The LNER Encyclopedia

Jim de Griz wrote: ↑Fri Mar 03, 2023 4:40 pm ...very sensitive to changes in track level, which is somewhat of a concern on certain baseboard joints and unfortunately my turntable. Both the rear pony and front bogie tends to lift off the rails if the driving wheels experience a fairly minor change in track level...

I was showing an internetophobe friend some of the online comment on the A5 yesterday, and realised I hadn't replied to this.

Item 1, downward travel of the bogie has been unduly limited. Easily increased if a suitable longer retaining screw can be found. Not having such I resorted to simple butchery, scraping down the flanges in the bogie moulding on which the screw head bears to permit about 0.5mm extra downward travel. (In going about this it was discovered that the retaining screw had fallen out while in operation and I gather that others have experienced the same, so a little threadlock once all adjusted is a good plan.

Item 2, the rear truck did seem a little limited in travel, but a few prods up and down and it now has ample movement. Haven't looked inside to see what the arrangement might be...

And friend persuaded of the overall virtues of this model, sufficiently to splash the cash.

Interesting. Has anybody yet had a go at swapping (or modifying) the chimney so the top of it looks properly like a Robinson chimney, or so as to switch to either a plant pot or the later Gorton "almost GCR" chimney.

Not yet Graeme but soon. I've run mine in and fitted lamp irons on the front footplate in place of the two express passenger lamps it came fitted with.

Been thinking about what I might do with the coal rails which aren't perfectly straight. Will probably make a new set from brass strip, possibly with the angle iron at the top.

The chimney is moulded with the smokebox so it'll have to be carefully cut off. I have a brass PDK O4 chimney I'm going to fit. Also have a spare Craftsman chimney but that is the same height as the original so too tall for my mid-late 30s period. Just building up courage to get the razor saw out! Might need to temporarily remove the snifting valve before using the saw.

I've had no problems with derailing of bogie or pony wheels.

Andrew

Does anybody know of a source for a suitable chimney for an A5/2 ?

Peter Stanger (52F Models) does a cast one for his A5/2 kit.

I was under the impression that the lettering on black locos, including A5s, was yellow and yet on Sonic's offering, it is gold. Which is correct?

Should be yellow unless there's a specific exception I can't bring to mind. Which model is it? Mine was correct.

I ended up having to get the LNER ones with white lining with the intention some day to paint over them and put red lining on. RoS said they weren't expecting any more in.

Now that was a hybrid GCR/LNER livery, wasn't it? I'm honestly not sure what lettering was used without looking it up.

Having said that, my time period is 1937 so weren't black locos without lines by then? Something after about 1928?

1942 I have read for the end of Red lining, on passenger locos only . Goods was 1928.
The source is fromTMC , when challenged re the Red Lining on the G5 no 2082. Even then the lining would still be there until the next shopping.

Mine doesn't like warm weather it seems. It accrued 10 hours previous faultless running back in March when the unheated layout space was cold, and has run many times since, but yesterday was the first time it has run in anything like summer heat. Run light engine, no trouble; but put on the job it was bought for which is moving ECS, typically a dozen gangwayed coaches, and it rolls gracefully to a halt after about a scale mile. Then it recovers, and will operate normally light engine, but repeats the graceful stop when asked to pull the load described.

I suspect there may be thermal protection in the form of a 'Polyswitch' (resetteable 'thermal fuse'). The motor does get warm but nothing extraordinary, it is always comfortable to touch. Anyone else?

I've not had any problems with mine but it hasn't run in any hot conditions.

Something I realised the other day is that apart from the lettering missing the fine white edging to the yellow in the LNER and number on 5024 they are actually under size. So I've now removed them and re-lettered with HMRS Methfix transfers. I also very slightly closed up the LNER to match photos. Can't believe I didn't notice the size issue before! They came off very easily- first using a finger nail but when they became obstinate a gentle brushing with the curved edge of a scalpel blade did the job with no damage to the paint.

Andrew

Woodcock29 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 08, 2023 1:05 pm ...Something I realised the other day is that apart from the lettering missing the fine white edging to the yellow in the LNER and number on 5024 they are actually under size. So I've now removed them and re-lettered with HMRS Methfix transfers. I also very slightly closed up the LNER to match photos. Can't believe I didn't notice the size issue before! They came off very easily- first using a finger nail but when they became obstinate a gentle brushing with the curved edge of a scalpel blade did the job with no damage to the paint.

That's useful information. It's possible that as the designer is ex-Bachmann/Farish the printed paint will be released with a wipe of white spirit. (This has been a long standing feature of Bachmann product, which makes it more modeller friendly in this respect than any other RTR OO brand I have tried; and answers the question 'why can't we have unnumbered locos and stock?', with 'already available from Bachmann'..)

Minor update, after some testing of the A5 without a decoder confirmed that it ran as well on DC as it had when received, replacing the decoder some time ago has resulted in sustained trouble free running.