Does anybody add the supplied accessories that come as standard with many locomotives?

I've a N Gauge Dapol Class 122 which I don't intend to couple to anything, so I thought why not remove the Rapido coupling and fit the accessories.






Easier said than done with fat old fingers and less than perfect eyesight   

I managed to break one of the exhaust pipes when removing the roof to fit a decoder, and the replacement Dapol sent me isn't exactly straight, but it's not really noticeable at normal viewing distance.

I've tried various magnifiers and tweezers, but the screw link couplings and pipes have me beat.

Just wondered if anyone else bothers with the accessories in this scale.



Ed

I don't even install the accessories on  00 scale!

To be fair Ron Sol , I don't think you can in a lot of cases if you intend to use the couplings as fitted.

It's only if you fit some sort of alternative, or as in this case don't really need/want couplings.


Ed

Sol said

I don't even install the accessories on  00 scale!

From “Post #290,352”, 7th July 2024, 11:58 am

Me neither. Do the couplings not pull out? Or can you not get hold of them?

It's a NEM socket Pete but I don't want coupling on this bubble car, which is why I thought it might be nice to use the accessories.

Ed

I don't fit N-scale "bits" but usually do fit them to OO-scale items.  Those vacuum pipes etc are around 18 - 24 inches long in reality which means that in 1:148 they are a tiny fraction of an inch long and a hair's breadth in diameter.  In other wrods too small to be accurately modelled as separately-fitted parts IMHO.  What we get supplied with the locos is significantly over-scale (as it is in OO but not to quite the same extent) in order to even be produced.

If anyone tells me that this or that item would look better with the plumbing applied my response would be to ask me to show how it's done first - and the result on one of their locos - as I really don;t think such things are noticeable at normal viewing distance.

As well we all know that everything we have has some sort of fault or shortcoming that we might like to attend to but no-one else would ever notice.  So is even it worth doing?  There's another question to ponder.  

Couple of good points there Rick Gwiwer , thank you  


Ed

I sometimes struggle getting the darned thing on the rails, never mind fitting the fiddly bits that nobody can see .............

Petermac said

I sometimes struggle getting the darned thing on the rails, never mind fitting the fiddly bits that nobody can see ………….

From “Post #290,363”, 9th July 2024, 3:59 pm

As it happens, while on our ill fated trip to England, I bought a Peco re-railer. I had to have it posted because we didn't have enough time left to run up to Sheffield. The only thing you need is a bit of straight track to use it.

I use a rerailer all the time, but I am now modelling in N 



Ed

Gave up.

Got pipes attached at one end, but it didn't look right and they weren't very secure.

The screw-link coupling fouls the bogie a bit and as Rick said they're probably all way overscale anyway.

I leave it to the younger guys with better eyesight and steadier hands.

It looked a bit odd with no couplings, so I've fitted Dapol knuckle couplings which look a bit better than a rapido ones in my view.




Ed