DRS Crewe On A Mission

Hi Andy, I hope you are well? I’m interested in being able to sell models on the Classifieds section. As excellent as the other features are I don’t think I would use them. Please could you tell me which option/membership I need to select and pay for to be able to get this feature? I would be keen to pay for this feature for a year initially, with a view to extending it and making further payments after that, in order to be able to continue selling on the Classifieds section. Also, please could I have the link to buy and pay for access to sell on the Classifieds section? Thank you very much in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

You could well be right Mick. I just thought I would suggest them on this thread because they have been in service for a few years now and we haven’t seen an announcement from any manufacturer. It just made me think that maybe no one is working on this wagon at the moment. Kind Regards, Danny.

I’m back again with another idea… What about the newish Freightliner MWA box wagons. These were the ones that were brought in as an upgrade/replacement for some of the Freightliner MJA box wagons that Dapol have already produced in OO. The MWA wagons have been around for a few years already and have been hauled by FL 66s and 70s. I’m assuming Dapol aren’t producing the MWA wagons because I think we would have seen them produced or at least announced by now. Kind Regards, Danny.

They really are nice looking wagons and their were a few liveries too. It’s a coincidence I mention these wagons because it was only at the weekend I was looking at photos of a rake of them in Crewe Basford Hall. Aesthetically I think the rakes converted and modified at Loram, Derby RTC will look different to the others, I just haven’t seen any photos of them after conversion as proof. A few sets have been converted this year so far, so it definitely looks as though it’s a project going ahead that will hopefully see these wagons been used for many years to come. Yes it might be slightly risky duplicating a wagon but Accurascale try and keep prices as low as possible for all of their models so it might be more financially via for them to produce this wagon either to sell individually or in sets. The good thing is with these wagons is they are well travelled, have appeared in a few liveries, have worked on the network for several years and will continue to do so and they can be hauled by a wide variety of traction. Kind Regards, Danny.

Whilst I’m on this thread I’m going to make another suggestion. Dapol have produced the MRA side tipper wagons in rakes of five a number of years ago now but I have recently heard from a couple of people that apparently they won’t produce anymore due to the cost of producing these in rakes of five. I also know from others who have these wagons that the couplings in between the wagons were never that good, and people have struggled to achieve fault free running and consequently some people have modified the couplings, in an attempt to get the rake of wagons running together. I’m not sure how viable it would be for Accurascale to produce this wagon but they are quite impressive to look at, and with the Dapol model suffering issues in relation to couplings and Dapol suggesting that no more will be produced this could be a gap in the market. Having not bought the Dapol MRAs because I heard of the issues in relation to couplings and running I would really like some of these wagons. I imagine their will be others in the same situation as me that purposefully left the Dapol examples and I’m sure their will be some that missed the Dapol offerings, as they haven’t been produced for years now. It must easily be 5/6 years since Dapol last produced any. They are still regularly used on engineers trains and I’m sure this year some sets have undergone conversion at Loram, Derby RTC, so aesthetically they will look different to the original sets. This could be another incentive to produce these wagons as no doubt the converted sets will continue work on the mainline for years to come, and it extends the era/time span that they can appear/be modelled on peoples layouts. Obviously Dapol won’t have the new/updated tooling to produce the converted sets so if Accurascale produced the original and converted sets there model would already be different to the Dapol offering. I’m not sure, I’m just thinking out aloud, it could be something to consider and look into in terms of potential demand, viability etc. Kind Regards, Danny.

I’m not going to do a really long reply as to why I agree with you on all three of these suggestions but yes, yes, yes! Not sure why I have never mentioned the MLA engineers wagons on this thread in my posts. As you say they feature regularly and widely on engineers trains and they have been in service for several years now. Also, as you say they would perfectly complement the likes of the Dapol JNA. They are a very big missing link that I would bet could easily sell into their thousands. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thank you for the reply and the information. I’m glad that I’m not the only one who’s found myself in this position. The situation with the Hornby decoders was baffling me. The Zimo decoder that you mention, please can you tell me where stocks them? Most of my decoders are Bachmann, so if I can’t get hold of the Zimo one you mention would a couple of 8 Pin Bachmann decoders suffice? Thank you for mentioning that. I don’t usually buy those types of decoders because some of them do not accommodate the amount of functions that some locos have. Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thank you for the replies and the information, I really appreciate it. I think the Hornby decoders that I bought were £15 each and were from Rails Of Sheffield. So maybe I need some alternative decoders that are a different brand. What other brand 8 Pin DCC Decoders would you recommend on using, particularly to ensure that the directional and cab lighting on the power cars can function? It just seems really strange that Hornby decoders don’t function properly inside Hornby locos. Even if the decoders I have are the entry level decoders what is the point in producing and selling them if they lose the loco/s address? Also, I don’t recall reading anything about them been entry level decoders on the Rails Of Sheffield advert. Shouldn’t they be telling people this in the product description? Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi all, I hope you are all well? I wonder if anyone can help me please? I have a pair of Hornby GWR Green Class 43 power cars that I bought in 2020. I consequently bought and fitted two Hornby 8 Pin DCC Decoders and fitted one decoder to each power car, as these were the decoders suggested for this model. I then programmed the power cars to my NCE Powercab DCC Controller. Ever since I did this both of the power cars lose there DCC address on the NCE Powercab, after they have been left for a few days without been used. When coming back to attempt to use the power cars after a few days I can enter the address but then when I tap the speed or lighting buttons neither of the power cars move and the lights do not come on. I then have to reprogramme the pair of power cars back to there address on the controller each time I want to use them. I have never had this happen with the controller with any other locos or decoders. Does anyone know of a solution to this problem, that will ensure that the power cars stay programmed to the controller? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi, Thank you for the reply and the information, it’s greatly appreciated. I have thought about these wagons but as you say the only trouble is that they aren’t prototypical to work off of Earles. As far as I’m aware they aren’t prototypical to work with Freightliner 66s or 70s either. Good luck to Revolution though with this wagon because I’m sure with the variety of traction available to haul them they will be popular. Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Paul, Thank you very much for the photos and information, it’s greatly appreciated. It’s a shame because I would really like a rake of Cement PCAs. Thanks again. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Al, Thank you for the reply and information, it’s greatly appreciated. I thought this was different to the Revolution wagon. Had this being the Revolution wagon I would have bought a few but I don’t particularly model the North East or Scotland. Thanks again. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi all, Forgive me for my lack of knowledge, but I wonder if anyone can help me please? I have read the product description and looked at the map above and I don’t think the wagons that I am thinking of are the same as these ones that Revolution are offering but are these the wagons that work out of Earles Sidings and are hauled by Freightliner Class 66s and 70s? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

I completely agree with you. I heard that their would be some slight upgrades in certain areas to the Hornby power cars but I’m assuming that this won’t include rectifying the errors on the chassis in terms of detailing. Their also is no mention of ‘stay alive’ capacitors to be fitted either as part of the upgrade which is also disappointing. To manufacturers like Accurascale these are fitted as standard to all of their locos and stock to avoid locos stopping, lighting going out and sound going off on mucky track and points etc. I’m the same, my HST set is grounded too because the coaches aren’t much use without the power cars able to pull them. As we say it must be something to do with Hornby locos because we have many other manufacturers locos and have no issue with them. It’s just annoying isn’t it that with power cars, deciders for them and a decent rake of coaches in between you are looking at between £500-£700 of stock that we can’t use. I don’t blame you for selling the HST set on and using the funds to buy other stock. I have to say if I can get the power cars working I’m tempted to do the same. The HST is a bit different to the stock I usually run too. I mostly just run freight locos and stock, so I thought I would add a bit of variety in buying a GWR Green liveried HST, mainly because I like the livery and the routes that they have worked on. Trust me to probably buy one of the worst passenger trains. I could have opted for the Bachmann GWR 150216 instead. With Accurascale pricing I would probably be tempted to buy 2/3 HSTs if I could afford to. No doubt the power cars and MK3s would be far superior to Hornby’s versions and they would be considerably cheaper too. Kind Regards, Danny.

I have made a couple of comments on this thread before in relation to items that I would like to see produced. One main item that I mentioned previously but I didn’t explain my thinking and reasoning behind it is a new OO Gauge HST and MK3 coaches to run with them. I bought my first and last Hornby HST power cars two years ago in the form of the GWR Green special pack of 43016 & 43093. I put it into traffic almost immediately on my layout, something which doesn’t happen often because I usually like to have whatever coaches and wagons complement locos and units to put them into service at the same time, but in this instance I had already bought the GWR MK3s at around the same time. This was my first HST I had owned and operated so I was looking forward to running it. After just a few days of running, both power cars ‘trip’ the track and controller and power cars out themselves in terms of stopping moving and the directional lighting going off. I’m completely unsure why because I have a range of Bachmann, Dapol and ViTrains locos that run on my layout perfectly fine with Accurascale locos due to arrive in the future. Since this happened I have tried reprogramming the power cars together as a pair and individually, in an attempt to get them moving without them stopping, the lights going off on the power cars and it tripping the whole layout out. I have had no luck at all. Both power cars and DCC decoders were all new so they shouldn’t be faulty and not should the power cars have any muck on the wheels. I have also spoken to a friend who has examined recently produced Hornby power cars who says their are many errors with the chassis and consequent detailing. I have also noticed that many of the colours and paint schemes that Hornby produce seem to be incorrect and/or inaccurate. Then their is the fact that they don’t seem to run well, or at least mine don’t. The Power Cars would benefit I think from the Accurascale treatment as I am sure all of the retaking on the chassis would be produced correctly and accurately, the colours and paint schemes for the liveries would be accurate and true to reality and with ‘stay alive’ capacitors inside I’m sure they wouldn’t stop running and trip the layout out. Also their are many liveries and running numbers that can be produced. Furthermore, the pricing point for the Hornby power cars is just too much when you consider all of the above errors and inaccuracies. If Accurascale’s prices for their locos and coaches are anything to go by I would guess they could probably offer twin power car packs for around £210/£220 or something in that region, and that would be for the best, definitive model. Because of how many power cars their are in reality, the many liveries, running numbers and wide sphere of operation this would allow Accurascale to produce them in larger quantities in order to keep the price low for individual customers. Lastly is the MK3s to run with them. As well as Hornby not offering the definitive power cars they don’t offer the definitive MK3s in terms of detailing, internal lighting inside the coaches, and I am aware that some Hornby MK3s do not have the correct and appropriate tooling for their roofs and windows. I’m sure Accurascale would sort this out. They both sound like good ideas and no brainers really. Many people love the HSTs be it the power cars, MK3s or both. I would certainly like some more HSTs but just not from Hornby. In my opinion I think that we need the definitive power cars and MK3 coaches. The Hornby offerings are crying out for a retool and upgrade, especially to Accurascale standards. Can I rest my case haha! Kind Regards, Danny.

I have been checking the Hornby website several times over the past few days and items are switching between out of stock and in stock, pretty much constantly. Sometimes the listings for the 2022 range go from not showing at all on search results to then showing. So to anyone wanting to pre-order directly from Hornby I wouldn't worry because this appears to be technical issues with the website. I really wish Hornby would sort the website out because it's becoming more and more difficult to try and plan what you want to buy and pre-order when you don't actually know if items are in stock or not. Hope this helps. Kind Regards, Danny.

I worked this out over Christmas too. So as you say it would seem we should be seeing an announcement soon. I've made some suggestions about what I think some of the newly tooled models may be. But I can't think of 20 models. Hmm... I have absolutely no shame in admitting I was working this out either, over the Christmas holidays, when Accurascale were closed haha! Kind Regards, Danny.

If Hornby have brought their announcement forward from 10am to 7am and Rapido have announced their announcement to be at 07:30am, this makes me think that Rapido will be producing a duplicate of a significant Hornby product. Alongside this three more HST Power Cars (all ex FGW) are going to be taken for scrap on Monday from Long Marston to Newport. Surely it can't be a coincidence that Hornby are likely to be announcing more HSTs on Monday as a part of their 2022 range, three HST Power Cars are off to be scrapped and Rapido have chosen the same day to make their announcement? With all of this in mind I predict that the Rapido announcement will be a new Class 43 Power Car range in OO Gauge/4mm possibly with a range of new OO/4mm MK3 Coaches. Of course I could be completley wrong, but all of this happening on Monday in just one day seems to be a bit of a coincidence to me. Kind Regards, Danny.

Also, with Fran confirming a couple of weeks ago that their are at least 20 newly tooled models to be announced, I surely have to be right that at least some of my predictions will be correct. If I'm way off the mark, I am really intrigued as to what is going to be announced. Kind Regards, Danny.

This is more of a prediction of what I think Accurascale will announce and produce in the future rather than a wishlist. However, at the same time I would like to see all of these models produced, as I think the ones that are already available from other manufacturers are outdated and are in need of upgrading. These models are: Class 31, Class 43 (HST), Class 50, Class 175, Class 180, Class 185, the Electrostar family, and the FL MWA box wagons. I would certainly like to see GBRf 50007 & 50049 produced in their current GBRf guises, with at least 21 Pin DCC technology, using the correct colours, with the details of both individual locos modelled, detail bags supplied with the appropriate bits to detail each loco, with nameplates supplied, and with the correct cab end/nose shape. The Hornby models released in 2020 used the limited 8 Pin DCC technology, the incorrect GBRf blue, the details of the individual locos were not modelled, the appropriate detailing parts for each loco were not present in the detailing bags, and the cab end/nose shape is considered to be inaccurate by modellers and collectors. With all of this in mind I opted not to buy the Hornby models because I felt that their were too many errors and inaccuracies for models costing around £180 each, with the RRP discount. I thought that holding off would be a good idea as we would likely see a retooled 50 in the near future. Please prove me right Accurascale, because I would love this pair of 50s... Going back onto my list above I can certainly see Accurascale producing most if not all of those models. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Chris, Thank you for the reply and the information. I really appreciate it. So apart from the horn grilles between the lights on the cab ends and some 90s having LED lights and some not, are their any other differences that you know of, or are these the only differences? I ask because I may in the future overlook these differences and have some models resprayed. I doubt that Bachmann will have allowed for different types of lighting to be fitted to the models in order to accurately replicate the prototypes, but they have may tooled for the different horn grilles between the lights. As you say their may be the different horn grilles available in the future, to change these on the models. Please can you let me know who Jerry is? Does he have a shop or is he a modeller? Also do you have an email address to contact him? Thank you very much in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help me please? I really like the Orange and Black G&W livery on the Freightliner Class 90s. If Bachmann release one in the future, I have a question. Currently 90014 'Over The RainBow' and 90047 wear the orange and black livery in the updated guise, with 90044 wearing the original version with the centralised Freightliner logo on the bodysides. Can anyone tell me if their are any differences on the chassis or the bodies of ex Greater Anglia Class 90s 90003-90015 that are now with Freightliner and 90047? I ask because if for example Bachmann release 90014 or 90047, could I buy more than one model to create two locos through renumbering and renaming or would that be overlooking some differences between these different batches of the 90s? Secondly just a thought. The first batch of standard models of Class 90s included 90005, 90037 and 90042. If I ever wanted to could these models be used as base models for resprays to the ex Greater Anglia now Freightliner Class 90s 90003-90015, or are their differences that would mean that this wouldn't be prototypical? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

That's true, I had forgotten about that. Yes I'm pretty sure that the Kernow sleeper packs that have been available in both FGW and GWR liveries have used the TGS tooling, and that the RFM and BSO coaches have not been produced. Have you managed to find any MK3 sleepers in GWR Green? I haven't managed to find any. Kind Regards, Danny.

I was going to order the GWR 57 too, but having searched Kernow themselves and Ebay for the GWR Green Sleeper MK3s, Kernow appear to have sold out and their are none on Ebay either. I think this will be an issue regarding how many people will buy this loco. The loco is available currently with many retailers in large quantities, but the coaches are very thin on the ground. With this in mind I have decided not to buy the GWR 57. I also think that their will be a similar issue with regards as to how well the 57314 loco sells in Arriva Trains Wales Blue livery. I don't think that any Arriva coaches have ever been produced in ready to run form in OO Gauge, and 314 has worn West Coast Railway Maroon livery for years now, and typically works the Northern Belle luxury train. I suppose this is the issue when producing locos which in reality have run with a limited amount of stock, so to be prototypical in model form, this also means that their are limited items of rolling stock available to buy and run with these locos. Kind Regards, Danny.

You're more than welcome my friend. I'm glad that I could be of assistance. Kind Regards, Danny.