Coach reliability

[Boxcar Willie]

As there's an interesting discussion about loco reliability going on I thought I'd start a similar one about coaches. Our local club had a couple of layouts on display at our local Tesco's over the weekend and we all took turns running them. I brought some CIE stuff to run and was disappointed to find that two of my coaches wouldn't run at all. They're old Triang Hornby MK1s painted up in CIE black and tan livery but while they look the part their hideous plastic wheels let them down. I had replaced some of the wheelsets on my other coaches with metal ones but I hadn't bothered with the CIE stuff.

How else can old coaches be made to run on modern layouts? Add weight? Lose weight? Bin them and by new ones?

[K9-70]

Replace the plastic wheel sets with metal ones. Better still, if the bogies can be removed, replace them with the modern ones.

You could also add weight, but too much weight could/will cause the locomotive to struggle to pull a decent rake of coaches.

[b308]

Trouble is, by the time you've done all that and spent the extra money you'd be just as well buying more modern ones... Rather like the loco thread, the old coaches were pretty crude, I'd rather have a couple of newer ones that look right to three of those old Triang and Hornby Dublo ones that don't...

But that's just a personal preference!

[irishthump]

I have a few of the Hornby/Triang MK1's meself and they run fine once the wheels are switched for metal ones. Did'nt ned to add any extra weight at all.

[Boxcar Willie]

The trouble is that modern ones in the old CIE livery cost an arm, a leg, several teeth and half a pancreas. I'd much rather get old coaches and do them up - it's cheaper and more fun. I'll definitely be fitting metal wheels on all my stock though.

[Bushey Troughs]

Change the bogies, or failing that bin the plastic wheels and fit metal ones. That's my tuppence worth.

[irishthump]

The trouble is that modern ones in the old CIE livery cost an arm, a leg, several teeth and half a pancreas. I'd much rather get old coaches and do them up - it's cheaper and more fun. I'll definitely be fitting metal wheels on all my stock though.

Agreed! Exhibit A, your honour.....



No where near prototypical, but looks the part.

[Alexander Court]

I used Triang/Hornby and Lima coaches for my repaints, one was already repainted and has plastic wheels on a metal axle and is the Hornby triang model (and the paintjob closely resembles the exact one that was on your coaches at Tesco (if you saw me I was wearing blue skinny jeans and a black hoodie) unfortunately the irish stuff got taken off before I could get pictures but the blue dmu and the prairie was nice the lima coach I repainted has all metal axles fitted, the wheels were just cheap second hand replacements I think but work perfectly fine, and my repainted class 33 can pull them fine and that's without traction tyres, I've found that some plastic wheels have more issues that others, and it can also be down to where they are fitted it (like they don't seem to rotate as well in their places- sorry for my lack of technical lingo)

Also btw, the Tesco show was a nice idea, and great as I missed the Easter exhibition and I live next door to Tesco so it was only a short walk well done to all involved

Alex

[flying scotsman123]

what's all this about a tesco exhibition, is this everywhere, or just a particular one, i never heard about it...

On topic, i've done up several old tri-ang coaches simply by giving them a repaint (inside as well if they have interiors, normally they are quite well formed, but in white ) and sometimes replacing the wheels, but often not even that, i'll post some piccies of some tri-and coaches i bought of ebay a while ago described as "red and yellow" coaches, obviously meant 2 b carmine and cream, but the description was quite accurate i painted them in choc 'n' cream, just waiting for transfers now.

[GWR_fan]

Each to his own. Personally, I would prefer to add a set of modern wheels to an older coach than lash out for a modern Bachmann equivalent. However, a little common sense needs to be used as B'mann Mk1 coaches seem to be selling off for not much more than an old Top Link Hornby Mk1 coach (my favourites). I even like the old Lima cars with their deep recess windows and biscuit/pizza cutter wheels. These I drill the bogie pin point bearing hole deeper and fit later Hornby wheels.

I feel the status quo secondhand price is set about half the full retail on a 'modern' new coach. With box shifters clearing out new coaches the price of the old coaches has not fallen to the same degree. I still see 'new' vintage Hornby and Tri-ang Mk1 coaches that are listed at more than one can buy a discounted new coach from Bachmann.

Some have an emotional attachment to older equipment that a new set of wheels will keep in service.

Tim

[Bufferstop]

Bought a Bachmann Mk1 "blue riband" for the same as old Triangs are fetching. But thenhad to shell out for flush glazing for the rest of my coaches.

[flying scotsman123]

i only ever buy coaches if they are under £10 each, normally if I try hard enough I can get them for £5 I'm still trying to devise a way to make my own flush glazing, as I doubt they d it for the coaches I have anyway, and even if they did, I wouldn't buy it! we have a vacuum former at school in DT, and a laser cutter, and a 3d printer, will have to have a think, I'm sure I can use one of them, I could even make some money from it...

[GWR_fan]

................ we have a vacuum former at school in DT, and a laser cutter, and a 3d printer, will have to have a think, I'm sure I can use one of them, I could even make some money from it...

My school did not even have a hammer and chisel or even wood for wood working class. Come to think of it we did not even have a wood working class.

Tim

[flying scotsman123]

My school did not even have a hammer and chisel or even wood for wood working class. Come to think of it we did not even have a wood working class.

Tim

a wood working class without wood would indeed be tricky... i asked today and there is clear plastic that can be used for the vacuum former, but still not sure, as coach sides are slightly curved of course, the windows might end up flat and therefore poking out at the edges...

[skyblue]

a wood working class without wood would indeed be tricky...

When I was at middle school we did a lot of proper woodwork, now, 5 years later,the same school has DT classes where the pupils just draw the design and the teacher cuts it for them on a laser machine. They never even use a saw. I guess they think that its no use teaching it properly any more. Sorry for going off topic.

Back on topic, I find that one problem with old coaches is that the bogies don't always turn freely. I have found with some coaches that this is due to muck/plastic shavings/ballast being jammed in the hole that the bogies swing on. Often this can be sorted by just twisting the bogie round by hand so that the blockage drops out. I have had brand new Hornby Mark 1 coaches which had bogies which remained straight when the coaches went round a bend, I think it was just 'running in' that sorted the problem.