Revolution announce Class 120 in N

[woodenhead]

25 minutes ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

I assume that should be "decoder socket"?

 

Do any of your retailers offer sound-decoder fitting services? I'm sure you realise how much more convenient it is to get something already sound-fitted than to have to send it away for sound fitting, with the attendant long delay (TMC, for example, take on average 6-8 weeks). Fitting decoders — sound or otherwise — is too fiddly for me to manage.

With the speaker already wired in (as stated by @Revolution Ben) then it is nothing more complicated than swapping the blanking plate for a sound NEM 18 Sound decoder of your choice.  Should be a 5 minute job and no need to send it away - this coming from someone who himself avoided sound fitting his locos.

[Clive Mortimore]

On 10/09/2022 at 11:56, newbryford said:

http://www.revolutiontrains.com/swindon-120/?fbclid=IwAR1BASt-JaVoAHeTPfP8eNyanNkdb-QKwyf_dU56wQFtr25JWJkYm85r240

 

Waits for the make it in 00 calls.....................

 

Not my area of interest, but a good choice for the Revolution team.

Gone off 00, so can mine be in S scale pretty please.

[Flying Pig]

44 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Gone off 00, so can mine be in S scale pretty please.

 

If you had bought the binocular magnifier with the interchangeable lenses, you could have any scale you liked at no extra cost.  

[montyburns56]

I must admit that at first I didn't think that it would be relevant to my modelling as I usually only run items that were used. in the North West, but I didn't realize that they also were allocated to Newton Heath and Chester depots in the 80s, so now I can justify buying at least one. But I'll buy two if you do one of these parcel units as well. Pretty please!

 

 

[Revolution Ben]

7 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

I assume that should be "decoder socket"?

 

Do any of your retailers offer sound-decoder fitting services? I'm sure you realise how much more convenient it is to get something already sound-fitted than to have to send it away for sound fitting, with the attendant long delay (TMC, for example, take on average 6-8 weeks). Fitting decoders — sound or otherwise — is too fiddly for me to manage.

 

Hi there,

 

Yes, you're correct.   Finger trouble.  The models will have a Next-18 decoder *socket* and will all leave the factory with a speaker fitted and wired in, so adding sound is simply a question of purchasing your sound decoder of choice and fitting it.  We have tried to make this as straightforward as possible.

 

I don't know which of our current retailers offer this service, if any.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[dpgibbons]

Ben - might we expect similar electrical features to the Farish 159 ie conductive internal couplings/all-wheel pick up/lighting controlled via single decoder?

[Stu from EGDL]

Hi Gang;

 

Another great announcement and another step towards a Glasgow area layout in the early 80s, making the prospects more feasible with blue and IC electrics, a prototype APT, Class 314s in Blue/Grey, coupled with a smattering of Eastfield 27s and Motherwell 37s on various freights and Engineer's trains. Only glaring omission from the line up is a credible Class 303 (which also ran in the Manchester area later in life, hint, hint).

 

Will probably be looking at a 3 car in Blue/Grey for the above scenario...and a generic DMU sound file may have to suffice if anything more specific cannot be sourced.

 

Later,

Stu from EGVN

[csiedmo]

It will be interesting to see how the two early blue liveries combine with the regional allocations. The Railcar site seems to suggest that BFYE was mostly confined to the ScR machines, with the reverse true for BSYP. 

[Dunsignalling]

Late sixties or early seventies, I remember 120s working local services up the Exeter-Salisbury line. Not sure how far, though, possibly only to Axminster or Yeovil.

 

Another definite purchaser for at least one, more probably two sets, if you decide to stretch it to 4mm scale.

 

John

[Solo]

Lovely to see this announced and makes me glad I've kept back some of my N gauge stuff since I can see it fitting nicely into a little project.  Regarding the sound question, I gather that the 120s were fitted with twin BUT engines as per many of the other First Generation DMUs - never having heard one would this make it authentic to simply put one of the readily available class 101/108 etc sound files which are already available into it?  I'm thinking that since there's quite a bit of variety between the projects already available there's bound to be one which would match up pretty well.

[Dunsignalling]

45 minutes ago, Solo said:

Lovely to see this announced and makes me glad I've kept back some of my N gauge stuff since I can see it fitting nicely into a little project.  Regarding the sound question, I gather that the 120s were fitted with twin BUT engines as per many of the other First Generation DMUs - never having heard one would this make it authentic to simply put one of the readily available class 101/108 etc sound files which are already available into it?  I'm thinking that since there's quite a bit of variety between the projects already available there's bound to be one which would match up pretty well.

 

I was under the impression that the 150 bhp. engines fitted to most first-generation DMu's were essentially the same, whether designated BUT (AEC), BUT (Leyland) or plain BUT.

 

They should therefore all sound much the same.

 

John

[Stefen1988]

On those Livery illustration in the announcement, shouldn't 50725 be numbered as Sc50725 instead of M50725?

Edited October 5, 2022 by Stefen1988

[woodenhead]

44 minutes ago, Stefen1988 said:

On those Livery illustration in the announcement, shouldn't 50725 be numbered as Sc50725 instead of M50725?

They've all got M prefixes apart from 1 green example on the page - they are just livery illustrations, actual running numbers and liveries are still to be announced as that will form the order book.  I will be looking at W prefix either green or early blue.

[Revolution Ben]

51 minutes ago, Stefen1988 said:

On those Livery illustration in the announcement, shouldn't 50725 be numbered as Sc50725 instead of M50725?

 

Yes, possibly.  We haven't finalised specific running numbers and liveries yet.  The graphics are illustrative, as the text makes clear.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

Edited October 5, 2022 by Revolution Ben

[Benn]

On 05/10/2022 at 12:21, Dunsignalling said:

 

I was under the impression that the 150 bhp. engines fitted to most first-generation DMu's were essentially the same, whether designated BUT (AEC), BUT (Leyland) or plain BUT.

 

They should therefore all sound much the same.

 

John

 

It's not as simple as that, unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your interest in thrash...). It's as much down to the exhaust and silencer arrangement as anything, which varied considerably. For example, a Derby 108 usually has virtually no exhaust sound, mostly engine noise, but a BRCW 104 with the same engine, will wake the dead within a 20 mile radius in 1st gear with its exhaust. Also, AEC engines sound different again...

Edited October 6, 2022 by Benn

[Portpatrick]

A brilliant announcement.  My new multi period layout, Cromarty - steam via green diesel to early blue - will require 2, for running the daily service from Aberdeen.  So one each in green and plain blue - I told the nice man at Warley this on Saturday.    Meanwhile I have 2 units created out of Minitrix Mk1s with BHE cab ends and a Greenmax chassis.  A conversion outlined in the NGS journal some 10 years ago.  They do for now. 

[Stefen1988]

I'm starting to wonder how much the final Models will cost.

[Revolution Ben]

2 hours ago, Stefen1988 said:

I'm starting to wonder how much the final Models will cost.

 

Hi there,

 

Until the CAD is completed we won't have finalised our pricing structure, though the three-car Class 175 we are offering may give a rough indication.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[nickb4141]

Hi Ben/Arran,

 

I just wondered if you’d thought about accommodating an alternative Derby end in the 120 tooling? Then you could produce a Class 119, (bodysides were identical) The 119’s, despite being Western units, were surprisingly widespread in their lifetime ( I’ve seen photos in the Newcastle area and even Whitby!) 

 

Looking forward to the 120 by the way! 
 

cheers, Nick

[1977joey]

1 hour ago, nickb4141 said:

Hi Ben/Arran,

 

I just wondered if you’d thought about accommodating an alternative Derby end in the 120 tooling? Then you could produce a Class 119, (bodysides were identical) The 119’s, despite being Western units, were surprisingly widespread in their lifetime ( I’ve seen photos in the Newcastle area and even Whitby!) 

 

Looking forward to the 120 by the way! 
 

cheers, Nick

 

Oooh now if a 119 was produced I'd definitely be down for one! 

 

Cheers,

Mark

Edited January 29, 2023 by 1977joey

[Benn]

I'm just hoping that they won't be fitted with an 'electrical coupling' between vehicles...

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, Benn said:

I'm just hoping that they won't be fitted with an 'electrical coupling' between vehicles...

To avoid multiple decoders then some sort of connection will be needed, I am sure any lessons that needed to be learnt from the previous models with them will have them applied.

[Benn]

22 hours ago, woodenhead said:

To avoid multiple decoders then some sort of connection will be needed, I am sure any lessons that needed to be learnt from the previous models with them will have them applied.

 

That system is fine for fixed-formation units, but First Generation DMUs are anything but fixed-formation. 120 vehicles regularly ran with vehicles of other DMU classes, especially 101s.

I'm generally not a fan of Electrical Couplings in N, they are by default unsightly (far worse than the dummy knuckle couplers I currently use) and excessively fragile and difficult to couple and uncouple for those who don't or can't store trains on their layout, or those of us who don't have a layout permanently set up (i.e. exhibition use). Every time you couple or uncouple, you risk damage to the couplings, wires and contacts, and usually the decoration of the model in the process.

In my opinion, the negatives far outweigh the positives when it comes to fixed couplings in N/2mm. If the sacrifice is robustness and reliability of design (physically and electrically), ease of coupling and uncoupling, flexibility of wanting to swap vehicles around to make up prototypical hybrid sets, and removal of the choice to reduce the gap between vehicles to a scale distance, all for the sake of simply the end user purchasing a second decoder (and that cost only applies to users with DCC), then I can't see how that can be justified. It limits use of the product far too much.

The potential cost savings of removing several layers of complexity during design, manufacture and assembly should also reduce the RRP of the product, which could be offset against the cost of the second decoder.

There are also the long-term potentials to consider if those couplings get damaged or the wire loom/soldered joints/contacts become damaged - the unit may cease to be operable until it's repaired depending on how the decoder/pickup/motor power situation is arranged. Having undertaken this sort of (involving!) repair on OO units myself, I would imagine it to be quite an unpleasant job in N! The more complexity you put into models, the more there is to go wrong, even under normal, careful use...

Edited January 30, 2023 by Benn
Spelinn...

[woodenhead]

Then perhaps a version more akin to the Farish version on the 120s?

[Brian-1c]

I prefer having a decoder in each car and will pay for the cheapest decoder around for lights. The flexibility in operations is worth it to me. I do realise that many would prefer to have just a single decoder.

 

Two sound decoders in a Midland Pullman is great, worth the expense and I will be putting two sound decoders in my HST when it arrives.

 

Keeps the couplings more manageable.