Help choose the next Roundhouse loco

Having owned several models of Accucraft, Regner, Aster IMHO Roundhouse are the best Garden Railway livesteam locomotives. Their construction shows an almost 30 years of improvement in reliability. The chesehead screws are not imported to that.

Tom Rolt seems a model which will gain interest in the Tall -y- lyn.  I do like the twin buffer arangement. Looking forward to how to connect with coaches.

tallylyn nr. 3 (Edit :4) with Hackwort valve gear like Carrie

funandtrains

stevedenver

tagorton

funandtrains


I would of said that many minature live steam locos were a lot more toylike than the detailed electric models. Only when you get to the large scales you ride on are they anything like real locos.

 .


Interesting isn't it? What it points up is that all of these little railways are toys, but different people find different aspects of modelling more important than another. Now to me the sight of a real working small steam locomotive pulling a train through the garden is very satisfying indeed, albeit that the loco may not be that heavy on detail. The sight, sound and (with coal) the smell, I find very evocative of the real thing. Others will prefer the instant controllability and the high level of detail on some of the electric models. All of us filter out the inconsistent bits and use our imagination to add the missing elements. No-one however, gets on or off when we stop our trains at stations... When I say I like live steam locomotives this is not meant to imply that any other way of modelling a locomotive is somehow inferior to my own

i think this perfectly states my own thoughts,and is a brilliant statement regarding filtration- used to resent the fact that i had to do it when i wanted scale LGB-now its not an issue

live steam is a ceremony / process and involvement and a bit more of a planned 'ordeal' albeit pleasant

electric is immediate and no fuss

i agree regarding super detail and additional  costs-and fumbling/handling the little overheated darlings  -i think this is whyLGB kept things simple too-all the little stuff breaks off 

I would love a nice little US outline loco-like a 2-4-4t, 2-4-2 t , something quaint like a Olomano style plantation loco or the one that ran at Ft Wilderness in disneyworld-just a beautiful little loco  -thought is might be versatile 'among the nations' not a per se US only loco 

- or a tiny 2ft shay as used on the Gilpin County Narrow gauge- roundhouse does several 2ft prototypes


i imagine either might lend well to variations in superstrutures -ie german, US, colonial etc


my ultimate bank breaking wish would be for a mason bogie-one that runs, is bullet proof  ie is a Roundhouse-but since another maker already has done it i imagine the market is saturated -but if they can make the darjeeling, such a loco may not be too esoteric-but probably way too detailed to produce

I would of said that Accucraft make all that you have said and much cheaper than Roundhouse could make them. If you want a small 2 truck shay for 32mm gauge I think there is a company which sells conversions of the very nice Accucraft model.

Roundhouse already make a plantation loco with the excellent Fowler but I wish they would bring the Forney back.

quite right steve
but nothing runs like  Rundhouse!!!

I am willing to pay for quality and non fiddly

i dont want a Ruby -
i want a small jewel that i love to run-not curse

'frinstance
the accucraft Mason was leaking steam right out the front of the clyinders and at the underside flex hose -brand new -2500 -rather spend a bit more and have something nice

i am pretty capable at tinkering but would rather have something nice-and i hate having to fix new toys 

From the RH site

We do get a lot of feedback from our UK customers through meeting you at exhibitions, so we are particularly interested to hear from those of you in the USA, and mainland Europe

palmerston


snip<
tallylyn nr. 3 with Hackwort valve gear like Carrie

That's number 4 'Edward Thomas'.....no. 3 ' Sir Haydn' has inside stephenson valvegear.

ross dont you like kafeklatch?

no matter how many times ive posted to RH, i never get as many fun replies or as thoughtful replies as here



-in fact, unless i call/email  RH (and i have for spares)  i get no response-and yes i sent my wishes directly so you dont need to worry about misdirected energy on my part 



the idea is to simply share dreams-like when we were kids
oooooooooooooooooh THAT WOULD BE SUPER

remember when dreaming and sharing was the best one could do for fun if one didnt have the money ??? 

funandtrains


I would of said that many minature live steam locos were a lot more toylike than the detailed electric models. Only when you get to the large scales you ride on are they anything like real locos.

One of the remarks made several times decades ago about LBSCs designs, many were good working, but not attractive.  A trade off for sure.
 
Another bit that always bugged me about SM32 modelling was may of the locos are WAY overscale, there were not many Welsh/contractors/2' gauge engines that were nearly 8' wide?

Spule 4

funandtrains


I would of said that many minature live steam locos were a lot more toylike than the detailed electric models. Only when you get to the large scales you ride on are they anything like real locos.

One of the remarks made several times decades ago about LBSCs designs, many were good working, but not attractive.  A trade off for sure.
 
Another bit that always bugged me about SM32 modelling was may of the locos are WAY overscale, there were not many Welsh/contractors/2' gauge engines that were nearly 8' wide?

you dont need to worry about that, you jsut need to know its the one and true gauge
*runs for the hills and hides

Spule 4

Another bit that always bugged me about SM32 modelling was may of the locos are WAY overscale, there were not many Welsh/contractors/2' gauge engines that were nearly 8' wide?

I don't thinks it's SM32 that's the problem.  It's that manufacturers need to maximise sales.

So RH make their "16mm" ish locos adjustable to 45mm gauge - and they are bought by G scalers.

Accu make models of 3ft(ish) gauge locos, sold set to 45mm.  They can be adjusted to 32mm so 16millers buy them.
These are way over scale width, as I've found from experience.  Yes - I have three Accu and three RH.

The nearest scale model I have is Maxwell Hemmens "Ogwen".
She's tiny, but on my 2'6" curves pulls the same load as Lawley or Wrekin, because of the drag of the longer loco.

How about Thomas the Tank, Percy and James?
Their own Thomas range!

Casey's mate

How about Thomas the Tank, Percy and James?

No to mention Ivor!!

palmerston


Having owned several models of Accucraft, Regner, Aster IMHO Roundhouse are the best Garden Railway livesteam locomotives. Their construction shows an almost 30 years of improvement in reliability. The chesehead screws are not imported to that.

Tom Rolt seems a model which will gain interest in the Tall -y- lyn.  I do like the twin buffer arangement. Looking forward to how to connect with coaches.

tallylyn nr. 3 (Edit :4) with Hackwort valve gear like Carrie

Agreed – but is ha'porth of tar territory here. I find it annoying to have to replace all this stuff on a new locomotive. Accucraft are improving all the time in terms of reliability and are already better in terms of appearance and detailing. Once, as is planned, they have their spares available by return. I would be likely to use their models more for my personal conversions. Roundhouse would be wise to look to their laurels. Tom Rolt it seems, has not sparked much interest. Not sure why, it looks good to me. Still the usual changes to make however.

Rather than introduce new locos, based on ever more obscure prototypes, RH could consider improving existing popular models. I am thinking of the Fowler, Russell and Billy/Katie.
 
Tag, do you know if the Silver Lady upgrade of Lady Anne was a success for RH?
 
Regards
Peter

agree completely- i think they have done this comparing old SRRL and the new-the ponies on the new are brass-my old are white metal

Casey's mate


How about Thomas the Tank, Percy and James?
Their own Thomas range!

That's more like it. Blue sky thinking. Absolutely marvellous.

I think Tom Rolt is a rather ugly little job, when I go to the TR I try to avoid it!  ergo, I'm not surprised it's not doing very well - I was a bit shocked when Roundhouse announced it.

funandtrains



They therefore need to find alternative markets to enable them to keep growing without trying to do too much too quickly. It would seem with the low value of the £ that they are missing a trick not making more locos that appeal to the German and US markets.

Or the French,a  Corpet 0-6-0 would sell over here.Well one anyway

funandtrains


I think Roundhouse are in danger of becomming a victim of their own succuss in a limited market like LGB was

1. They have tied themselves too closely to the 16mm Assoc. and ignored the G and growing Fn3 markets.
2. Their locos are usually built to last and so there main competitor after Accucraft UK is the second hand market of their own products which had built up over the past 30 years which will become more and more an issue.

They therefore need to find alternative markets to enable them to keep growing without trying to do too much too quickly. It would seem with the low value of the £ that they are missing a trick not making more locos that appeal to the German and US markets.

Well they could do with a new US loco, but all their generic locos are available in 45mm and most of the others as well. I am interested to note that you see  their market as limited by 16mm scale because Roundhouse generally and correctly don't quote a scale for their models. What do you base this perception on? Of course it is difficult to get definitive figures on this, but they may be looking at the growing 16mm membership and the shrinking G scale Soc membership. I have no axe to grind here other than a commercial one ) and I am, like several people I know, a member of both – but I am baffled as to why this is so – perhaps the decline of LGB???. Are  45millers in live steam joining the 16mm Assoc rather than the G scale Soc??? Even so the market for actual 45mm gauge is certainly growing, particularly 1:20.3 scale. They could try the German market of course – but Germany is fairly well covered by several live steam suppliers who concentrate on German models. Certainly the Stonleigh event is larger than any other, and I have long been an advocate in having more than just 16mm there – and this has already started. Anyway I suppose Roundhouse must invest their own money where they see fit.

fm12

funandtrains



They therefore need to find alternative markets to enable them to keep growing without trying to do too much too quickly. It would seem with the low value of the £ that they are missing a trick not making more locos that appeal to the German and US markets.

Or the French,a  Corpet 0-6-0 would sell over here.Well one anyway

make that two....

funandtrains


I think Roundhouse are in danger of becomming a victim of their own succuss in a limited market like LGB was

1. They have tied themselves too closely to the 16mm Assoc. and ignored the G and growing Fn3 markets.
2. Their locos are usually built to last and so there main competitor after Accucraft UK is the second hand market of their own products which had built up over the past 30 years which will become more and more an issue.

They therefore need to find alternative markets to enable them to keep growing without trying to do too much too quickly. It would seem with the low value of the £ that they are missing a trick not making more locos that appeal to the German and US markets.

But there companys already doing German stuff, and TBH they are probably doing to do them better detailed and cheaper than roundhouse,
its not really Roundhouses style,  they are a 16mm scale model company, and thats how they started out, for 16mm, and 16mm  in the main is British moddelling, and i think there would be a few displeased faces if they started doing more g scale style stuff.


they havnt ignored the g scale side completely,  they included a very nice looking big slot on the buffer beams so g scale tension lock couplings can be fitted

One problem is that they like to stick to the idea of using the same cylinders and valve gear for anything they do, perhaps if they broke out of that habit for a few locos, then they could do somthing a bit different.

andysleigh

funandtrains


I think Roundhouse are in danger of becomming a victim of their own succuss in a limited market like LGB was

1. They have tied themselves too closely to the 16mm Assoc. and ignored the G and growing Fn3 markets.
2. Their locos are usually built to last and so there main competitor after Accucraft UK is the second hand market of their own products which had built up over the past 30 years which will become more and more an issue.

They therefore need to find alternative markets to enable them to keep growing without trying to do too much too quickly. It would seem with the low value of the £ that they are missing a trick not making more locos that appeal to the German and US markets.

But there companys already doing German stuff, and TBH they are probably doing to do them better detailed and cheaper than roundhouse,
its not really Roundhouses style,  they are a 16mm scale model company, and thats how they started out, for 16mm, and 16mm  in the main is British moddelling, and i think there would be a few displeased faces if they started doing more g scale style stuff.


they havnt ignored the g scale side completely,  they included a very nice looking big slot on the buffer beams so g scale tension lock couplings can be fitted

One problem is that they like to stick to the idea of using the same cylinders and valve gear for anything they do, perhaps if they broke out of that habit for a few locos, then they could do somthing a bit different.

Hmmmmn. The valve gear is different on quite a few locos Andy. Apart from the obvious one such as Carrie (which did not sell well) the Ffestiniog locos have different running gear to their satndard semi Walschaerts.