Metro Tanks

[Caz]

Whilst in the UK recently I purchased a copy of Stanley Jenkins "The Fairford Branch - The Witney & East Gloucestershire Railway" which is an absolute mine of information on this Oxfordshire Branch Line (see my http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=6590.msg75103#msg75103 thread for more info).

I've been slowly getting the stock together that used to run on this branch and one loco I haven't yet got is a Metro Tank.  It appears that this was the last place in the UK that ran these little locos ran as did the Class 22 diesels before they were finally scrapped.

Does anyone know of a kit or something that I could put together to create one of the locos, one of the actual locos to run on the branch was 3585 so I wouldn't mind having a bash at that one if I can get a kit or something together.  All ideas gratefully received, it will be my first kit built loco so I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can handle.

Another little gem of info extracted from the book is that this humble branch line was the first to have AWS fitted as a
GWR experiment in 1906 and to this end, all the distant signals were permanently removed on the whole branch.

[upnick]

Hi  Caz,   

I am no   expert on the metro  locos  or indeed  know what they are but  these two  kits from  Langley could be what your looking for ?   

http://www.langleymodels.co.uk/shop/ss000001.pl?page=search&PR=-1&TB=A&SS=metro+&ACTION=quick+search

[Caz]

Thanks, I've had a look through the Langley range and can't see anything suitable.  The GWR Metro tank was a 2-4-0 loco and I'm thinking It'll have to be a scratch built job if I go ahead. 

Thinking of cannibalising either a Farish or Dapol 0-6-0 chassis (57xx or Terrier?) by removing one set of drivers, shortening the connecting rods and replacing the driver with another set of smaller wheels.  Not sure what I could use as a donor body though.  Don't know whether this would work, any of you scratch builders have any suggestions?

Here's a piccy of the loco in question http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GW_3588_Swindon_1950.jpg

[Newportnobby]

Just a thought, Caz.
Could the Dapol 14xx chassis be made to fit?

[Caz]

Just a thought, Caz.
Could the Dapol 14xx chassis be made to fit?

Nice idean, thanks but I did think about that Mick but it's round the wrong way, it's an 0-4-2 (I need a 2-4-0) and reversing it, it would be too big to fit in the boiler part of the loco body.

[Newportnobby]

Just a thought, Caz.
Could the Dapol 14xx chassis be made to fit?

Nice idean, thanks but I did think about that Mick but it's round the wrong way, it's an 0-4-2 (I need a 2-4-0) and reversing it, it would be too big to fit in the boiler part of the loco body.

Yeah - I was thinking of it being reversed but didn't know if it would squeeze into the boiler. In the words of Monty Python "This is where my claim falls to the ground. I was only hoping you would not point that out, but I can see you're more than a match for me"

[1whitemoor]

Deleted my post as it was in the wrong thread, apologies

Paul A.

[EtchedPixels]

Dapol M7 maybe ?

You want 5ft wheels so terrier isn't too hopeful. 57xx might work if tiny enugh inside and low enough. With the LNER F5 I did height was the real big problem.

Alan

[zwilnik]

 The rear end might overhang a bit much but I'm wondering if Farish's general tank engine (the one in southern and LMS liveries that was in the basic sets).

Upside for hacking about is it's cheap and usually has a plastic body so would be easy to work with. You could hack away some of the front end running boards to suit. I you just want to do a stationary one for practice the Shredded Wheat one is the same shape but with a plastic chassis (and no motor) so it's even easier to modify

Downside is the rear overhang I previously mentioned.

[1whitemoor]

Beaver products may have once done 5' wheels, they certainly did 5'6'' ones

Paul A.

[Richard @ N'Tastic Scale Models]

Have a look at Bachmann USA N Scale loco's available over here, but generally a lot cheaper the Plymouth shunter is about £20 whilst the Farish shunters are over £50. Not sure what is in the range but these chassis are used for OO9 and very reliable.

[1whitemoor]

http://www.newhallstation.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=585

this is probably a bit long, unfortunately.

Paul A.

[Caz]

http://www.newhallstation.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=585

this is probably a bit long, unfortunately.

Paul A.

Shame, right configuration but as you say a bit long, especially the back end where the motor is so can't do much about that.

[EtchedPixels]

And really 1:120 scale if I remember rightly plus not been available for years.

Small tank locos are hard - wheels are easy enough to get but using an existing chassis is generally hard as they are almost universally too big - and the US and mainland european ones are also way way too fat.

Alan

[zwilnik]

as usual, the GWR modelling site has a lot of handy info on the various 4 coupled tanks (the last variant of the 'large' Metro is near the bottom.

http://www.gwr.org.uk/no4-coup-tanks.html