The Keyser kit dates from the 1960s and shows its age. While I can live with most of this, it's going to be a layout loco after all, one or two upgrades are required. The driving wheels look OK to me but not so the bogie and trailing wheels. These are (I think) Jacksons from the land that time forgot.
Spokes stamped from a sheet of metal and incorporated at the back of the wheel don't look right to my eye. There is an awful lot of depth from front to back which might have been OK back in the day, but not now. Well, not if they aren't hidden under a wagon anyway. The photo does them a favour...
Replacements come from the Hornby range. People will doubtless be horrified that I haven't picked anything more accurate, or at least with the right number of spokes (1 too few), but I had some to hand and if they really bother me, I'll change them later.
For the moment, I've filed the pinpoints off the ends and popped them in place. At least they keep the model in the air.
A brief prototype question, if I may. What is it about these locomotives that makes them 'suburban' locomotives as opposed to mixed traffic or freght? I'm guessing it it the wheel arrangements amongst other things, but why would this make them so very spoecialised?
ReplyDeleteBig wheels Andy, designed for higher speeds
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