So here's a thought; aftermarket tender shells

[NZRedBaron]

So, yesterday I was working on fixing the coal rails on the GN-designed tender of my model of Gladiateur, when it occurred to me that it's a bit weird that (at least in my experience) the vast majority of RTR Gresley Pacifics that Hornby and other manufacturers make are all equipped with corridor tenders, when there was only about 20 or so of them built, and they mostly ended up attached to A4's; while the other types of 8-wheel tenders, especially the original GNR design are as rare as hen's teeth.

So that got me thinking, does anyone make ready-to-fit LNER tender shells where you just unscrew the original shell, plop a new one on, and boom, it's ready to go? Or for that matter, even just kit forms that you have to glue and paint yourself?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Nope, sorry never heard of those, although it would be a good idea for someone to 3D print.

manna

[NZRedBaron]

That's a real pain then; I was looking on BRDatabase yesterday (hence why I was so grumpy), and from how it looked, during the interwar period the A1's and A3's seemed to be unable to hold on to any tender for long, before it was replaced by a GNR-designed tender; I swear, some of them would get a corridor tender, or an LNER-designed non-corridor tender, and then barely a week later, it'd promptly get replaced by a GNR tender.

[Atlantic 3279]

Some resin versions may be available, from a small and very low-profile supplier, not including the GN type with coal rails, but painting, lining and fitting details like handrails to exactly match the loco is not a five minute job for the inexperienced. Also, the underframes for the different varieties of eight wheeled tender are not all the same, if you study closely, especially around the rear steps and ends of the buffer beam. If you want correct disc or spoked wheels there's another fly in the ointment, standing in the way of a simple body swap.

[Pebbles]

Only a small quibble but, there are different under frames between types.

[Mercator II]

Some resin versions may be available, from a small and very low-profile supplier

Is that the same person who demonstrates at national exhibitions but not allowed to sell at same exhibitions!!!

[Woodcock29]

The late Dave Alexander made alternative whitemetal kits for tender bodies to fit the old Hornby tender drive mechanisms. They may have been made extra wide to fit where corridor tender bodies were.

I actually have a couple stashed away somewhere that I'm unlikely to ever use. One for the GN coal rail and one for the LNER non- corridor type.

Andrew

[Hatfield Shed]

... I was working on fixing the coal rails on the GN-designed tender of my model of Gladiateur, when it occurred to me that it's a bit weird that (at least in my experience) the vast majority of RTR Gresley Pacifics that Hornby and other manufacturers make are all equipped with corridor tenders, when there was only about 20 or so of them built, and they mostly ended up attached to A4's; while the other types of 8-wheel tenders, especially the original GNR design are as rare as hen's teeth...

That's odd I thought, as when Hornby introduced what is still their current version of the Gresley A1 and A3, of the externals it was the tenders that arguably were the greatest improvement over the previous version, and among them, the GNR design coal rail tender the most improved of all. The initial production runs regularly offered the 'coal rail' tender, and I made sure to obtain some of these, as at the time it was the only RTR GNR design tender then available.

But fifteen years on, it does appear that what Hornby now produce are Gresley A1 and A3 with the high sided tenders. Does this reflect customer demand I wonder? The LNER high sided tenders are impressive and 'more modern': but for those who know what underpinned the LNER's success in wide firebox loco design, the GNR coal rail tender is the sure sign of which constituent provided this advantage.

[jwealleans]

The only tender design I've ever struggled to find an example of was whichever version they do behind the P2. Took me a while to track a spare one of those down.

[Atlantic 3279]

Some resin versions may be available, from a small and very low-profile supplier

Is that the same person who demonstrates at national exhibitions but not allowed to sell at same exhibitions!!!

I couldn't possibly comment

[drmditch]

There are often queries about the tenders behind the A4s.
I'm sure someone provided a link to a very comprehensive and erudite article accessible from the A4 Locomotive Society website.
I can't seem to find that at the moment.

..... This...... however might be useful.

[Mercator II]

There are often queries about the tenders behind the A4s.
I'm sure someone provided a link to a very comprehensive and erudite article accessible from the A4 Locomotive Society website.
I can't seem to find that at the moment.

..... This...... however might be useful.

Twas I

http://www.sirnigelgresley.org.uk/chime ... ders.shtml

Posted it a few times on this forum, so here it is again

Mel's other articles on A4s are also well worth a read

https://www.sirnigelgresley.org.uk/mob-a4names.shtml

[RayS]

One of the great strengths of the (admittedly much larger) US market is the range of aftermarket kits for changing rtr locos - cabs, body shells and thousands of small parts. Just take a look at Walthers catalogue.

[john coffin]

But the corollary is that there are many fewer different types of loco designs in the USA, since few railroads made their own, they
bought them in from for instance Baldwin, thus it is much easier to create detail parts, since your overall market is larger.

paul