My last remaining Lima rolling stock are a rake of container wagons in 1:160. I repainted them many years ago and as they look quite smart I have overlooked their poor detailing and scale.
However, I am about to take possession of a motorised Brawa container crane which I propose to modify to Freightliner crane appearance and to control it by DCC with sound.
I will need to modify it to one particular make of container and that frames the question.
My question is which make and version to go with for my new container train? Farish/Dapol/Walthers etc.
Who rates which manufacturers containers/wagons, and I have an eye on the new Revolution wagons.
Thoughts please.
NB British outline
Hi David,
If you like I'll bring a selection of containers (Dapol, Farish & C rail) to club night and you can make your own mind up.
Pete @ EGLM
That would be fantastic :thumbsup:
It won't be this week as sunshine has been demanded by the domestic authorities....
No hurry its a winter project. :)
I believe the Revolution wagons are being configured to take Dapol containers ?
Should be fairly easy to set up for any of them though.
Personally, I'm replacing most of mine over time with C-Rail kit ones.
Quote from: koyli55002 on July 13, 2016, 06:31:10 AM
I believe the Revolution wagons are being configured to take Dapol containers ?
That was our thinking, but when we did the CAD the compromises on the twistlock attachments were too overscale (Ben put images of the difference on the PFA/KFA thread). So we went back to the original idea of doing the attachments to scale and leaving the choice of containers (and how they are attached) to the individual.
Cheers, Mike
Mike thanks for that I think I might go the Revolution way.
My plan is to use very small magnets not enough to lift the wagon but strong enough to hold a container on.
Do you have any vies on the best molded containers?
Farish ones are 45', Dapol are 40', they're not the same, if that makes a difference.
The thing that annoys me is that they're all the same height. Look at a real container train, and the height variation in containers is very marked.
I think both the longer Dapol and Farish offerings are hi-cube models, but the 20' ones are the same height as the 40/45' from both manufacturers. C-Rail are the same too.
Could be wrong mind!
There are often some good deals around, but I personally like the C-Rail ones because the bulk packs allow you to recreate more prototypical containers - look at what Farish include with their intermodal pairs, I've never even seen a picture of Seaco or Seawheel containers, no idea if they actually exist. I'm steadily reprinting mine as Maersk, Evergreen, Hapag Lloyd etc, which are far more common IRL.
I think that there are very few of the original 8 foot high containers left - most npowadays seem to be either 8'6" or else 9'6" height nowadays.
One of my projects is to re-create the "butter train" that used to run from Tilbury to Swindon which was a trainload of what we used to call "porthole boxes". These were 20 foot insulated containers which had two ports in the end. When on board the ship, these ports were connected to refrigerated air ducts within the ship and the container kept regfirgerated that way.
They usually had quite attractive liveries - an off-white colour with the logo or houseflag of the shipping companies - Blue Star Line, Ellerman or A.C.T. The containers would be relatively simple to scractch build, as well.
P and O containers aso had "porthole boxes" - they were a duck egg blue with the logo.
Quote from: njee20 on July 13, 2016, 01:43:38 PM
- look at what Farish include with their intermodal pairs, I've never even seen a picture of Seaco or Seawheel containers, no idea if they actually exist.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/41/583-130716142306.jpeg)
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/41/583-130716142527.jpeg)
:whistle:
Paul
Awesome, thank you Sprintex! Still getting rid of them, but nice to know they exist! What about Axis?!
QuoteI think that there are very few of the original 8 foot high containers left - most npowadays seem to be either 8'6" or else 9'6" height nowadays
Yeah, but I think Dapol/Farish ones are all the same, despite the prototypes being different. Not sure what they scale to. It's a moot point though really, not going to make any real difference!
Just run a caliper over the containers I have - some Farish and some C-Rail (no Dapol, I'm afraid).
The Farish ones have a height of 16.5mm which equates to 8'0" in 1:148.
The C-Rail ones are 17.2mm height which equates to 8'6" so if you want to have the height variety, then sprinkle some C-Rail ones through the train ?
The 9'6" boxes (and I don't believe anyone makes them yet ?) would have to be in the KQA "Pocket Wagons" .
"Standard" modern containers are 8ft6. High cubes are 9ft6. Lengths vary but standard deep sea containers are 8ft wide.
Farish did some of the slightly odd Palletwide containers for their Multifret IFA/FIAs.
Dapol have done a high cube 45ft for the Megafrets.
I assume the "old" Farish 20 and 40 ft containers are 8ft or 8ft 6.
I'm aware of a couple of potential projects for new N gauge containers which should give a bit more variety - watch this space.
Cheers, Mike
Perhaps I'm wrong then, it's been a while since I measured, but I thought that:
- Farish did 45' 'high cubes' (included with Multifret wagons)
- Dapol do 20' and 40'x 8'6" containers (with FEAs) and 45' hi-cubes (Stobart ones included with Megafrets)
But in model form they're all the same height. I'm doubting that as I've written it now though! Maybe I'd assumed the Farish offerings were hi-cubes, but they're actually 8'6" 45' 'pallet wide' containers as Mike says?
I'll be checking all of these when I get home!
The Farish 45ft containers might well be hicubes - I honestly can't remember, I just remember that they are not the same as Dapol 45ft'ers.
The 8ft6 containers should be lower than the hicubes.
Cheers, Mike
Agreed - but (my perhaps incorrect) recollection was that they're all the same height.
Quote from: red_death on July 13, 2016, 02:56:34 PM
I'm aware of a couple of potential projects for new N gauge containers which should give a bit more variety - watch this space.
Hi
Any of those the 1970s type?
Cheers
Paul
Right, got a 40" Dapol (red, from a pair of FEAs), a Dapol 45' hi-cube (blue, Stobart), and a Farish 45' hi-cube (Samskip, from multifrets). The lengths vary, about right, but they're all exactly the same height. The red Dapol one should be comparatively shorter. Dunno if it's too tall or the hi-cubes are too short. One of them can't be right though surely? ???
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8872/28255008856_c94b534190_b.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/28255003376_599bf7b8fe_b.jpg)
Sorry for the quick phone photos.
Realise this is a bit OT, to answer the original question I'd want a mix of makes for the variety. However, I have some 3D printed KTA pocket wagons from Vonzack which will only fit Dapol 40' containers, which is technically wrong I think... Ignore me, that's a complete red herring - was thinking KTAs were designed for 45' hi-cubes.
Hi njee20,
Looks to me like the 45's are too small from the picture as I think the Dapol containers are Cubes. I think the Cubes should be around 17mm high and the HiCubes 19mm high.
Cheers, Mark.
Seems logical, I didn't actually measure the heights of any of them, but clearly something is 'wrong'.
Whilst you're here I just want to congratulate you on the awesome KTA (and the KFA that's not made it beyond a soaking in IPA!), must get around to finishing them!
Hello Snowwolflair
I also have a Brawa crane which can be powered for my container port but as I bought it from Germany I have no idea how to power it. It has no power, just a load of random coloured leads.
Do you happen to have any instructions or advice?
Thanks
Quote from: chicky365 on August 21, 2016, 08:29:52 PM
Hello Snowwolflair
I also have a Brawa crane which can be powered for my container port but as I bought it from Germany I have no idea how to power it. It has no power, just a load of random coloured leads.
Do you happen to have any instructions or advice?
Thanks
Yes take the time to replace all the wires as the ones in the original models tend to perish. There is a panel on the sloping end that when removed exposes the solder points. Remember to keep the two diodes as they are the end of movement stops for the across movement.
The power to the UP Down and the across movement goes along the rods and pcb tracks. Clean them as they are very likely to be tarnished, a fiberglass pen is the best way.
the motors are the same as the first generation Farish can motors and in my one seemed to be fine, however they always had temperamental brushes.
If there is lots of oil evident clean it off with tissue and use a dry lube poly-carbonate type.
Thanks Snowwolflair,
My crane has about 10 multicoloured wires coming out of it. Which ones are or the power and what power/battery base would I need to plug this into?
All the motors are 12v DC
If you are just talking about the wires from the crane itself you will have 2 pairs. If you have the moving base you will have three pairs.
Look for the pairs with a test meter and then power the matched pairs and see what moves.
If you search on the web there is at least one copy of the instructions that can be downloaded.
http://www.modelbanen.eu/Manualer/web/BRAWA%20containerkran%20manualer.PDF (http://www.modelbanen.eu/Manualer/web/BRAWA%20containerkran%20manualer.PDF)
HI All
The Farish 45ft container is not 45ft nor is it meant to be its really 13.6 meters x 8'9" high, the dapol 45ft is a 45ft HC of the current type with the angled corners at the end this was a design that was patented by Geest and allowed a 45ft container to turn in the max turning circle.
The Tesco come Stobart containers are 45ft x 8'6" .
Hope this helps
Regards Arran
=C=Rail=
Quote from: njee20 on July 13, 2016, 10:50:20 PM
Right, got a 40" Dapol (red, from a pair of FEAs), a Dapol 45' hi-cube (blue, Stobart), and a Farish 45' hi-cube (Samskip, from multifrets). The lengths vary, about right, but they're all exactly the same height. The red Dapol one should be comparatively shorter. Dunno if it's too tall or the hi-cubes are too short. One of them can't be right though surely? ???
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8872/28255008856_c94b534190_b.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/28255003376_599bf7b8fe_b.jpg)
Sorry for the quick phone photos.
Realise this is a bit OT, to answer the original question I'd want a mix of makes for the variety. However, I have some 3D printed KTA pocket wagons from Vonzack which will only fit Dapol 40' containers, which is technically wrong I think... Ignore me, that's a complete red herring - was thinking KTAs were designed for 45' hi-cubes.