4-6-0 thread

[Roy L S]

Despite a mainly WR bias I've never hankered after a 'King'. I never saw one at Oxford in my spotting days and here's what Google A.I. has to say.......

The 30-strong King class (4-6-0) carried a heavy "Double Red" route classification due to their 22.5-ton axle load (the highest of any British 4-6-0). Because of these strict weight and civil engineering limits, they were generally restricted from routes like the Oxford-to-Worcester (Cotswold) line and standard local turns.

I would very much doubt that "standard local turns" would be part of a King's typical rostering, they were used on the heaviest expresses to Birmingham/Wolverhampton Low Level, the Bristol route and West Country as far as Plymouth. Therein lies one issue as a model in N, but as has been said previously (and I have to reflect), it isn't really so different to the A3s.A4s, Duchesses and Merchant Navies...

[port perran]

Despite a mainly WR bias I've never hankered after a 'King'. I never saw one at Oxford in my spotting days and here's what Google A.I. has to say.......

The 30-strong King class (4-6-0) carried a heavy "Double Red" route classification due to their 22.5-ton axle load (the highest of any British 4-6-0). Because of these strict weight and civil engineering limits, they were generally restricted from routes like the Oxford-to-Worcester (Cotswold) line and standard local turns.

I doubt one ever made it to Oxford under normal circumstances but very happy to be proven wrong.

However, they did venture onto a branch line regularly.
The Paignton to Kingswear branch saw through workings by Kings with expresses from London (Paddington).

So, anyone modelling Kingswear or Churston as country branch stations or a terminus (or a representation of such stations) can justifiably include a King.

As a young lad growing up in Trowbridge, we always thought that the reason we didn't see Kings there was because their front bogie was too heavy and their cylinders were too wide.
That wasn't of course, the reason but we believed it back then.
I did see Kings at Westbury though.

[Bigmac]

Being a Brummie born and grown i saw most of the Kings at Snow hill.

I did ask a few replies back what was wrong with the farish king ?--but no one replied. I have 2--both run well and look good, cost me about £40 each on ebay. I would definitely buy a new tooled one.

I think it could be farish's best seller.

I think farish took a bold step in doing the Hall--after Dapol must have sold stacks of theirs.

Also--the 64xx pannier--why ?

I hope farish do it: i think its too much of a risk for the small players.
Dapol?--no point--i will be long gone before it would put in an appearance.

[Roy L S]

Being a Brummie born and grown i saw most of the Kings at Snow hill.

I did ask a few replies back what was wrong with the farish king ?--but no one replied. I have 2--both run well and look good, cost me about £40 each on ebay. I would definitely buy a new tooled one.

I think it could be farish's best seller.

I think farish took a bold step in doing the Hall--after Dapol must have sold stacks of theirs.

Also--the 64xx pannier--why ?

I hope farish do it: i think its too much of a risk for the small players.
Dapol?--no point--i will be long gone before it would put in an appearance.

What is wrong with the last Farish King? Well even at the time it wasn't the best of models, borrowing a Castle chassis to keep costs down.

In terms of now, the simple answer is what was originally produced back in the late 1990s no longer meets expectations, things have moved on, people now expect a more accurate chassis with see-through spokes and underframe detail, accurate well detailed body with separate handrails/fittings, glazed and detailed cab, DCC socket and speaker.

The Hall was a good choice because the Dapol one was showing it's age, and this latest Farish one is to modern standards. A mixed traffic loco like that is extremely versatile and travelled far and wide, they even found their way onto the Great Central on cross-country expresses as far as Leicester and on occasions Nottingham - which is why I have a couple of them, I would have no place for a King or Castle but ba Hall yes, ditto the soon to be released Dapol GW mogul.

I suspect the 64xx came into being because (1) they do one in OO (2) it makes a good partner for their Hawksworth auto-coach and (3) at the time Dapol were already producing the 57xx (and still do today). It isn't a bad choice, predominately a branch-line loco I believe they were also used on main line push-pull turns on occasion.

As to a "King" being a "best seller" I think that is doubtful as there are many more versatile classes of GW loco of which the Hall and Castle are two, the fact that Bachmann have done a second run of Castles says a lot.

Might a "King" nonetheless "wash it's face" financially? That is probably a more realistic prospect, it is certainly appears more likely to than the air-smoothed "Merchant Navy" Farish produced (which didn't seem to sell well).

Roy

[Newportnobby]

Despite a mainly WR bias I've never hankered after a 'King'. I never saw one at Oxford in my spotting days and here's what Google A.I. has to say.......

The 30-strong King class (4-6-0) carried a heavy "Double Red" route classification due to their 22.5-ton axle load (the highest of any British 4-6-0). Because of these strict weight and civil engineering limits, they were generally restricted from routes like the Oxford-to-Worcester (Cotswold) line and standard local turns.

I would very much doubt that "standard local turns" would be part of a King's typical rostering

I think that's typical A.I. ambiguity, Roy. I took it to mean the Kings were banned from Oxford-Worcester and standard local turns.

[Roy L S]

Despite a mainly WR bias I've never hankered after a 'King'. I never saw one at Oxford in my spotting days and here's what Google A.I. has to say.......

The 30-strong King class (4-6-0) carried a heavy "Double Red" route classification due to their 22.5-ton axle load (the highest of any British 4-6-0). Because of these strict weight and civil engineering limits, they were generally restricted from routes like the Oxford-to-Worcester (Cotswold) line and standard local turns.

I would very much doubt that "standard local turns" would be part of a King's typical rostering

I think that's typical A.I. ambiguity, Roy. I took it to mean the Kings were banned from Oxford-Worcester and standard local turns.

Yes I now see that, and to think AI is supposedly the future (or so the Tech giants and politicians would have us believe!).