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On Foreign metals

Barry Ten

Entry posted by Barry Ten

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French RTR at its exquisite best here, with this REE 231K ex-PLM pacific on "proving trials" at King's Hintock. Sound-equipped, and with pulsed steam (with emission controllable from both chimney and cylinders), it's a stunner of a model. I haven't tested the smoke yet, but it runs a treat on DCC.

 

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Purchased as part of the long-term plan for a larger French layout, after testing the waters with Cogirep. With the new Roco and Jouef models of both steam, diesel and electric prototypes, and lots of new rolling stock from REE, LS and others, it's a great time to be modelling French stuff. Sitting this pacific on the 4mm layout, incidentally, I'm again struck by how much bigger the layout seems with HO stock on it, as opposed to 00. Granted the prototypes were bigger as well, but that 15% size difference in scales really does seem to equate to more layout for a given area, something I was really aware of with Cogirep.

 

By way of comparison with another French model, incidentally, here's Roco's Chapelon pacific, another very fine model from a year or two ago, if reflecting a more utilitarian design. Unlike the REE model, the Roco is tender drive, with quite an unusual arrangement - both outer axles are fixed in a rigid frame, with only the unpowered middle ones being free to swivel. It ought not to work, but somehow it does. Like the REE one, this is also sound-fitted and is an equally smooth runner, with none of the indifferent performance we've come to associate with tender drives in the UK.

 

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  • RMweb Gold
wenlock
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Zoot alors, that's a fabulous looking loco Al!  The level of detail on all that pipe work is amazing and the smoke deflectors are particularly thin and fine.  I know absolutely nothing about French railways, but I think it's a very impressive looking beast!

 

Dave

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Barry Ten
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At least we'd be spared the gauge wars!

 

Jouef are doing a 4-8-2 soon - that'll be a corker.

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alanbuttler

Looks like a Great Bear , but with more pipework . Handsome beasty .

 

I was thinking it had a vague Swindon look about it, maybe Churchwood knocked up the design whilst holidaying in the Nord Pas-de-Calais

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  • RMweb Gold
46444
  • RMweb Gold

La locomotive de REE est equivaut aux les testicules d'un chien!

 

Absolutely! :O

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John B
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Fine as the Roco beastie is, that REE model kicks things up a notch or three! Splendid looking loco...

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scanman

I was thinking it had a vague Swindon look about it, maybe Churchwood knocked up the design whilst holidaying in the Nord Pas-de-Calais

Well Churchward did bring back the the three 'Atlantic Compounds' to try out.  (La France, Alliance & President - 101-103)

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Mikkel
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As long as it's green it works for me! Interesting what you say about HO and space. As someone who models 00 in an H0 country, I'm always stuck by the smallness of 1:87 buildings compared to 1:76. For smaller items the scale difference can be worked with, but when you get to locos and houses it really does make a difference.

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Barry Ten
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As long as it's green it works for me! Interesting what you say about HO and space. As someone who models 00 in an H0 country, I'm always stuck by the smallness of 1:87 buildings compared to 1:76. For smaller items the scale difference can be worked with, but when you get to locos and houses it really does make a difference.

 

There's also the factor that some of the HO building kits seem to be scaled a bit smaller than true HO - certainly some of the older kits - but that's not necessarily a bad thing especially if they're used creatively. Also in 4mm, there were some different ideas about the right size of buildings. If you take Superquick as a benchmark, then some of the other card modelling kits look uncomfortably large in comparison, although it's hard to say which is right and which is wrong, if at all. Personally I think erring a bit on the small size is a good idea.

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