peterws wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 5:56 am
... I've just ordered on ebay a returnable LMS 4F which took my breath away. The thing is totally black, with the most subtle dark red lining, and looks a million dollars. New for £79.50, free delivery and a 5-pole motor...
What's the origin? From current RTR OO the possibilities are the Bach and Hornby you already know about, the latter in loco and tender drive versions, and two earlier models from Lima. (actually HO) and Airfix GMR which the Hornby item was derived from; and of course plenty of old kit built models of varying degrees of sophistication in appearance, and whatever the builder decided on by way of a mechanism.
peterws wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 5:56 am
... I've tried 2 of these previously, a Bachmann and Hornby, both loco drive, and both failed to run smoothly at low speeds... (maybe they were DCC fitted, but there was no indication of this)...
It is very easy to check if a DCC decoder is present, just take the bodies off and look.
Both these loco drive mechanism designs are inherently smooth running, but if left standing unused for years - and especially if never run since originally purchased - will often be gummed up with dried grease and very rough at low speed in particular. A little cleaning and a tiny application of light oil and up to a couple of hours of running will have them performing sweetly down to dead slow. (I buy s/h regularly, and gummed up loco drives on models 10 or more years old are a very common finding, when the model looks pristine but is described as a poor runner / non-runner. A real giveaway for 'not been run very much if at all' is no sign of any wear on the loco driven wheel tyres.)