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Model Rail Sentinel

LH&JC

By LH&JC,
in Dapol

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brushman47544

brushman47544

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We want to carry out extensive testing of the mechanism before we press the green button for delivery.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

We have a very nice little Sentinel in the office, complete apart from the motor and gears.

CHRIS LEIGH

Err... For three days apart, aren't these two comments slightly contradictory - are you testing the motor/mechanism outside the body? :huh: ;)

 

But seriously, the model really does look good and I am sure will be well worth the wait. And a wait would be good - there's far too much R-T-R stuff coming out now to budget for without MR's sentinel (and black 08) to consider.

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  • 2 weeks later...
dibber25

dibber25

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Posted

We want to carry out extensive testing of the mechanism before we press the green button for delivery.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

 

View Postdibber25, on 21 September 2010 - 21:52 , said:

We have a very nice little Sentinel in the office, complete apart from the motor and gears.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

Err... For three days apart, aren't these two comments slightly contradictory - are you testing the motor/mechanism outside the body? (quote)

 

Err - No. When I posted on 18/10 we hadn't received the sample and I was expecting it to contain a mechanism. When it arrived it didn't contain the motor, weight, gears, hence the post on 21 September.

CHRIS LEIGH

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Markeg

Markeg

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Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for keeping us updated about this little gem of a loco.

 

My question is regarding ordering from Australia. If the next Model Rail comes out in UK some 4-6weeks before we get it, is the loco likely to be sold out before we can get the magazine and know about how to order one? Can we order the Loco on/through the Web? I thought I would ask because I wish to buy the LNER version and may be tempted to buy a BR version and would hate to miss out. I am on the update list when emails are sent through.

 

Have just returned from the British Railway Modellers of Australia convention in Melbourne OZ with special guest speaker Ian Futers. Could have listened to him all day. I asked him about finding sources of survey maps for old railway lines in the North East (Ponteland just out of Newcastle upon tyne).

 

regards

 

Mark in OZ

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  • 4 weeks later...
dibber25

dibber25

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....and now the official version:

 

First powered Sentinel model received

 

Dear All,

We’re delighted to report that further pre-production samples of our ‘OO’ gauge Sentinel 4wVBT have arrived from China, including the first motorised model.

Unpainted samples of the GWR, LNER and BR have arrived for approval, and will be displayed on Model Rail’s stand at the Warley National Model Railway exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham on November 20/21. We’re also hoping to have a couple of hand-painted samples for you to examine. The body and chassis tooling (slightly revised from engineering prototype 1) has now been completed and ‘locked down’ for production.

Powered sample No. 1 is currently undergoing extensive running trials on our office test track, including endurance tests to ensure the motor and mechanism are robust enough to withstand 100 hours of running. So far, the model has passed all tests with flying colours, and surpassed our expectations in terms of haulage capacity and slow-speed running. On its first run, the model took 40 minutes to complete one 40ft circuit of a layout and hauled a train of 20 short-wheelbase coal wagons. Yesterday it also hauled a train of eight Hornby Mk 1 coaches – far more than the real thing would ever have been asked to do.

As soon as we have photographs and video footage of the model in action, we’ll send out another update.

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S.A.C Martin

S.A.C Martin

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Now I'm getting worried - there's got to be a cost to this?

 

Well - yes. Everything has a cost, and for quality products you invariably end up paying more. If this ends up in the 85-100 range I wouldn't complain. The Model Rail team, along with Dapol, have man hours/research and development to pay back on, like any manufacturer, you know.

 

I get the feeling these are going to shift like the proverbial hot cakes - it looks superb that model, very quiet and smooth running. Thank you Chris and Ben for posting it :)

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S.A.C Martin

S.A.C Martin

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£80-100 for what's essentially an 0-4-0T?!? Still, I have to say, it does look awfully tempting, even at that price.

 

For what looks to be an extremely well detailed, extremely accurate, and well running model - yes, I'd pay £80 for an 0-4-0T. I don't think the wheel arrangement is that relevant to its price, if I'm honest.

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Bernard Lamb

Bernard Lamb

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£80-100 for what's essentially an 0-4-0T?!? Still, I have to say, it does look awfully tempting, even at that price.

A Brawa Kof will set you back rather more than that. If the running of this wee beastie is half as good it will be a bargain. A German 0-4-0T steam loco that I was looking at the other day was priced at 199 euros. Welcome to 2011.

Bernard

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dibber25

dibber25

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The model on the video isn't a finished sample, its just plain matt black. We are getting some other, non-powered, samples painted and lettered.

The powered sample has just completed its third day of test running with the short train of wagons and is so far faultless. It does stall at slow speed on the long plastic frog of Hornby's curved points but I can't see a way round that, as the plastic frog is actually longer than the wheelbase of the loco.

The £80-£100 price bracket quoted above is, as far as I know, a guess by one of the posters above. It is not a price bracket issued by Model Rail, as far as I am aware. We currently have no price worked out because the model is still under development and we don't yet know the final cost to us. We plan to price the model as keenly as we can but all matters related to pricing models from the Far East are very fluid at present.

CHRIS LEIGH

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S.A.C Martin

S.A.C Martin

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Posted

The model on the video isn't a finished sample, its just plain matt black. We are getting some other, non-powered, samples painted and lettered.

The powered sample has just completed its third day of test running with the short train of wagons and is so far faultless. It does stall at slow speed on the long plastic frog of Hornby's curved points but I can't see a way round that, as the plastic frog is actually longer than the wheelbase of the loco.

The £80-£100 price bracket quoted above is, as far as I know, a guess by one of the posters above. It is not a price bracket issued by Model Rail, as far as I am aware. We currently have no price worked out because the model is still under development and we don't yet know the final cost to us. We plan to price the model as keenly as we can but all matters related to pricing models from the Far East are very fluid at present.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

My apologies Chris, that was me guessing. :(

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