I've gone and been and done it......Bagnell 0-6-0

[Doug Dickson]

Well, I have ordered a Vari Kit Bagnall 0-6-0T from Lytchett Manor Models and now seek a GF 1109 chassis. Hhmmm I thought, not too difficult to source? After all there must surely be lots of redundant/second hand Pannier Tanks to be had?  Hhmmm again...


GF [Bachmann?] Spares/Service spoken to......

'No, we don't have any chassis available'.

'Will you have?'

'No.'

' If I have a PT and want spares?'

'We have spares...'

'Spares to build a chassis?'

'No....'

Hhmmm...



Consulted the OO9 Soc Sales pages.....Hhmmm again

Now I'm waiting for a little box of bits to arrive, frightened at how small and fiddly it will be. I have a a GF 03 diesel in BR green, mint, opened only once [frightened at how small and fiddly it is, and hurriedly re-boxed] Nice lady at Lytchett Manor models, recommended using Super Glue Gel to assemble the kit. She assured me that they take great care in casting the kits and remove as much flash etc as possible, so I have my fingers crossed [that's how my non-card modelling looks most of the time, anyway...]


Doug

[JulienW]

The 1109 chassis is that found under the 'General Purpose' tank and might be the same as the one under the 94xx pannier tank - NOT the 57xx / J94 tanks (and old style 08) which will be too short.

Whilst it will be quite hard to find a chassis it shouldn't be too hard to find a loco as they were produced in a wide range of liveries, and a quick google search turned up this with many others alongside.

I'd also suggest that rather than looking at the sales list it might be better to drop the sales team an e-mail as the stock changes so rapidly, and if they do not have one they can put you on a waiting list for one - but with so many out there you shouldn't have long to wait.

[DeadHorse]

I have eight VariKits, five of which are on minitrix dock tank chassis, one on a minitrix 2-6-2 chassis and one Ibertren 0-4-0.
Even plonked one on top of the Kato tram chassis.
They can be fettled to fit quite a number of chassis, despite which version you have.

[Elmgate]

Not sure that the original poster meant to say Varikit! His description is clearly of the "Dennis" Bagnall, which fits the GF chassis, as described. The GF Prairie chassis is of the same dimensions, and will only need the pony trucks to be removed, and the front extension that takes the cylinders - my version of the Bagnall runs on this type.

[JulienW]

That's a point - I'd assumed that the "Vari Kit Bagnall 0-6-0T from Lytchett Manor Models" was the new name for the old GEM Snailbeach Dennis Bagnall 0-6-0T as that's the only one of theirs that uses the Farish 1109 (general purpose tank) chassis.

Chubber, as DeadHorse mentions the body kits - in fact any body kit - can be adapted to fit other chassis.  As this is your first kit though I would suggest that you build this one as the designer intended, as in some respect one needs a little knowledge & experience to make the modifications needed to use an alternative power source.

If the kit you have is indeed the one I think it is (the Snailbeach 0-6-0T) then its is quite a big loco being more in the 2'6" gauge class (Welshpool and the like) compared to more well known / popular NG lines (Ffestiniog, Talyllyn etc.), which can cause problems if your layout has been built with the latter in mind. That being said I've always thought of them as quite handsome beasities - I have one myself and will probably end up with a few more when funds allow.

As to the chassis most of the Graham Farish chassis (though not the newer designs under the Bachmann regime) use a similar method of attaching the chassis to the loco body - essentially a large screw at the front (about 8 BA or the metric equivalent) and a couple of lugs at the back end.  Because of this using a different Farish chassis (i.e. other than the 1109) is a little easier as in theory all one needs to do is relocate the hole for the screw at the front. The result if using a shorter chassis however may be that the wheels may be all up one end, needing a pony truck or the body shortening to compensate.  At a guess it may be possible to make a convincing 0-8-0T using the Farish 8f chassis (again, one of the older ones as I have a feeling the newer ones use a different design of chassis) without too much modification or one of the  X-6-X tanks (Prarie etc) or X-6-0 tender locos (Hall, Black Five, though beware that later versions might use a motor in the tender or a tender drive and freewheeling loco) might also work.

However, as I said above you do need to know a little about what you are doing to make such a substitution so I'd strongly suggest going for the Farish General Purpose tank the kit is designed for - at least this time out! - as frustration so early in ones 009 career can be so damaging both to the soul and to property as one throws the distorted lump of white metal that was a kit at the walls, the cat, though the window, etc....

As to building it it should be fairly strait forward, but don't forget that if you are not sure about anything post as many questions as it takes on here.  Most of us can remember that we all were beginners at one time or another, and I'm sure we'll be happy to help.

[Doug Dickson]

Thank you all for your replies to date, currently  domestic concerns are claimng my attention  but be assured that I will give them full attention this evening!

Doug (Chubber )

[B.Meldon]

Here is a link to the Lytchett Manor Models web page with the 009 kits:

http://www.lytchettmanor.co.uk/narrow_loco.html

There are two versions of the VariKit one for the Bachmann 0-4-0 the other for the Minitrix dock tank chassis.

It is the large Bagnall 0-6-0 that requires the Farish 1109 chassis.

However none of these chassis are available anymore and even the Farish one is becoming difficult to find in good condition second hand. Many have gear problems or excess play in the axle slots and good examples are starting to go for higher prices just because they are difficult to find.

In most cases the 009 body kits are easy to obtain, so what I recommend to those new to 009 is to obtain a good working chassis first and only then purchase the kit, not the other way around.

I take this one step further and I will purchase any n gauge chassis in good condition that is at a reasonable price even if I do not need to right away and only then think about what I am going to build on the chassis.

Basically for me the limited availability of chassis is now the main factor when deciding what loco I build.

Brian Meldon

[Doug Dickson]

Oh, Brian,

Typical of me to do it the wrong way round!

I hope to respond appropriately to all posters in due course, but meanwhile, what 'flavour' chassis is this?

Doug

[JulienW]

Certainly Farish.

Looking at the extension to the front it could be one of the tender locos (Hall probably) that's missing the cylinders and connecting rods, but some dimensions (wheel base, diameter & spacing for example) would help.

Edit:  Having just seen the chassis in question on eBay I'm fairly confident that it is a Hall chassis from the other photographs.

[Elmgate]

As mentioned in my message above, I believe this is essentially the same as the 1109 chassis (which is either the GP tank, or the first type of GWR Pannier), but the front extension should be removed to fit the body.

As others have said, it is better to get the chassis first, unless the kit is clearly for a modern, available, chassis!

If you do obtain this chassis, I or others will, I'm sure, be able to help you work out how to fit it!

[Doug Dickson]

I now have two 0-6-0 chassis 'won' on Ebay, described as

1. 'GF 0-6-0PT General purpose'
2. 'GF 0-6-0 Pannier Tank'

so it's  'wait and see' time now.

Julien, thanks for the warning re 54xx, I nearly did, and as my OO layout has been dissembled due to impending house move which has dragged on 18 months with no end in sight, my putative OO9 has not yet been built so nothing set in stone. As I aspire to L & B sized locomotives rather than smaller quarry types I thought that a Vari-kit 0-6-0 would be a less ambitious start than a Baldwin, etc.

Elmgate, Deadhorse, I have a bid on a 2-6-2 chassis for a bigger [0-6-2] loco in case I can manage this watch-making business after all, Brian's "even if I do not need to right away" seems very sensible.

I currently have the colly-wobbles under control and with your kind reassurances of assistance I am taking strength in the following quoted from the Lytchett Manor site...

"The Varikit contains a selection of additional fittings to enable the loco kit to be  customised to the modellers requirements...." 

Doug

[DeadHorse]

Be wary of buying N Gauge tender engines as sometimes they have the motor & drive in the tender which makes them virtually useless for 009 tank engines. Best to see and examine one before bidding on something seen on e-Bay unless you know what is under the body.
That Bagnall 'Dennis' is indeed a lovely loco and I was sorry to part with mine some time ago but it just made everything else look 'twee' by comparison.