Show your Latest GB Loco and Rolling Stock Purchase.

[mca0004]

Brand new, I got them super cheap thanks to work.

I have to get a DCC chip for the loco from overseas though...

[Bealman]

That 31 is awesome. God, I love that livery! 

[Firstone18]

Just purchased a WD 2-8-0 and I am very pleased with it. I had previously tried two Sonic 0-6-2s and a Schools 4-4-0 all of which were returned to Rails as poor runners. The 0-6-2s were erratic and even after 6+ hours of running would not start reliably from stationary. The Schools jammed its motion at random at slow speeds and could not be relied on to start off without this happening. From other forum comments it seems I may have been unlucky three times! After a lot of back-and-forth with Rails, I purchased a WD 2-8-0 from them as a final attempt to get a steam loco which performed properly and reliably. Out of the box it ran really well, and after an hour running in each direction was even better. I fitted a Zimo MX617N which is very easy due to the screw fixing of the tender body; no prizing off the body over clips risking damage. Using the basic speed control (Vmin=0, Vmid=100, and Vmax=200) it creeps at '1' on my PowerCab and will run through insul-frog points without hesitation. One set of drivers has traction tyres fitted but this still leaves 3 drivers and 4 tender wheels each side for power collection. There is plenty of room in the tender for a sound decoder and loudspeaker, so when funds permit I will fit sound to it.
IMO this is how all locos with 'complex' motion should perform.
Maybe I got lucky this time, or do GF use a different manufacturing facility in China with proper QA?
Cheers

[Newportnobby]

Both a friend and myself each have a 'Dubdee' and they are great runners/lookers. His shed it's traction tyres but, sadly, he's not the best at handling/using his locos

[mca0004]

Just purchased a WD 2-8-0 and I am very pleased with it. I had previously tried two Sonic 0-6-2s and a Schools 4-4-0 all of which were returned to Rails as poor runners. The 0-6-2s were erratic and even after 6+ hours of running would not start reliably from stationary. The Schools jammed its motion at random at slow speeds and could not be relied on to start off without this happening. From other forum comments it seems I may have been unlucky three times! After a lot of back-and-forth with Rails, I purchased a WD 2-8-0 from them as a final attempt to get a steam loco which performed properly and reliably. Out of the box it ran really well, and after an hour running in each direction was even better. I fitted a Zimo MX617N which is very easy due to the screw fixing of the tender body; no prizing off the body over clips risking damage. Using the basic speed control (Vmin=0, Vmid=100, and Vmax=200) it creeps at '1' on my PowerCab and will run through insul-frog points without hesitation. One set of drivers has traction tyres fitted but this still leaves 3 drivers and 4 tender wheels each side for power collection. There is plenty of room in the tender for a sound decoder and loudspeaker, so when funds permit I will fit sound to it.
IMO this is how all locos with 'complex' motion should perform.
Maybe I got lucky this time, or do GF use a different manufacturing facility in China with proper QA?
Cheers

I'm glad you got your loco! And the WD Austerity is a great little loco. Unfortunately it's unprototypically underpowered (can only run small-mid sized trains), but it still looks and runs great. It should have traction tires in my opinion though.

[emjaybee]

Both a friend and myself each have a 'Dubdee' ...

I believe there's a ointment for that.

(What's a 'Dubdee'?)

[Newportnobby]

And the WD Austerity is a great little loco. Unfortunately it's unprototypically underpowered (can only run small-mid sized trains), but it still looks and runs great. It should have traction tires in my opinion though.

I have no issues with mine and it pulls at least 30 four wheeled trucks. One pair of driving wheels (the rearmost I think) do have traction tyres.

(What's a 'Dubdee'?)

Gricer's slang for 'WD'

[emjaybee]

(What's a 'Dubdee'?)

Gricer's slang for 'WD'

A 'Gricer' then, is presumably a posh Grocer?

[gc4946]

This morning my birthday treat arrived.



A Gaugemaster Collection/Dapol GM2210103 class 66, 66773 Pride of GB Railfreight

[Bealman]

Nice! More than I'll get! 

[RailGooner]

..
A Gaugemaster Collection/Dapol GM2210103 class 66, 66773 Pride of GB Railfreight

NOICE.  I'm torn between this and "Capt. Tom" which means I'll probably get both.

[Safety Engineer]

All this talk of Dubdees's and gricer's brings back memories of a gricers apprenticeship well served. Time spent on a luggage trolley at the platform end wearing tha statutory duffle coat with sandwiches in the duffle bag, Ian Allen gripped in hand, Ahh days well spent in one's far off youth until a distraction called girls came along.
If anything evokes the image of the steam era it's the sight of a Dubdee at the head of a long coal train, steam leaking from every joint slowly clanking past.
I think I could rightly claim to be a geriatric gricer.

Martin

[Trainfish]

Was it normal to dress up as Paddington bear then? There are some strange folk in 'Nam to be fair 

[Newportnobby]

Was it normal to dress up as Paddington bear then?

Martin did not mention marmalade at all
If he remembers clanking Dubdees, then lunch was possibly cheese & onion sarnies (maybe cheese & tomato), a packet of Smiths crisps with salt in a blue wrapper in the bag, a Lyons individual fruit pie and all washed down with a small bottle of Tizer. All from the bottomless duffle bag, of course

[Safety Engineer]

Definitely cheese an tomato sarnies we're one of my mums culinary specialties, does anyone remember kia Ora orange drink in the waxed cartons.
As for holidays proper gricers would have quite happily spent a fortnight in either Crewe or York.
Suppose I was lucky as dad worked on the railway so we got cheap fares and as we never had a car travel was always by train with it's associated train spotting opportunities.
We always went to Cornwall for our annual holiday, many times I have spent the whole journey stood in the corridor (who rembers corridor coaches) six hours from memory.

Martin