Nu-Cast J6 Loco Kit

[john coffin]

Well Graeme,
you could aways use en etched J5 set of frames that i might have lying around

[Atlantic 3279]

Indeed Paul, should I ever get round to it. My main aim here has been to explore the possibility that our newcomer suggested. If truly cheap Hornby 700s were available second hand that idea might appeal to me too, but at prevailing prices it makes more sense to me to build a chassis if, as I do, you already have the skills, the wheels and axles, the bearings (be they turned or tube), gears or gearbox, and a motor.

Are you still lying low and staying safe waiting for the plague to pass?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Re, the wheels, nothing to stop you buying an extra set of driving wheels, and replacing the center drivers, my forthcoming J5 will have these wheels on a Dave S chassis.

manna

[john coffin]

Actually Graeme, not really been lying low.
Catching up on my outstanding work, both test etch, new designs, plus all the other tasks one takes on.
Also I have bought a 3d printer, so the task is to learn 3d drafting to allow me to make test chimneys,
domes, etc. Boy what a PITA that is, parametric drafting makes no sense to an engineer

However, I agree, if the 700 is going to be available s/h at a reasonable price then for some it would be
a good way to go.

P

[Atlantic 3279]

G'Day Gents

Re, the wheels, nothing to stop you buying an extra set of driving wheels, and replacing the center drivers, my forthcoming J5 will have these wheels on a Dave S chassis.

manna

I thought about that, but it only made me lament the disappearance of East Kent Models and its huge catalogue of bargain-priced Hornby spares, replaced by a single supplier (at prices that I find rather less attractive) apparently favoured by Hornby.
If second-hand, plastic, volume-produced RTR models these days were commanding only second-hand prices, rather than being treated like rare, high-class antiques, and if spares were still available on former EKM terms, I would probably have a go myself at a J6 or J5 on a 700 chassis, just to see how it turned out.
It's academic in view of prices, but I have also considered a scheme for drilling and carving out the gaps between the spokes in the area of the over-size balance weights...

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Totally true Graeme, some of the prices, on E-Bay make me laugh, some of it due to Shock, at the thought some idiot thinks that 'Nellie' is worth 55+ Pounds, because it's chimney has been replaced with a straw !!

manna

PS, I've been on E-Bay, put in '700', and on the Peters Spares thread up came, the chassis, wheels, motor and pick ups, probably cost about 30 quid, another seller had the main chassis block + gears, for about 5.99..............I was tempted.

[Lichfeldian]

Sorry I've not been able to follow this up since last week, due to a health issue (not Covid!). My apologies, I should have said that on the strength of the original advice, I obtained a Hornby 700 loco months ahead of buying the kit. Having undergone a very painful medical procedure earlier in the day, I was feeling a lot less than 100% when I wrote the post and didn't go into enough detail. Sorry!

I was as much looking for advice in principle as to whether to go down the route of using the RTR chassis, or whether to go the whole hog and spend the extra cash on the components to build one. However, you have all very kindly looked into the details of this particular chassis, so many thanks for that. Within a small inaccuracy, It seems to be suitable in terms of sizing, so may be the best way to go, given that I have no pre-existing skills in loco chassis building. It would be satisfying to build my own and there is always the argument that you have to start somewhere, but the chances of having a working loco at the end do seem greater by using the 700 as a base.

Regards.