57xx Pannier Tank Family, By Accurascale

[NHY 581]

21 minutes ago, OnTheBranchline said:

 

Do we think the new Accurascale release will drive down the prices of the used Bachmann 57xx/8750 ones?

 

 

No I don't.  Accurascale's price point is once again spot but not so different to that of the existing Bachmann 94xx. You can pick up good, boxed examples for anywhere between £40-£70. Some later releases will be more but realistically,  not much more. . There will still be a buoyant market for s/h if not new Bachmann Panniers.

 

Rob

[The Johnster]

5 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

So any AS panniers that I buy, will be non-top feed and/or riveted tank versions.

 

I am of much the same view; I have no intention of replacing my three renumbered Baccy panniers, 5756, 5797, and 9649, but you can never have too many panniers on a WR layout and any new purchases will be AC.   5797 has had it's topfeed and the associated  plumbing removed, so any further 57xx will be outside contractor-built engines with rivetted tanks assuming I can find one allocated to Tondu during my period, will be checking through the Hodge/Davies Tondu Valleys books later, and any new 8750 will have to be topfeedless.  I try to incorporate as much variety as possible into my fleet, in terms of variations in appearance and liveries within a class so long as they are Tondu/timeframe appropriate. 

 

AC have missed a variation, incidentally, though I am sure that they will flag it up for future releases; 5797 is photographed in the Hodge/Davies books on shed at Tondu in 1951 with the front top lamp bracket mounted on the face of the smokebox drum rather than the top in front of the chimney.  I've seen occasional photos of other 57xx with this feature, but have no idea if it migrated from loco to loco with the boiler, when it was introduced, or if there is any specific reason for it!  Seems to be peculiar to 57xx, not seen any 8750 or other pannier so fitted. 

 

I would have liked to see posable sliding cab shutters.  There is a sliding cab roof ventilator, and shutters are probably the easiest modelling job in the world if you want to include them; sheet of plastic glued to the inside of the cab side extending no further back than level with the cab doorway.  But it would be nice to position the shutters, and the outside ones on prairie and 8-coupled tanks as well.  Not a dealbreaker, especially given the very reasonable asking price, but I would argue more of an enhancement on a DC loco than the firebox glow.

 

AC are extolling the virtues of the slow-running capabilities of their mech, with a coreless motor and a flywheel, and if they are significantly better than the Bachmanns in this respect they will be booked out on pickup work while the (relatively) poorer slow runners will be adequate for passenger jobs.

[Jon Harbour]

This announcement is so very welcome! I've been waiting and waiting for some GWR 57xx panniers to come along. Will be getting my pre-orders in today! Congratulations Accurascale - exactly what I've been after for some time.

[Paul.Uni]

Hint about what livery 57XX (& Mark 2C FO) I would like to purchase.

 

[The Johnster]

5 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

 

As to the fate of my model of 5798 a lot will come down to whether or not I finally manage to pin down whether or not it should have a topfeed.  If it shouldnt have one, it will be on the chopping block, if it does then I will see how it stands up next to its newer sister.

 

I've been as vociferous as anyone on the subject of topfeeds on parallel boilered RTR GW engines, but scrapping a pannier because it has a topfeed and it shouldn't seems a bit extreme; renumbering to a suitable example is not difficult on the Baccy model, which has printed number plates. 

 

The problem is that, if you want a specific loco by renumbering in this way, you need dated and verified photographic evidence.  It needs to be dated because the topfeeds were attached to the boilers (no sh*t, Sherlock) and the boilers moved around between engines, and sometimes between classes.  This is because it took about three weeks to overhaul the loco, but five to overhaul, test, and certify the boiler, and there was always demand for erecting shop bays, not to mention that the beancounters wanted the loco back in traffic earning money as quickly as possible.  So, when the loco arrived at works for main overhaul, the boiler was taken out and sent to the boiler shop, and when it was time for a boiler to be put back in the frames, the boiler shop would send the next available overhauled and tested boiler to get the loco back into traffic.

 

This means that it is difficult to trace which boiler was fitted to any individual loco at any given time.  A loco built with a topfeed boiler might emerge from an overhaul with a plain boiler, and vice-versa, and then revert to topfeed at it's next works visit.  Overhauls were based on mileage not time in service, so it is difficult to extrapolate forward or backwards from a known photograph with any degree of reliability.  We can assert generalisations; a loco photographed ex-works is going to keep that boiiler for some time, and over time as more topfeed boilers were built ther was a general tendency for topfeeds to become more common, but this sort of generalising is a sure route to inaccuracy.

 

So I am very pleased to see that AC have decided to provide non-topfeed versions of these locos.  I would personally have liked to see the topfeed and it's associated plumbing included in the box as retrofit detail, but fully understand the marketing reasons that this is not likely to ever happen except in kits.

[Miss Prism]

Dome is a bit 'sarfeastunchatum' at the moment. If the draft angle could be reduced to (say) 1 degree, that would be great.

 

 

 

It can be done: this release angle is really small (almost zero), and Bachmann have been banging these out of their moulds for decades.

 

 

 

 

[melmerby]

6 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

Dome is a bit 'sarfeastunchatum' at the moment. If the draft angle could be reduced to (say) 1 degree, that would be great.

 

 

 

It can be done: this release angle is really small (almost zero), and Bachmann have been banging these out of their moulds for decades.

 

 

 

 

Accurascale's "nipple" also seems a little undernourished.

[57xx]

1 minute ago, melmerby said:

Accurascale's "nipple" also seems a little undernourished.

Or is Bachmanns too aroused?

[9402 Fredrick]

The only negative I can find with this release is not knowing which one I want 😅.

[melmerby]

5 minutes ago, 57xx said:

Or is Bachmanns too aroused?

The ones in photos generally seem a little more obvious.

They did vary a bit anyway

[David Stannard]

11 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I'm more worried we'll end up with three of them!

 

Whilst I might buy one or two*, I'm not going to suddenly start disposing of perfectly good models just because a new one is available. Especially since there was 863 of them. I don't quite understand that idea. They were "good enough" yesterday and it's not like the older models were misshapen lumps that bear no resemblance to the real thing. Just a bit dated.

 

 

*Already got my eye on at least one

 

 

Jason

 

 For those of us who are Pre War modellers the Bachmann and earlier Mainline/Replica models are inaccurate, I wouldn't go has far as saying they are misshapen lumps that bear no resemblance to the real thing, that said they require a fair bit of cosmetic surgery that is out of the comfort zone for many modellers, taking a razor saw and a plethora of Excel knife blades to a brand new locomotive is not for the faint hearted and be quite a daunting prospect for many.

[Jon Harbour]

Well, following the announcement last night, my self-control evaporated this morning! Two pre-WW2 models pre-ordered... Could have been more, but I tried to show at east a modicum of restraint.

 

PS: Thought the  announcement video was excellent - thought it might be a Hall class or the 8F right up until the 'reveal'! 

[locoholic]

16 hours ago, Accurascale Fran said:

 

Hi @David Bigcheeseplant,

 

It would be an interesting variant for sure. We wonder what demand would be like?

 

Cheers!

 

Fran 

 

It's noticeably different from the models that have been made before. I would buy a couple of 97xx panniers. I can't justify buying any more 57xx or 8750 ones. Demand for the 15xx panniers seems to have been OK, and they're just as "niche" as the 97xx.

[Coach bogie]

6 hours ago, The Johnster said:

 

AC have missed a variation, incidentally, though I am sure that they will flag it up for future releases; 5797 is photographed in the Hodge/Davies books on shed at Tondu in 1951 with the front top lamp bracket mounted on the face of the smokebox drum rather than the top in front of the chimney.  I've seen occasional photos of other 57xx with this feature, but have no idea if it migrated from loco to loco with the boiler, when it was introduced, or if there is any specific reason for it!  Seems to be peculiar to 57xx, not seen any 8750 or other pannier so fitted. 

 

You can add another variation. The first batch of 57XX did not have steam heating. This was retro fitted later.

 

Let us just rejoice that our wish list has been realised.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[844fan]

17 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Probably better than the variant with the square chimney ....

... bet your tooling can't do that !! 🤣

 

Hey,

Leave the type 51 alone. 🙃 They are neat!

[WD0-6-0]

13 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Looking to confirm 5798 and 9717 both in 1947

I believe the books 'Great Western Steam in Cornwall' and 'More Great Western Steam in Cornwall' have pictures of 9717 shunting in Marazion Station though the dates are unreliable. I believe two photos have dates years apart but you can clearly see from the rolling stock in the background they were taken the same day. I think the latest suggested date was some time in the early 50s, I can't recall if it had a top feed or no but I'll have a look in my books when I get home.

Doesn't help you with 1947 exactly, 9717 was in penzance from 49-54 but it's a little closer

Edited November 24, 2023 by WD0-6-0
Extra info

[Miss Prism]

Cab roof handrails
(can of worms factor: low)

 

Early locos, whether Swindon-built or subcontractor-built, did not get cab roof handrails until at least 1936, when the prevailing insignia would be shirtbutton. Fitting of a cab roof handrail often coincided with the addition of bunker steps, but the fitting did not always take place at the same time. Later cab versions also might not have roof handrails even after bunker steps had been fitted, e.g. 9741.

 

Accurascale has chosen to do both 9741 and 5754. It is possible Accurascale has seen a pic of a handrail-fitted 5754 later than the OOC 1935 one linked above. Similarly, comment applies to 6743, which Accurascale is also offering. (6743 appeared in 1931.)

 

Accurascale's shirtbuttoned 7755 aligns with the c 1938 reference picture (bunker steps but no handrail).

 

You may or may not care about any of the above.

 

[Miss Prism]

Bufferbeam fixings style
(can of worms factor: medium)

Ummm [wriggles uncomfortably], it seems bufferbeam fixings could be either domehead or hexhead. I have yet to work out why or when or if changes took place.
 

 

 

[Miss Prism]

I don't know how Accurascale has done it, but the footplate top surface has rivets. Ingenious.

 

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, Miss Prism said:

Bufferbeam fixings style
(can of worms factor: medium)

Ummm [wriggles uncomfortably], it seems bufferbeam fixings could be either domehead or hexhead. I have yet to work out why or when or if changes took place.
 

 

 

 

Intuitively, I'd expect the variation to reflect the usual practice of whichever contractor (or Swindon itself, of course) built the loco in question, rather than it necessarily being an age-related change.

 

John

Edited November 24, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Csalem]

21 hours ago, Steve Purves said:

5741 is duck!

Or is he....

 

(Rev Awdry suggested in his book on the Island of Sodor that Duck took the number of another Pannier before he went to the island).

 

Be nice if over time if Accurascale did all the Railway Series locos, but as their real counterparts. Would get an Accurascale A4, Black 5, etc then.

[BVMR21]

Will ask if the Accurascale lads could clarify if the artwork will be updated to show the correct route circles on the pre-1950 liveries? (i.e. blue not yellow)

[Wickham Green too]

25 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Intuitively, I'd expect the variation to reflect the usual practice of whichever contractor (or Swindon itself, of course) built the loco in question, rather than it necessarily being an age-related change.

... or is a bolted-on beam a preservation thing p'raps ?

[Pteremy]

With Hornby including a 57xx in phase 4 of their TT120 schedule do you think that they were also intending to do a new 00 version? I know the design issues are different - but there would be some benefit in spreading the costs of research etc across 2 scales, and (I assume) using the same sound recordings.

[Pteremy]

On a point of detail, was the 1948 batch 9662 to 9672 identical to the 1949 batch 9673-82? If they were then I can preorder 9681 with the intention to renumber to 9670.