Jump to content

Class A

Rate this topic


Alan564017

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 131
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

To hell with that!

 

Ah it might be worth it to have a decent chassis compared to the single power bogie and limited diagonal power pickup many Hornby diesels. 141s can be bought used in mint condition for €80, so that's not an insane price for a top quality precision chassis to run an A class properly. Add SSM detailing plus weathering and lights, then you have one really nice loco.

Edited by Noel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A little video of my own A class that has the Hornby Deltic chassis,

and SSM detail kit.The deltic chassis is not bad at slow speed and

the only problem I find is traction,mainly because the bass reflex

speaker takes up a lot of space.She can haul 11 cement wagons

no bother.

th_20141021_125849_zpshdi0patz.mp4

 

I actually have a deltic, to my untrained eye (ehem) it looks longer than a class A could be wrong:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A 141/181 has four axels.

 

An A Class has 6 axels. Are people planning to put a cosmetic axel on either end of the MM chassis or is for a C class?

 

Ha, it's for a C class, Richie. :)

 

 

 

I actually have a deltic, to my untrained eye (ehem) it looks longer than a class A could be wrong:D

 

You'll have to do a bit of 'cutting and shutting' with the Deltic chassis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually have a deltic, to my untrained eye (ehem) it looks longer than a class A could be wrong:D

You are right Alan, the Hornby

Deltic chassis is far too long for

the A class body, hence the the

chassis has to be cut in the middle

and Deltic fuel tank removed.

When you buy the A class resin body,

you get the fuel tank sides and a bit of

plastic card will finish off the missing bit

in the middle.The resin kit also comes

with the bogie side frames which match

up nicely on the Deltic bogies.

My workbench has some photos

of my build of a39.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A 141/181 has four axels.

 

An A Class has 6 axels. Are people planning to put a cosmetic axel on either end of the MM chassis or is for a C class?

 

I was actually talking about the A class! I'd give a cosmetic axle a go with the Athearn chassis. You can pick them up handy (and cheaply) enough on Ebay and they can be made to run very well with a bit of work.

I certainly would'nt spend close to €100 on a 141 just to stick the chassis under a silverfox kit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're all going to be compromises, but it would be better than a Railroad Deltic.

 

No argument there....

I have one and I'm not too impressed with it. I replaced the traction tyres with metal wheels so it now picks up power on all wheels, added a load of weight and it still would'nt pull the skin of a rice pudding!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks a bit long to me; too much space between the bogies....

 

atlasrsd45.jpg

 

What seems to matter is the length of the chassis (i.e.: distance between the front axle and the rearmost axle of the two bogies). The bogies are shorter than A class hence the larger gap between them (i.e. the three axles of each bogie are closer together). This loco chassis is centre flywheel drive to both bogies so should outperform the toy Hornby's by a country mile for smooth slow running.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What seems to matter is the length of the chassis (i.e.: distance between the front axle and the rearmost axle of the two bogies). The bogies are shorter than A class hence the larger gap between them (i.e. the three axles of each bogie are closer together).

 

I hope you're not comparing the wheelbase of the rsd 4/5 to the a class, because we're talking about a model here, not the prototype. The H0 version of the rsd 4/5 matches with a scale 6 inches to the 00 chassis, and they both run, effectively, on the same track.

 

I'll take a photo of the chassis beside the A class drawings tomorrow for you. It might give a bit of clarity to the matter and put the question of "what to stick under an A Class" to bed once and for all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've emptied the stock box, and taken as many orthographic, or as close as, photos to help. Most are Lima pancake jobs, so I'm not sure what the current Hornby innards are of these. You'll have to google/debate the pro's and con's of each, but most are cut n shuts - never an ideal solution. *When I say "perfect alignment" it does not mean so. The bogies on the A-Class are trimount, and no RTR manufacturer allows for the offset arrangement of the central axel. The central one is shanked to one side.

 

DSCF9030.jpg

 

Deltic chassis as used under the Sulzer - almost right, needs a cosmetic sideframe, and hornby version wouldn't pull hot snot - see Kirley's trials with it on his WB.

 

DSCF9032.jpg

 

Yank thing - SD9? - Easy to cut and shut, no weight, will need cosmetic sideframes, perfect alignment.

 

DSCF9033.jpg

 

Class 50 Hoover - cut and shut job, needs cosmetic sideframes, perfect alignment. Pulling power questionable.

 

DSCF9034.jpg

 

Class 47 - same as above Class 50

 

DSCF9035.jpg

 

Class 31 - Bogie is far too big - sorry Des :(( On the positive, the sideframes are good if you wish to go slightly oversized.

 

DSCF9036.jpg

 

DSCF9037.jpg

 

Altas RSD4/5 Chassis - very slightly underscale, but front to back axles are correct, trimount bogie present, no cutting required. Central tank is die cast metal, so unsure how one would deal with it. Warbonnet tells me it's relatively easy to DCC these elderly, but powerful chassis'. I hope that does something to inform this debate. Richie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Altas RSD4/5 Chassis - very slightly underscale, but front to back axles are correct, trimount bogie present, no cutting required. Central tank is die cast metal, so unsure how one would deal with it. Warbonnet tells me it's relatively easy to DCC these elderly, but powerful chassis'. I hope that does something to inform this debate. Richie.

 

Nice post, Richie... should put an end to all the speculation!

 

Re. DCC-ing the Atlas chassis... it's a simple process of removing the circuit board and dropping in a Digitrax DH165A0 decoder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Railroad 31 would have the same 5 poll motor of the Railroad Deltic. It is a smooth runner but without traction tyres lacking in pulling power. The modern 31 they do is excellent running wise although expensive. However, some have had chassis rot and expansion issues. As a result you can sometimes buy the guts cheap on eBay for a few quid and scratch a chassis for it. I bought one a while ago to slap into a Lima 31. Atlas chassis is usually cheaper and an even better runner with less work to do so it would always be my choice. That's just my opinion though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use