New Farish 94xx reviewed - 1971

[trkilliman]

I also reckon a 94xx to current detail/specifications would be a good choice. And as others have said with some retro packaging as a celebration/promotion.

They could go really mad and do a Hawksworth double, a 94xx and a County...but now I'm just dreaming lol

I wonder if manufacturers do read our posts?

[Bob G]

I'd certainly have two BR black ones, early and late crest.
Bob

[martyn]

Thanks, Roy, re the J67/69.

Mine were the later style. I have a third which-just-still runs.

Quote;

'plastic gears pushed onto metal axles (not very durable!).'

You can say that again. I still have them both-in bits...........

Martyn

[ten0G]

I also reckon a 94xx to current detail/specifications would be a good choice. And as others have said with some retro packaging as a celebration/promotion.

They could go really mad and do a Hawksworth double, a 94xx and a County...but now I'm just dreaming lol

I wonder if manufacturers do read our posts?

Sounds like a great suggestion! 

[ntpntpntp]

Thanks for that photo, I was aware the earliest Grafars had a better chassis but never seen one in the flesh.   Nice to see a full gear train. Does it have the same can motor as the next version, which was indeed the same motor as used in some Arnold models of the 70s, and that motor was also available from ECM at one point - I still have one in original packaging somewhere.
[edit] Ah yes I can just about see the motor in that photo.   I think I'd quite like to find one of these in decent condition for my historic fleet of 60s and 70s locos.

It does make you wonder what on earth prompted Grafar to change to the quite frankly garbage plastic plug-together chassis?

[Bornin1980something]

Odd choice of prototype. There were 210 9400s, but they only appeared in 1947, just before nationalisation, and had a very short service life. They were limited in area and duties, partly because of their high axel load (the boiler and cylinders were taken from the relatively large 2251 tender engine). That said, I bought a Chinese made 9400 body as an alternative body for a GP tank I own. I like taper boilers, and also oddballs; yes, I did buy an EFE 17.

[Bob G]

Odd choice of prototype. There were 210 9400s, but they only appeared in 1947, just before nationalisation, and had a very short service life.

Certainly not an odd choice at the start of N gauge in the UK as locos were generally small and electric motors large (hence the distorted Lima models of that era).
Plus Farish had already made one in OO.

Seems quite a reasonable choice given those facts.

And there are plenty immediate post war designs that are available compared to pre-war designs - e.g. Bullied MN/WC/BB and coaches, Hawksworth coaches, Hawksworth Auto-trailers, etc, because they tended to last longer into the transition era, and hence sell better.

Bob

[Dr Al]

Odd choice of prototype.

They'd already done a 94xx in OO prior, so not that odd in reusing whatever research they'd done.

Unsurprisingly, the Prairie, Black 5, and Streamlined Merchant Navy were all early N gauge models, and all had been done in OO prior - no coincidence I think.

Cheers,
Alan