Roco Rivarossi or ACME Class E656

[letterspider]

Due to some chance purchases I found myself in a situation of owning 3 (more or less) identical classes of FS locomotive but by 3 different manufacturers.

More information about Class E656 can be found here on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Class_E.656

This is a really popular prototype in Italy as it is a powerful almost mean looking locomotive and then you can see the grinning cartoon caiman on the cab side.

The HO models can be hard to find - often selling out on pre sales. Further frustration is that side by side reviews are hard to find.

 

The odd one out in this review is the ROCO model, as I have the E636 Camilla which was repaired after a fatal accident. However it had E656 cab ends put into place for testing, so there will be a significant amount of like for like comparison.

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by letterspider

[letterspider]

The current Hornby International / Rivarossi model can be found for about Euro 170. It comes in a plastic box which looks good and holds the model well.

The model feels light about 600g and first impressions are of very nice detailing. A bag of buffer detailing is supplied with options for closed off ploughs or with a groove for a coupling hook. The manual mentions some details are for display purposes only and may interfere with running.

One of these are the long cables running just underneath the body side. These are made of a flexible polymer, look really great and I found posed no problems all the way down to 2nd radius curves. They fit on and come off easily - which is necessary when taking the body shell off

Roof details included separate metal grab rails and cooling pipes. The details look very good to the eye.

 

 

Cab handrails are metal. The windscreen wipers are plastic and quite chunky but separate details - so I suppose you have the option of etched wipers if you are unhappy with them. There are no drivers in the cab. The cabs are very basic one unpainted one piece mouldings and very plasticky.

There is no representation of the characteristic window heating elements.

The directional lighting by LED's is bright and the bleed through into the cab is obvious in the case of the headlights, although this may be an intentional suggestion of cab lighting. The top headlight has no lighting

I think this summarises the Rivarossi approach which is a mixture of cheap shortcuts and areas of quality in order to bring in the best detail for a price point - which currently is heading towards £170

Some of the printing is incredible sharp - the all important caiman and works number plate for example, as well as solebar details

Bogies look very good with 3 or 4 levels of detail, however no speedometer cables

The bodyside windows highlight some of the internal problems - namely very little space for manouevre. You will see the motor flywheel and the wires of your decoder

The removal of the body shell is simple in principle - relying only on clips but difficult to release them

The lighting arrangement and glazing shows the economy approach, I don't like lenses like these as they break too easily and then spares are hard to find.

The decoder installation is awkward. The 8 pin slot is on top of the PCB and then you have to loop the wiring and put the decoder in a slot underneath. There is no apparent space for a sound decoder but it must be possible because factory fitted sound is available - however after market installation is not going to be straightforward.

Also not shown is an internal switch for running the locomotive from overhead catenary.

The motor is powerful and the locomotive is quite heavy, so I don't understand the need for traction tyres. There is one each front bogie on opposite sides and you are supplied with spares (I have already had to use one). The sides of the bogies come off very easily, so that is not a problem. It would also make weathering the bogies and wheels very easy.

I am not a fun of traction tyres because you don't want to reach the day when the last one breaks and spares are no longer available.

 

 

Overall this is a nice loco, lots of pleasing details but then some shortcuts but apart from the windscreen wipers most are hidden away. Best of all this is a locomotive you can handle without worries and it also runs for hours, smoothly, reliably, good hauling power and in the end those last 3 points are the most important for playing

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by letterspider

[letterspider]

Class E636 Camilla is a very popular locomotive with Italian modellers, the story and the livery gives it a sort of celebrity status. It is a different Class but the cabs are the same after rebuild, so I will be comparing those areas

 

The Roco box is carboard with foam insert, not as slick as other manufacturers but perfectly adequate. Straight away you see the separate buffer details and the ploughs with comlete or slotted option for couplings.

The user manual looks almost identical to the Rivarossi one, and would make you think that both models are produced from the same factory, however the model itself suggests otherwise.

 

 

Looking at the cabs we can see straightway there is a driver and secondman - which is nice addition. However the plastic handrails bow out and also they break - even worse is that this particular spare seems always to be sold out.

The windscreen wipers are to scale but moulded but they are painted so look good. The window heating elements are also well represented.

 

Livery application and fine printing looks very sharp, the grilles on the side of the cab look better moulded than the Rivarossi

 

The level of detailing upon the bogies are exceptionally fine, the speedometer cables look fragile but in fact will stand up well to handling.

You also notice the considerable weight of the model - the bogie towers are metal however there are traction tyres on one wheel each end.

The roof detailing is separately applied and looks good. The areas which have been moulded are sharp.

The quality and fineness is the same as with the Rivarossi.

However little details here and there put the Roco ahead.

(The side windows on the E636 are rectangular not round) We can see inside a nice touch - there are representations of the inner mechanics of the loco and so we won't be seeing the wiring harness of the decoder or the flywheel of the motor.

 

The body shells are held on by clips which are easy to prise off the chassis. The decoder slot is 8 pin just next to it is a pin selection for pantograph or rail operation. Again things are tight and sound fitting will require some skill.

The lighting arrangement is robust, there are flush lenses in the body shell and a light box is cut into the recess of the chassis -so no fragile perspex light guides.There is no cab light.

The cab is again very basic but wins over the Rivarossi because of the driver and it is just better fitted - not falling on the floor every time you pick the shell up.

The directional lights appear more prototypical whereas the Rivarossi loco is overly bright; only one of the tail lights are illuminated during movement - which I assume is how the prototype works. There is not much light bleed.

Also present beside and under the left tail light is a representation of a small green light which is used in certain situations (shunting?). I was unable to find a function key to turn that on (so far). On the Rivarossi this light isn't present.

Overall this is another loco which has a strong motor and good to play with hours on end. There are good levels of detail and in many places the Roco model pleases you a little more than the Rivarossi with added details in areas where you don't normally look. I feel that Roco have applied a little more thought to please the modeller and so it is a ahead of the Rivarossi especially when the price is again around the Euro 170 mark. If Roco had put in metal handrails the model would have little to disappointment as far as the appearance is concerned.

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by letterspider