Recommendations for a rtr G scale loco
-
- Cleaner
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:02 am
Recommendations for a rtr G scale loco
I shall shortly be installing a G scale track in my garden. I would
like to get a British prototype engine to run on it, preferably
electric powered. I haven't found much, but I quite like the look of
the Accucraft Caledonia:
http://www.glendalejunction.co.uk/Accucraft.html
Can anyone recommend anything similar (and at a similar price)?
Thanks,
Brian
like to get a British prototype engine to run on it, preferably
electric powered. I haven't found much, but I quite like the look of
the Accucraft Caledonia:
http://www.glendalejunction.co.uk/Accucraft.html
Can anyone recommend anything similar (and at a similar price)?
Thanks,
Brian
- Endless, Nameless
- Driver
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:56 pm
- Location: Plymouth
Caledonia is about the only RTR properly "british" outline loco available- I'm not sure if it's out yet but someone is making the IoM railway's diesel as well, and Accucraft did the Isle of Man Beyer Peacock 2-4-0's a while back.
However there are a few locos in the LGB range which look OK in a British setting. The starter set "Stainz" loco makes an ideal candidate for bashing into something more British looking, alternatively Garden Railway Specialists make kits of British outline locos to go on LGB chassis, either the Stainz or the "Toytrain" range locos. By all accounts the kits aren't the easiest to put together however.
Another couple of options are the LGB Corpet Louvet 0-6-0 tank engines and the LGB Feldbahn 0-4-0s (which are tiny!).
The Corpets are a French design but don't look out of place in a British setting- several worked here and if fact LGB did make a model of "Cambrai", one of the British engines. It's not a particuarly good representation however as the real Cambrai was to a different design to the one modeled by LGB. It's still a pretty engine though.
The "Feldbahn" 0-4-0 tank engines are very German in appearance, however a few similar engines did work here and again they don't look wrong in a British setting.
My vote would be to get a Stainz- they can be picked up for £50- £75 if you look hard enough, and have lots of potential.
If you really want a "Caley" though, get one quick- there aren't many left it seems, and the next batch is supposed to be much more expensive. I know John at Trackshack- probably the best Accucraft supplier out there- has sold out.
However there are a few locos in the LGB range which look OK in a British setting. The starter set "Stainz" loco makes an ideal candidate for bashing into something more British looking, alternatively Garden Railway Specialists make kits of British outline locos to go on LGB chassis, either the Stainz or the "Toytrain" range locos. By all accounts the kits aren't the easiest to put together however.
Another couple of options are the LGB Corpet Louvet 0-6-0 tank engines and the LGB Feldbahn 0-4-0s (which are tiny!).
The Corpets are a French design but don't look out of place in a British setting- several worked here and if fact LGB did make a model of "Cambrai", one of the British engines. It's not a particuarly good representation however as the real Cambrai was to a different design to the one modeled by LGB. It's still a pretty engine though.
The "Feldbahn" 0-4-0 tank engines are very German in appearance, however a few similar engines did work here and again they don't look wrong in a British setting.
My vote would be to get a Stainz- they can be picked up for £50- £75 if you look hard enough, and have lots of potential.
If you really want a "Caley" though, get one quick- there aren't many left it seems, and the next batch is supposed to be much more expensive. I know John at Trackshack- probably the best Accucraft supplier out there- has sold out.
Matt
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
I don't know - I think you'd have to do quite a lot of work if you wanted to make it look really British! The Bachmann Lyn is a good model however - no longer availible, but you could probably find one second hand...Endless, Nameless wrote:My vote would be to get a Stainz- they can be picked up for £50- £75 if you look hard enough, and have lots of potential.
I've not seen much British stuff in G scale as we used 2', 2' 3", etc etc, not 3' which G scale is modelled on (whereas on the Continent, they did use this system). You can get kits for British stuff, but these are pricey, so best way is to bash a Stainz or something like Endless, Nameless mentioned. Of course there are live steam British stuff that you can get as 45mm - so bare in mind when you put your track in, not to use too sharper corners.
-
- Trainee Driver
- Posts: 826
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 4:22 pm
- Endless, Nameless
- Driver
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:56 pm
- Location: Plymouth
Forgot about Lyn and somehow also about the Baguley. Baguley is great, Lyn less so. I seem to remember the scale isn't quite right, which doesn't matter much in the garden, and they aren't the best of runners, which does.
Also only available secondhand and they tend to be quite expensive for what they are.
Although it's pretty tricky to make a stainz look properly British it can be done- it's not that difficult to make it look like and engine that could have run here- there was a broadly similar German tank engine working at a quarry in the South West for many years, albeit on the 2ft gauge. History can be stretched a bit...
Also only available secondhand and they tend to be quite expensive for what they are.
Although it's pretty tricky to make a stainz look properly British it can be done- it's not that difficult to make it look like and engine that could have run here- there was a broadly similar German tank engine working at a quarry in the South West for many years, albeit on the 2ft gauge. History can be stretched a bit...
Matt
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
-
- Retired Director
- Posts: 3536
- Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:00 pm
Nope!steamyjim wrote:Someone posted about the Double Farlie by Bachmann at first but they appear to have deleted the post for some reason
http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about585.html
Welcome Brian, there is lots of feedback on the Caledonia here:
www.gscalemad.co.uk/forum/index.php?sho ... 957&st=300
They also report that this place is one of the few where they are still in stock:
www.hobb-e-mail.com/shop/shop.php?cat=3 ... bb3b28a1d2
The Baguley isn't G Scale, but is G Gauge (45mm), I've got one it ran well on trackpower, you may want to add some extra weight though if you're thinking of loading it up though.
No, there was a post about the Farlie in this thread earlier todaySillyBilly wrote:Nope!steamyjim wrote:Someone posted about the Double Farlie by Bachmann at first but they appear to have deleted the post for some reason
http://gardenrails.myfreeforum.org/about585.html
Welcome Brian, there is lots of feedback on the Caledonia here:
www.gscalemad.co.uk/forum/index.php?sho ... 957&st=300
They also report that this place is one of the few where they are still in stock:
www.hobb-e-mail.com/shop/shop.php?cat=3 ... bb3b28a1d2
The Baguley isn't G Scale, but is G Gauge (45mm), I've got one it ran well on trackpower, you may want to add some extra weight though if you're thinking of loading it up though.
- Endless, Nameless
- Driver
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:56 pm
- Location: Plymouth
-
- Retired Director
- Posts: 3536
- Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:00 pm
- Endless, Nameless
- Driver
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:56 pm
- Location: Plymouth
That was me - misread the original post and followed the link and saw the steam countess, thought for that price he could have the fairlie plus change. Then realised my mistake so deleted the post. Must have been up for all of five minutes... there is quite a bit of brassworks/bachmann stuff in Gauge 1, but a lot seems to be in the 'coming soon' categorysteamyjim wrote:No, there was a post about the Farlie in this thread earlier today
It's a Mamod Jim, but not as we know it!
-
- Cleaner
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:02 am
- Endless, Nameless
- Driver
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:56 pm
- Location: Plymouth
Might be issues with the finescale G1 wheels on the rather unfinescale LGB points, I don't know.
Peco G1 track looks a lot better anyway if you're running gauge 1 stuff. I'd be inclined to stick to narrow gauge, it's cheaper and you can usually get more track in a given space- gauge 1 needs large radius curves and points to look right really, unless you are modelling an industrial setting.
Peco G1 track looks a lot better anyway if you're running gauge 1 stuff. I'd be inclined to stick to narrow gauge, it's cheaper and you can usually get more track in a given space- gauge 1 needs large radius curves and points to look right really, unless you are modelling an industrial setting.
Matt
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
"The Ancient Greeks called it Pandora's box- but what they actually meant was Baldrick's Trousers"
-
- Cleaner
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:02 am
ta.Endless, Nameless wrote:Might be issues with the finescale G1 wheels on the rather unfinescale LGB points, I don't know.
Peco G1 track looks a lot better anyway if you're running gauge 1 stuff. I'd be inclined to stick to narrow gauge, it's cheaper and you can usually get more track in a given space- gauge 1 needs large radius curves and points to look right really, unless you are modelling an industrial setting.
The G scale stuff is certainly cheaper, from what I can see, but there's hardly any British stuff, as people have pointed out. I will have to see if I can pick up a Caledonia.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest