Bargain Watch

[Darren.d]

Iv seen this guys stuff on adverts. Some of the paint jobs look really bad.

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, Darren.d said:

Iv seen this guys stuff on adverts. Some of the paint jobs look really bad.

I think it’s a question of getting what you pay for…

[Darren.d]

Thats true .I personally wouldn't waste my money.

[DJ Dangerous]

Lots and lots of lots here, plus lots of potential bargains, at the Rails X Hattons auction:

https://www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com/auction/details/-the-rails-x-hattons-archive-sale--auction-no-5

[DJ Dangerous]

Loads of non-Irish-outline buses here on Adverts.ie:

 

https://touch.adverts.ie/models/100-diecast-1-76-scale-model-buses/37891772

[DJ Dangerous]

O Gauge locos at bonkers prices from Rails of Sheffield.

Anybody who’s ever thought about dabbling the toe in O Gauge, be it a garden railway, a short end to end shelf layout, a loop of Set-Track on the floor, or even a static model for “one day” would do well to have a look.

BR blue era Class 09 shunter for £167 ex-VAT:

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/gaugemaster-collection-gm7210203-class-09-016-br-blue-weathered-diesel-shunter-locomotive

BR intercity era Class 09 shunter for £159 ex-VAT:

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/gaugemaster-collection-gm7210204-class-09-012-dick-hardy-engineers-grey-diesel-shunter-locomotive

There’s a ton of other stuff, too:

https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/obsolete-warehouse-finds?filter.p.m.custom.availability=In+Stock&filter.v.price.gte=0&filter.v.price.lte=595&filter.p.m.custom.Scale=O+Gauge&sort_by=best-selling

Most of it will be snapped up, fast, so get the creaky wallets out!

 

 

Edited September 6 by DJ Dangerous
Added reference screenshots

[Galteemore]

Not quite as good as their £125 steam locos earlier in the year but some serious  bargains here. One thing O gauge stock has is ‘presence’ - you are getting a lot of loco for your money ! 

Edited September 6 by Galteemore

[DJ Dangerous]

They have a couple of steam locos on offer, too, although not all as cheap as last time:

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7s-018-002-lswr-b4-0-4-0t-caen-brown-90

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7s-005-004-0f-sentinel-4wvb-no7160-in-lms-livery

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7s-018-006-lswr-b4-0-4-0t-lined-green-91

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7s-010-021-terrier-a1-lbsc-improved-green-wapping-0-6-0-tank-locomotive-no-71

I like that brown 0-4-0, would look fabulous running in a garden… If I had a garden!

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Lovely O Gauge HAA MGR wagons on offer, but I can’t find video evidence of the open wagons running mixed with wagons with top skips / canopies.

Five variants on offer:

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/mgr-haa-coal-wagon-brown-cradle-354317

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7f-048-010-mgr-haa-coal-wagon-brown-cradle-356264

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7f-048-011-mgr-haa-coal-wagon-red-cradle-356189

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7f-048-012-mgr-haa-coal-wagon-red-cradle-366040

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/dapol-7f-048-100-mgr-haa-coal-wagon-red-cradle-with-top-skip-351131

I get the impression that some collieries couldn’t handle hoppers with top skips / canopies, so maybe they were not mixed.

 

 

 

[Mol_PMB]

1 hour ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Lovely O Gauge HAA MGR wagons on offer, but I can’t find video evidence of the open wagons running mixed with wagons with top skips / canopies.

I get the impression that some collieries couldn’t handle hoppers with top skips / canopies, so maybe they were not mixed.

 

The top skips increased the volume and so allowed the wagons to be loaded to maximum axleload even with slightly less dense grades of coal. They also much reduced the amount of coal blown off the wagons en route - as well as losing payload this contaminated the ballast and wasn't popular with the neighbours. (These wagons carried very fine coal, little more than dust, for power station use.)

But as you say, they weren't compatible with most collieries and most of the top skip fitted wagons worked in Scotland for much of their lives. 

Wagons with and without top skips would not normally be mixed in service.

[DJ Dangerous]

37 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

The top skips increased the volume and so allowed the wagons to be loaded to maximum axleload even with slightly less dense grades of coal. They also much reduced the amount of coal blown off the wagons en route - as well as losing payload this contaminated the ballast and wasn't popular with the neighbours. (These wagons carried very fine coal, little more than dust, for power station use.)

But as you say, they weren't compatible with most collieries and most of the top skip fitted wagons worked in Scotland for much of their lives. 

Wagons with and without top skips would not normally be mixed in service.

That pretty much summarises what I had read online.

I had been hoping to prove myself wrong.

Thanks for ruining my day!

[Mol_PMB]

1 minute ago, DJ Dangerous said:

That pretty much summarises what I had read online.

I had been hoping to prove myself wrong.

Thanks for ruining my day!

Sorry! You'll just have to buy a train of each... They're not much more expensive than H vans!

[DJ Dangerous]

45 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Sorry! You'll just have to buy a train of each... They're not much more expensive than H vans!

True on pricing, OO vs. O is a no-brainer, but this was far easier:

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

O Gauge Class 09 / Class 97 shunters going for bonkers prices, cheaper than a Murphy Models 141:

 

https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/gaugemaster-collection-reductions?sort_by=created-ascending&filter.v.price.gte=0&filter.v.price.lte=245&filter.p.m.custom.Scale=O Gauge

 

Reference screenshots attached.

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

Gerry Hoey / Millipede has a few Ammonia wagons for sale:

https://touch.adverts.ie/models/model-railway-irish-ammonia-tankers/38372403
 

 

[Mol_PMB]

TMC are having a massive sale this weekend, with 40% to 70% off many items. 

There's a lot of new, good quality OO scale rolling stock available at 40% off. Not specifically Irish, but some of the items would be suitable for Irish layouts.

https://www.themodelcentre.com/40-75-off-sale

I picked up a new Dapol O gauge Austerity tank for £162.00 (RRP £278.91)

[Horsetan]

24 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

TMC are having a massive sale this weekend, with 40% to 70% off many items. 

There's a lot of new, good quality OO scale rolling stock available at 40% off. ....

Rails of Sheffield have similar sales. In the past I've had a Hornby B1 and a Heljan "1366" pannier at rather less than retail from them. They've now sent me an e-mail publicising stocks of the Hornby "Lord Nelson" class being flogged at under £100 each - about half the retail price when launched.

It does make you wonder how much you could save if you're prepared to wait long enough....and how much overstock / slow-selling stock there is out there....

[GSR 800]

3 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Rails of Sheffield have similar sales. In the past I've had a Hornby B1 and a Heljan "1366" pannier at rather less than retail from them. They've now sent me an e-mail publicising stocks of the Hornby "Lord Nelson" class being flogged at under £100 each - about half the retail price when launched.

It does make you wonder how much you could save if you're prepared to wait long enough....and how much overstock / slow-selling stock there is out there....

I think the Lord Nelsons haven't shifted very well due to being panned as very light and therefore somewhat poor haulers for their size. Heljan don't seem to be very well considered at all. 

[Horsetan]

6 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

.... Heljan don't seem to be very well considered at all. 

Not in terms of steam outline, it seems, with the Beyer-Garratt being the best-known disaster so far. Most of their diesels seem to have been decent - the Hymek in particular - though the less said about the Class 17 Clayton, the better.

I bought the 1366 Pannier mainly for the bodyshell; I have a suitable P4 etched chassis for it.

[leslie10646]

Thanks for the advice, Ivan. I'd considered a Garratt, having travelled on them in South Africa!

 

 

[Horsetan]

33 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

Thanks for the advice, Ivan. I'd considered a Garratt, having travelled on them in South Africa!

 

 

The Heljan Garratt looked the part, but wasn't up to much mechanically. Many many complaints about fragility, failing motors, etc. 

[amdaley]

9 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

The Heljan Garratt looked the part, but wasn't up to much mechanically. Many many complaints about fragility, failing motors, etc. 

The second version were much better.

They sorted out the faults I think.

[DJ Dangerous]

On 1/11/2025 at 12:07 PM, GSR 800 said:

Heljan don't seem to be very well considered at all. 

 

On 1/11/2025 at 6:27 PM, Horsetan said:

Not in terms of steam outline, it seems, with the Beyer-Garratt being the best-known disaster so far. Most of their diesels seem to have been decent - the Hymek in particular - though the less said about the Class 17 Clayton, the better.

Didn’t Heljan produce the O Gauge Hatton’s A4 locos?

They had terrible feedback in general.

Underpowered with only one motor, motors burning out, loose bits in the box, valve gear back to front, quartering problems etc.

Have no experience myself, just comments that I have seen online several times.

Think they were £750 GBP when new, but Hatton’s sold them off around half price in the end.

Rails of Sheffield had six of them second-hand, varying from £450 GBP to £500 GBP, about two weeks ago, and four have already sold.

[DJ Dangerous]

More for our UK members, Rails of Sheffield have a Murphy Models 121 Class, no. 134 in IE livery, for £140 GBP:

https://railsofsheffield.com/products/murphy-models-mm0134-po-pre-owned-mm0134-class-121-134-in-iarnrod-eireann-livery-diesel-locomotive

It says UK Tax excluded, but I’m confused by that, as their pre-owned doesn’t usually have UK tax removed for overseas buyers.

 

 

[GSR 800]

32 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Didn’t Heljan produce the O Gauge Hatton’s A4 locos?

They had terrible feedback in general.

Underpowered with only one motor, motors burning out, loose bits in the box, valve gear back to front, quartering problems etc.

Have no experience myself, just comments that I have seen online several times.

Think they were £750 GBP when new, but Hatton’s sold them off around half price in the end.

Rails of Sheffield had six of them second-hand, varying from £450 GBP to £500 GBP, about two weeks ago, and four have already sold.

Heljan seem to be very hit and miss. While the 'consensus' is generally that their steam is extremely poor and their diesels are okay, their diesels are very often nothing to write home about. And then sometimes they are grand. 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, GSR 800 said:

Heljan seem to be very hit and miss. While the 'consensus' is generally that their steam is extremely poor and their diesels are okay, their diesels are very often nothing to write home about. And then sometimes they are grand. 

 

One of their A4’s would have made a lovely display piece, but not at £750 GBP!

[Horsetan]

3 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Didn’t Heljan produce the O Gauge Hatton’s A4 locos?

They had terrible feedback in general.

Underpowered with only one motor, motors burning out, loose bits in the box, valve gear back to front, quartering problems etc.

Heljan did do some work for Hattons including, as it happens, the Beyer Garratt.

You only need one motor in most engines, but the question is what type? Coreless motors - which are only now finding their way into RTR products - are more efficient but they do have to be matched to the job. You can't just stick any old coreless in there and expect it to take the abuse.