We are pleased to announce two all new tooling OO gauge wagons. The PXA Steel Coil Carrier wagon and the JXA bogie Scrap wagon. 

These are OO gauge models produced by Cavalex, exclusively for Rails of Sheffield.

They are mostly available in triple packs, however there is also one twin pack and also one single wagon.

The models are being produced both in pristine and weathered finish.

Prices are as follows:

Single Car version £49.95 (Pristine), £59.95 (Weathered)

Twin Pack version £99.95 (Pristine), £119.95 (Weathered)

Triple Packs £149.95 (Pristine), £179.95 (Weathered)

The wagons are currently in production and we expect delivery Q2 2024.

All versions are available to pre-order now from Rails of Sheffield.

Specification Includes:

A wealth of separately fitted parts

• Fully detailed underframe

• Authentic tarpaulin

• Pivoted split chassis

• Prototypical fully detailed replica bogie

• Era specific printing and livery elements

• Designed for easy conversion to EM and P4

• Zinc alloy chassis

• Sprung buffers

• Sprung kinematic NEM couplings  

History:

PXA

In 1986 Powell Duffryn started building a fleet of fifty-four (54), 101 tonne Gross Laiden Weight, Steel Coil Carrying wagons. These wagons consisted of a solid frame with a ribbed moveable tarpaulin cover to protect the product inside. The Floor of the wagon could house coils loaded eye to the sky or eye to the end depending on where the train was loaded and the destination for discharge. The 54 wagons gained the carkind code on British Rail’s Total Operations Processing Systerm or TOPS, as PXA with design codes of PX044A and PX044B. Powell Duffryn hired the wagons to British Steel to bolster its existing fleet of hired in wagons that the company had on long-term hire from VTG.

The wagons entered squadron service in 1986 operating out of the South Wales steel making plants at Port Talbot, Trostre, Llanwern and Ebbw Vale. The product conveyed in the wagons was either rolled tinplate or cold reduced steel coil. The cold reduced steel coil was initially transported to receiving plants at Dee Marsh, Round Oak, Brierley Hill and Swindon. In some cases, the tin plate would be combined with the Round Oak trains with the tinplate being dropped off at the Metal Box Company private siding at Worcester and the other PXA’s loaded with tinplate used the Speedlink Network to serve other Metal Box sites at Wisbeach and Carlisle. Later, both these locations were served by detaching wagons off of the Railfreight Metals services from South Wales to Scotland and Whitemoor respectively. In 1989, the Poole based Shipper and Shipping agent John Carter hired five of the wagons for the movement of cold reduced coil from Hamworthy to Swindon to supply the automotive industry.

At the change of the decade from the 1980s to the 1990’s, a number of internal changes had occurred at British Steel and this sadly saw the plant at Ravescriag closed which caused a reduction in volume from South Wales to Scotland and Dee Marsh as a result. Following the reduction in traffic and demand, the wagon fleets were adjusted and wagons that were on hire were in turn leased back to the wagon owners. The current owners did find new work for a small number of the PXA’s that were off lease with the wagons being employment on traffic out of Boston and Kings Lynn Docks bringing in imported steel coils to West Midlands steel terminals at Round Oak and Brierly Hill, and Wolverhampton. The Trainload Metals sector was successful in gaining new work with flows to Hull for the movement of steel coils for export to South Africa. This was in addition to another new flow to Fogarty’s Distrubuton at Blackburn. As this new service was not sufficiently large enough to warrant a full trainload, this traffic was moved on booked services via Tees Yard to get the wagons to Blackburn!

As Privatisation loomed and the railway entered the Private Sector, the PXA wagons largely plied the traffic flows in the same way that they had before the three shadow freight companies Load Haul, Mainliine Freight & Transrail had come into being. The majority of traffic flows for the wagons were rooted deep into Transrail’s area of operation and that is how they remained being moved on Transrail services again to Dee Marsh and the West Midland’s outposts of Wolverhampton, Round Oak & Breirley Hill. The traffic to and from Boston had ceased but reopened again when the newly formed English Welsh and Scottish Railway’s won new traffic for the transportation of coil from Boston to Round Oak. Again, the PXA wagons were utilised along with some other private owner covered wagon types with the former providing the back bone of the fleet on that flow. The wagons delivered short-term flows of steel from South Wales to the inland Port of Goole on behalf of the shipper Torr Line. With EWS developing and aggressively marketing its wagonload Network that it had inherited from Transrail, the company along with British Steel; the PXA wagons main leaser, used this network to deliver one-off consignments of coils and also volumes that were less than trainload consignments consisting of coils to various customers all over the UK and Scotland. The wagons continued to work on unassuming as they had done since being built, working core flows for British Steel which itself had now passed into the private sector and had been merged with the Dutch company Koninklijke Hoogovens to become Corus Steel. The PXA’s carried on in traffic until they were eventually replaced by more modern privately owned wagons, this time in the form of IHA wagons. The last PXA wagon remained on TOPS until January 2007.

JXA

In 1972 a new steel works was opened at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent. The new site at Sheerness was built to produce steel to be made from scrap metal using the Electric Arc Furnace method instead of the more conventional smelting of iron ore in the Basic oxygen steelmaking process.

This was seen as an effective and efficient way to boost steel production by utilising scrap metal from the south east of England.

The delivery of scrap metal to supply the EAF arrived by sea and also by rail, with the latter using 16t mineral wagons. In 1981 it became clear that the aging 16t mineral wagons needed replacing which led to the conversion of four bogie steel wagons, originally built by Procor in 1974 for steel traffic emanating from Sheerness, to bogie box wagons for scrap traffic with a further four following suit in 1985.

Following the successful conversion of the four steel wagons, a brand-new fleet of purpose-built box wagons dedicated to this traffic were constructed as volumes increased. Over the ensuing years, rail capacity to meet the rising demand subsequently followed suit with more scrap wagons being built.

Consignments of scrap metal to the Electric Arch Furnace at Sheerness originated from scrap yards mainly located in the Southeast at such places like Snailwell, Silvertown, Willesden and Ridham Dock. The flows from Snailwell and Ridham Dock were carried in block trainloads, the traffic from Silvertown and Willesden at first used British Rail’s Speedlink wagonload network. Co-Steel, the owner of Sheerness steel works, was at the time a big user of this network and dispatched small numbers of wagons to such far flung locations as Bilson Glenn in the West Midlands, Workington in Cumbria and Shipley near Bradford in West Yorkshire. To keep the Electric Arch Furnace going, this arrangement of moving scrap on wagonload trunk and trip services lasted until the demise of Speedlink in 1991, after this time, Sheerness received its scrap in block trainload services from Snailwell and Willesden.

In 1994 Tiphook Rail placed an order with RFS(E) Ltd for the conversion of 38 of the Powell Duffryn PXA (latterly JSA) steel coil wagons to scrap box wagons for use on Sheerness Steel traffic. Design code was JX031B and TOPS code JXA. The first wagon converted was PDUF3043, which was completed on 12th February 1995 as number TIPH 3043, with a Tiphook blue box and the original GPS25 bogies painted yellow. The wagon went to Derby RTC for testing, after which the conversions continued. Numbers were TIPH 3008 to 3024 and 3042 to 3062, completed by the end of 1995.

The 17 unconverted wagons, PDUF 3025 to 3041, remained in use on the Llanwern to Ebbw Vale traffic until around 2003/4.

In the run up to Privatisation in 1994, Sherness was located firmly in the area of operation of shadow freight company Mainline Freight. Mainline provided the traction and resources for the trains and whilst Class 58s were the normal motive power for the workings from Snailwell, it was not uncommon to find pairs of 37s on these trains with the Willesden services often producing pairs of 33s in lieu of 58s or 37s.

In 1998 Co-Steel was sold to Allied Steel and Wire who owned the Electric Arc Furnace at Cardiff Tidal. Allied Steel and Wire was a big user of scrap metal, and the decision was taken to amalgamate both the scrap wagon fleets based at Cardiff and Sheerness, into one pool of wagons. This saw the JXA’s normally associated with the Sheerness operations go nationwide.

In 2002 Allied steel and Wire went into administration but interest from the Spanish Company Celsa Group saw both plants at Cardiff and Sheerness purchased. Wire Rod and Wire Coils continued to be produced by the two plants but with a much-reduced workforce. The plant at Sheerness was bought in 2003 by a Saudi Backed company called Thamesteel and again used JXA wagons to deliver its scrap metal by rail.

During this period of time the majority of the scrap metal for the plant at Sheerness was being brought to site by coastal shipping which had an impact on rail services. The volume of steel that the plant was processing was declining by both rail and ship and in 2012 the plant at Sheerness closed with the loss of 400 jobs. However, for the plant at Cardiff it was very much business as usual.

In the early 2000s, the ex-Powell Duffryn JXA wagons started to be withdrawn with some stored at various sites and some cut up. A few examples can be seen in use at Scunthorpe steel works as internal user wagons.

Quote from Cavalex: “We are very pleased to be working with Rails of Sheffield in bringing two brand new wagon models to market. The PXA steel carrier and JXA bogie scrap wagons will nicely fill a long overdue gap in the market as well as complement existing models offered by other manufacturers.

After the highly regarded BBA steel wagons, it is great to look at another prototype wagon which is highly detailed, and in the case of the PXA, incorporating an authentic recreation of the structure flex hood.

During shows over the past few years and by direct contact, we have received many requests and suggestions for these particular wagons, so should prove popular with modellers.

Sitting back and waiting for the comments.

At the opening of Model Rail Scotland this morning, Rails of Sheffield in conjunction with Bachmann Europe Plc announced that they have reached agreement with

The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust to produce OO Scale models of the 812 Class 0-6-0 locomotives. These saw service in Scotland from 1899 until the final locomotive was withdrawn in 1963. No. 828 was fortunately preserved and is in operation on the Strathspey Railway which currently runs between Aviemore and Broomhill in the Highlands.

The model will be produced for Rails of Sheffield by Bachmann Europe Plc. The locomotive is currently under development, full site surveys having been carried out thanks to the owners and the staff at the Strathspey Railway’s Aviemore shed.

The following models are now available for pre-order for which a deposit of £30 is required;

Caledonian Railway blue livery No. 828 (as preserved)

Caledonian Railway blue livery No. 828 (as originally built)

LMS black livery No. 17566

BR black livery with early emblem No. 57565 (weathered)

BR black livery with late crest No. 57566

The locomotives were produced during the time that John McIntosh was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Caledonian Railway (1895 -1914). The first 17 locomotives were built at the Caledonian’s St. Rollox works during 1899 (Nos. 812 - 828). A further 12 were built at St. Rollox later that year.

At the turn of the 20^th century the Caledonian found itself to be short of engines suitable for mineral traffic. With St. Rollox fully committed to other work, it turned to three outside contractors (Neilson Reid, Sharp Stewart and Dübs) to build 50 more engines between them using the Class 812 drawings. The engines from the outside contractors differed from the original batch only in having Drummond style number plates (the originals having the McIntosh type) and three link couplings.

The first 17 locomotives were officially mixed traffic locomotives but were turned out in the distinctive Caledonian blue livery. Some had Westinghouse pumps and screw link couplings to enable them to be used on passenger services. The remaining members of the class spent much of their time working coal and other mineral trains around Scotland. Under LMS ownership after 1923, the class were painted in black livery and lost their Westinghouse pumps.

The first of the class was withdrawn in 1946 and the last in 1963. No.828 is the sole survivor having been earmarked for preservation by the Scottish Locomotive Preservation Trust Fund (now The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust) for display at the Glasgow Museum of Transport then located in a former Glasgow Corporation Tram Depot. It was restored at Cowlairs Works during 1966 and painted in Caledonian Railway blue.

It was the long-term ambition of the owners to restore the locomotive to full working order and in October 1980 it was moved to the Strathspey Railway where it was rebuilt. Returning to steam in 1992 and to operational traffic in 1993 where it is currently in use.

The locomotive is due major works attention in 2020. Bachmann and Rails of Sheffield would like to thank The Caledonian Railway 828 Trust, the owners of No. 828, for providing facilities and encouragement to turn this project into reality.

John Barber of Rails of Sheffield said “we have been working on this project with Bachmann for some time and we are sure it will prove a popular addition to many layouts. No. 828 appeared at the Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala in 2011, so the model is not just for Scottish modellers!”

Regular updates on the projects progress will appear the Rails of Sheffield website under the exclusive Edition section called “shop the range” where orders can also be placed. The 812 Class model is expected to be very popular and deposit reservations are strongly recommended to avoid disappointment, particularly for the Caledonian blue versions.

For further details please see www.railsofsheffield.com

📆 Don't Miss our 'Perfectly Imperfect Sale' Event – Rails

Should be a bargain or two to be had and some items perfect for modification/scratch building from.

I will be there on Sunday with the new "Hattons Lane" layout currently in build with some simple show you how demonstrations. 

James

https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/sonic-models-k-class-steam-locomotives

Definitely another 'missing gap' for us Southern modellers!

https://railsofsheffield.com/exclusive

https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/peters-spares?_pos=1&_psq=peter&_ss=e&_v=1.0&utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_campaign=New Arrivals %26 Updates 090126&utm_id=01KEHK95CKGGN1GM0EQFE6X5JR&_kx=oMla_FID9aEPiG_L8_5fbCEkadUG7r2cg3eCHzGc-KgI1tqnTaD7lncQEs2ingZ9.RXkVMS

Useful access to some spares on an initial glance.

Take care 🙂

Cant see.where you add the code.

Sonic Models have today announced their next N gauge model.

The Newton Chambers Car Transporter Triple Packs

Available in both the Eastern Region BR Maroon and BR Motorail Blue/Grey liveries.

There are six packs available to pre-order in total, three in BR maroon and three in BR Blue/Grey. Each car in each pack features a unique running number.

Other features include:

Fully detailed prototypical bodies including original and later style roof sky lights

NEM Couplings combined with a kinematic close coupling system

Ends with buffer beam original detail and later ETH equipment

Correct size RP 25 profile bogie wheels

Livery schemes for BR Maroon and BR Blue Grey

Models supplied in sets of three in a bespoke box

The packs are available to pre-order exclusively from Rails of Sheffield.

PRE-ORDER HERE

Each triple pack is priced at just £124.95

You can pre-order now with a £25 deposit.

The models are currently in production and delivery is expected late 2023.

History

Originally designated as TCVs, the vehicles later became NVV (vacuum braked) and NVX (dual braked) under BR’s TOPS computer system. Unusually, they featured a hydraulically operated central well capable of storing two cars as well as four cars on the upper deck – a 50% increase in capacity over more conventional car carrying vehicles of the time.

When introduced in the early-1960s, the TCV car transporters were used between London, York and Edinburgh in sets of five or six vehicles with a handful of BR maroon Mk1 coaches, hauled by ex-LNER ‘Pacifics’ and later BR green ‘Deltics’, Class 40s, 45s, 46s or 47s. From the late-1960s onwards, they were painted in BR blue/grey and started to venture further afield on ‘Motorail’ services from London and northern England to the West of England, being hauled by Class 45s, 46s, 47s and ‘Westerns’. However, they were closely associated with the East Coast Main Line throughout their career.

• 39-001S Mk1 BSK BR Research Department RTC "Test Car 5" ADB975051

• 39-001V Mk1 BSK BR Research Department RTC "Laboratory 12" RDB975136

Doubtless an upgrade on the former 39-000V which saw them offered as a pair in 2006 and for which I paid £75.00.

I foresee improved roof without ribs and differing shades of colour more inline with recent releases.

Find it very hard to resist anything in RTC guise.

So thanks RoS, and Merry Xmas 🙂

Could be worse, a branch in Manchester, now there's an idea.

 
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Heljan Co-Bo is back! This iconic model, originally released in 2011, was produced exclusively for Hattons Model Railways, and is now available exclusively at Rails of Sheffield.
NEW FOR 2024! For the first time these models are now available with digital sound pre-fitted.

The full range includes re-runs of the most popular models as well as some new variations not covered in the range previously in BR green and BR blue. Aside from the new inclusion of DCC Sound provision, these models will also feature enhanced livery application over previous releases.
 

PRODUCT FEATURES:
●    Highly detailed model with separately fitted parts including handrails, etched grilles, underframe relief and more
●    Accessory pack with optional headcode discs
●    5-pole motor with twin flywheels, all-wheel pickups & 8-wheel drive
●    Heavy diecast chassis
●    Directional lighting
●    Digital & Sound capable - 8-pin socket [SOUND FITTED VERSIONS NEW FOR 2024]
●    Intricate livery application & printing
●    NEM tension lock couplings

ABOUT THE CLASS 28:
The British Rail Class 28 (or Metro-Vick Type 2) were a class of diesel-electric locomotives built under the diesel loco Pilot Scheme as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan. Often referred to as 'Co-Bos', 'Metrovicks' or 'Crossleys', the class featured a highly unusual Co-Bo wheel arrangement (a 6-wheel bogie at one end, and a 4-wheel bogie at the other). Unlike other Type 2 diesels, the class were fitted with two-stroke Crossley diesel units and had a very high tractive effort of 50,000 lbf. The engines suffered frequent failures and by 1961 the entire class was handed back to the manufacturer for remedial work.

They were known for being excessively noisy and emitted too much smoke. All twenty Metrovicks were initially allocated to the Midland Division of BR's London Midland Region, where they were often used in pairs on the overnight London–Glasgow "Condor" express freight service. After the 1961 refurbishment they were all transferred to the Barrow-in-Furness 12E depot. They were withdrawn after only eleven years in service. A single example has been preserved at the East Lancashire Railway. (Information provided via Wikipedia)
Contact Ben Jones, UK Representative - Heljan benj@heljan.dk
 

Rails enters the Jet Age!

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the unique gas turbine prototype, Rails of Sheffield and Heljan are proud to announce the development of a museum quality OO gauge model of this groundbreaking famous British Railways gas turbine prototype 18000, nicknamed ‘Kerosene Castle’.

Seventy years ago this month, in November 1949, Swiss companies Brown Boveri and SLM completed the construction of a ground- breaking gas turbine locomotive for British Railways Western Region. We are celebrating the anniversary of that significant event with a new OO gauge model of 18000, due for release in late-2020.

Design work was completed over the summer and tooling is now well underway on what should be a highly popular model of a famous experimental machine. Our model has been developed with the assistance of the National Railway Museum using original documentation from Brown Boveri and BR Western Region, including works drawings dating from the late-1940s.

Differences between the locomotive ‘as built’ and as modified during the 1950s have been incorporated into the tooling to ensure ultimate accuracy for each livery and period. Roof, cab front and grille details will vary between the BR black and BR green versions.

The design and CAD work is complete and tooling is well underway. First tooling samples are expected to be ready in early-2020, followed by decorated samples in mid-year and production towards the end of next year.

Three variants are to be produced:

• BR Gloss Black with Silver Trim (1949-56 Condition)
• BR lined green with orange/black waistband lining (1956-57

condition) and early BR crest
• BR lined green with orange waistband lining (1957-60

condition) and late BR crest

Pre-orders are now being taken at www.railsofsheffield.com. Priced at £199.99

They are available to pre-order now with a £30.00 deposit.

Click here for more details

This is a very low production run and pre-ordering is highly recommended

Factfile - 18000

Although diesel power was starting to prove itself as a viable alternative to steam traction before the outbreak of the Second World War, no single unit locomotive of the time could match the power of large main line locomotives. Rather than developing its own diesels, the Great Western Railway (GWR) looked to gas turbine power, ordering a 2,500hp prototype locomotive from Swiss company Brown Boveri in 1946.

Delays in construction and foreign currency shortages meant that the locomotive was not delivered until after Nationalisation, the project being inherited by British Railways Western Region. After tests on the Swiss Federal Railways network in late-1949, it was hauled across Europe and arrived in the UK via the Harwich train ferry in February 1950.

Running on six axle bogies with four traction motors arranged as an A1A- A1A, the locomotive had a maximum speed of 90mph and weighed 115 tons. For low-speed shunting and light engine moves, an auxiliary diesel engine was fitted. This proved particularly useful in and around London Paddington where the noise and fumes of the main engine prompted complaints from residents and passengers.

Like many experimental locomotives testing new equipment, No. 18000 experienced many problems and failures in service but on its day, the locomotive showed itself to be capable of meeting the WR’s expectations. As well as test runs, it was used on revenue earning trains between Paddington, Bristol and the West of England and gained the nickname ‘Kerosene Castle’.

However, a combination of heavy fuel consumption, poor reliability and a lack of suitable operations to achieve the necessary efficiency eventually led to No. 18000 being set aside after long periods out of traffic. It was officially withdrawn in December 1960 and stored at Swindon Works until 1964, when a strange turn of events led to a second life for this experimental locomotive. No. 18000 was acquired by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and modified for wheel/rail interface experiments in Switzerland and Austria. No longer gas turbine powered, it was used as a hauled vehicle, working with various types of electric locomotive.

By 1975 it was resident at the UIC’s famous Arsenal test centre in Vienna, displayed outside the Mechanical Engineering test building, where it remained until the early-1990s.
However, many British enthusiasts recognised the significance of the locomotive and in 1994 it returned to the UK, sponsored by BR’s Railfreight Distribution sector, and went to Sheffield’s Tinsley depot for external restoration.

Since then this tenacious survivor, now largely empty inside, has been resident at Crewe Heritage Centre, Barrow Hill and Didcot Railway Centre, where it is currently on display. It is now owned by the Pete Waterman Trust.

A lovely and detailed video about the upcoming Electrostars, with the teaser of course, about Batch 2 and the 379s and 387s

Just posting this as a warning to anyone else moving house to make sure that any pre-order addresses have been updated! 
 

Glad to say that I was able to retrieve the wrongly delivered 89 as it had been left with builders next door to my old house, the house itself is still empty. 
 

Andi

See https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/179977-railway-icons-–-a-new-venture-for-locomotion-models-and-rails-of-sheffield/ for further details of the new brand and museum developments.

Launching the new Railway Icons brand for Rails/Locomotion is the Class 41 HST Prototype as an exclusive product manufactured by Bachmann Branchline in OO.

BACHMANN BRANCHLINE OO SCALE CLASS 41 HSDT SPECIFICATION

The Bachmann Branchline Class 41 Diesel Locomotive depicts No. 41001, one of just two Prototype HSDT Power Cars which made up the Prototype High Speed Diesel Train (HSDT) and a locomotive that now forms part of the National Collection. Selected as the flagship model for their new ‘Railway Icons’ range, this museum-standard model has been commissioned by Locomotion Models, the official model shop of the National Railway Museum, and Rails of Sheffield. Using the same foundations as the award-winning Bachmann Branchline Class 47 and Class 37, this new model captures the distinctive shape and character
of this 1970s icon to a tee. The technical specification for the model is as follows:

MECHANISM:

•  Five pole, twin shaft motor with two flywheels providing drive to both bogies
•  All axle drive
•  Electrical pickup from all wheels
•  Separate metal bearings fitted to each axle
•  Diecast metal chassis block
•  Diecast metal gearboxes, with gearing arranged for prototypical running speeds and haulage capabilities
•  16.5mm (OO gauge) wheels to NEM310 & NEM311 standards with authentic profile and disc brake detailing
•  Tension Lock coupling mounted via a coupling pocket to NEM362 standards fitted to a body-mounted, close-coupling mechanism at the inner end
•  Designed to operate on curves of second radius (438mm) or greater

DETAILING:

•  Bogies constructed from multiple components featuring full relief detail
•  Separately applied metal detail parts, including grab handles, windscreen wipers, lamp bracket and ETH cables
•  Separately fitted underframe equipment, pipework and conduits
•  Sprung metal buffers
•  Each model supplied with a full set of decorated bufferbeam pipework and accessory parts

LIGHTING:

•  Directional lighting, including headlights, marker lights and tail lights, all of which are switchable on/off at either end on DCC or Analogue control*
•  Cab lighting, switchable on DCC or Analogue control*
•  Guard’s Compartment lighting, switchable on DCC or Analogue control*
•  Authentic light colours and temperatures selected for each light application
• *Switching of lights on Analogue control is by means of the chassis mounted switches

DCC:

•  Plux22 DCC decoder interface

SOUND:

•  Dual Fitted with two quality speakers employed for optimum sound reproduction

LIVERY APPLICATION:

•  Authentic liveries applied to depict the vehicle in its current Museum condition
•  Multiple paint applications employed on each model using BR and corporate specification colours
•  Logos, numerals and text added as appropriate using multi-stage tampo printing using authentic typefaces, logos and colours 

