New models in OO announced from Q4 2019

Hornby have indeed announced a pretty phenomenal range for their centenary celebration, and to be fair are referencing more than just
Hornby/Hornby Dublo, there is Rovex and Triang in the mix too. Looking forward to seeing it as it comes to market, and if it is 'right' I
will be in for W1 60700, and an A2/3, both in late BR condition.

Another attractive item is a Duchess with a diecast body. I won't go for the limited edition, but will wait in hope that this is to become a
regular range item. (Having now three Hornby steam locos with diecast bodies, I am rather impressed, and would like this to be seen in
more of their new introductions. I was actually hoping for an all new 8F - a much liked H-D product - done this way, as Hornby's 8F is
easily one of their weakest steam models and I could imagine a 'bob on' metal bodied 8F being very popular; and offering the option of
being sold in an HD styled box.)

Rocket and coaches is back in a new tooling and arriving in February. Will it go a storm? I think so, and this time it will work well too.

Also offering A2/2, BR 2MT 2-6-0, APT, class 91, full set of Coronation Scot coaches in LMS streamliner livery, and much else besides.
Some glooming about 'no Manor', nothing new for SR. Come on guys, the 'heritage' behind this centenary was all LMS and LNER. So it
is hardly a surprise when its all about 'origin references'.

QUOTE (butler-henderson @ 22 Jan 2020, 19:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Its pretty certain that you cannot do a model of a 37/Deltic etc body shell 100% accurately and expect it to get round set track curves.
The only previous attempt at a wholly accurate model was the FIA Trains LMS 10000/1 which as supplied had a minimum 5ft radius and
with user modification could be got round 3ft radius curves...
So how did Bachmann pull off this feat then, with scale diameter wheels and a correct body plan form, on these and several other models
where the wheel tops are inside the body, and thus liable to foul on below scale radius curves?

Very clever solution in my opinion. The body is elevated above the wheels sufficiently to prevent fouling on 2nd radius.
Now the clever aspect of this solution. It is the easiest thing for any owner with layout curves large enough to adjust the bogie pivot
interface to the main casting. And there's a model that is all dimensionally correct and as a result looks really well. (OO buys enough
wiggle room to get a class 55 around a 34" radius curve.)

I dislike the undersize wheel approach. The problems with this:
First, it's necessary to find and purchase replacement wheelsets that will take the axle gears, then take the drive line apart to install
them if you want to correct the inaccuracy, unless the manufacturer makes them available as exchange items.
Second, there's a temptation to diverge from correct dimensions to make the bogie components 'correct' in relation to the incorrectly
dimensioned wheels. If necessary, availability of exchange alternative cosmetic bogie frames would be a way around that.
Third, unless the designer has thought about it, there may be some solid metal to cut away to allow the scale wheels in: that'll be too
much trouble if the block is the tungsten casting as advertised.
Maybe Accurascale will cover all these points.

In fairness, there are worse solutions yet, see Heljan's ugly job on the DP2 OO model, by very visibly distorting the body form.

In a premium price model I expect a clever solution.

QUOTE (Graham Plowman @ 23 Jan 2020, 00:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I always thought (perhaps incorrectly) that Bachmann didn't pull this feat off and were using under-scale wheels on their Deltic. I don't
have one to be able to check and will stand corrected...
They got it right on their production Deltic, class 55. Too tall as supplied, so that the body clears the wheel tops going round R2. A few
minutes to drop the overall height to scale and there it is, all correct. (Reversible too, a washer on each of the bogie towers restores the
R2 capability if required.) That's the clever way, provide a path to a good scale model.

Unfortunately they went the undersize wheel path on the prototype DP1 produced for the NRM, and it really shows.

There's no simple solution. You cannot just plug in a drive from the class 55 model, as there are subtle differences in dimensions. Put a
set of the correct diameter wheels in, and it is then too tall. Fiddle about to change the relationship of the bogie mechanisms to the body
to reduce the overall height to scale, and the tops of the dummy bogie frames are now jammed against the bottom of the body. Adjust
the position of the bogie frames on the bogie mechanism so that there is a scale gap between the bogie top and the body, and now the
axleboxes don't align with the wheel centres, and the brake shoes are a mismatch to the tyre position. That's the trouble with varying
the visible dimensions of the model exterior away from a correct representation, it 'locks in' the compromise making any corrections a
pain to accomplish. All very frustrating when the main body shell remains one of the best RTR OO items available: why spoil the model
in this way?

I would think it was the NRM that wanted this, as Bachmann's own productions have consistently used the 'raised ride height'
approach to get the longer models around R2. All my larger BR diesels; 40, 47 and 55, have been simply altered to correct ride height
thanks to this clever idea from Bachmann.

I took this photo in June 2012.



David