traingeekboy Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 ADMIN NOTICE: Several posts split from another thread and moved here What is the blue thing? It's just the most stunning colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungus Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4464_Bittern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 OMG shiny pretty! I saw a wrenn sir nigel gresley on ebay and was very impressed, I take it this is the same design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 Yes, the loco featured at the bottom of fungus' garden (post 2 above) is actually 4464 'Bittern', a member of Sir Nigel Gresley's 35 strong A4 class locomotive. In the photo she is depicted as No. 4492 'Dominion of New Zealand' (a cosmetic name and number change). The Wrenn model you mention depicts another member of the A4 class and is named after the great man himself. The most famous A4 locomotive is of course 'Mallard', now back resident at the National Railway Museum in York I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 I have been looking at the various models of this loco. Most of them have very matte finishes. Yet the real thing is very shiny. And of course that shine shows off a lot of form in the design's shape. I think sometimes color chips for model paint colors don't work because in the case of a model the colors are much closer together creating a mixing of the colors in your eye, so you perceive them differently. A lot of the old tinplate stuff was very shiny like baked enamel. I would want to have my loco of that blue wonder have a nice shine as well. oh well, i'm still trying to acquire a Jinty at a low price; guess the wonder creature will have to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Well... I'm lookin' and droolin' at models of the A4. Funny thing, when I first started looking at British outline they seemed to awkward to me, but now my tastes have changed and I sort of am in must have mode. i know this is meandering from the subject here, but I was curious what model is best for this? Is there any reason not to get an older Wrenn over a newer Hornby? Who else made it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungus Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 In 00 scale ready-to-run it is made by Bachmann and Hornby, in various liveries, DC electric and DCC. Hornby also dabbled in 00 live steam a few years ago, and I think they produced an A4. Live steam in 00 didn't really take off though. If you want the most accurate and detailed model, in general go for the most recently-produced one. An exception is Hornby's current "Railroad" range, which have gone back to the level of detail common 10-15 years ago to achieve a lower price for the beginners' end of the market. They usually produce a more detailed, more expensive version too, but I don't know which ranges their A4 is in. I have a Bachmann A4 in 1960s lined green as that is how I knew them. I bought it new about 10 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ok so I have this huge aversion to bachmann based on the old bachmann trains that were crap. Now bachmann makes decent models; I had a N scale 2-8-0 consolidated that was a real gem and full of detail. How do Hornby locos run by comparison to bachmann? I wish someone here had something like the LifeLike 0-8-0; it is easily the finest running mech I've ever seen, very much on the level with Broadway Limited. I'll have to get a video of my Life Like running on the layout soon. Is there a manufacturer that is considered to be the Apex in Brit models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 In my opinion Bachmann have the edge over here in OO gauge. Some of the Hornby models are okay but given a straight choice between the two I personally would choose Bachmann almost every time. Funnily enough however, one particular model where that choice does exist, the Gresley A4 streamliner, I chose the Hornby version over the Bachmann one as it was the only one that was DCC ready. That will soon change as Bachmann are releasing an updated version of their A4 with a new DCC ready chassis. I sense that Bachmann are more committed to providing good quality models in OO gauge than Hornby are but again, that's just my opinion. It should be noted that the above mentioned manufacturers are not the only ones producing OO gauge railway models for the UK market - other manufacturers products are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) I decided to move my A4 Falcon discussion over to it's own place as I sort of was derailing another discussion with questions about this engine. My train purchases tend to be a moving target these days. The lack of a purchase has lead me to gather a few more dollars for the next purchase. I've decided to upgrade to a larger wheel base engine than a Jinty; much as I love those. Today I bid seriously for a DCC equipped Falcon, only to get outbid by a few pounds at the last minute. I stopped at 41 pounds. I wasn't sure of the actual value of the thing and didn't want to pull one of those stupid ebay wins where you end up losing by bidding too high. The one I bid on was a Hornby. I read on another one of the same type sans dcc, that it is a lower detail model. Without having touched it and seen it in person it's hard for me to know fully what I am bidding on. there seem to be lots of this model available despite all the "rare" descriptions I see. One model I saw, mentioned it had smaller side panels; I wish I could remember what one that was. i assume this allows for viewing the wheels better on the model, always a plus on a steam engine. (looking at various models online this must be the Wrenn version I am thinking of) I'm not choosy about my British outline; since I just want a nice example or two of your trains. I could have bought a GWR 060 for very cheap today, but decided I may just wait and see how big an engine I can find if I wait; oh but it was tempting and it was stateside so it had low shipping. Edited November 14, 2011 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Some questions that came up in the other part of this discussion... Mick mentioned other makers. i know this sounds really dumb, but what makers? What models? I do online research, but still my info is limited. Also DCC; I'm thinking DCC ready, but I am not averse to installing my own decoder. The ones that seem in my price range CHEAP seem to be Hornby. So would this be a good first engine as I delve deeper into British outline? And yes it'll be funny pulling my old Lima LMS coaches. ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 From the previous discussion: fungus said: In 00 scale ready-to-run it is made by Bachmann and Hornby, in various liveries, DC electric and DCC. Hornby also dabbled in 00 live steam a few years ago, and I think they produced an A4. Live steam in 00 didn't really take off though. If you want the most accurate and detailed model, in general go for the most recently-produced one. An exception is Hornby's current "Railroad" range, which have gone back to the level of detail common 10-15 years ago to achieve a lower price for the beginners' end of the market. They usually produce a more detailed, more expensive version too, but I don't know which ranges their A4 is in. I have a Bachmann A4 in 1960s lined green as that is how I knew them. I bought it new about 10 years ago. I think Roy has that too. I saw it in his video today. I will ponder these issues of quality price some more. I do get frenzied over models sometimes. he he he Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 traingeekboy said: ...Mick mentioned other makers. i know this sounds really dumb, but what makers? What models? I do online research, but still my info is limited. The two main players in the field at the moment are Bachmann and Hornby, as already mentioned, and if you're keen to get hold of an A4 loco then it will come from either one of those ranges. Aside from the main two there are other manufacturers of British outline models, namely Heljan, Dapol and Vi-Trains. If I have overlooked any then it's certainly not intentional. Perhaps the best way to gain an insight into each respective range would be to look at the website of one of our most prominent retailers, Hattons Model Railways of Liverpool. I have no connection with the company other than as a satisfied customer but the different ranges are categorised and there are images of each model along with their respective prices. I notice that the Hornby 'Railroad' version of Falcon (less detailed than the standard range version) can be obtained for approx half the cost of the more expensive loco but as it depicts the graceful lines of the prototype quite well and the streamlined shape means there isn't a lot of additional detailing anyway, perhaps this isn't such an issue for you. A new railroad version of Falcon would set you back £58 according to the Hattons website - slightly more than you had previously bid. A4's can be a minefield as there have been so many versions released over the years. The above website will show you the latest versions, catalogue numbers etc.. which may help you as your scour the eBay listings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 Thanks, I know I ramble a bit, it's mostly just thinking aloud with a keyboard. Learning about models from another country is complicated. Even if you know the makes there are differences in models by any manufacturer, so it's best to ask about specific models and not makers. I'm probably going to shoot for the cheaper hornby one. but the older wrenn seems to show more of the wheels. Is that just me or is it a design change or flaw in the model? I have an old Lionel 1956 hudson 4-6-4 and I do like the heft of a metal body even if the detail is a bit low. So the next question is about Decoders. I have done sound decoder installs, so I am not afraid to get in there with an iron and a drill for sound holes. I expect there are certain preferred brands for an A4 decoder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 Gee Mick, thanks for that Hattons link... (sarcastic angry tone) yep, now I know what I'm missing. I need a A4 falcon, a princess royal, a 9F, and we may as well throw in a fowler for good measure... lets see just a bit over 350 pounds. Yeah thanks for that link MICK Actually that helps a lot. Now I know where the value range is for the locos I see on ebay. I think I could have gotten a good deal on a pre weathered loco today, just didn't know if I was going too high or not and stopped just 2 pounds below the final bids. Grrrr... My quest for British outline has just expanded even more after seeing the modern DMU's; Damn they're pretty. Want want want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 I have looked and looked at models. Yes I even looked at those live steam A4's WOW nice; some day maybe. What seems to be a well researched article about this loco: http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a4.shtml I noticed that some had a valance over the wheels and others did not. I think the sans valance is the nice looking model as it really accentuates the arch of the streamlined boiler. The cheaper Hornby one has the valance, the more expensive one does not. Even the Wrenn one seems to not have it. Then I noticed the one in BR blue, now that is a stunning color scheme, although I also like the, what looks like black, NE version. I suppose to you guys the A4 is kind of like the BigBoy is to us. The type of loco kids dream about when looking at catalogs. The sort of thing that appears on every layout regardless of theme. What can I say, I have pedestrian tastes. I have raised my expectations even higher now and must have the better model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Well, since I have a picture of the Mallard in my avatar photo, I can claim to be rather fond of A4s. They do have a certain romance to them, but they are definately mainline locos. I don't think I'd try and run one on a branchline layout without a particularly contrived excuse (we never do that, do we? ). But as someone who is rather fond of LNER, an A4 - especially The Mallard - was the second loco I had to have, after the Flying Scotsman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traingeekboy Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Ok, so it looks like you have the Less expensive version of the gresley; how do you like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba14eagle Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 TGB Apologies if I have mis-read your notings, but the models price shouldnt be dictated by whether they have skirts over the wheels & valve gear. What we should be able to expect to buy, is a loco in the correct livery for the condition modelled - ie a pre-war livery on a loco with the valances or say, a British Rail livery on a loco without valances. I hope that doesnt sound too serious - its all personal choice - if you like the look of something - go for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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