Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[03piggs]

Don't forget the pointy cushion..

[iainkirk]

Easy now...

[Atlantic 3279]

Happy New Year to all, and a happy LNER 100th anniversary!

[Chas Levin]

And to you too

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Yes, A Happy New Year to everyone. 100 years, my doesn't time fly. Flying Scotsman to.......

manna

[Atlantic 3279]

As part of quite a reasonable day on Friday at the Harrogate Model Engineering and Model Rail Show, I was quite taken with these items for some reason, on the Leeds Model and Experimental Engineers' display stand. 3.5" gauge and 5" gauge I believe. Nice to see some real South Western coaches too, instead of counterfeit generics.

Home layout building hasn't stopped by the way, but not much extra to see so far...

[Woodcock29]

Nice one 3279 (Graeme)
I'm still planning on building 3279 one day - based around an old Ks kit.
Andrew

[Dave]

I saw that loco and thought of you.....

[Atlantic 3279]

There are worse things that might have made you think of me, of course...

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm now in possession of a Hornby Chamossaire. For economy, as I only wanted to make use of the chassis, and the current reduced prices were indicating that re-sale of body and tender might not recover much, I deliberately ordered a further-discounted imperfect example, which was however described by Hattons as running okay.  Crush/impact damage to one smoke deflector was presumably not an assembly fault, but I did wonder if it indicated rough packing at the factory. A warped running plate looked very much like poor assembly, not clipped into the underside of the boiler where it should have been, and wouldn't simply clip in because the sand filler shields had been fitted in a way that prevented alignment of running plate and boiler. I've sorted those out, but I frankly consider the running plate to be very flimsy compared to the cast metal item in Bachmann's Peppercorn A2 - in fact the whole Hornby body strikes me as flimsy. The position of some of the body assembly screws is not in my view well thought out either, as the slightest hint of roughness or moulding flash on the body parts causes the tightening of the screws to distort the running plate.  Even the "good" smoke deflector was also loose, and a cab door fell off without being touched. The prominent uneven seam along the top of the boiler is poor too, reminding me of some of my childhood, rushed, cheap Airfix aeroplane kit assemblies. The rendition of LNER green is also too white/milky/de-saturated when compared at all closely to Phoenix Precision paint, Railmatch paint, or several distinctly better offerings by Hornby since about 2005.  The chassis did run okay, on the very briefest of tests, but further testing quickly revealed that there was nothing at all preventing one crosshead from flopping inwards, striking the leading crankpin, and jamming up the motion. I've applied a slightly rough and ready solution to that problem.

The big snag however, for my original intention of using the chassis under my existing home-made A2/2 (or A2/3) body, turns out not to be the long weight on the top-front of the chassis, which I could certainly remove. It isn't any of the differences of profile under the cab, or under the front of the body, which could be carefully filed / sawn to fit, and the different screw fixing points are not a major concern. The killer concern is actually something that I should have noticed in earlier images. The width of the Hornby motor and the cast saddle in which it sits greatly exceeds the width of the Bachmann equivalent and the width of the slots in bases of my loco bodies. I could widen the body slots in the relevant area, but I'm really not sure that I want to do that, because my bodies currently have no visible unrealistic cut-out of the boiler above the running plate. I hadn't noticed until receiving Chamossaire that Hornby's body has a chunk cut out which exposes the chassis casting beneath the motor, and the casting is only "roughly" the right size and shape to complete the curved profile of the boiler. The defect is partly hidden by the rear sand filler shields and oil boxes on their A2/3 model, but it would be fully exposed by my model of the A2/2 body with original shortened Mikado boiler.

I'm now pausing for extended thought, rather than proceeding quickly with a project that was supposed to be quick and easy. I'm distinctly un-impressed with the Hornby model compared to what I believe it could have been.

[Hatfield Shed]

Once again, it's never clear with Hornby exactly how high they are aiming with any particular introduction, and an eyes and hands on examination is required. I think you have cured me of the temptation to introduce a Thompson pacific to the layout, even the one with the name that KX area crew pronounced with ribald amusement.

[Atlantic 3279]

For reasons good, bad or dreadful I decided to push on with the attempt to use the Hornby chassis under my homemade A2/2 body. It has proven possible, but far from easy to achieve, with a less than ideal result. More detail regarding this when I've recovered from the experience...

[Chas Levin]

If there were one of those 'Friendly/Supportive' signs to click on, I'd be using it!

[Atlantic 3279]

Thanks Chas. Suffice it to say, for the time being, that the "quick" project has so far involved the equivalent of a full day (including the whole evening) spent sawing, drilling, filing and scraping both the body and the chassis, with (eventual and reluctant) complete dismantling and re-assembly of the chassis in order to facilitate safe and effective work. Had Hornby sourced and used a suitable 14mm wide Can motor (which was always good enough for good old Mr Mashima and his many OO gauge customers) instead of that fat 18mm thing with 19.5mm (why?) cast support, one part of the job at least would have been quicker, easier and given a neater result - with a neater look possible for Hornby's own bodies too! Achieving a decent fit under the front of the body, with running plate level and buffers at acceptable height was a longer and more difficult job than I had hoped too, so a factory-fitted slim motor and slim support for it wouldn't have solved all problems...
I did consider trying to swap the motor for something slimmer, but rejected the idea of spending time researching something suitable, making it fit / work properly, and still gaining nothing unless/until I filed a load off the cast support to make its width match the slimmer motor.
When I dismantled the motion and took the opportunity to instal a more refined/discreet means of keeping the crossheads in their slots in the slidebars, I was able to examine the crosshead design. The minimal provision that the original design features for the purpose of trying to keep the crossheads in place is a hopeless joke!

[mick b]

Hornby have been caught out again, two bob motor in a £200 r.r.p plus Loco is laughable, if it wasnt so bad.