Metro-Vick Type 2 Co-Bo - N Gauge

[rapidoandy]

Rapido Trains is to fill one of the last gaps in the ‘N’ gauge main line diesel fleet with the MetroVick Type 2 or Class 28 Co-Bo.

 

 

On paper, Metropolitan Vickers’ design should have been a good one. The Crossley two-stroke diesel had fewer moving parts than its contemporaries and it was powered on all axles. It should have looked good too with its stylish wraparound cab windows.

 

Sadly, it became one of BR’s least successful designs. The engine was problematic and the unique five-axle design decreased its route availability. Despite rebuilding the fleet in 1961, it was deemed more economical to scrap the class than spend more money rebuilding them further.

 

 

Prototype Factfile

 

Built: 20 (D5700-D5719) built by Metropolitan Vickers at its Stockton-on-Tees factory in 1958/1959

 

How long did they last? All 20 had been withdrawn from revenue-earning service by the end of 1968. D5705 was retained for Departmental duties until 1985.

 

Where did they work? Initially used on the Anglo-Scottish ‘Condor’ container services, they were relegated to local duties around north-west England.

 

Can I see one? D5705 is under long-term restoration at the East Lancashire Railway.

 

 

Specification

 

Post-1961 flat screen version

Next18 decoder socket
High quality motor and drive systems
Directional lighting
Wealth of separately fitted and highly detailed parts
DCC Sound option

NEM coupler pockets

 

What liveries are we making?

 

905001: D5709, BR green

905002: D5711, BR green with yellow warning panels

905003: D5713, BR green with yellow warning panels

905004: D5707, BR green with yellow ends

905005: D5705, BR green with yellow warning panels

905006: D5701, BR blue with yellow ends

 

Price? Prices for DCC Ready models are £119.95 each and DCC Sound models is £219.95 each.

 

What stage is it at? The project is in the early stages. Design work has started using works drawings and a wealth of historical and preservation era photographs. 

 

When’s it due? Delivery is expected in 2022.

[Kris]

Good price for this. I hope it works out well. 

[mdvle]

See Jason's comments from 2014

 

 

[scottystitch]

Very welcome entrant to UK outline N gauge and a very welcome choice of first model.

 

I'll have at least two, thanks.

 

Best

 

Scott.

 

EDIT: I'm also pleased they've gone for teh post 1961 version.

Edited December 1, 2020 by scottystitch

[bluedepot]

excellent news! 

 

i will be buying one!

 

i just like the shape of the loco tbh. never seen one in real life before although id like to visit the preserved one. 

 

next loco please rapido - class 15, 16, 21/29, 25/3, 41, 44/45/46, 59, 71/74... ! 

 

 

tim 

[Mr_Tilt]

While we working on the APT-E model Jason was talking about doing a diorama of the RTC and I told him he'd need models of a Baby Deltic, a Clayton and a Metro-Vic for it to be wholly authentic.

 

Now he's got one of them, even if it is in the 'wrong' scale, wrong for the E-Train model I mean, as I model in N myself. 

[D9020 Nimbus]

I nearly purchased a kit-built Metrovick at a swap meet about ten years ago but opted for a resin-bodied class 15 instead; regretted it ever since, so delighted to see this one. Now I just have to build the Lake District branch for it to run on…

[woodenhead]

Lets hope RevolutioN don't announce the same thing on Facebook 

 

It's a interesting prototype and right up there with something only Rapido would think of.

 

I am sure I can justify one if I stretch Rule #1

[scottystitch]

18 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Lets hope RevolutioN don't announce the same thing on Facebook 

 

 

I guarantee they won’t....

 

best

 

Scott. 

[Roy L S]

16 hours ago, bluedepot said:

excellent news! 

 

i will be buying one!

 

i just like the shape of the loco tbh. never seen one in real life before although id like to visit the preserved one. 

 

next loco please rapido - class 15, 16, 21/29, 25/3, 41, 44/45/46, 59, 71/74... ! 

 

 

tim 

Talking about the shape, wasn't one of it's nicknames the "Wonderloaf"? I am sure I read that somewhere.

 

Roy

[gedlee]

Really delighted with this decision! I will be buying 2 at least.

cheers,

Ged.

 

[MGR Hooper!]

Never expected to see this in N gauge! Quite a surprise. Still waiting for a Class 87 and a Class 90 (and hopefully Cavalex haven't ditched their N gauge Class 91).

 

Not really a loco I want or need, but I hope it sells well for Rapido and I look forward to more models from them.

[MyRule1]

On 01/12/2020 at 13:53, Mr_Tilt said:

While we working on the APT-E model Jason was talking about doing a diorama of the RTC and I told him he'd need models of a Baby Deltic, a Clayton and a Metro-Vic for it to be wholly authentic.

 

A bit like this?

 

 

 

Now we have a Cl 17 in N gauge - can we now have this please? 

 

 

 

[mdvle]

Some who may be unfamiliar with Rapido may like to watch some of the videos showcasing the stuff Rapido have been producing for those of us in North America:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steven B]

20 hours ago, mdvle said:

Some who may be unfamiliar with Rapido may like to watch some of the videos showcasing the stuff Rapido have been producing for those of us in North America:

 

Look at the reviews for the Revolution Trains Pendolino, TEA tanks & KFA wagons all which were produced by Rapido. The Class 92 due soon(ish) is also a Rapido product.

 

The only negative comments I'd heard about Rapido's UK products is that their UK service agent wasn't as proactive as he might have been. Hopefully now there's a UK based Rapido office that should be less of a problem.

 

Steven B.

[scottystitch]

I have a few of Rapido's Canadian outline locomotives and they're the best locomotives I have, in any scale.  And reassuringly heavy, particularly the Dash 8.  I wouldn't hesitate buying a Rapido model.

 

Best

Scott.

[jonas]

Just weighing in with a message of support to a new entrant to the UK N gauge market - It’s certainly a distinct prototype and I’m sure these models will prove to be much more successful than the original design was!

[HonestTom]

On 01/12/2020 at 17:13, woodenhead said:

Lets hope RevolutioN don't announce the same thing on Facebook 

 

 

People could buy one of each and recreate the Condor.

[rapidoandy]

Afternoon everyone. 

 

Our latest newsletter has just gone out to everyone (if you are not signed up then why not?) and includes a few CAD images of our N gauge class 28 project:

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Andy

[Crepello]

Looking great!

[Adam1701D]

That looks incredibly detailed for N. Might have to justify an RTC example...

[JR_P]

Looks very nice, but is this not another of Rapido’s ‘vanity projects’, a bit like their recently proposed class 13 (presumably one of the new UK employees has a personal interest in said class).

 

If they can make a success out of doing models that they are personally interested in, then fair play. There is certainly some aspect of that for the other recent entrants (eg. Revolution and Cavalex) and there is nothing wrong with that - indeed that may even be advantageous to the paying customer, since you would imagine that in the event the developer holds a personal interest this would result in them striving for accuracy and detail just that tad bit more....

However, I find it hard to picture a compelling commercial argument for producing the co-bo, compared to that of a number of other potential candidates.... with the number of obvious low hanging fruit, why waste time/resources/energy on something so obscure???! 
 

Just looking at diesel/electric (as that is what I am familiar with), I could picture that any of the following would be more popular and profitable....

> a southern region [mk1 based] EMU

> a BR era DMU that isn’t the 101 or 108, but especially noteworthy is the 117

> done to modern standards: 87, 90, 91

> 81 thru 85 or 89

> 175 and/or 180

> Electrostar family

> 323

> 317/455

.... you get the idea.... plus all the steam locos I have no knowledge of....

I know people like ‘quirky’ and ‘quirky’ sells* and we can all invoke ‘rule 1’, but with so many other appealing projects I can’t help but feel this is a bit of an own goal....

 

Maybe I’m wrong and it is a huge financial success, the profits of which they can then plough into one of the items plucked from my list above   !!!

 

[woodenhead]

Units cost more to create, doing an odd AC electric for whom the market will be a fraction of the N gauge market would be a challenge.

 

The Co-Bo is interesting, it did manage a couple of liveries and a change in window design so it has options, by the end they were restricted to Cumbria but earlier they were quite far travelled and more likely to sell than a class 84.  In terms of diesels there is this, the class 15 and class 16 before you begin treading on other people's toes - a Peak would have been nice but I suspect Farish are working on one and that won't be lost on Rapido.  Unlike OO I don't think there is as much scope for duplications paying off for both manufacturers.

 

Do they just do vanity projects, they may act the clown in their videos - but that is to attract attention, they are not clowns when it comes to making trains.

[mdvle]

15 hours ago, JR_P said:

Looks very nice, but is this not another of Rapido’s ‘vanity projects’, a bit like their recently proposed class 13 (presumably one of the new UK employees has a personal interest in said class).

 

To be clear, the Class 13 hasn't been proposed - it was more along the lines of a "this is why some models aren't viable, but like anything if enough people really want it then it will be considered" - and that latter part is important, because there are a lot of more obscure items that at first glance would seem to be too niche that have enough interest to make them viable - look for instance in OO at the KR Models GT3, which is likely to have a second run.

 

15 hours ago, JR_P said:

If they can make a success out of doing models that they are personally interested in, then fair play. There is certainly some aspect of that for the other recent entrants (eg. Revolution and Cavalex) and there is nothing wrong with that - indeed that may even be advantageous to the paying customer, since you would imagine that in the event the developer holds a personal interest this would result in them striving for accuracy and detail just that tad bit more....

 

Yes, Jason has expressed an interest in it - he seems to have an attraction to some oddball items.

 

But he has also in the past expressed an interest in some oddball American items ant they (so far) haven't gone any further than that.

 

15 hours ago, JR_P said:

However, I find it hard to picture a compelling commercial argument for producing the co-bo, compared to that of a number of other potential candidates.... with the number of obvious low hanging fruit, why waste time/resources/energy on something so obscure???! 

 

Number one - your first item as a brand new company, if you have the financial resources you choose something a little bit less ordinary to attract attention to make people aware of your brand.

 

Most of the market is not on RMweb or social media, so getting them aware of Rapido as a brand will be difficult - producing an oddball is a way to do that even if many/most of them don't buy it - they will at least look at it in dealer display cases.

 

(as a note, Rapido is now around 15 years old, and has been doing US models for around 10 years, and yet there are still a large number of American modelers who either don't know Rapido exists, or if they are aware still assume that they are "that company make Canadian models" - it is very difficult to get a lot of the hobby aware of your product).

 

15 hours ago, JR_P said:

Just looking at diesel/electric (as that is what I am familiar with), I could picture that any of the following would be more popular and profitable....

> a southern region [mk1 based] EMU

> a BR era DMU that isn’t the 101 or 108, but especially noteworthy is the 117

> done to modern standards: 87, 90, 91

> 81 thru 85 or 89

> 175 and/or 180

> Electrostar family

> 323

> 317/455

.... you get the idea.... plus all the steam locos I have no knowledge of....

 

Revolution is looking into the 89, no need for a duplicate.

[scottystitch]

I'm not sure it's "Obscure".  In the last N gauge poll that was done on RM Web, it polled mid-table in the diesel/electric/turbine section. Not stellar, but not  exactly in the dungeon either.  For many of us, alongside the Class 21/29, it'e the missing mainline modernisation/transition locomotive.

 

In many respects it's actually quite an iconic locomotive, associated as it is with the CONDOR service and Terence Cuneo's famous painting.

 

I'll be taking four.  I know there is enthusiasm for it over on the N gauge forum, as there appears to be here.  If, as they are being pressured to, they also produce matching Conflat Ps, I think they are very much onto a winner.

 

As far as Rapido themselves are concerned, out of all the locomotives I own in a variety of scales, their CN Dash 8 is the best in terms of detail, finesse, weight and reliability.

 

Of course, others' mileage may vary.

 

Best

 

Scott.