right, some of that will be partly to them listening to what people are saying. There may be an element of being careful for what you’ve asked for. You may get it, but at someone else’s cost.

I’ve still got a fiver on this being one of this years announcements in a few hours time. Remember where you read it first, over a year ago …
https://albionyard.hornby-2015-predicitons

In this issue there’s a wide range of subjects covered:

Inset and paved trackwork, Brian Harrup modelling in P87, finescale HO.
Tyne Dock Hoppers, Pete Hill, etched and whitemetal kits assembled largely with superglue.
New Street Lamp Room, Jim Smith-Wright, 4mm scale building construction
Working with whitemetal, David Brandreth shows soldering techniques for this material
The Country Drewery, Tim Shackleton weathers a 7mm Drewery using a variety of mediums
Swinging the Gates, Nigel Cliffe shows his level crossing gate mechanism
GE/LNER F5 Fank in S7 John A Gardner modifies the Connoisseur kit

The editorial thanks the subscribers and purchasers of issue one for their support and expresses surprise that it was accepted so readily. That another quality finescale magazine has been welcomed by modelers in addition to the well established Model Railway Journal, comes as no surprise at all. The printing quality is excellent, the layout reads well and the balance of articles is, I think, working really well. Like most MRJ’s I can see me reading everything, even though its not of direct relevance to my modelling. All I need now is the obligatory glass of red, or mug of tea, (its the internet law to state you are having one or the other), to settle down to read it.

http://www.greystarpublications.com/fsr/

Just a quick note to wish all you readers the seasons greetings as we head towards the end of the year. The picture above is Albion Yard with the first fall of the winter, a good number of you will note the influence of George Iliffe-Stokes. For those not familiar with his work, Malcolm Mitchell has an pictorial appreciation of George on his web site and it’s worth looking at.
www.swindonworks.george-iliffe-stokes

George’s work looked at now still holds that difficult to define and capture ‘atmosphere’. I can recall avidly reading my fathers copies of the modelling magazines of the time and being in awe of the skill of Georges work. At a time when many magazines were showing Bilteezi and Superquick townscapes on billiard table flat baseboards, to see a train that wasn’t ready to run, travelling through a winter landscape was inspiring. Seeing these images now they still have that instant appeal to me, the simplicity of the scene and its detailing all pull together to make a picture with much more impact than it’s individual components. If my Severn and Dean goes ahead I want to be able to capture that same sense of ‘place’, in the English countryside. If I ever get anywhere near that simplicity and effectiveness I’ll be very satisfied, it’s a good and positive target to aim for.

Having followed Malcom Mitchells postings on facebook, Malcolm-Mitchells-A-Shop he recently provided a link to his son, Tom’s music. Among the tracks was this particularly appropriate track for this time of year, which Tom has kindly allowed me to link through this post.

Happy Christmas and Seasons Greetings

Paul M-P

PS if like me you’re working, or a loved one is, make it a good one!

http://www.swindonworks.co.uk/
http://tommitchellmusic.weebly.com/

‘Shelfie’
Shelf layout constructed by one person

2014 the year of the Shelfie, and a note to say thank you for taking the time to read this blog over the year. Its been quite a busy year, right the way through as far as modelling projects go, the biggest was working with my two good friends Paul Lunn, and Chris Walsh of Activity Media to produce the last in the series of the Right Track DVD series No19 Layout planning and Design.

This has resulted in my building a ‘Shelfie’, and learning a good deal more about how I can make an entertaining and captivating visual display. Paul Lunn did a huge amount of work behind the scenes, not just on his own contribution to the DVD material, but in formulating the core structure of the joint work. Without his efforts and those of Chris Walsh and Wendy in the filming and production of the DVD, it wouldn’t have happened. It was always going to be interesting to see the thoughts of those that have seen the DVD’s, and we decided to do something different in addition to sending the DVD’s out to the traditional media for review. The blogging community is definitely growing, you can see some links on the right hand side of this blog. When you visit another blog you’ll find similar links, some will be friends of the author, but pretty much all of them will have content of interest to the author even though they may have never met or corresponded with the blog/webpage writer or owner. I looked at my blogroll list and chose a number of writers whom I felt would give a fair write up of the DVD and asked them to review and comment accordingly. Specifically I asked them to free with critical comments on it, if they thought it was shite I wanted them to say so, and the reasons why. We, myself, Paul and Chris, were extremely pleased to see the reviews coming back posted on the respective blogs and websites, with very positive reviews. Using the blog format allowed the reviewers to write their thoughts in their own style and volume, its possible that other manufacturers may well take a similar approach too. So long as you trust the author to evaluate the product objectively, even if they don’t like the product, it has a lot going for it. Activity Media  www.model-railway-dvd is closing in the new year as Chris retires. He and Wendy will get to put their feet up so if you want one of their DVD’s then get one now before its too late!

The reviewers then, all of whom are linked on the right hand side.

Adrian Marks basilicafields.wordpress.com

Geoff Forster radnorailways.blogspot.

Phil Parker mremag.com/news/

Tom Foster tfmodelling.wordpress.

Ian Robinson iainrobinsonmodels.

Neil Rushby rushbys-railways.blogspot.

I’d like to extend my thanks to them for taking the time to view and comment on the DVD, please have a look at their respective blogs, if you like reading this one, you’ll find something of interest on all of them, that’s guaranteed!

So whats coming next year? Well the ‘Severn and Dean’ project will start, I’ve had a good bit of feedback both on line and in conversations with offers of practical help from people who can really make a difference as to how I approach, and hopefully succeed with this extensive project. I’m awaiting confirmation of an exhibition for Bawdsey which will announced once it’s in the bag officially, and the terminus station for the Severn and Dean project ‘Mitcheldean’ will also be shown as ‘work in progress’ at a show I’m really excited about.

There may be a few changes regarding the blog too, which I hope will keep people reading, and coming back. Whats been very interesting this year is the numbers, roughly 54,000 views, after search engines, the top three referrers are fellow bloggers, in at No4 is facebook, and No5 is a group website. They are widely spread too from 79 countries, the majority being UK then followed by USA/Can closely followed by OZ/NZed and Europe. There are two pages/posts which have rated highly in the stats, this being of particular interest as that where I want the blog to develop. More on that next year.

Just to close, thank you again for taking the time to read what I’ve put up over the year, it is great to get feedback, and see the numbers continue to grow. Also please take time to read some of the blogs and web pages on the links, there’s some really good stuff on them from the world over, techniques, discussion, images, and negligible froth and foam. Tell them I sent you.

Have a good 2015, I plan to!

A bit of a sad start to the new year, with the hobby losing two elder statesmen, who played their part in the development of the UK’s hobby.

Firstly John Brewer, who was editor of Railway Modeller, and who kindly gave his time and advice to those who submitted or wanted to submit material for Railway Modeller Publication
http://www.peco/john-brewer-1943-2015.

Secondly ‘Bob Symes’ as he was known through his BBC modelling series. It seems strange now to look back and see those shows and realise they were on the only mainstream media of the time, the outreach must have been huge!

http://philsworkbench.rip-bob-symes.

Rest in Peace gentlemen, and thank you.

*Hero: someone who is regarded by others for their achievements and noble qualities

NGI 101

101. Sometimes referred to as the starting point or base line experience, the origin I believe from within the US education system. An introductory point. NGI 101 breaks a few rules right from the start in terms of UK magazines, for a start its got foreign muck on the cover, which uses Peco track and is HO. Inside there’s an unofficial guide to rivet counting, so that’s Bob Barlow booking his place behind Roy Jackson in the queue for ‘The Wicker Man Experience’ at your local internet. To compound things for Bob he’s put more standard gauge in there too, with a brief overview of a chap using melted metal to join other bits of metal in a bizarre ritual known as ‘making something’. It will all end in tears, there’s pictures included that haven’t even been colored in, let alone run through the graphic design teams ‘Add Turbo Color’ App.

I’m looking forward to No.102 which promises to show wrapping your model in dung and leaving it buried in your back yard for six months. This being the start of the Modelling the Inuit Broad Gauge Lines of the far north series. I’m looking forward to that, even though I’m unlikely to model Inuit railways, but I’m confident like the rest of the magazine it’ll be written in an engaging enough style to keep me going back for more.

http://www.greystarpublications.com/ngi/

Parkside Dundas 7mm Scale Southern Brake Van

Well this month and a good part of the previous two in fact have been busy working on a number of projects with Paul Lunn. More to come later on this but it mixes his layout design skills, our ‘tag team’ planning and mock up abilities and some model making from me, related to each plan. So apologies for the lack of posts, but I’m hoping that within the next month or so I’ll be back to posting the usual rubbish! The two images here are from the above mentioned project, one a straightforward kit build, and the 45xx a makeover including re-spray, which has made a huge improvement to the model.

Bachmann 4mm scale 45XX Prairie

Also coming up are a couple of reviews, in a slightly different context with potentially a new partner. Stay tuned!

Wednesdays headline.

(Probably)

The Central Wales line 1962

Its been a bit quiet on the blog front of late, and that’s because I’ve been working on a large writing and modelling project with my good friend Paul Lunn. It has re-fired the brain cells though with quite a bit of new modelling being done, including dragging Albion Yard out this weekend briefly to act as a photo set, ranging from the Central Wales Line, to the Isle of Wight and a nuclear facility. Next week Albion Yards auditioning for a part in the new Thunderbirds filum! (NB some information on the internet is untrue. Jus sayin!) Theres new projects on the horizon and I really have to make some sort of a plan as to what to do first, which is quite nice as I’m looking forward to all of them.

I was quite glad I hadn’t torn the layout apart, This past week, it saved me a lot of time! To be able to mock up this Central Wales line scene by just moving stuff about and adding a signal and signal box it brought it home just how versatile the little layout is, (double click the piccie for full size, who says you can’t get free stuff on the interweb?)

I shall now go and lie down in a corner to calm down, and then probably write something on:
A/ The internet (as in the facility, not about it)
B/ A toilet wall (see above)
C/ Both of the above ..

Hornby K1. Note corrected tender frames.

I’ve remarked before on this blog and in conversations that over the past ten years or so, most of my ready to run purchases have gone to Bachmann. That has primarily been because hornby  (and others), haven’t been making the prototypes that interest me. Whilst not a collector as such, I do make discretionary purchases if there’s a model which capture my interest or imagination which aren’t biased towards the Forest of Dean. It therefore came as a pleasant surprise to be sent a K1 for review on the blog from Hornby.

The prototype is one of interest to me, the first piece I had published in Railway Modeller was an article on making a set of buildings for a Northumbrian Borders branchline. This set of buildings being inspired by the Northumbrian upland landscape, Ian Futers many articles and my late father in law. Having been in the hobby for a good few years,( I didn’t take a ‘twenties sabattical’), I’m firmly of the belief we’ve never had it so good as far as being able to purchase reasonable ready to run equipment. I’m fortunate that my primary interests are well covered in terms of locomotive power, and the Hornby K1 falls firmly in that area. It ties in too with other releases from Hornby that suit the North Eastern area, the Thompson suburban coaches https://albionyard.train-now-arriving/  and the recently released 21t hoppers.

Modelling Northumbrian coalfields has just got a lot easier!

R3243 Class K1 Locomotive OO Gauge
Factory Production Data TEC05-P91484 R3243-49-852


The prototype was a successful 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotive, introduced after nationalisation. The design however had firm roots within the London and North Eastern Railway Company, the family lineage stretching back to Gresley via Thompson. The entire class of seventy locomotives were built in Glasgow by the North British Locomotive Company over ten months between May 1949 and March 1950. The last locomotive was withdrawn in 1967 from Blyth shed in Northumbria where a good number of the class had well and truly earned their keep.

In terms of the prototype the model has visually captured the essence of the original locomotive exceedingly well. The packaging is the now industry standard vacuum moulded plastic carrier tray with an external sleeve. This is held inside a strong card carton which includes a simple instruction sheet. None of my recent arrivals have suffered any damage in shipping so this methodology is effective. On removal from the carton the overall finish and construction of the locomotive is impressive, for me reminiscent of the arrival of Hornbys Southern M7 tank locomotive, and certainly a big improvement in quality over the Hornby 42xx and 52xx tank locomotives also currently in my workshop for modifications. Inside the packaging a detailing kit is included with locomotive and tender and brake pull rods, steps and cylinder draincock pipes. Often I can see something on a model that to me needs changing or refining to either personalise it, or improve it subtly or on occasion, dramatically. With the K1, there’s no such cry to arms. I have two examples of the same model so one is up for a renumber/weathering and there’s the task of converting one to DCC sound to seeing what’s available and the ease of conversion. The first thing I do once having checked visually that the model is complete and not damaged is to briefly test run it. Both models ran exceptionally well, very quietly with no hesitation at any point or speed. All wheels run true and all pickups are in contact with the wheel surfaces at all times.

The locomotive body is crisply moulded with very few mould joint lines visible. There is a parallel pair running along the length of the boiler top, but you need very strong lighting to pick that up. The separate components are all fitted well the only issue on mine is on the front smokebox lamp bracket, there’s a slight white marking similar to the blooming you get on paint from superglues. This will be hidden under a coat of weathering, and it’s not particularly noticeable except in direct strong light. The paint finish is a good opaque satin black and the lining and lettering well printed. One of the K1’s has a small hair trapped in the paint on the smokebox, like the blooming above its an easy fix. Cab detail is well picked out and tidily painted the level of detail being appropriate for the amount you can see through cab windows and openings. The lining on the model is very good with no wobbles or misalignments anywhere.

Lettering is again to this high standard the characteristic diamond smokebox North British works plate, is clearly visible. The only minor comment I have is that the cabside lettering appears a bit too yellow, the Hornby color being more lemon shaded than the creamy yellow most images show for the era. Cab glazing is good with little evidence of refraction around the edges of the windows, and acceptable clarity through them.

There have been a few comments on line and from a couple of fellow modellers that the running plate of the K1 is bowed above the motion bracket. It is a fault that is extant, but not on all models. One of mine has a slight bow, the other has none, so it’s likely to be either an assembly problem or a batch with a fault in the components. Removal of the body returns the running plate to a flat alignment, so I think a bit of fine tuning, perhaps a strip down and reassembly will resolve it I’m certainly going to take the strip down route and will write that up here.

Hornby K1 R3243a Chassis

It’s a difficult call to make sometimes when a fault like this is apparent. Firstly there’s no question it shouldn’t be there. Technically it is a faulty product, and consumer protection rights in the UK direct you back to the retailer/vendor for resolution if you are so minded. However like a good number of my friends I will tend to take a pragmatic approach, firstly thinking can I live with it, if not can I fix it?, and how easy is it to fix? This issue appears to be fixable, and there’s value I feel, in the extended review to try and do that, and I’m a modeller, it’s what I do. So long as at the end I haven’t got a little pile of screws, nuts and wires left over, I’ll be happy. The valve gear and connecting rods are well proportioned bearing in mind the model requires a degree of robustness to allow it to be handled normally and the running qualities of both my examples are excellent, virtually silent and smooth with no evidence of cogging or quartering issues even at very slow speeds. Pickup is from both locomotive and tender, you do need both connected, this also ensure electrical continuity across dead frog turnouts greatly reducing the chances of the engine stalling. The driving wheels are well represented, the prototype having quite a large boss at the axle end. The pony truck wheels too look good, for me they’ll be replaced if possible with Alan Gibson when time permits. Wheel tyres are a dull steel colour matching the spokes and hubs well giving a subdued and ex works type of appearance. No traction tyres are fitted and the performance of the model is perfectly acceptable without them. The motor and gear train are all enclosed and helping the running is a brass flywheel.

There is little lateral sideplay on the leading driving axle ensuring plenty of cross head clearance. Centre and rear driving axle have more side play, (but not excessive), to allow negotiating second radius curves with the final drive to the centre axle. On body removal there was a small amount of lubricating oil that was evident around the flywheel, this was absorbed using a kitchen towel and there has been no further occurrence. The driving axles sit in brass bearings which is a very pleasing development and significant improvement from the square chassis bearings of the 42xx family. The pony truck has a single pivot with cut aways at the rear of the cylinders to allow operation through tight radius curves. Having fitted brake pull rods, cylinder draincock pipes and the front steps, I’m pleased to report there’s no issues with the truck fouling the cylinders or steps on 30 inch radius curves, (the minimum I use). I’ve already made one modification to the K1 tender which I’ll come to later, but to work on the tender I disconnected the locomotive. Whilst apart I took the opportunity to weigh the engine separately, which stands at 255g. Running the models on an oval of track, they sure footedly handle six Bachmann BR Mk1 coaches with no problems.

Hornby K1 Detail Pack

Having fitted the detail components, the brake rigging and the cylinder drain pipes there is a small problem with the packaging. Neither the locomotive or tender will sit correctly in the vacuum plastic carrier tray. It is an easy fix to remove either the components or cut away a small section of the carrier tray to allow the locomotive and tender to sit correctly. This isn’t unique to Hornby, having had a similar problem with a Heljan class 15. I opted for the carrier tray modification a couple of minutes with a craft knife and job done!

The locomotive and tender are semi permanently coupled. There are pickups within the tender chassis the electrical connection being via a discreet wiring loom between loco and tender. A nice touch is that Hornby have designed a coupling that allows you to close couple the locomotive and tender with a simple screw adjustment. On the close coupling setting my examples work fine through Peco Streamline medium radius turnouts.

R3243 K1 Tender Chassis from above.

The tender body is a simple three screw removal which allows access to the 8 pin DCC blanking plate on this DCC ready model. There appears to be plenty of space for a decoder, and a speaker for sound. The chassis has slots in the base of it which should allow the sound to travel. The tender is a ‘standard’ 4200 gallon LNER design. Despite being standard, the design had quite a few subtle variations across different locomotives. All the contemporary service images I’ve found so far of the K1 show a different design of tender side frames. Those supplied are typical of the type associated with the LNER B1 with curved profiles at each end of the frame.

R3243A Tender frame removed. Note acoustic slots in tender underframe.

The K1 tenders had vertical ends to the side frames with shorter lower steps. This is quite an easy modification to do involving cutting off the lower steps, shortening them, and then replacing them with the curved ends filled and re-profiled. However, a note of caution. Doing this modification will almost certainly invalidate any warranty on the tender components, and possibly the model as a whole.

Revised rear tender frame. Lower step shortened and re-positioned. Frames ready for reprofiling.

Boring bit over, the tender side frames are glued to the chassis, on mine, with very little glue. Gently flexing the side frames separates the frame from the chassis. Before doing this conversion have a good look at both side frames to make sure that they can both be removed easily. I repainted mine with Halfords Matt black and refixed them with PVA glue, This sets solid, but the seal can be broken if you ever need to remove them again.

Tender frames re-profiled, steps modified and ready for paint.

It does make a significant visual difference and is one of those jobs worth doing. A big improvement for little effort.

Overall then a very interesting return to form for Hornby. It’s a very interesting contrast looking at the recent 42xx and comparing this K1, (and the J15) with that model. Historically the company built a large part of its reputation with toy train sets, and is sometimes unfairly looked down on for that. I’ve compared in this initial review the K1 to the 42xx, that being a product from the design clever era of a few years ago. This K1 shows a marked upgrade in quality and at what is a very reasonable price (£130 at time of review). A good friend of mine says that the UK modeller often buys by weight rather than quality, preferring to buy two or three locomotives for the price of one. I tend to look at what it would cost to make a similar quality model from component prices of an equivalent kit. The Dave Bradwell kit for the K1 (which is excellent/museum quality)retails at £175 before adding wheels motor and gearbox. The next step for me with the two locomotives is to fit DCC sound in one of them, convert the second tender frame set and have a go at renumbering them to Alnwick line locomotives and weather them. I’ll report on those in due course.

Simply put this K1 is exceptional value for money, and overall very good quality, if this is the way toy train sets are going, sign me up now! There are minor issues with it, thus allowing a reader/purchaser or uninterested observer to go ‘postal’ on an interweb near you. Don’t do it, put the keyboard down, step away from the computer…

http://www.hornby.com/uk-en/br-2-6-0-k1-class-late-br-r3243a.html

Or, end of the beginning? Simple answer is I don’t know. This was one of the pieces that never really hung together, so it’s gone.

On that bombshell …

Hornby J15 R3232

One of the latest items released by Hornby is the Great Eastern Wordsell designed Y14. The type first entered service in 1883 and was reclassified to arguably its more common designation of J15 after Grouping by the London & North Eastern Railway. The model as received depicts one of the class in their twilight years with the British Railways late crest, the subject locomotive being withdrawn in March 1963. The class was popular with both crew and enthusiasts. With a light axle loading the type was suitable for use on the light branch lines of East Anglia, for example it’s easy to locate images of the class working the Snape Maltings branch in Suffolk.

The model I’ve been poking and prodding is the OO 4mm scale late BR logo J15 R3232. It is supplied in the contemporary packaging of a vacuum formed protective cover which fits inside a cardboard tray with an outer sleeve. The locomotive was well protected and no components are loose or have suffered any damage in transit.

Included in the packing is a detail set including brake pull rods and the locomotive front coupling. Despite the models small size it weighs in at approximately 185g for the locomotive, the chassis block, footplate and boiler being metal castings. An additional weight is provided within the tender.

First impression often counts for me, and the J15 doesn’t disappoint. It immediately looks in proportion, edges are well defined and thin, particularly the cab roof and the color is a good opaque dull black with a very slight sheen to it. There are no paint blemishes and the detail printing is legible and clear. Like the K1 reviewed earlier on the blog, the yellow numbering looks to me a little too far towards a ‘lemon’ shade rather than a more cream color which I feel is correct. The wheel tyres and coupling rods are a pleasing steel color rather than bright chrome which blighted models in the not too recent past. Detail fittings are all correctly fitted and square and no evidence of excess glue around them. The prototype over its many years of service underwent a good number of detail changes. For the late livery as supplied it appears that Hornby have all the variations correct on this model and cross checking my available drawings the dimensions are correct too. The locomotive superstructure reflects the late chimney and dome in the forward position. Handrails reflect later era fittings with a continuous handrail above the smokebox face. Boiler mudholes are correctly offset on both sides of the engine and smokebox door is has the bevel edge and seating ring around the circumference. Smokebox dart is a separate fitting as are the lamp irons. The cab is represented with the later replacement steel plated roof and the cab sides the later smaller cut out. These are easily identified by the pronounced bowed effect of the cab profile and for the cab sides the tender rail and cab rails being of matching height.

Looking at the assembly of the superstructure components the join lines all indicate that if in the future Hornby want to backdate the model to an earlier Great Eastern or LNER version that will be possible. Cab detail is delicately modelled with separate fittings, the screw reverser aligning perfectly with the external rod to the mechanism. In front of the off side cab sits a Westinghouse brake pump which is well proportioned and crisply moulded.

The chassis is an interesting piece of model engineering. In terms of detail, it matches the superstructure above. Below the firebox on the right hand side you can see the strengthening plate and Westinghouse pump drain. Brake shoes and pull rods are moulded in plastic and are correct shape and size. Wheels on this particular locomotive have balance weights as they should, for a ‘last forty’ batch engine, and non fluted coupling rods. Both locomotive and tender have the correct number of spokes ad profile wheels. The top of the chassis shows a representation of the inside valve gear and the underside of the boiler, allowing full daylight to be seen through the locomotive.

The chassis core is a metal casting with a plastic keeper plate that has phosphor bronze wiper pickups bearing on the rear of the tyre. All were in contact and the locomotive runs very smoothly through its full speed range without hesitation. The axles sit in circular brass bearings within the chassis block. The drive is to the rear axle, this is quite a challenge with a small open cab locomotive for it to remain hidden. The motor sits in a cradle which is the underneath of the boiler, and is fitted with two brass flywheels on extended shafts either end of the motor. Drive to the rear axle is taken via a plastic drive shaft to a gearbox tower that sits within the locomotive smokebox. The tower converts the drive via gearing to a plastic final drive gear to the rear axle, with all the mechanism enclosed within the chassis block, (more on this later). There is lateral movement of all axles though not excessive and clearance on the insides of the running plate splashers too. I’ve not measured it but my feeling is that the current chassis and running plate would likely accommodate an EM/S4 conversion with little (if any) modification.

All wiring is tidy and accurately soldered, another neat touch being the channel within the chassis for the wiring loom from locomotive to tender. The tender coupling has two positions to allow for normal operation and close coupling for display or gentler radius curves. I’ve had no issues on 36 inch radius curves with the close setting used.

The tender is correct for prototype and era. Like the locomotives they underwent changes throughout the life of the type. In terms of detail the tender shows the same degree of finesse and accuracy to era. Tender frame cutouts are correctly oval as opposed to ‘D’ shape on earlier engines, and the brakeshoes in line with the OO whelsets. The Fire Iron shield with the holder is in place as are external curved coal rails and the water gauge, all appropriate to the era portrayed. The brake cylinders for the Westinghouse pumps have been omitted; these are unlikely to have been visible and would probably have fouled the electrical connection between engine and tender. The molded coal insert for the tender is removable and shows the peculiar rectangular spaced coal bunker underneath, no gravity assistance for the poor fireman here!

The tender houses the 8 pin DCC chip blanking plate. The tender floor has slots which if fitting sound will help with the acoustics. Space is limited however and a sugar cube type speaker would seem a probable choice if fitting sound, and possibly the removal or reduction in size of the tender weight will help.

Whilst looking at the chassis of the J15 I wondered how it compared to a typical Bachmann product of a similar nature. In stock I had access to a Bachmann 3F and ‘C’ class. As the ‘C was more recent I thought it’d be interesting to see them side by side. As far as the prototype goes they were similar designs of similar sizes for similar work. Clearly this is not a true like for like, but interesting in looking at how the models differed.

Paint finish is excellent on both as are the lettering and logos. Hornby has a matt finish and the Bachmann, satin. In terms of detail the Hornby model has the edge in terms of finesse, in general lamp irons and small details are finer from Hornby.

The J15 tender chassis has brakes in line with the wheels where the ‘C’ class are integral with the outer frame. This doesn’t sound much but when seeing the two side by side there is a noticeable difference, but nothing a bit of old fashioned modelling can’t sort out for Bachmann’s ‘C’.

The loco chassis is the most interesting though. Bachmann choosing a centre axle drive and an enclosed motor, the model runs well and with this prototype Bachmann haven’t encroached into the space underneath the boiler. With the J15 and the smaller firebox Hornby could also have taken this ‘easy’ route, but have come up with an excellent design keeping the motor and mechanism hidden. The running properties are slightly smoother than Bachmanns, no doubt aided by the double flywheel. Both models have similar connections between engine and tender, but no close couple option from Bachmann. The tidy wiring from Hornby also being of note in this context too. The Hornby configuration has a good number of possibilities for small prototypes, length reduction can be achieved with one flywheel removed and a shorter cardan shaft to the gearbox.

For interest I placed a 14XX next to the J15 chassis. The current motor, gearbox and flywheel configuration would all work in a 14xx chassis with no cab encroachment. With quality cast superstructure like the J15 and a metal chassis with the metal boiler motor cradle, the possibilities for future development of detailed and well running smaller locomotive prototypes is intriguing indeed.

Overall then, a very competent and pleasing representation of the J15, to a high standard of finish and detail. Being the follow on release after the K1 the J15 keeps the same standards and possibly with the chassis and motor engineering, exceeds them. If these standards for toy train sets are kept this high we’ll be thoroughly spoilt. And frankly, why not?

Hornby R3232 J15 DCC Ready
Product ref LOT01-P91569
R3232-03-078

Bachmann 64xx
31-636

In amongst the flurry of Hornbys releases over the first quarter Bachmann released their latest Great Western design, Colletts 64xx 0-6-0T Pannier. These were a derivative of the earlier 54xx, very much the same engine but with larger diameter wheels. Collett took the 54xx design and in essence reduced the driving wheel size from 5ft 2” to 4ft 7 ½” and changed a few other bits such as the cylinders and their dimensions. There were a few other dimensional differences, but as we’re not looking at the 54xx, the differences are somewhat moot.

Bachmann 64xx 31-635

A pair of 64xx’s have arrived, and I’ve been giving them a coat of looking at as Roy Jackson would say. Bachmann has chosen sensibly to do versions of the main batch produced with the detail associated with that group of locomotives. Color finish on them is excellent and I chose a green un so I can do some work on it in a future episode so stay tuned! Included in the box are lamp irons, vacuum pipes and screw couplings. The core dimensions of body and chassis are correct, with one noticeable omission. The main wheel splashers are too large which does draw attention to the wheels looking a bit too small for them. The Bachmann splasher encroaches roughly three quarters of the way into the space between running plate and tank underside, where it should be closer to half way.

Bachmann 64xx
31-635

Unfortunately with the chassis having the correct size wheels, sticking larger wheels underneath to make a 54xx will result in the body being too high, so there isn’t an easy way to a 54 just yet. Also missing is the lamp iron at the top of the smokebox and the grabrails above the running plate step. The handrails across the rest of the model are commendably thin, much finer than those on the larger Pannier produced from the same stable. Bunker steps and vertical cab rail are fitted on the firemans side, indicating a retrofitted fitted engine in Great Western days. At the smokebox the dart is a separate fitting, one handle is rectangular in cross section, whereas for service days they should both be circular cross section. Also missing is the steam lance fitting at the eight o’clock position as you look at the smokebox door. Tank steps are the later variety so we’ll have no cheeky renumbers before 6409 please, and the cab and bunker are give aways for suitable numbers before 6430. So, so long as you choose a number with a top feed, and the later hidden lubricators, i.e. as per this release you’ll be ok. No other numbers, you’ll get told off. For me disappointingly the buffers are rigid rather than sprung, I anticipate that being an easy fix. Lamp irons on the bunker are moulded on, and the running plate has slots fo those included in the detail pack. Positions did vary from engine to engine though. Fire iron hook on the bunker are black, these will need painting green for green locomotives.

The body has typical fore and aft screw fittings to hold body and chassis together, and theres no difficulty in separating the two. This gave me an opportunity to look at the cab and its fixing. It will be an easy conversion for Bachmann to release a 74xx with the different cab and bunker shape. What it isn’t easy to do is separate without damage, the cab and bunker from the rest of the body.

Bachmann 64xx
31-636

The chassis is a typical contemporary Bachmann design driving onto the centre axle via a brass worm gear and nylon gear train. The core chassis block is metal and the axles run in brass bearings. DCC fitting is plug and play with a six pin NEM651 socket for a decoder. The design of the gear train allows quite a bit of play between motor and final drive, neither of these is as good a runner as my large Panniers and are on a par with Bachmann’s Jinty for running quality. The running is ok, and improves slightly on my DC feedback controller, but not as good as other similar models. On Albion Yard and its derivatives the running quality is a high priority for me. The body and chassis design look like there will be sufficient clearance for EM/P4 wheelset changes without significant modifications to any major components.

The fixer ..

Bachmann 64xx
31-636

The British Rail version seen here, was in fact the worst running ready to run locomotive I’ve ever had, with stopping and starting at random throughout the range of the motor speed. It was however an easy fix which I’ll add as a fifteen minute hero, as that’s all it took to sort.

Note right side pick up not making contact

Well I’d got two identical locomotives one running tolerably well and one, with no end to stopping and starting randomly. That usually indicates an electrical issue rather than mechanical and that’s what I targeted first. Removal of the body was straightforward, and a quick look across the wiring around the motor confirmed no loose or dry joints.

Bachmann 64xx
Chassis Keeper Plate Removal

The next quick check is the pick ups and this rapidly indicated the most likely source of the problem. The chassis keeper plate has six phosphor bronze pick ups, each bearing on the rear of the driving wheels. Each axle has side play, checking this and watching the pick ups, showed that on one side there was an occasion when two were not in contact, and the other side had two, and a variety of combinations between.

Bachmann 31-635
Adjusting Pick Up Angle

At no point were all in contact with each wheel face. Taking a set of tweezers I adjusted each pick up so roughly a 30 degree offset from the keeper plate. Not the best image below but note the offset of the pickups. this is immediately before fixing the keeper plate back on.

Bachmann 64xx
31-636

Once the keeper plate was screwed back on all pickups were in contact with the wheel surface and running was properties were identical to the other chassis. If that adjustment hadn’t fixed it, I would have suspected a faulty motor, and returned the model.

Bachmann 64xx
31-635

I think the 64xx’s represent good value for money, the model in most instances is accurate and captures the appearance of the prototype well. It depicts the main detail matches for the majority of the class so a renumber is a realistic prospect to get the locomotive you want. If the market stands it the design of the superstructure looks like the 74xx could be a later development of this model. For me these two are going to suffice for Albion Yard stock once I’ve given them makeovers. The 64xx type wasn’t widely seen in the Forest of Dean, but they did operate around Gloucester, and the Wye valley to the west so as occasional visitors they’ll work for me.
bachmann 31-635 GWR 64xx
bachmann 31-636 BR/WR 64xx

Bachmann 64xx 31-635 WIP conversion

Well having had a look recently at the 64xx, I’ve now started work on one of them to put it into the last batch of 6430 onwards, No 6433 in fact. The cab is the first bit and then its on to specific engine details. So far, so good.

This past week or two I’ve been busy making an assortment of things from a 7mm guards van to 2mm scale figures. One of the more satisfying projects has been working over four Bachmann panniers. Here’s one of them, originally the Great Western version 31-635 it’s now converted to 6433 a late version of the 64xx class. More on these soon!

This coming weekend sees Railex 2015, at Aylesbury Bucks. One of the best shows of the year and consistently high quality. Aberbeeg will be there, an opportunity to see a large S7 layout with scale length trains. Also DCC sound being operated using ‘Touchcab’ and iPhones.