Andy Y Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks to Paul Martin of EDM Models I have had chance to take a close look at something different! Wuiske Models and Haskell Co have joined forces to produce a model of the Queensland Rail 1550 class. The prototype Co-Co diesels were built by Clyde Engineering in Brisbane entering service in the mid-1970s to the 3'6" gauge of QR. The model is offered in HOn31/2 gauge for 12mm track and with an incorrect HO gauge to run on 16.5mm track for those who may not be adhering to the scale gauge. The model will run on 18" radius curves or greater and is compatible with major brands of rolling stock I would never have given the model a second thought as being outside my normal interest areas but I'm pleased that Paul took the time to send the models over. It really is a very appealing loco and model; the finesse of the moulded detail on the body is excellent, the density of paint finish and the standard of decoration is more than a match for what we currently see in the UK. The chassis and bogie have a wealth of crisply moulded detail capturing pipe and cable runs. The red and yellow is QR's more recent corporate livery and this model depicting 1572H is according to Paul's site suitable for a 1994-2006 time frame, the dark grey chassis shows the level of detail to great effect. I'll freely confess that I know as much about the real thing as it's possible to write on the back of a Roo stamp but I've taken time to compare the model to photos of the real thing (including some great pictures of pairs of locos slogging away on heavy freight workings). It seems as though many of the 1550 clas have gone on to be refurbished and uprated but they're recognisable as the same beast. The fan and exhaust meshes are very fine etches with the moulded fans clearly visible beneath. The roof-mounted horns are clearly a separate fit item and the panel lines are fine but distinct. The pictures above show a low bonnet variant which gives a clearer view into the cab; the earlier blue and white liveried example shown below features a higher nose and in its guise as 1573 is suitable for the 1979-1991 period. Even the grille on the high nose is a painted etch and perfectly captures the slightly rounded edges to the higher nose. Each model comes with a pack of buffers which can be fitted to depict earlier models if so desired. The model has an 8-pin socket to fit a decoder with sufficient space to fit a standard size decoder. The models feature directional lighting and the illuminated number displays are a delight, I've only had chance to run the the locos on a 15" length of 12mm track but I can say that the slow-speed performance is a s good as you'd expect to see in a quality UK-market item and the twin flywheels with the model's 236g mass should give a smooth performance. As a HO scale item the model is not much larger than a OO gauge Class 20 for example and it seems from many videos that they were similarly found in pairs so I think it's appropriate to show this video as an indication of their performance on a layout. See from 2:30 - astonishing! The models are available from Paul at ngtrains.com - http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Haskell/1550/1550class.htmlwith a selection of 5 early livery and 3 late livery locos to choose from. The price is £170 revised to £158 as per Paul's post below and I'd recommend it if you fancy something a little unusual in your collection. I looked at the price and going back to the earlier Class 20 comparison I asked myself if I'd pay £170 for a Class 20 manufactured to this standard and the answer is yes I would! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 46444 Posted February 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for posting Andy. Lovely models and a great review. Cheers, Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ngtrains.com Posted March 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2015 And now for some good news............. EDM Models price for these loco's has been revised to £158 plus P&P. They're on our website here http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Haskell/1550/1550class.html The price as first advertised was arrived at from estimates of exchange rates between various currencies (the trade price is in AU$ but you pay Haskell in Taiwan in US$ with GBP - not straight forward) and an estimate of shipping, import costs and other fees. With all the actual bills in I have been able to reduce the price. I am also looking in to getting some of the matching rolling stock in the near future Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Those are lovely! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
south_tyne Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 And now for some good news............. EDM Models price for these loco's has been revised to £158 plus P&P. They're on our website here http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Haskell/1550/1550class.html The price as first advertised was arrived at from estimates of exchange rates between various currencies (the trade price is in AU$ but you pay Haskell in Taiwan in US$ with GBP - not straight forward) and an estimate of shipping, import costs and other fees. With all the actual bills in I have been able to reduce the price. I am also looking in to getting some of the matching rolling stock in the near future Wow! How tempting... Hi Paul, I would be interested in hearing more about the potential rolling stock...? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiple identity account Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I really want one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
QRModeller Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Those who wish to chip their 1550's for DCC will probably be pleased to hear that the decoders have now been added to the Wuiske online catalog. The decoders are: - LokPilot Standard - DCC non-sound 4-function decoder with standard 8 pin plug. - LokSound Select - DCC and Sound 4-function decoder includes wired Speaker and Baffle Box and loaded with correct sound to suit the 1550 class. Prices are AUD$40 for the LokPilot Standard and AUD$140 for the LokSound Select. Cheers, Matt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John ks Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 I model mostly US prototypes including HOn3 When Wuiske produced the class 1550 I decided i wanted one For me running a 3'6" loco with standard gauge bogies was a compromise I wasnt willing to make. I bought one with the idea to convert it to 3' gauge to run on my HOn3 track. A compromise I was willing to live with. Short story, it's doable, just and runs quite well. I believe that there are at least 2 others who have done this conversion, one in the US And one south of me maybe in NSW. And at a quick glance the narrow gauge might be mistaken for 3'6" although the D&RG in the background is a bit of a giveaway. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 The narrow gauge is why some QR modellers use other scales, such as S scale with HO gauge track.The models do look very nice and bring back a few memories of my 23 years of living in Queensland. With the sound-fitted versions, I wonder if Wuiske have allowed for the fact that the first half dozen 1550 class were much, much noisier than the later builds. Apparently there were complaints from lineside residents about the roar from the early ones and larger silencers were fitted to all subsequent locomotives of the class. On a suburban (wooden) Evans set with windows down in the Roma Street and Central tunnels the noise was ear-shattering! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 The narrow gauge is why some QR modellers use other scales, such as S scale with HO gauge track.Sn3½ was the predominant scale for modelling QR until about a decade ago. Mainly for historical reasons as HO track was cheap and some OO mechs were very close if not spot on for some of the Queensland EEs. HOn3½ has since taken over as more models have become available, initially as kits and now RTR. There were a few dabbling in QR120 (TTn3½ but more closely related to NZ120) but this pretty much disappeared when HO kits became available. On the other hand, modellers of South Australian 3'6" gauge predominantly use HOn3. Again mainly for historical reasons as 10.5mm gauge track and mechs were relatively easy to obtain. But with dual gauge the difference between narrow gauge and HO representing broad gauge has more of a visual impact. To confuse things even more Tasmanian modellers predominantly use OO! The gauge is of course wrong but it's closer to 3'6" than standard gauge. There are also some relatively easy conversions from RTR OO models and plenty of 4mm scale scenery available. Cheers David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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