There seem to be a fair few Minitrix Britannias for sale on Ebay.
Is it worth getting one and is a DCC conversion feasible without major problems?
I've got a decoder I bought to fit in a Jinty which didn't get fitted and want to see if I can manage to fit it in an older loco.
Allan
Mentioned this on another post but it is worth asking the seller if it has traction tyres. If not it will not barely drag itself around a layout let alone any rolling stock.
Polo2K has suggested using Bullfrog snot a US product to fill the grooves but so far I can only find one UK company Petersspares.com (on ebay) who sell it. Its about £25 for a 1oz jar so is not exactly cheap. Also available from the US at slightly less cost but for me the last time I bought anything (a loco) from the US the Italian postal system wouldn't deliver it until I paid import duties !.
Still thinking of trying the stuff and then perhaps selling the rest on perhaps we could start a communial jar !
Certainly a fine loco, a friends second hand model train shop has three of these locos and they all run perfectly :thumbsup:
I forgot to mention, I have 3 of these one was bought new and will haul a 10 coach trains up my 1 in 50 gradients no problem. Also look out for the the newer models as they will have spoked front bogie, the older ones are solid.
Here's a pic of Boadicea
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j454/nobbynewport/ModelRailwayMotivePower010.jpg)
Quote from: newportnobby on February 04, 2012, 12:22:55 PM
Here's a pic of Boadicea
And all that time I believed the rumour that she was buried beneath platform 8 at Kings Cross :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: Jerry Howlett on February 04, 2012, 03:24:03 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on February 04, 2012, 12:22:55 PM
Here's a pic of Boadicea
And all that time I believed the rumour that she was buried beneath platform 8 at Kings Cross :smiley-laughing:
In the interests of 'elf 'n' safety I took the blades off the driving wheels ;D
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: newportnobby on February 04, 2012, 04:25:49 PM
Quote from: Jerry Howlett on February 04, 2012, 03:24:03 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on February 04, 2012, 12:22:55 PM
Here's a pic of Boadicea
And all that time I believed the rumour that she was buried beneath platform 8 at Kings Cross :smiley-laughing:
In the interests of 'elf 'n' safety I took the blades off the driving wheels ;D
My 'Britannia' dates from the mid 1970's. Recently dug her out of the box where she had been stored for some 15 years (along with my other N Gauge locos/rolling stock), a spot of oil on the gears and she set off around the test track at a good rate of knots as did all the other Minitrix locos, traction tyres seem to be OK on all of them.
But for some reason the Grafar/Farish locos of the same, even later vintage, were a bit more 'reluctant'(!) to move... and indeed quite a few seem to have totally seized up?
Incidentally I also have quite a few Lima British N gauge locos from the same period as the Minitirx and they also responded to a sip of oil. OK they were maybe a bit out of scale but it maybe does raise a question about the historic quality of a certain mass market UK N Gauge manufacturer of the 1970/1980's?
As to the original post, I don't use DCC but I think there should be space in the Britannia tender for a decoder?
Quote from: EddieA on February 04, 2012, 07:32:08 PM
Incidentally I also have quite a few Lima British N gauge locos from the same period as the Minitirx and they also responded to a sip of oil. OK they were maybe a bit out of scale but it maybe does raise a question about the historic quality of a certain mass market UK N Gauge manufacturer of the 1970/1980's?
The Lima ones I find tend to go phut too. The Farish gears used to split (and still do a bit). They can be replaced but its annoying. The Trix stuff usually just works until it wears out entirely. I've had a couple of dock tanks that were clearly on the receiving end of their third or fourth young modeller by the time I got them. The paint was stuffed but once enough fluff was removed to fill an elephants belly button and they had a spot of oil they just purred back into life.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on February 04, 2012, 08:47:55 PM
but once enough fluff was removed to fill an elephants belly button
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
There should be space next to the weight in tender of the brit for a decoder. If buying on ebay check the colour... there are two versions of green. Boadecea above is the colour you want. Others like mine are closer to a pea green.
Well I managed to score a Minitrix Flying Scotsman tonight on Ebay,so with the 9F that's coming from Etched Pixels I'll have two to convert to DCC.
If the Minitrix locos work as well as most people imply I'll be having more steam locos, and not being a rivet counter I think they'll be plenty enough detailed for my purposes and work out a good bit less cost wise than the newer Farish offerings.
I've put another thread up about measuring amps because I don't know if these older loco motors draw more amps than the 1 amp decoders will supply.
Allan
Other than the Brit 'Boadicea' I also have the 9F 'Evening Star'. Both good runners but I'm considering getting them off to 'Grimy Times' for a severe dose of weathering which will tone them down a bit and also improve their looks
I have quite a few BR Minitrix locos, both steam and diesel. They were the only reliable locos around when I was starting out in N Gauge in the mid late 70's. The only one I don't have is the class 47 as by that time Grafar had become Farish, upped their game as to the mechanics and their 47 looked, in my opinion, to be more accurate.
As with the 'Brit' mentioned above all of them are still going strong. OK maybe 'some liberties were taken' as regards total accuracy to fit British outline bodies onto existing Continental chassis (the 'type 2' diesel maybe being the worst!) but they got me hooked on N Gauge, after trying to get a Grafar pannier tank to run without stalling at the slightest opportunity, and/or shedding its side rods, and almost deciding that N Gauge wasn't for me!
I can still ignore the 'Britannia' body on a 2-10-0 chassis and see a 9F pounding along.
As to the 'Brit', put three Pullmans behind it and it takes me back to a Christmas in the late 60's when my best friend was given a OO Britannia set (Tri-ang, Tri-ang/Hornby?) from 'Santa'!
I evidently tried to trade my present, a bike, without success... but we still remained friends and I did get to play with the trainset, and he got shots on my bike! Fair do's as we say in Scotland.
The "Flying Scotsman" arrived and I've given it a brief test run,seems pretty good to me.I'll try it with a rake of a few coaches and see how it goes before I attempt the DCC conversion.
It's got plenty enough detail for me and from the looks of it,not much a clumsy sod like me can break off. ;D
Allan
I have been chatting on quite a bit about Minitrix stuff since oldrailbug scored a Minitrix Ivatt "Mickey Mouse" Like Newportnobby, I don't want to highjack a thread, so I thought I'd post this here.
I mentioned that I too have a couple of Minitrix Ivatts, both the tender version and the tank. I bought the tank version in Cambridge back in 1990, if I recall. Not sure where I got the Mickey Mouse from. Anyway, seeing your purchase, Dave, I thought I'd dig them out. Neither are too keen on going, but I think they will be OK with a bit of a clean up. The wheels are filthy!
I haven't really mastered the art of photography for this forum yet (unlike you Dave, your pictures are super close-up and crystal), I just use my phone and some of these are a bit fuzzy in the foreground (though I honestly did take them in a hurry).
Anyway, here's the Minitrix tank engine hauling some BR surburbans (early Farish) towards Castle Eden,,,,, looks reasonably good from this angle, yea?
[smg id=2592 type=preview align=center width=400]
[smg id=2582 type=preview align=center width=400]
...except when you get round the other side and discover the beastie has no face!
[smg id=2581 type=preview align=center width=400]
I assume it's lying around in a drawer somewhere (I only got these out after 15 years, remember!) but I may yet have to go through with a notion that I had - ie take the face off Mickey and put it on the tank engine (I assume it is the same) and carve that Milliput face, paint the tender version red and call it James!
Anyway, here is the my tender version approaching Castle Eden. It could, of course run tender-first having a cab tender as it did.
[smg id=2583 type=preview align=center width=400]
[smg id=2586 type=preview align=center width=400]
And a bit of double heading.....!
[smg id=2588 type=preview align=center width=400]
And finally, one for swisstony - a three-car early Farish DMU at Kirkby Langdale with a van in tow! A beer wagon, too... tell me... were these Worthington liveries real, or fictitious?
[smg id=2590 type=preview align=center width=400]
:beers: Cheers! :pint:
Nothing wrong with those photos George :thumbsup:
I feel pretty sure your Minitrix locos will run well after a cleanup and light oil, so fingers crossed.
Hope you find the smokebox door on your 2MT, sadly it seems people have a habit of loosing them, I guess if worst came to worst you could always put a Thomas face on the front of it :hmmm:
The Britannia's always seem to run well so good luck with that one, I am looking for a Minitrix 9F in Black but happy to wait until one comes along, I could have had the Green Morning Star at the weekend but gave it a miss.
Hi, did'nt somebody do a detailing kit for the Minitrix 9F? I have to say my 9F is one of the most reliable on the 'fleet'!! :thumbsup:
Quote from: middlefour on November 12, 2012, 08:21:58 AM
Hi, did'nt somebody do a detailing kit for the Minitrix 9F? I have to say my 9F is one of the most reliable on the 'fleet'!! :thumbsup:
I don't know about the detail kit but I sure wish new steam locos would run as well as these 25 year old Minitrix locos.
Quote from: middlefour on November 12, 2012, 08:21:58 AM
Hi, did'nt somebody do a detailing kit for the Minitrix 9F? I have to say my 9F is one of the most reliable on the 'fleet'!! :thumbsup:
They still do , Taylor Precision models also available from the N Gauge Society shop . I bought the Britannia one and I think its similar, replacement smoke deflectors in brass.
I have 3 of them and they put my Dapol one to shame when it comes to haulage. Ok the Dapol one LOOKS like a real 9F but with the ageing eyesight they can only look better. :laugh:
Thanks for that Jerry, my eyes think the same!!! ;)
N Brass do a range of smokebox doors - they can probably suggest a suitably sized if not entirely accurate replacement.
There is another option.
Remembered this from a book that I have.
(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd518/JerryHowlett/PB120157.jpg)
That really is blowing a raspberry... :) :) :)
This is why this forum is so good - all these bits and pieces available all bodes well for my Minitrix fleet. I wouldn't have even known about this stuff!
I've always envisaged my terminus at Castle Eden serving a dairy area in the West Country (even though the name 'Castle Eden' is after a place in the North East that used to have a brewery - my model has a brewery - funny, that). However it looks like it's going to have to be raspberries... that would solve the problem of what to put on the front of that 2MT in the photo if I can't find the missing bit! :P