Oliver Rails

We were hoping for the delivery of our London, Brighton & South Coast A1 Class Terrier in time to get pre-orders out for Christmas. However, due to the high demand for freight traffic out of China, the model has missed the Christmas deadline and production will be here early in the new year. We can only apologise for the late delivery but we should be able to provide more positive news early in the New Year.

I just wanted to keep everyone updated. Due to large volume of orders including many new Bachmann and Hornby arrivals plus the dreaded staff sickness which has been making its rounds (Thanks to the winter bug!), we currently have a slight backlog of orders waiting to be despatched. We are working as hard as we can to get back on top of this and hope to have this resolved in the next couple of days. The remaining van orders are being processed and will be despatched today (subject to any payment issues). I apologise once again for the delay in getting these out to our customers but please believe me when I say we are doing all we can! Many thanks Oliver

Hi, If you can message me with your order number and details then I will take a look into it. It does seem strange as I have checked with the mail order team and multiple orders (unless requested otherwise by the customer) were being held to despatch together to save on postage. I will get back to you once you PM me your details. Thanks Oliver

Hi. The first batch of orders for the remaining van orders are being processed and despatched today. We will then continue over the next few days to get them all out ASAP. Once again I apologise for the delay. We have hundreds of orders being despatched daily but still have a slight back log. We are working to get on top of it as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience during this time. Oliver

Hi, I can confirm that the final van arrived late last week, however the Warley build up plus the large amount of new Hornby and Bachmann arrivals and the Rapido bus fulfilment has meant that we are running a couple of days behind. We are working as hard as we can to get back on top of everything. I know everyone who hasn't received their models are anxious to get them and we will be processing and despatching as soon as possible. For the people that missed out on getting one, we hopefully will have some good news to share shortly but this will not be until all original orders have been processed. Thanks Oliver

A little delay on a small component has cause us a slight set back. All will be delivered by air so that we can get them here as soon as possible. We were all keeping our fingers crossing, hoping the first would make it in time for Warley but unfortunately it simply wasn’t possible. We are so close! They are scheduled to start to arrive early December.

Hi all, As stated in the video description it was the first sound sample sent for review. The chuffs are adjusted electronically by changing the value of the relevant CV to create the correct number per revolution, so we need to fine tune the decoder to the motor/gearbox of the model. Dapol's sound engineer is in possession of the sample and is carrying out the adjustments necessary to correct the chuff ratio, etc.etc. I jumped the gun as I was excited to see and hear the sound fitted model

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.

The final version is being painted this week and should be with us early next week. All outstanding orders will then be despatched

All versions are on our site and available to pre-order, including the exclusive Rails version GBRf BR Green Class 66779 'Evening Star'! Click here for more details

Just to let everyone know, we currently have some huge savings on the Heljan O gauge Class 61xx Large Prairie 2-6-2 Tank Locomotives. NOW ONLY £395 each! Saving over £300.00 off the RRP (699.00) We currently have nine versions to choose from. Limited stock is available so first come first serve. Click here for more details

Hi Andy, Our direct orders and direct Rapido orders will all be despatched at the same time. We are not processing Rapido orders but we will be despatching them. Customers who have ordered from them directly will have an update from them late next week / early week after when all stock is ready for despatch.

The wait is nearly over for Rapido Trains Birmingham 'New Look' Guy Arab Buses Due in stock week commencing 04/11/19 Twelve versions are available to order, with all models being available in both the standard edition and the deluxe edition. Limited stock available and pre-ordering is highly recommended View images of all versions here

We are pleased to announce that the first of our exclusive BR (exSECR) box vans has arrived! RL-1424-002 BR (ex-SE&CR) Diagram 1424 Box Van, No. S45382, Southern Railway brown with BR lettering has just been delivered. We are currently processing orders where customers have pre-ordered this specific van on its own. Orders from customers who have pre-ordered more than one version are currently being held until other models arrive. These are expected over the next few weeks. We currently are not taking further orders for any version. Should stock become available we will advertise this on our website and newsletter. Many thanks to everyone who did place an order, we hope you will be really happy with your purchase when you receive in due course.

Please find attached photographs of D Class 1st shots. I must emphasise again that these are first shots (not an EP) which have been hand assembled. As such the fit and finish is not as per a final product, nor can it be expected to be (certainly not in the time Andy Forty had to assemble them)

We’ve only gone and done it again! Many thanks to everyone who voted, we really appreciate it!

Hi Stan, The van was designed so that the roof is detachable. This would allow access inside should customers wish to add extra weight for example (although the weight of the van is good). The roof could be glued in place if desired. Looking at the sample, clearly the last person to handle it didn't push the roof down fully! Also many elements of the van has altered from this original day 1 grey van pictured above, including the size of the roof.

Update Thank you for your patience with the van project. Due to the finesse and level of detail produced on the van (like the horse hooks on the sole bar!) it made painting and decorating the van quite tricky. Alterations and new jigs have had to be produced, new paints / ink has been used and various trials carried out all to make sure the finish on this van is perfect. Dapol have done a fantastic job and we are now very pleased with the decoration finish. Please see attached a couple of shots from the latest sample. All the above has caused a delay but we felt it was crucial to get the finish right. I am pleased to say that now the process has been perfected we should start despatching the first batch of vans in the next 2 to 3 weeks!

Hornby R4898 DRS Northern Belle MK2E Coach pack has just arrived in stock! Click here for more details and images

The new Hornby R3656 Virgin Trains Class 87 019 'Sir Winston Churchill' Bo-Bo Electric Locomotive has arrived! See more images and details here

All three versions are now in stock! The tanks have magnets under them which holds them nicely to the base of the wagon, quite a clever design I felt. 38-725 WD 50T 'WARFLAT' BOGIE WAGON WD KHAKI GREEN WITH CROMWELL MKIV TANK 38-726 WD 50T 'WARFLAT' BOGIE WAGON WD BRONZE GREEN WITH CROMWELL MKIV TANK 38-727 WD 50T 'WARFLAT' BOGIE WAGON BR GREY (EARLY)

All products are now online at Rails. https://railsofsheffield.com/news/articles/3162-accurascale-stockist The stock is due due later this week.