Who needs goods wagons for their Hall?

[thor]

In the past year or two I have variously asked here about sources for British wagons or sources for the materials needed to make them and I don't mean buying ACE or ETS (not that there's anything wrong with them) nor do I need to be tald about SLATERS et al. For my budget their prices are far too high and anyway I rather like making things myself but sometimes getting the required info can be a real pain.

I was a shop teacher - I'd give anything to have access to my old shop - and I'd have made up molds for axlebox, wheel and buffer beam castings. School suppliers sell all sorts of stuff for doing small scale industrial processes DUH I just answered my own question!

GRIN. No, not really because its often rather marginal and also over priced. I'm thinking of making plasticine molds and using epoxy resin maybe even for the wheels. However...what I really want to know is what you other Harry Potter nuts are going to use for your goods trains? O gauge Hornby hasnt been made for a long long time. Lima stopped making cheap O gauge British stuff a good while back, is there anyone out there I should know about?

[dwiemer]

Thor, what about using the "Thomas" frieght cars?  While not too prototypical, you should be able to pick them up cheaply and then remove the facial features of the troublesome trucks. 

Dennis

[daan]

A dutch forum ( http://www.xsbb.nl/phpbb/index.php?id=spoor0nl ) has answered a lot iof these questions. And yes, it's the normal (read, not 3 rail based forum) 2 rail 0 gauge, but they could help you with adresses and manufacturers.

Look for the following users: FritsT or RobK, they do have their mailadress attached to that forum and they speak english, since they too build mostly from scratch and kits. However, it's a different kind of people then 3 rail "toy train" enthousiasts..

Tell them you got the link from daan, with a bit of luck they know that I'm the 3 rail guy not caring about the right amount of bolts or spokes

[lionelsoni]

ETS in Prague has several cars painted for British prototypes:

http://www.ets-trains.com/

Whoops.  I just noticed that you said you don't want ETS (not that there's anything wrong with them).

[thor]

Yes Dennis I think that is my first solution just to get started but from the catalog pictures I'm not too impressed. The couplings look kinda droopy which suggests they are fixed plastic ones. I'm thinking it may be worth my while to make a generic unliveried open goods wagon but with better looking sideframes and running gear. Whether it would be worth my while to do so really depends on whether I might be able to sell a few, I dont know if it can be done but my target figure would be about $20 and speaking as a consumer (toy train bottom feeder variety!) I'd rather see it at $10.

Funny thing about pricing I might buy one $60 wagon but I'd buy 4 at $20! That's just me of course but that tends to be the way I react. "Oh this is a good deal, I should get more!" as against "Blimey! HOW much? Oh well I have to have it I suppose..". Part of that reaction is based on my willingness to modify. I dont really want to modify an expensive diecast loco in case I slip up and spoil it but I have a few severely modified 'Scout' shells and will buy more to do the same with.

There are some changes needed on the Hogwarts rake of coaches too, I'd repaint Lionels cheap ones rather than risk ruining mine, if they were a bit less expensive I'd use them out of preference.

Toy trains to me, are a starting point, a baseline from which to proceed, which is why I like them rather than a collection of pristine high end ones I'm afraid to get scratched. If you like English goods wagons you'll be aware of the numerous 'Private Owner' liveries. I want to get a load of reasonably priced unpainted wagons to turn into my own fleet of humorous Private Owner ones - an Ollivanders wagon, a Flourish and Blott's and so on.

I'm really looking forward to making a Harry Potter layout complete with castle, that viaduct and the piece de resistance, a working model of a Quidditch game!

[thor]

Thanks Daan for the info and permission to use you as a reference if needed.

[Brutus]

Yes Dennis I think that is my first solution just to get started but from the catalog pictures I'm not too impressed. The couplings look kinda droopy which suggests they are fixed plastic ones. I'm thinking it may be worth my while to make a generic unliveried open goods wagon but with better looking sideframes and running gear. Whether it would be worth my while to do so really depends on whether I might be able to sell a few, I dont know if it can be done but my target figure would be about $20 and speaking as a consumer (toy train bottom feeder variety!) I'd rather see it at $10.

Funny thing about pricing I might buy one $60 wagon but I'd buy 4 at $20! That's just me of course but that tends to be the way I react. "Oh this is a good deal, I should get more!" as against "Blimey! HOW much? Oh well I have to have it I suppose..". Part of that reaction is based on my willingness to modify. I dont really want to modify an expensive diecast loco in case I slip up and spoil it but I have a few severely modified 'Scout' shells and will buy more to do the same with.

There are some changes needed on the Hogwarts rake of coaches too, I'd repaint Lionels cheap ones rather than risk ruining mine, if they were a bit less expensive I'd use them out of preference.

Toy trains to me, are a starting point, a baseline from which to proceed, which is why I like them rather than a collection of pristine high end ones I'm afraid to get scratched. If you like English goods wagons you'll be aware of the numerous 'Private Owner' liveries. I want to get a load of reasonably priced unpainted wagons to turn into my own fleet of humorous Private Owner ones - an Ollivanders wagon, a Flourish and Blott's and so on.

I'm really looking forward to making a Harry Potter layout complete with castle, that viaduct and the piece de resistance, a working model of a Quidditch game!

Man - this will be really cool!  Please keep us posted on your progress!

[daan]

Quiddich hmm? I am very curious in how you want to model the snitch in 0 gauge though Paint a fly?

Would be neat, a harry potter layout! Otherwise you could always opt for a boxcar privatly owned by Topgear. "Put a star in a reasonably prized (box)car"

Or a (monthy pyton flying) circus train..

[thor]

Man - this will be really cool!  Please keep us posted on your progress!

Don't hold your breath waiting for it Jim! I live in a small bedroom in a crowded house, still negotiating for basement space with my brother-in-law who veers between telling us to consider the upstairs as our own and asking when we're moving out!
Every time the latter occurs I go away for a day or two and let them deal with their 5 yr. old daughter by themselves, its she who is my fellow train nut!

So the Hogwarts layout will be developed on paper first followed by a series of experiments and maybe one or two modules.

For the quidditch game I'm thinking along the lines of a chain whose guide rollers are mounted on swash plates, with the players being attached to link pin pivots with spur gears triggered by racks mounted so that the gear teeth engage with the racks on an intermittent basis. This will or should give the more or less looping action with the players rising and falling and occasionally shooting forward.

Obviously there's only so much one can do. Now if the quaffle was suspended on a very fine monofilament stretched between the two goals with a seesaw action making it slide back and forth....

Hmmm, like I said, don't hold your breath!