Went 1:32nd scale

[artfull dodger]

Ended up selling two of my engines and buying one nice one that came out of the estate of a well loved live steamer here in the USA that passed suddenly last year. She is a beautiful old Aster Southern Railway Class V "Schools". Excellent running, but dealing with some issues of pilot truck lead wheel set fouling the cylinder on the curves of the one steam up layout I am able to run on regularly. What is needed is slightly smaller diameter wheel sets on new axles to swap in for awhile. Larger diameter curved modules are planned for the layout, just not sure when thats gonna happen. Trying to hang on to this engine but if I cannot solve the issue, than I may have to sell for one that I can run around those curves. I have feelers out on FB and to TRS, a well known Aster kit builder/rebuilder here in the USA looking for help. The tender wasnt happy either, the last steam up we ran with the middle axle removed. The layout owner is taking some of the axle shoulder off so it will have some additional lateral play for getting thru the curve. Any how, here she is!

 

[Riograndad]

Very smart loco,it`s a pity you have problems with tracking on the curves,hope you can get the old lady sorted out.

 

[Rhinochugger]

It's a beautiful loco, and it's nice to see a model of the Southern. In practice the Schools class were one of the most power full 4-4-0s on British rails, and pulled some smart expresses from the South Coast. All were named after UK public schools (which to confuse the rest of the world, means private, fee-paying schools).

Harrow, Eton, Repton, Charterhouse, Tonbridge all spring to mind................others will add more where my memory fails

But, as you've found out, there's quite a difference in Gauge 1 standards, and they don't come down to even the more generous the sort of curvature that we use in G scale, let alone LGB's infamous R1

EDIT - they were the most powerful 4-4-0 ever built in Britain

 

[Sandy lodge]

Cracking locomotive! I have an Aster locomotives myself and it looks and runs superbly.

You might want to get a glass display case and keep it out for guests to admire - even my wife (who tolerates my garden railway “as long as none of these silly men appear on the track” - she is talking about 1/32 scale not us grown up men playing trains - well I think she is?) thinks the model looks good on the sideboard in the study!

 

[Rhinochugger]

Cracking locomotive! I have an Aster locomotives myself and it looks and runs superbly.

You might want to get a glass display case and keep it out for guests to admire - even my wife (who tolerates my garden railway “as long as none of these silly men appear on the track” - she is talking about 1/32 scale not us grown up men playing trains - well I think she is?) thinks the model looks good on the sideboard in the study!

Have since Googled all the class names (appropriate for the Schools locos ) and my middle son's alma mater is there, 923 Bradfield, or later 30923 (renamed after Uppingham School objected to having their name on a locomotive, apparently)

40 locomotives in the class, I seem to remember one had a bit of a mishap, I think I have a picture somewhere

 

[Trainman 864]

.................. What is needed is slightly smaller diameter wheel sets on new axles to swap in for awhile ........ The tender wasnt happy either, the last steam up we ran with the middle axle removed. The layout owner is taking some of the axle shoulder off so it will have some additional lateral play for getting thru the curve ..........

That's the first ever Aster production model and a real classic so I think it would be a shame to start messing around with it just to get it to run round unrealistically tight curves where it will never look 'right'.

If you have the option of increasing your track radii - and there's any possibility of getting hooked on Gauge 1 in the future - you really need to be looking at 8ft. minimum radius and preferably 10ft. for the flexibility to run 'Pacific' type locos or larger.

 

[pugwash]

'Repton' is on the NYMR, and when we visited some years ago I really wanted to photograph it, running schedules put paid to that. Why 'Repton'? No, I didn't attend school there but my sister-in-law is from the village, just around the corner of the school gates. Still, gives me a reason to go back to Yorkshire

 

[artfull dodger]

The wheel/axle sets that will hopefully get swapped in are in no means long term solution and completely reversable back to as built by Aster. So not harm to the old girl. Steaming tracks over here are far and few between, so its adapt or replace and its not my track/layout to replace. I am planning a new raised line with 16' diameter curves. Mike the Aspie

 

[tac foley]

Nice to see one of Tom Myers [it was him, right?] locos going to a good home. As noted, this was Aster's very first live steamer, having had their business machine company sunk without trace underneath them with the invention of the electronic calculator. John Van Riemsdijk designed this iconic model that still draws admirement wherever it is seen in action. Five or six nice southern green coaches will make a great sight on ANY layout.

Enjoy!

tac

PS - I'm just talking to Ryan right now about him making some control handles for my Aster Br01.

 

[artfull dodger]

Yes Tac, it was that Tom Myers(Steam Tom 1). I have seen video online of him running this engine at the PLS track, Diamondhead, Bob W's place in Michigan ect. Yes a nice string of Southern coaches does look really nice behind her, but is not a cheap proposition to come up with. Would love to find the shorty Aster coaches offered around the time the engine was made. But those are much harder to find than the engine itself. Might have to take a short at building some Tenmille ones or just wait for a couple of the Aster's to come up for sale. I think a string of 4 would look good on the smaller layout I run on. Need to fix the pilot wheel set issue first. Hoping someone that can do the machine work can make up some wheel sets for the pilot truck affordably for me. Mike

 

[tac foley]

Ryan and Charles will sort you out for sure.

tac
Ottawa Valley GRS

 

[artfull dodger]

At this point, its for sale rather than make modifications to a classic model, or swap for a really nice LGB/Aster Frank S

 

[Zerogee]

At this point, its for sale rather than make modifications to a classic model, or swap for a really nice LGB/Aster Frank S

I thought you already had a Frank S live steamer, Mike - or did it get sold/swapped a while back?

Jon.

 

[artfull dodger]

I did, should have kept it as it fit in the best of anything I have had. The gas firing set up needs to be modified to work better in the climate here in Indiana. Needs the gas tank moved to the cab to get warmth from the boiler instead of messing with the hot water bath in the tender. Once I have another, thinking a Roundhouse upright cylinder style tank in the cab with a small hole in the roof to fill it thru. At one time, Finescale Engineering made a side tank mounted set up for the Frank S, sadly they can nolonger supply this set up.

 

[Zerogee]

I did, should have kept it as it fit in the best of anything I have had. The gas firing set up needs to be modified to work better in the climate here in Indiana. Needs the gas tank moved to the cab to get warmth from the boiler instead of messing with the hot water bath in the tender. Once I have another, thinking a Roundhouse upright cylinder style tank in the cab with a small hole in the roof to fill it thru. At one time, Finescale Engineering made a side tank mounted set up for the Frank S, sadly they can nolonger supply this set up.

Yes, my Frank S (which came from Simon at ANG) has got the gas tank conversion (new rectangular gas tank in the left side water tank), and it runs very nicely - much better than the original design with the tender-mounted gas tank apparently did. I think that GRS currently have a Frank S for sale which has also got the relocated tank - but the loco looks a little bit tatty and could do with some TLC. I think ANG has a "new-old-stock" one with the original tank setup, and there are at least three currently on eBay.de varying between around 700 and 1500 Euros.....

Jon.

 

[artfull dodger]

Have to get a buyer for the Schools first. Cant do anything till I have funds from it unless someone offers up a trade.