A christmas present to me.

Hello Sarah

I assume you realise this has been cobbled together from a couple of G scale models?
(A bit harsh, I know.. It has been done quite well really, even if a flight of whimsy)

No pictures / details of the radio equipment in it.
No 'controller'. - Read transmitter.
No mention of what batteries, their condition, or of a charger.
No mention of the make of the 'with sound' system.
No mention of the 'flavour' of radio system used.


So
You probably would not be able to charge it. - No charger, or knowledge of the type / number of batteries.
You would probably not be able to control it - No idea what make of radio you would need.
You have no idea what it will sound like, or what control you might have over the sounds..

So you could be getting dead batteries. - Possibly not recoverable?
You would need to work out what radio system, and buy a suitable transmitter.
Then work out how to get existing receiver and new transmitter to talk to each other..
You might need an additional charger, to those you already have.
 
I'd agree with all Phil says, Sarah - I'd looked at this one, and though it is superficially quite attractive there are a whole load of unanswered questions, uncertain provenance and general unknowns. If it was around £100-£150 or so I'd say it might be "worth a punt", but at £345 I'd want to know a lot more details.....

Frankly, if you want a cute, small Garratt type you would be better buying two second-hand Stainzes (actually, you've got at least a couple of them, haven't you?) and making a nice project out of building your own.... it would probably end up cheaper, even with a full RC setup for it!

Jon.
 
I'm not impressed either.
In addition to Phil's comments I'd like to add that it's an 0-4-0 + 0-4-0 not an 0-4-2+2-4-0 as described.
A prototype of this model would also have a weight distribution problem. The boiler unit is supported outside the wheelbase of the power units.
 
Also, the boiler/cab assembly looks like it is from a cheap "toy" loco, possibly a New Ray or similar - which leads me to suspect that the power units might be from a similar source. If that is right, then no way is it worth anything like the kind of money that the seller is asking.....

Sorry to put a downer on it, but I think there are many much better ways of spending three hundred plus quid that would give you less hassle and a far superior end product.

Jon.
 
I would give it a pass. You have indicated before that you have had problems building a successful railway - stick with tried and tested equipment.
 
Frankly I'm surprised there's not more info or a underneath photo showing how it's articulated. I also noticed that the add says good condition but makes no mention of whether it actually runs. RAILS is a normally well respected model railway shop in Sheffield. They have a website and contact number (0114 2551436)
The 'doner' locos appear to be two Marklin Maxi 1 Gauge Locomotives 0-4-0 ("Emma" ) (Images attached.) They were not cheap by any stretch and are mostly metal bodied and originally track powered, I don't know if they ever made an rc version.
If it was me, I'd be on the phone asking some searching questions before I considered parting with any money at all.
If you still want it, give them a call. if you're not happy with their answers simply walk away.
Paul.
 

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If you like it..buy it it's worth what the next person pays for it...it's not for me but if its for you..
 
Good spot on the donor loco(s), Paul - in that case I revise my opinion slightly, as the mechanisms and body will be of better quality than I thought - however Phil's questions about the provenance of the RC system, lack of RC transmitter, and unknown type and state of the batteries are still very valid, and need to be answered; it should also be noted, as you mention, that the body is Gauge 1 (1:32) rather than G....

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
Good spot on the donor loco(s), Paul - in that case I revise my opinion slightly, as the mechanisms and body will be of better quality than I thought - however Phil's questions about the provenance of the RC system, lack of RC transmitter, and unknown type and state of the batteries are still very valid, and need to be answered; it should also be noted, as you mention, that the body is Gauge 1 (1:32) rather than G....

Jon.
Click to expand...
Hi Jon,
I also second Phils questions. I would be interesting to know if it has 2 motors. Also the thought occurred to me, If the batteries are US, It may be quite easy to return it to track power if it has not been mucked about with too much, but I still wouldn't pay anything like the asking price for it.
Paul.
 
Accepting all that has been said I would have thought a call to Rails may resolve many of the worries. If the answers to all of Phill’s questions in Post #2 were yes or satisfactory then it might be worth a punt.
 
It would be nice to see it against a 'standard' g-scale offering.. - Like a Stainz, for size comparison. :think:

I would have thought the 'baby garrett' from an Otto, could be built quite easily, for a similar (or less, if track powered)..
:( Just looked, to try to find it.. Not able to at the moment. :(
 
Somebody (sorry, can't recall who it was) posted some pics of a lovely small Garratt scratchbuild on here quite recently, in an interesting purple-ish colour scheme?
Anyone have a link to it?

Jon.
 
Sarah - I would definitely give this one a miss - Very expensive for what it is, with far too little information on control, sound and how to run and charge it. I think it would be extremely frustrating for you.
 
Thank you royale and all those who offered advice. I will give it a wide berth. Perhaps I should look out for some bogie coaches.

Anyway, at 04.21 christmas eve morning and having taken more painkillers I ought to try and get a few more hours sleep.

Nightie, nightie.

SW
 
Sarah
definitely avoid that one.
I created the baby Otto mentioned and is in fact the 2nd Garrett I have built, the first one I sold to a member of this forum a couple of years ago, it was based on 2 shortie loco's I had but it ended up huge, as garretts generally are. The otto provided a different challenge and was constructed using a mix of original body parts and plasticard, its great fun building your own and you don't have to spend large amounts of money to create something unique.

Here are another couple of other loco's I have built which were very easy to construct from ply and coffee stirrers.:)

IMG_20181224_125254166_HDR (Copy).jpg
 
Alpineandy said:
Sarah
definitely avoid that one.
I created the baby Otto mentioned and is in fact the 2nd Garrett I have built, the first one I sold to a member of this forum a couple of years ago, it was based on 2 shortie loco's I had but it ended up huge, as garretts generally are. The otto provided a different challenge and was constructed using a mix of original body parts and plasticard, its great fun building your own and you don't have to spend large amounts of money to create something unique.

Here are another couple of other loco's I have built which were very easy to construct from ply and coffee stirrers.:)

View attachment 246973
Click to expand...
Your Otto-Garratt is fabulous, congratulations.
 
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