RapidoCorbs

Yes - the red/yellow one is in SATLINK livery and the yellow one is Engineers Yellow, hope that clears things up. https://rapidotrains.co.uk/lner-lms-25t-machine-wagon/

Several were allocated to Wellington and Stafford Road over the years, there is a cracking pic of 4401 at Birmingham Snow Hill in BR Black. Which era are you looking at?

Yes I wondered this too, but I can only say that I think it 'looked green' in the photo 😄 There is a later photo of 4406 at Wellington dated 21.6.47 where our conclusion was that there was a difference in tone between bits that we know are black and the tanks/boiler etc. but I can't make out the insignia to confirm it's G W R. This is assuming that the date on the first photo was correct, after all. Previous to this, 4406 was ex-works in shirtbutton in 1938 and by 1950 was in lined BR black.

So the intention with the wheel load is to try to provide something ubiquitous and generic enough to suit multiple eras. It will be included as a polybag part for the user to fit at their discretion or to use elsewhere on their layout. No permanent fixings etc. Not for the lowmac, but when doing research for the D1666 LMS wagon there were a couple of excellent photos of one carrying a wooden framed open wagon that was snapped clean in half...

Thanks Ben, a lot of it is owed to the help given by folks on here (as well as others out there in GWR-land). 4402 seems to have been very camera-shy (although had the second highest mileage), the only photos I have on file are of it waiting to be cut up at Swindon in Shirtbutton livery, and one on the Princetown line in 1931 (when it had the first type of flange oiler with the westinghouse pump), so I would imagine the 1949 condition would be nigh-on the same as the 1947 spec. 4408 is pictured in the condition we have chosen in Plymouth in 1929. The only thing I can think of that may have changed by the time you model is that it may have gained cab shutters and had the handrails moved? 4402 was allocated to Laira from 1931 and then Newton Abbot May 1945 so seemed to spend a lot of time in the South West either side of your chosen period. None of our chosen models have either of the flange lubricator types. The date given for 4406 in the G W R livery was 1943. It was pictured ex-works in BR black in 1953 (with small crest, later repainted) so my assumption is that it was in the G W R livery between 1942/43 and 1953.

I believe they are both 2mm axles. This specific model uses wiper pick-ups and the driving axles sit in bearings (bogie wheels clip in to the bogie frame).

Recapping the 8 different variants we are offering for the 44xx. Click the links to go to the page for that specific model. 4400 - GREAT WESTERN livery 4408 - GREAT WESTERN livery 4402 - GWR roundel (worn right up until withdrawal in December 1949) 4406 - G W R wartime/post-war livery 4404 - BRITISH RAILWAYS serif font, unlined GW Green 4409 - BRITISH RAILWAYS sans serif, lined black 4406 - BR early crest, lined 4401 - BR early crest, plain Each version has its own combination of details, including things like cab shutters, cab roof rainstrips, tank rivet patterns, safety valve cover, chimney, handrails and handrail positions (on top of the boiler as well as the different bunker handrails), buffers, tank filler lid stands, steam pipes (including patches where a previously outside-piped boiler has been fitted to an inside-piped loco) and ATC. Dummy scale couplings, steam and vac pipes will be supplied for the user to fit if they so wish.

Zoomies

The Loriot P? Very similar outwardly but lots of little differences such as axleboxes, buffers etc.

Certainly. The revised liveries have been approved and currently expected Oct 2023: https://rapidotrains.co.uk/delivery-schedule/ There's a little bit in the latest newsletter about them too. It's worth subscribing for product updates.

Pre-order your LOWMAC here for £39.95: https://rapidotrains.co.uk/lner-lms-25t-machine-wagon/ This humble LOWMAC design dates back to the Great Central ‘MAC N’ 20t implement truck. With a few revisions to the original concept the LNER upgraded the design in 1938 into the diagram 143 ‘MAC NV’ wagon, this improved the wagon’s carry weight to 22 tonnes. Pressures of the wartime era evidently called for an even greater load weight, so prior to production another batch of improvements were carried out. The design was refined by replacing the 12in by 6in main longitudinal sections with 14 in by 6in equivalents, this increased the load to 25t, and thus created the diagram 173 ‘MAC PV’ we know today. Shildon Wagon Works received its first order for diagram 173 ‘MAC PV’ Implement Trucks in 1943, and by 1944 production was complete. The first batch of 60 wagons rolled out just in time to assist with the heavy freight traffic that was heading to the South Coast in preparation for the liberation of Europe. 30 wagons went to the LMS and the LNER retained 30 for themselves, however, in the last year of the war, and first year of peacetime, the LNER ordered a further two batches of 25, taking the Shildon built quota up to 110 vehicles. The 173 ‘MAC PV’ Implement Trucks were reclassified as LOWMAC EP. Having proven successful throughout its working life under the Big 4, British Railways decided to build even more of them – giving them the diagram number 2/242 in their number system. Passing the contract to P & W Maclellan in 1950, a further 38 vehicles were produced. Incredibly, the LOWMAC continued serving Britain’s railways as an engineering vehicle way into the 00’s. The Rapido Trains UK design of this long-serving wagon will be the most detailed version of the LOWMAC to date, featuring a combination of die-cast metal and injection moulded plastic construction, brass bearings, moulded lashing rings, and a rather nice optional load that represents a set of 4 replacement wheels and their carriers. These wheelsets will feature scale axles and are ideal for scenic use if not required as a load. Eleven versions will be produced that cover liveries from the original 1944 design to its most modern engineering guise, and everything in between. The LNER/LMS 25t Implement Truck is due Q2 of 2024. The model is currently in tooling and we hope to have samples shortly.

OO -1:76.2

Sorry to read about the issue with you Lion. Submitting the form automatically creates a ticket, then our warranty dept. can contact you directly as they work through the job lists.

Before this becomes another wishlist thread, here are some useful links: The suggestions thread is here: The suggestions form is here: https://rapidotrains.co.uk/product-suggestion/

I personally haven't seen any contradicting info on this wagon (we try not to imitate previous models due to the obvious danger of perpetuating mistakes).

The info board on the builder's photo describes it as being brown.

To be fair we said 'projects' not 'locomotives'...

We don't want to reveal its position for fear of enemy action.

On the final artwork they are blue with a vermilion stripe and black ends.

I was looking at this again and found an example of a loco which lost and then regained wingplates (other than the obvious example of 103 when BR restored it). 112 AKA 17925 sported lined Drummond livery with no wingplates, then got them back in LMS days (with smokebox numberplate), before losing them again (as well as the HR chimney) in its final LMS form.

Nope, it's part of the exclusivity of the deluxe pack.

In the paint shop at the moment.....

..... Anyway... What will hopefully benefit all users, DC or DCC, are the beefed-up pickups we are planning for this loco. The chassis is similar in design to the 6-wheel Hunslet with bearing pickups, but since there are only 2 axles on the Y7, the intention is to supplement these with 4 plunger pickups (one on each wheel). I do not believe there are any plans to factory-fit stay-alives. There is not a great deal of space inside the loco without sacrificing something else.

Hopefully in the future we can introduce new fittings, body types etc. but as with all these things it depends how well the first ones sell, if people hold out for the 2nd run there is less likely to be one. Once these are released into the wild we should be able to make a better informed decision.

Hmmm if there are any issues please let us know, sounds like it got battered in transit.