DRS Crewe On A Mission

I see what you mean. In normal circumstances as you say you could confidently forecast income, but because so much is up in the air at the moment, anyone right now would struggle to do that and be accurate in doing so. It is unfortunate for the companies that have committed to products because this will have a knock on effect immediately for them, by having to reduce some existing stocks to clear. I suppose for you, postponing the next batch of 143s is not ideal, but hopefully in the coming weeks and months things will pick up and then you can relaunch the project at a later stage, when you are able to. Plus, as only you hold the tooling for the 143s, the same level of demand will still be their when you do relaunch the project, because customers will not have bought the same product from another manufacturer. On a more positive note, at least the 142 project is going ahead. I'm really looking forward to some Northern models. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thanks for the reply and the information Charlie. It's a shame, but totally understandable. I really wish I did haha, I would gladly help you if I could. Just seen the 142 thread, so I'm looking forward to your next announcement on their. Stay safe and we will all look forward to further updates in due course. Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Charlie, So a second batch of 143s is now on hold for the foreseeable future then, but in the long term is it still going ahead with the numbers and liveries announced a few weeks ago? Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

I completely agree John. With all reviews for any model we have to be critical when evaluating them, scoring them etc. But this is especially the case when their are known QC issues and errors. If everyone was to simple ignore these and not highlight such issues in videos then it could result in more people spending money on models with said QC issues and then this means that more people are disappointed. At least if more people are aware of such truthful and honest reviews and do indeed watch them, those who still do wish to consider buying one/some models can still do so but they will known of any potential issues before they actual pay for the 66s. Those who are still undecided on whether to buy one/some 66s can make a more informed decision of the pros and cons of the model, and also consider if they have the skills, knowledge and ability to rectify the QC issues if they do indeed receive an affected model. As I mentioned previously, even with the guides and assistance provided by other forum members above, which is greatly appreciated, I would still be very hesitant in undertaking such work myself on such expensive models. After all we were advised that these models would be 'ready to run' and not 'kit form, kit build etc'. I had already decided prior to watching the video that I wasn't going to buy any of the Hattons 66s. With this in mind the video certainly assured me that I had made the right decision for myself. Others may feel confident that they could rectify any of the issues, but I don't, so again this is why such thorough, detailed, honest reviews are useful, because every individual can take the information away and make the right decision for themselves. Kind Regards, Danny.

Colas have nice traction too don't they! I have some positive news on that front too. I now have a Colas fleet again. A few years ago I dispensed with the only Colas loco that I had which was ViTrains 47739, just because it was the older, more original ViTrains tooling before any modifications/upgrades were made e.g the Rail Exclusive 47s. So for a a few years after I had sold that 47 I didn't have any Colas locos, but now I have a few again, at the moment all of them are new and still in their boxes until I have some suitable rolling stock to run with them. Can't wait to see the DRS and Colas traction. Some really nice locos and liveries.

Having watched the review, on a personal note I think it is incredibly true, honest and generous. Just though observing this thread alone it does appear that their has been several QC issues with the Hattons 66s including: wobbly runners, axle boxes falling off or causing the locos to wobble and derail, detailing parts been fairly lose and falling off for example when removing the bodyshell, livery errors including the Colas Rail Freight 66s, Freightliner 66621, the font on the EWS 66s for the 'EWS lettering and the incorrect orange used on 66623 if this hasn't been corrected. With all of this in mind and this is several QC issues that we are talking about their would be little point in recording a review video to then not explain the full extent of the issues and errors. A review is supposed to be truthful, unbiased and have balance to both positives and negatives in relation to what is been reviewed. I think that the review is really generous, considering that the minimum cost of the models is £150 each and that extends to £165 for DCC Fitted and £265 for DCC Sound Fitted. For any of the three amounts of money customers should not expect to receive models with several QC issues. I also thought that it was good to highlight that the Hattons 66s do need work in some instances to repair them, especially if Hattons can't provide replacement models due to them having sold out. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable in dismantling a full loco in relation to the axle boxes, wobbling etc to try and cure this, thus for anyone having not bought one alike myself it's good to know these things before committing to spending money on such items. It's also beyond me feeling uncomfortable in doing such work to expensive models but also down to me not having done anything like it before and I wouldn't know what to do. Even if I managed to dismantle the loco and rectify the issues I would most likely really struggle with reassembling it to get it running again. Also a review has to be out about 'the model in front of you'. A review can't simply wander away and consider other models which the customer hasn't bought, hasn't seen and hasn't examined. Considering that the QC issues do seem to be quite widespread it's not as if the reviewer has been harsh in the review, because it does seem to be that a number of customers are encountering problems. Therefore the reviewer hasn't been 'unlucky' with the models he has received and nor has anyone else because the QC issues are their regardless as to who has bought the 66s. The review also contained positives about a model that does have several QC issues. Other reviewers may not have been as kind and as generous when reviewing these models with this in mind. From my perspective, from someone who hasn't bought any I would say that the Hattons 66 is a massive step up from the previous models in terms of detailing and lighting features but overall these efforts do seem to have been let down by the QC issues, which is a shame considering that it's such a significant improvement from the previous offering. So thank you for the review, it was most informative. Kind Regards, Danny.

That's brilliant news. I'm really looking forward to seeing this and of course the DRS traction that will be on it. At the moment anyone modelling/collecting DRS traction is very fortunate, because we are just spoilt with so many models that have either recently become available or will be available this year or next year. Kind Regards, Danny.

It's a really realistic depot. The signs on the front and side of the depot look excellent. I think it just shows that sometimes the smallest bits of detailing can make a big difference to a building, shed etc. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Charlie, Thanks for that. I was getting confused between the 142s and 156s. The latter wore the original lighter and paler colours and as you say the 142s didn't. Thank you, I will keep following this thread with interest regarding availability and delivery dates etc. With this in mind personally I would like to buy the Serco Abellio livery (2010 onwards) and the unbranded livery (2015 onwards). Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

Sorry your right. My above comment was inaccurate for this thread but was correct for the Realtrack 156 thread that I have been commenting on at the same time. Yes the 156s carried the lighter and paler colours around 2004 but I can't find any of the same livery carried by any 142s on Flickr. So as you say it was probably just a difference in branding and not livery on the 142s. I would still have some 142s in the Serco Abellio 2010 onwards livery and some debranded from 2015 onwards. Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Charlie, That's brilliant, thank you for letting us know. I will wait then until you produce a Northern White liveried 156. I may also be interested in a Serco Abellio purple 156. So is the next batch of 156s just Northern liveries or are you thinking of adding some other liveries to this batch too? Thank you very much in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thank you very much for the reply and for letting me know. I thought that I had missed a livery. I have just searched on Flickr and the older Northern 2004 livery has lighter blue and purple colours and are therefore not as dark as the Serco Abellio livery as per the updated 2010 version/livery. Hi Charlie, Thank you very much for the reply and the information. I have just searched on Flickr and the 2004 Northern livery has lighter blue and purple colours on the bodysides and thus now I have seen the differences. So with this in mind because I don't model 2004 or even near that period if you were opting for three Northern 142s I would prefer two in the 2010 Serco Abellio livery and one in the 2015 onwards unbranded Northern livery. But because other modellers and collectors may want a Northern 2004 liveried 142 if you opted to produce one 142 in each of the above three liveries this would satisfy everyone. For me personally as long as we see one in the Serco Abellio livery and another in the unbranded Northern livery I would be very happy. Once you have decided which out of 142060, 142062 and 142091 will wear which of the Northern liveries please can you post on here and let us know. Also have you got any idea when they will then be available to pre-order via your website? When pre-ordering do we leave a deposit for each model and if so how much is this please? Is the remainder of the money then to be paid at the time of shipping to customers? Thank you very much in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Charlie, That's brilliant to hear. Thank you for confirming this. Will this next batch of 156s also include the latest/new white Northern livery? As I like to model and be as up to date as possible this livery would be ideal for me. As you say the next batch of 156s will be after the first batch of 142s. So will the next batch of 156s be likely to arrive late 2021/2022? Thank you very much in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Hi Charlie, I hope you are well? Sorry for the delay in replying. Is their a difference between Northern and Northern Serco Abellio? I assumed that this was the same livery and my thinking is that it is the Northern purple colours with Northern branding on the bodysides. So basically the livery that the units wore in 2015 before they were debranded. If you let me know if their is a difference and then I will reply accordingly with what I personally would like to see produced. Thank you in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Wow, really excellent work here mate. Thank you for letting me know about this new thread. It's brilliant. Just a thought. The hard standing in the depot area, have you glued it directly onto your baseboard or is it glued to something else underneath that means it can be removed if you ever wanted to? I will be following with great interest. Keep up the excellent work. Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

You're on it aren't you mate with these magazines recently. Putting me to shame haha! Thanks for sharing. I will have to have a look. Kind Regards, Danny.

Excellent mate. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to having a look and seeing what your up to. I'm sure you will give me plenty of ideas for my layout too. Kind Regards, Danny.

Excellent video! Thanks for sharing. That's a thrashy departure. It has to be up their with one of the best that I have seen from DRS 37s. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thanks for the photo mate and for letting me know. It looks really impressive especially with 37s on shed. This is definitely something that I'm going to research and look into more and hopefully I may be able to do something like this. It would definitely add much more of a depot feel compared to how my depot is at the moment. Kind Regards, Danny.

I have been reliably informed that all five will be repainted during 2020. The initial plan was to wait until the RHTT season finished in 2019, which to me suggested that repainting would start in early 2020. But this was a few weeks ago before the pandemic started and with rail been in demand at the moment these plans may have changed slightly. If I am given any further information I will post on here. Hope this helps. Kind Regards, Danny.

It comes to something when you have a fair few DRS locos and it's still probably not even 30% of the fleet of real life locos that they have operated past and present haha. I never really even intended on buying so many DRS locos, but because I like their liveries it just seems as though the fleet has grown and grown in the past few years and what with the Bachmann 20/3s due in Q4 2020 and Accurascale Class 37s due in Q1 2021, it doesn't seem to be stopping their. I'm not sure exactly how big I think my layout is... Thank you. Kind Regards, Danny.

That's true and both ideas are very good. When you have used plastic card, did you watch videos on Youtube etc before you attempted anything or did you just buy some and have a go? I'm just trying to gauge how achievable it would be to get a decent enough looking result for a depot/shed area. Thanks in advance. Kind Regards, Danny.

Thanks mate. So recently I have added some additional sidings to the layout, using an additional piece of board to create and extension to the layout. I was toying with the idea of adding a town centre to said area but I decided against it just because I need additional capacity for stock on the layout. So in a way it was a shame to lose the last available space to more track but I have gained an additional 6/7 sidings which are ideal for stabling shortish trains e.g. DRS flask trains, test trains, RHTTs etc, so I will definitely make use of the space. So that's a positive. I am now thinking of adding some scenic items to my depot area seen as though I can't create a town centre scene. As with the rest of the layout I have already painted the MDF baseboards in a light grey to represent ballast for underneath the track, so I'm now thinking of how best to build the depot area up. It could be a case of adding some depot items and say some bushes and trees. But with the latter I don't want to go over the top. Gresty Bridge in reality is fairly tidy, so it could be that some bushes are added down the side of the depot shed, alike the Gresty Bridge headshunt down the side of the large shed, close to the mainline. I will post some photos when I can of my recent work, which involved using an old siding to create a loop line to access the new sidings. It does look quite smart, especially with a loop line running next to the two main lines. Kind Regards, Danny. Thanks for posting the video mate. I have to say the depot area looks really impressive and it's definitely something for me to think about in the future. A hard standing in the depot/shed area of a layout really improves the look overall and certainly makes the depot area stand out more. Kind Regards, Danny.

It's a really good choice. The Colas, West Coast, HNRC, Europhoenix/ROG 37s are all kept pretty clean. It's the DRS 37s that get mucky especially during the RHTT seasons where they are rarely cleaned and the muck gathers week on week. It's interesting though because I know this and most of my 37s are DRS but I haven't had any of them weathered. Personally I think I just prefer pristine locos and where possible really clean in ex works condition as per DRS 37s after overhaul. At the same time though whenever I see other people's weathering on their locos, they do look good. The weathering on 37418 looks excellent, especially around the exhaust port and on top of the fan. Kind Regards, Danny.

That's brilliant mate and these are excellent photos. I'm really liking your subtle weathering to the chassis and snowploughs etc on the Colas 37s. It works really well because it presents them as used and looked after at the same time, with the day to day grime gradually gathering. Kind Regards, Danny.