MRDBLUE17

Hi Fran, Great to see the photos, does look a cracking model. cheers Mark

The TIGER lettering started to appear in at least 1987 when some of the wagons entered clay use. The same with those that went over to ATO. Other wagons remained in ICI traffic and gained the lettering along with a revision to the ICI logo. Hope that helps Mark

Hi Andy, Interesting survey results to see how people feel etc. Personally I am looking forward to being able to go to an exhibition and will be attending the Furness Model Railway show in October as an exhibitor. It’s in my old school so feel it’s a big enough building to spread out, windows to open etc. It’s a case of balance and behaving with common sense, masks/hygiene etc but no reason why we shouldn’t be able to enjoy it as we always did. Thanks Mark

Hi Tom, Totally understand where you are coming from. If this helps you can safely pre-order any Class 56 model you like from us at Rainbow Railways. We are asking for a £30 deposit when you order but if you decide you don’t like the final RRP or circumstances change we can refund this to you at any point. By pre-ordering in this way however will ensure you get the model you want as I’m sure once production is under way and quantities fixed there will be several models that will sell out given the positive reaction to this announcement. I’ve ordered the Colas one for myself too. Hope that helps and gives you total confidence to be able to order. Many thanks Mark

Hi, There will be a few more Anglia 90’s, 90015 going on the website next week. Following these should be another batch of the Freightliner orange ones. Thanks Mark

Hi Ben/Mike, Superb announcement of a very useful and long lived wagon. A rake of these will be perfect for Plumpton working to and from Workington. The fact they are still seen today with all sorts of traction in various engineers workings makes them even more interesting. Theyve worked as far north as Georgemas junction on the pipe trains in EWS/DB use too. I hope this is another successful choice. All the best Mark

Hi Everyone, Just came home from work to a very well packed parcel of Cavalex KFA’s from Trains4U. I originally ordered 4 but added a couple more after seeing the superb painted samples. I had a friendly call the other day for payment and added on several packs of the 3D printed Choks too. I know the quality that Alex and Cav strive for and these KFA’s are another superb wagon from them. They come in very neat sized boxes, perfect for these wagons. The level of detail is to the high standards set by Cavalex, fine piepwork, brake disks, underneath. The end Jacks and end corner chain links are nicely done and the buffer shanks are detailed right down to the OLEO lettering. I’m really glad I ordered the Choks too. Neatly done and painted they are good value for money. Well done to Cavalex and Trains4U for bringing us these wagons. Need to get on with the resin vehicles to load them. Thanks Mark

Hi everyone, I can understand the concerns on final price and knowing how many you can afford etc. As Cav has said it will be similar to other high specification models. For anyone in any doubt whilst we take a £30 deposit at Rainbow Railways, if for any reason you decide that it’s more than you want to pay or can only afford so many we will refund you or move it against the locos you do want to keep. Hope that helps Thanks Mark

Hi Cav/Alex, Absolutely superb announcement and we are delighted to be able to support you with this project. All versions are available to order from Rainbow Railways now: https://rainbowrailways.co.uk/product-category/cavalex/ Hope this is a massive success and perfect for all these HAA’s. All the best Mark

Hi Fran, These samples look absolutely nothing like a class 31! Seriously after looking at the teaser picture the other day and now seeing this update it’s looking very good indeed. It captures the bulk of them really well and I like the refined detail and the brass horns. I’ve currently 4 of this first batch on order and glad I have. Dont apologise about any delays to production either, I would much prefer you take the time to tweak and get them exactly as right as possible in 4mm as they are going to look and sound amazing. Thanks for the update All the best Mark

Hi James, Thanks for your order it’s very much appreciated. I’m not sure why you got the message with a date like that but we will look into that. All being well with production we are hoping it arrives next year. Thank you Mark

Hi everyone, Yesterday it was really interesting to read about the model announcement from Bachmann with of course thanks to Andy for putting the information on here for us all to see. The 69 is too modern for me, only by a few years, but I like the livery on 69001 and will look forward to getting one whenever it comes out. Please for everyone’s enjoyment can we talk about the model or prototype as it develops as many do. Sorry Phil-b259 but your posts come across as though you are well informed, but as a well regarded manufacturer has pointed out to you, it’s not the case. People are not saying it’s cheap and quick and easy but that the overall costs can be shared if a 56 was to develop. Probably more so far the 2mm market as both current options could be improved. thanks Mark

An interesting announcement and didn’t see that coming from Bachmann. I quite like the look of 69001 having seen a photo earlier today so will probably end up with one. Will also be interesting to see what other liveries appear on the class. cheers Mark

Yes that type of thing generally is categorised into low level waste, the containers end up at Drigg where they are stacked up in controlled areas which when filled get covered over. The waste stone from local quarries gets loaded at Barrow docks and runs top and tail to drigg with a hired in set of boxes when required. Flickr is a superb source of inspiration for recreating all the different nuclear workings and the various DRS traction that has hauled them. I’ve settled on Maryport for a future layout and the low level waste containers run there to reverse to head back to Sellafield. Its fair to say the lads at Accurascale have made my layout plan rather interesting with wagons I didn’t expect to see RTR and of course some rather nice 37’s Fran please remind Gareth we need 37716 or 37038 in fade livery too at some point. thanks Mark

Hi everyone, Really pleased to see the CADs for the 4mm FSA/FTA’s progressing. Arran already knows I will be after a set of 20 decks to go behind the pair of Heljan 86’s I have on order, will be perfect on a typical Anglo- Scottish working. Will be needing to add a few more containers over the coming months too. thanks Mark

Hi Samuel, Thanks for your interest in these wagons. I’ve not got a lot of information on the Bridgwater workings and photos are harder to find. Certainly the ATO tanks carried caustic soda for the film factory on the Cumbrian coast around the same period. There are photos of tanks around Bristol and also workings to Baglan Bay. There seem to be several of the TTA types in rakes as well. I’ve not seen them mixed with the Clay ones on these workings I suspect just down to different routes taken in the south. I have however seen ATO tanks in workings in the North of England on the WCML legs with wagons such as the Dapol Silver bullets so they did work with clay. Sorry that doesn’t completely answer your questions but I will keep looking for further details of these particular workings. Thanks Mark

Hi Richard, That’s an excellent photo and indeed the first 3 are the TU013A tanks. The video nicely captures a fairly freshly painted ECC blue version as well. Thanks Mark

Hi Growling, Yes I think you are spot on from photos I’ve found whilst researching the workings they appeared in. Class 85’s, 90’s and 47’s seemed common on various speedlink workings up to Mossend. There was a fair mix of wagons from Cornwall with clay for several Scottish customers at that time. The TUA’s would then usually travel on to Aberdeen with the odd ones unloaded for road transport to Inveresk paper at Stirling. Thanks Mark

Hi Michael, Those would be carrying Caustic Soda. This was the same for the ones to Corkicle which got unloaded into road tanks in a siding next to one of the signal boxes for the Marchon works up the hill. thanks Mark

Thanks Andrew, they will be quite at home on your layout and fit nicely with the Clay tigers in speedlink workings. Thanks Mark

Hi Dungrange, The 2 debranded versions in clay use are ex ICI livery and that was painted out on them around 1986. These ran in workings from Cornwall to Aberdeen and Mossend. In some photos the ICI logo appeared very faint through the faded paint patch and grime. It does appear that in later years the ATO branded also made it up there as the last one was still there in 2004. They were certainly very grimy in the later years. Hope that helps thanks Mark

The last ones were still in use in the very early 2000’s on workings up to Aberdeen 2001/2.

The picture shows 40129 at Golborne in 1983 and the photographer is Richard Clayton. Revolution finds caustic soda at the end of the Rainbow! Revolution Trains is teaming up with Scottish model railway retailer Rainbow Railways to offer the TU013A TUA caustic soda tank wagon in 00. 28 TUA wagons were built by Standard Wagon of Heywood in Lancashire in 1977, to the design code TU013A. They had a gross weight of 51 tonnes and featured Gloucester pedestal suspension. The wagons were built for TRL and leased by them to ICI for use on caustic soda delivery trains from their Mond works in Cheshire. The barrels were painted in ICI’s dark transport blue, with orange solebars, and prominent TRL/ICI ‘Mond Division’ lettering. The wagons were used largely in Speedlink services to customers across Britain, with destinations including Corkickle, Haverton Hill, Dalry, Grangemouth, Purfleet, Seal Sands and Wigton. Later the ICI branding was painted over. Some wagons received the ATO chemicals branding, on the same base colour scheme, while in 1988 12 were repurposed for china clay slurry traffic between Burngullow, Mossend and Aberdeen and given ECC blue livery. Among those options, versions will include original TRL and revised Tiger branding, along with accurately observed variations in colours, positioning and styles. The models will feature NEM couplers, RP25 wheelsets with 26mm axles (for simple EM/P4 conversion and high levels of detailing with numerous separately fitted plastic and photo-etched parts. In the first run Revolution will be offering 19 different numbers overall with 9 in the original ICI livery, four in the original livery but branded ATO, four in ECC blue livery, and two in debranded china clay use. CAD work is done and tooling will begin in June. All versions are available only from Rainbow Railways at an EarlyBird price of £35 each, rising to £40 later. Please visit our website at Rainbow Railways for further details and to place your order now. Thank you Mark

Hi Vanbasher, I have 47840 North Star in as new boxed condition. I always liked this one but never built the layout for it and the other Virgin 47’s to run on. Make me a sensible offer if interested and can send photos from there. thanks Mark

Given the sensitive nuclear nature of these wagons I’m not expecting any news on deliveries from Fran & the team at Accurascale. In fact the more incognito the better, they will arrive when they arrive. If word gets out you’ll have the CND, Greenpeace and all out in force trying to block deliveries to you! Cheers Mark