New product MRD Coach Bogies

[Tim V]

Bought some of these at Peterborough, swing link suspension bogies.

IMG_2093.JPG

Regrettably, the inside faces are only 23mm apart, so my with standard 26mm across pinpoints (Branchline's nickel silver wheels) and ordinary bearings, the sides splay out. Not good practice.

IMG_2092.JPG

Currently I'm experimenting with putting them inside another bogie frame

[Mike Garwood]

Tim
Why would you want to use these and not the sprung ones that are available? Do you think that these offer a better ride? Or do you have other reasons..

regards

Mike

[Tim V]

Hi Mike

The sprung ones do not work for me. Basically the coaches tip over on the curves on Clutton, if I put stiffer springs in then don't hold the track. I put a lot of work into sprung bogies, and gave up on them. Remember they were developed for an up and down layout, not a roundy round. In the end I found that straight rewheeling of plastic bogies did work. I was extremely fed up that they didn't work.

I do try new ideas, these MRD ones were to replace the last sprung bogie coaches, that failed at Peterborough.

[Mike Garwood]

TIm
I'd be interested to find out how these pan out. My next layout will be a 100ft roundy (based on Little Mill Junction)and as stock is starting to be amassed at the moment, it would be worth finding out whether or not the coaches planned should be sprung or a little more 'rigid'. The end curves will be 4 ft 9 inch radius, the end curves on Clutton are pretty tight, if I remember rightly, do you think this had any bearing on the failure of sprung bogies.

regards

Mike

[Bob Ellis]

I was interested in Tim's comment about sprung bogies:

The sprung ones do not work for me. Basically the coaches tip over on the curves on Clutton, if I put stiffer springs in then don't hold the track. I put a lot of work into sprung bogies, and gave up on them. Remember they were developed for an up and down layout, not a roundy round.

I have just begun building the baseboards for an oval layout on which I intend to run stock with sprung bogies. Have other people had problems with sprung bogies on 'roundy round' layouts? More importantly, are there people who have used sprung bogies on oval layouts who have not had problems? If so, which sprung bogies have they used?
Best wishes,
Bob Ellis

[davebooth]

I was interested in Tim's comment about sprung bogies:

The sprung ones do not work for me. Basically the coaches tip over on the curves on Clutton, if I put stiffer springs in then don't hold the track. I put a lot of work into sprung bogies, and gave up on them. Remember they were developed for an up and down layout, not a roundy round.

I have just begun building the baseboards for an oval layout on which I intend to run stock with sprung bogies. Have other people had problems with sprung bogies on 'roundy round' layouts? More importantly, are there people who have used sprung bogies on oval layouts who have not had problems? If so, which sprung bogies have they used?
Best wishes,
Bob Ellis

I think that CLAG's 'Green Street' is roundy roundy and certainly John Brighton's 'Millhouses' is roundy roundy, and both those sourcse are confirmed, indeed developers of springing.
In both cases I think they use Bill Bedford's. I'm not really 'into' coaches but now I only use Bill's on wagons.

[Tim V]

Funnily enough, I was looking at a box full of abandoned bogie projects that just didn't work. Sprung, compensated etc. etc. the only coaches that were successful were the straight rewheeled plastic bogies. Can you imagine how I felt when they worked, total time converting them in minutes, as opposed to spending a considerable time with the latest etched brass wonder, only to have to abandon that.

An Airfix/Dapol B set, rewheeled bogies (Branchlines wheels), Keen centre couplings. These are 7' bogies, the 9' bogies work just as well with these pivots.

IMG_2097.JPG

And here is the highly sophisticated bogie pivot.

IMG_2096.JPG

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I have seen a large P4 roundy roundy that runs 12 or more coach trains and these use sprung Penlenton bogies, with no hassle at all.

David

[Rod Cameron]

Funnily enough, I was looking at a box full of abandoned bogie projects that just didn't work. Sprung, compensated etc. etc. the only coaches that were successful were the straight rewheeled plastic bogies. Can you imagine how I felt when they worked, total time converting them in minutes, as opposed to spending a considerable time with the latest etched brass wonder, only to have to abandon that.

Life's too short not to give just rewheeling existing RTR bogies a go. If the track is half-decent no reason why it shouldn't work (and it does with many Mk1s I've seen) - and if it doesn't at least you haven't lost much time.

[Tim V]

I have seen a large P4 roundy roundy that runs 12 or more coach trains and these use sprung Penlenton bogies, with no hassle at all.

David

On what radius curves David?

[David Bigcheeseplant]

I think the minimum is 4 foot

David

[Tim V]

I'm working on 3' radius, plus with super elevation.