Seeking: Craven Class 105 DMU 'OO' in BR Green RTR

Mal You don't mention scale but I assume 4mm, in which case DC Kits do a kit for the 105. They do supply some of their kits ready built - see

Cheers Simon.

Yeah thanks, 4mm, will try contacting them.

Much obliged. Cheers Mal Oz

I'm pretty ham-fisted when it comes to modelling, but managed to do a half-decent job of the DC-Kits 105. I have to admit that the array of parts in the box is pretty daunting and the instructions are a bit sparse though.

If you have the time, I'd say go for it - the resultant model is pretty good. I'm rather proud of mine.

Adrian

I'd second that - I can be rather c*ap at building kits, but managed a DC Kits 101 without too much problem. As long as you can get the thing painted to an acceptable standard, you should be OK.

Having said that, motorising it wasn't the easiest thing in the world...

wrote

You should have used a Black Beetle.

John.

Yep, I should. Instead, at the time, I was a bit hard up and got a similar, cheaper (but not the same!) Tenshodo motorised bogie and had a much more difficult time!

Then I pinched the bogie from the 101 for another project at a later date anyway! Incidentally, that project never got finished either!

Aren't the Black Beetles made in Oz where the OP lives? He can probably save himself some pennies/cents then......

wrote

They sure are. :-)

John.

Yes, On Philip Island (Vic) in fact.

I got the complete kit from DCK with the Black Beetle. Even that needs a little creative PlastiCard engineering to provide a suitable mounting, but I managed a decent enough result. I could do with adding extra pickups to the other bogey though because it doesn't run well over pointwork.

To the original poster of this thread, if you decide to go with a DCK 105, I'm sure we'll all pitch in with advice and encouragement should it be needed.

I'm waiting for the 104, which should be somewhat simpler since it's a one-piece body.

Adrian

"Adrian B" wrote

There is a non-powered Black Beetle option which comes complete with pick-ups and is ideal for your needs.

John.

Is there now... that's interesting. I picked up some berylium-copper strip from work with the intention of adding pickups to the DCK original. A dummy BB might be an option as long as it's not as high as the driven version, which needs a raised area in the guard's compartment to acommodate it.

Adrian

"Adrian B" wrote

And therin lies the rub - it's identical in size to the powered BB and is just sans-motor.

John.

Back to plan A then... but worth remembering.

Out of interest John, do you have any experience of decoders in the new Hornby 08? There's just enough room behind the screw pillars at the nose end of the loco for a Lenz Silver, so I've installed one, but haven't tested it thoroughly yet (loft too warm at the moment!).

Adrian

Talking of Black Beetles, I have to purchase two for my projected Kitmaster Midland Pullman - and as we are going to our daughter's wedding in Oz later this year, I will be able to get them at source.

I haven't used Black Beetles before so I checked out the spec. page

By my calculations, for a unit with 38mm. wheelbase and 14mm. dia. wheels (42"), the top speeds at 12v will be 84mph. with the 15:1 gear ratio, and 46mph. with the 27:1 ratio.

I would have expected a 15:1 ratio to be too low to give smooth take-up and slow running, which is important even for a high-speed train such as the Midland Pullman.

Can anyone comment on the relative merits of the 15:1 and 27:1 gear ratios as far as slow speed running is concerned?

Many thanks in anticipation.

John Isherwood.

"Adrian B" wrote

I've fitted a 'Gold' to mine in the same place that you're suggesting - works a treat.

John.

Wow so many replies, thanks appreciate the feedback and encouragement.. I think I'll try the acquiring a RTR this time round. Apart from lack of skill set, I'm not really set up for the painting and loco kit building. Time is also an issue, I'd rather spend the little time I do have working on the layout, plus I have drawer loads of other kits that need my time. Although tackling a loco kit is something I'd like to tackle at some stage, now is probably not the right time.

Another reason I don't fancy building this particular kit is that I want a really decent job done as this loco has a bit of sentimental attachment to me as it's one that I've travelled on a fair bit in my youth. So while it'll fit perfectly on my layout as far as region and timing is concerned, it'll also serve as a bit of a momento as well.

Probably sounds daft, but that's the way it is ;-)

Cheers to all Mal Oz

"Draconus" wrote

No need to apologise mate, there are aspects of this hobby that we all love AND hate, and we all have our limitations & time constraints. I had a really nice Cravens 105 dmu in green which I sold a year or so ago, otherwise you could have negotiated for that.

Incidentally I didn't build it, it was built for me by my dentist! :-)

John.

Bugger ! ...my timing was always off !

Cheers