Card model GVT tram loco by Locolines - experience ?

R

Rackman

Registered
I have a rake of GVT coaches that needs a matching loco.
The Accucraft live steamer is tempting but the reality is that my railway doesn't get a vast amount of use (I do rc gliders and boats as well) and I'm finding it difficult to justify (to myself) the cost of another steamer. A lack of warm summer evenings doesn't help !

Sadly the excellent resin kits seem to have vanished but I came across the Locolines card kit and wondered what other folks experience had been with it - or other models in their range. Are they durable enough to withstand handling ? and do they bow with age ?

I have a spare motor block, so it means I can get a GVT loco for £28 !
However I would rather have moulded kit to be honest and it seems to me that there is a large gap in the market.

OK I can see that a decent metal chimney is needed but apart from that ???

Look forward to your thoughts.
Paul
 
They are what they are - made of card. The printing is pretty good, the edges do show - as white unless you colour them, and card is not that strong. It's as weather proof as the varnish that you use.
Good for the price but you get what you pay for. To be honest - in G, what do you expect for 30 quid.
 
There are people who have bought the kit, and used it as a template to make in plasticard..
 
I would be tempted to mount the parts that are likely to be held while putting on the line on Ply (ie the bits you are likely to grab). Then you should have a fairly durable loco that will do the job if handled with due care. But it would certainly not stand the test of dropping from a height as LGB would. But then neither would a resin or Accucraft Live Steam for that matter. Though one of my Roundhouse Loco's had a big bounce once with not much more damage than a small bend to the Buffer Beam.
JonD
 
I suppose you culd buy the card kit, and then use the parts of the kit as outlines for constricting a kit in brass sheet and strip? Or you could even build it up in heavy styrene plastic and perspex?
 
I was disappointed with these to be honest (and I love a bargain me).

I bought the Ivor the Engine kit a few years back. I thought that a card kit for outdoors didn't really matter with it being a "novelty" item, providing that it was properly sealed etc.

However the vinyl started to come away from the backing card card during construction and I simply lost patience with having to stick the Vinyl back on each time I cut a piece of the kit out.

In the end I chucked it, keeping only the plastic/resin parts and electrics, with a view to making my own Ivor from plasticard at some stage.
 
Interesting Gareth. I built the Wickham trolly kit some years ago and there was no vinyl in sight. Just printed card.and the very simple chassis.
For the money I was happy with mine. Not much for not much, but it looked OK and it worked.
 
stockers said:
Interesting Gareth. I built the Wickham trolly kit some years ago and there was no vinyl in sight. Just printed card.and the very simple chassis.
For the money I was happy with mine. Not much for not much, but it looked OK and it worked.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. On my kit there was a shiny vinyl top layer sort of "bonded" to the card and that was the printed part. As I said, kept coming apart and I couldn't be bothered in the end.
 
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