Venator

I looked at their website and perhaps I missed it but is there a way of pre ordering one?

Good things come to those that wait. My wallet has breathed a huge sigh of relief as 2021 has been an expensive year for SE&CR models, not that I am complaining though!

I've been away from home for a few weeks but finally managed to assemble the BEP and get it working. I changed the coupling from the motor coach and using tweezers pulled all the connections as tight as possible. The coupling mechanism is such a poor design, far worse than the 4CEP or even the EPB, it is so difficult to get sufficient pressure on the coupling without bending the vertical pole that links it to the chassis. For a model that cost £425 and for it to be worse than the 4CEP in this regard isn't exactly great. It's also quite stark when coupled to the 2HAP or 2EPB how dim the interior lighting is. So overall I'd say minus the coupling issue it has all that's good about the 4CEP but to be honest unless someone desperately wants the BEP I'd advise picking up a cheaper CEP instead!

Well after quite a few hours of struggle I got the 4BEP assembled and went for a test run. Annoyingly the interior lighting only works in the motor coach, I have assembled it as per the instructions and even tried changing the coach order. Any suggestions? Each iteration of Bachmann DC EMU seems to make the couplings worse and on a 4 coach unit that really is a problem in terms of transfering from the bench to layout.

I believe myself to be fairly generous to manufacturers, I stood up for the Hornby 4VEP when it was taking a hammering from people on this forum for having a corridor a few mm out of scale. Here I echo some of the disappointment regarding some rather sloppy and avoidable errors, at £200 a loco one does expect liveries to be correct. I suppose the thing we have to always bear in mind is that nobody is forcing you to buy the model. Quite simply if it doesn't meet your standards don't buy it and build your own. However, despite the niggles, I am delighted the SE&CR D is available in RTR form, and because I cant hope to build kits for myself (lack of skill and time) I have accepted these minor issues. At a time when some manufacturers (Hornby) are becoming less and less adventurous and just retooling the same old celebrity 'big' locos Rails and Dapol should be commended for doing the D. I hope perhaps they might consider doing an E, especially if the bluebell project to build one advances.

A bit late to the party but I have only just been able to have a running session with my three Ds, still waiting for the BR black to turn up. I noted that on all three one tender buffer was adrift but I haven't had cab roofs fall off. Generally they run well though definitely needed running in despite Dapol's instructions. My main concern and forgive me if someone else has already pointed this out, the centre wheel on the tender doesn't turn freely. Is it a lack of weight in the tender? Apart from some minor detailing issues I think they are lovely models and to quote General Grievous they will make a fine addition to my collection.

The delivery I had for the first (n.o 488) was found thrown over the fence and absolutely soaking. Hoping nothing is broken.

I wanted the 4BEP in blue and grey but I am definitely having second thoughts, £425 is alot of money and 2021 has already been an expensive year. I suspect they won't fly off the shelves at that price, regardless of whether the price is 'fair' or not. That said I have just spent approx £200 for the Rails D Class so I suppose its not as outrageous as it might first seem.

For all the issues there may or may not be I am happy that I will in due course have four D Class. £200 seems alot but a few years back I purchased a ready to run SE finecast D in SE&CR livery. I believe parts and materials alone were nearly £200.

As a born and bred man of Kent I agree. Personally I think we should fortify the Medway to keep out those Kentish men and encroaching Londoners! My 488 has been delivered back to base in ashford, was found thrown over the fence. So hopefully it works when I get a chance to test it in a few weeks. It's somewhat ironic that Ashford works was known for high quality workmanship and sadly it does appear Dapol haven't quite matched that in their model. I usually try to defend manufacturers and I will be better qualified to judge when I see the model for myself, but a £200 model should not have wonky numbers or a height difference between loco and tender.

One of the great things about railway modelling is it is such a flexible hobby and you can put in as much or as little as you desire. It's your layout you can do what you want with it and unless you make a claim to be absolutely strictly modelling a particular period or location you can mix and match as you feel. I have no problem at all with modellers who can and want to build their own stock, buildings etc but dont view our hobby as a competition. That classic line of "make time" used to make my blood boil when I worked on the railways. It was usually said by managers who had assistants and secretaries! Personally I find doing work on the layout or building something requires a good deal of concentration so often after a long day my faculties cant cope with much more than operating trains and even then if there's a derailment..........

I think some people on this forum overlook an important reason why so many people buy RTR models and accept whatever defects they have. The reason is time. Even if I had the skills to build lots of suitable and more authentic SE&CR stock I doubt I would have the time. I'm grateful that through their genesis range Hattons have given me some rolling stock other than the Bachmann birdcages to complement my SE&CR locos. Please dont reopen the livery application debate again!

The only sound recordings I know of a D class working are the various argo transacord tracks for southern steam. One of them has a D working on the Reading line and sounding very impressive.

To be honest the whole debate about colour has been gone into in detail on the other relevant topic. To my simple mind it comes down to which out of the Bluebell or K&ESR have got their interpretations of dark lake correct. Bachmann went for Bluebell and Hattons went for K&ESR. As a K&ESR member and previously a volunteer I was personally delighted Hattons went for 'K&ESR SE&CR dark lake' but I appreciate others may disagree on that.

At a rough guess I'd say in the last 5 years the SE&CR section has done very well, perhaps on balance better than the LSWR? I think the LBSC could probably do with a few more releases, perhaps a K and another tank? What a lovely idea for a layout and I agree completely I cannot wait for the D Class either . My own layout was very loosely a sort of 'whatever I want' Ashford through the ages. I will be dismantling my layout in the summer and probably putting my stock into store for a while before I can build a new layout at my new place.

Well I am born and bred Ashford! What's left of the works is about 10 minutes cycle from home. I get deeply irritated that so many 'southern' dvds and books really mean the ex LSWR territory, almost as though the eastern and central sections didn't exist. So in a small way trying to put that right on my layout. Glad I'm not the only one who ordered the entire selection of Hattons genesis coaches in SE&CR.......

I managed to get a malachite set on ebay the other day for £172, which I thought was a good price considering new it would have been £219. I have the SE&CR dark lake set to acompany the D in SE&CR full, the SE&CR brown set to acompany the D in wartime grey, the Maunsell green set to acompany the D in olive green and the BR red set to acompany the D in BR black. My budget didn't quite extend to getting the Sunshine southern D but you never know!

Buying locomotives seems to lend itself to buying matching coaches. I have a rather large pile of Birdcage coaches in various liveries that I didn't have before the D samples were shown a few months ago! What with the genesis coaches arriving in a few months I'm sort of hoping 2022 is one of those years there's nothing that takes my fancy but then I wouldn't say no to an E class

All I can say, rather selfishly I guess, is I'm glad Hattons are doing the SE&CR coaches instead of Hornby. I haven't seen either in the flesh but it does look like Hattons have gone that little bit further on quality. To my mind £36 a coach with lights in this day and age is good value given a traintech lighting strip is £20 alone.

It has been a great few years for SE&CR and Southern Railway eastern section modellers. Having RTR C, D, H, P & N models is pretty good going. Though I still do appreciate the Wrenn R1!

Got x4 on order. SE&CR n.o 488 & 726, SR 1730 and BR 31574. I would have ordered the other two if money was no object! Must say I am delighted with the sample photos they do look really good. Hopefully the quality control and testing has been rigourous.

I have the entire selection of SE&CR coaches on pre order. To be honest I am not too fussed about a particular shade of red, even in preservation coaches ostensibly painted the same colour fade and deteriorate at different rates. That said everyone seems convinced the Bluebell application is correct rather than the K&ESR. I don't know , perhaps I've missed it, what the evidence for that is? I don't think the chaps at the K&ESR Carriage & Wagon would have chosen said livery without due diligence. I admit my bias, I am a K&ESR member and what attracted me to the Hattons coaches were their similarity to the K&ESR 4 wheelers.

Yes I echo the thanks and have logged on and accepted the price. Would perhaps have been nice if Rails had actually emailed those that a pre order in to confirm rather than finding out via a forum! Whilst accepting the locos are not complete updating the livery sample photos may have perhaps convinced some who are on the fence. That said I am very much looking forward to getting my SE&CR pair.

Looks good. I'd actually say given the price of the 2HAP the 4BEP isn't as outrageous as it might first seem. I'm looking to plug the gap in my eras on my layout, I have a 4CEP in green and 4VEP in NSE so a 4BEP in blue and grey will do nicely.

But early or late crest X-Wing & Tie Fighters?