Bachmann 32-510 OO Gauge BR Standard Class 5MT 73118 'King Leodegrance'

[centenary]

Excuse my ignorance, Im not well up on kettles! Is this loco, Standard Class 5MT, what's know in the venacular as a 'Black 5'?

Is this a decent model, 8 pin so not exactly up there with recent DCC chip standards. Hornby are supposed to be releasing a new Black 5 later this year but the price suggested was north of £200!

How is the tender connected to the Bachmann loco, is it just the small metal bar from the loco that fits on a tiny pin under the tender? Can it be 'close coupled' or is the gap massive?

[SRman]

No, these are not Black 5s, but they were the BR equivalent of the Stanier ex-LMS Black 5.

Below are two of my Bachmann BR Standard 5MT locos, 73082 'Camelot' and green unnamed 73068.

Compare to this Hornby Black 5, 44571.

The Bachmann Standard 5MT is a half-decent model. The tooling is getting on a bit, but it is probably a slightly better model than the current Hornby Black 5. Neither is a particularly good hauler, neither has much weight, and both are generally smooth runners. All of this is just my own opinion, of course.

Hopefully, the new Hornby as yet unreleased Black 5 will be a better model all round.

Incidentally, your query with the Standard 5 'King Leodegrance' means it was a member of the two batches of ten locos delivered to the Southern Region which were given ex-N15 "King Arthur" names after those locos were withdrawn and scrapped. My 73082 was in the first batch of 10 delivered to the SR.

[End2end]

That top picture is a great shot SRman. The little loco's above and the leviathans below.

Just a generalised question...
Can more weight be added to the loco somewhere to increase haulage capability?
Thanks
End2end

[SRman]

That top picture is a great shot SRman. The little loco's above and the leviathans below.

Just a generalised question...
Can more weight be added to the loco somewhere to increase haulage capability?
Thanks
End2end

Thanks for the compliments. The upper level at the time of the photo (it's an old one!) was still unfinished so was used as storage while everything ran on the lower level tracks, which are actually the London Underground tracks.

From memory, there was a bit of space at the front of the boiler/smokebox for a decoder. It would be possible to add a little bit of lead, but add it too far forward and you might actually unbalance the loco.

[centenary]

No, these are not Black 5s, but they were the BR equivalent of the Stanier ex-LMS Black 5.

Below are two of my Bachmann BR Standard 5MT locos, 73082 'Camelot' and green unnamed 73068.

IMG_20171216_101014_1000x750.jpg


Compare to this Hornby Black 5, 44571.

Hornby Black 5 Weathered - 1.jpg


The Bachmann Standard 5MT is a half-decent model. The tooling is getting on a bit, but it is probably a slightly better model than the current Hornby Black 5. Neither is a particularly good hauler, neither has much weight, and both are generally smooth runners. All of this is just my own opinion, of course.

Hopefully, the new Hornby as yet unreleased Black 5 will be a better model all round.

Incidentally, your query with the Standard 5 'King Leodegrance' means it was a member of the two batches of ten locos delivered to the Southern Region which were given ex-N15 "King Arthur" names after those locos were withdrawn and scrapped. My 73082 was in the first batch of 10 delivered to the SR.

Cool! Thanks for the confirmation it isnt a Black 5. To us non kettle aficionados, they're hard to tell apart!

[Bigmet]

...Is this a decent model, 8 pin so not exactly up there with recent DCC chip standards...

How time flies! When introduced easily the best looking BR standard tender loco available. There is a slight error in the upper cab side form if you are really fussy, compare to prototype photos. Removing and replacing the mechanism is something of a pain. The mechanism is overgeared and lacks traction, methods of tackling this below.

...How is the tender connected to the Bachmann loco, is it just the small metal bar from the loco that fits on a tiny pin under the tender? Can it be 'close coupled' or is the gap massive?

The metal drawbar came with two holes, distant setting for set track radii, even more distant for no good reason at all. But that's my experience of the original model, maybe will have been altered since? Whatever, very easy to drill a new hole if required to reduce the spacing, (did this on almost all my Bachmann locos until the excellent screw locked sliding mount for the tender pin was introduced).

...Can more weight be added to the loco somewhere to increase haulage capability?...

Previous discussion on this topic, it's more than just weight that needs tackling:
https://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/F ... =3&t=57024

[End2end]

Previous discussion on this topic, it's more than just weight that needs tackling:
https://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/F ... =3&t=57024

What a kerfuffle.
Thanks
End2end

[RFS]

From memory, there was a bit of space at the front of the boiler/smokebox for a decoder.

There's actually a large slot in the chassis between the driving wheels for a decoder which makes it very easy. I have Lenz Standard+ decoders in both of mine.

[SRman]

From memory, there was a bit of space at the front of the boiler/smokebox for a decoder.

There's actually a large slot in the chassis between the driving wheels for a decoder which makes it very easy. I have Lenz Standard+ decoders in both of mine.

It's that long since I opened one up, I had forgotten about that. There was also a plastic "box" in the extra bits to house a decoder and insulate it from the chassis.

My three have three different decoders fitted, contrary to my usual practice of trying to use the same type of decoder in the same class. One has a LokSound 3.5 (speaker in the tender so extra wires were run), one has a TCS M1P, and the last has a direct plug in TCS DP2X-UK. The latter gives an idea that if you use a small direct plug-in decoder, there would be quite a bit more room for extra weight.

I have found that they all run a little slow and lack traction, although there is enough torque to spin the wheels, confirming what Bigmet said.

[Bigmet]

What a kerfuffle...

Quite so, but back in 2001 this was one of the best looking RTR OO steam locos available from a small selection of newly introduced RTR loco drive models, and way less trouble than building one from a kit, so some fiddling around to fully exploit the potential of the mechanism was 'no trouble'.

But it's badly off the pace now, a comparison to Hornby's B12/3 would seriously embarrass it; and Bachmann could easily arrange a much superior drive layout if they chose...