The N Gauge Society ‘Hunslet'
An industrial diesel shunter was chosen to be The N Gauge Society's first ready to run locomotive to mark its 50th anniversary. Rail Express Modeller puts the tiny Hunslet 0-6-0DH model, first announced in January 2017, to the test.
A USEFUL industrial diesel shunter with wide appeal is the first ready to run locomotive model to be produced by The N Gauge Society (NGS). It has resulted in a tiny model with advanced electronics and excellent performance. A locomotive with narrow bonnets and short wheelbase is an ambitious project to undertake in ‘N' gauge, but the new model of the Hunslet 0-6-0DH shunter is undoubtedly a success, as measured by its performance during layout testing and the high quality detail applied to it.
Hunslet 0-6-0DH shunters were first introduced in the 1960s with the last example being assembled in 1988 for Caledonian Paper. They remain in use today with at least 20 examples in service and several more in preservation. Customers of the Leedsbuilt locomotives included the National Coal Board, British Steel, Esso and British Petroleum. Its short wheelbase over three axles gave them excellent haulage capability whilst being capable of operation over the sharp curves and turnouts of industrial sites and dock complexes.
Variations in the design were designed to meet customer requirements including differences in the handrails, cab, light fittings (with some being equipped with flashing warning beacons) and equipment cabinets on the footplate. Many of the variations found in both the 50t and 55t versions of the locomotive are incorporated in the various models being offered to members of the NGS, matched to the appropriate livery.
Above the footplate
Two sub-assemblies make up the body structure of the model: the bonnets moulded in opaque plastic as a single piece and a cab in clear plastic with the window glazing and frames integral with the moulding.
The tooling is refined with good levels of moulded detail and the facility to incorporate locomotive-specific details. The character of Hunslet locomotives is present in the model, including the shape of the bonnets and the cab roof. The cab fits over the bonnet moulding neatly with clips and both are secured neatly to the footplate section with screws and without any apparent or unsightly gaps.
Footplate and bufferbeams
A single piece moulding makes up the footplate including the bufferbeams and access steps at each end of the chassis. Checker plate detail is visible on the step treads and sand box detail is incorporated in the moulding. Bufferbeam detailing includes separate plastic buffer shanks fitted with metal buffer heads of the correct diameter for industrial locomotives of this type together with lifting lugs and brake pipes. Additional pipes were supplied in the box with the maroon liveried NCB example submitted for review.
The bufferbeams have a slot to accommodate the standard ‘N' gauge couplings which, when detached from their NEM pockets, leaves an unsightly gap. Blanking plates are supplied in the box which clip to the NEM coupling pockets to model a complete bufferbeam allowing it to be fully detailed. On top of the footplate are finely etched metal guard rails which are much preferable to plastic ones, being more resistant to distortion.
The rails are positively clipped to the foot plate. The long side rails are also secured to the cab moulding too.
Underframe
The underframe is neatly detailed with brakes which include an impression of the linkages and with brake blocks aligned with the wheels. Individual spokes are modelled in the wheels which are very fine in appearance for ‘N' gauge. The coupling rods are secured with pins and are neatly painted yellow on the review model. Wheel centres and spokes are black, with a shiny metal tyre which will benefit from weathering down. There was very little side play detected in the wheels as fitted to the chassis and when tested, no binding of the chassis or coupling rods could be detected.
Mechanism and electronics
A coreless motor is fitted to the chassis which delivers smooth operation. Gearing is commendably low allowing the model to be easily operated at near scale speeds and with precision for shunting moves. To maintain performance of a light shunting engine in ‘N' gauge, the wheels and current collection pick-ups have to be clean. Before testing commenced, the wheels were thoroughly cleaned to give the test model the best chance to perform in a typical layout environment where it was found to be capable of hauling 10-15 four-wheel wagons through a ladder of turnouts without hesitation.
Choosing the right decoder for the Hunslet is not an issue because one is incorporated in the circuit board of the model. It will run on both analogue and DCC layouts with the latter providing independent control of the headlights (button F0 and direction change switch). Some models are fitted with rotary beacons which are controlled through function button F1. A useful shuffling motion for uncoupling action is built in alongside a yard function which switches off the inertial effect which is quite pronounced. For a
shunting engine which might work in the tight confines of an industrial complex or yard, this is a very useful feature and during testing, was used almost all of the time. Dimming of the headlights is also possible through function button F7.
Stay-alive device
Amazingly, a stay-alive circuit is incorporated in the electronics alongside the built-in decoder. During tests, the circuit prevented the lights from flickering and also provided a tiny amount of traction power which smoothed off the model's operation. It was not sufficient to keep the model running for any distance when power was interrupted. Finding space for capacitors with sufficient grunt to achieve that in such a small model would be challenging indeed, even when an efficient coreless motor is used.
It is recommended that the instruction leaflet is carefully read before operating the model. It is particularly refined, with a highly developed mechanism and electronics which need consideration before operating for the first time. The voltage range for DCC systems is stated alongside the warning not to use the model with high frequency track cleaners popular with analogue layouts or damage to the electronics and motor could be caused.
Assembly and livery finish
The model is a tad under 60mm in length over the buffers and fitted with two narrow bonnets and a cab with is almost clear of mechanism components which must have made it a challenge to assemble as well as shoe-horn in the drive and all of the electronics. For that alone and with its good level of detailing, it is a remarkable model for the price being charged by the NGS to its members.
Close-up photography is always cruel and did detect some slight glue marks where the side guard rails were attached to the cab. Clear plastic mouldings are always awkward to cover well with paint and some gaps between the silvered cab window frames and the maroon livery application was noted alongside a touch of translucency which can be eradicated by the modeller quite easily if desired.
The NGS has achieved a remarkably good result for its first model of any size and the diminutive size of the Hunslet 0-6-0DH makes the result all the more commendable. The stayalive circuit, built-in decoder and nicely adjusted lighting adds to the model's already excellent price point. But remember, to buy one, you have to be a member of the NGS!