Robert John Davis

My SECR #448 arrived yesterday, well packed for its journey to the USA. Having read all the comments and watched a bunch of videos, I was pretty sure this would be a winner. I was right. Mine was flawless out of the box. No loose parts. Set her on the rails and she ran quite well. I like the "chuff" sound much better in person than I did on the Rails videos. And the two-speaker approach will (I hope) become the industry standard. Honestly, I have to put this up there with the best plastic RTR locomotive I have ever seen. And for its price point, it delivers well above expectation. We can all nit pick any model (that seems to be a more common activity among modelers than actually running their trains), but I will say this: I would happily order another pre-grouping locomotive of this spec and price point. I hope Dapol and Rails team up for something from the north next. Enjoy your toys, Rob

Time is a huge factor. I am a rivet counting purist at heart, but I rarely have the time anymore. Thus, I make some trade-offs and still enjoy the hobby as much as ever. Today's RTR variety is a launching pad for adventures I would never have taken if I had to form each rivet by hand. ;-) I have never understood the judgment in this hobby. There is room for all. If something isn't your cup of tea, that's fine. Do your thing and enjoy it. Why waste a moment worrying about what someone else enjoys? Every minute I worry about someone else is a minute less for me to enjoy my layouts.

I have a SECR green Class D w/sound on order from Rails and rake of Genesis carriages on order from Hattons. I am thrilled with the way the Class D model looks. The sounds are great (love the whistles) except for the exhaust "chuff." It sounds very much like white noise static rather than a defined sound. Maybe that is more an artifact of the mic used for the video and not how the locomotive sounds IRL? According to the Rails site there is a sugar cube speaker in the locomotive and a bass reflex speaker in the tender. With that, I would expect some more definition and heft to the exhaust. If the video is accurate, here's hoping Rails finds a way to improve the chuff. But even better, let's hope the issue is that the video doesn't do it justice they way it is. Rob

As an American modeling US and British railroads, I would love to see a global universal NEM-type of solution. It's an easier system for swapping couplers, but it would need to be adopted with strict height standards. The NMRA standards aren't the end all, be all, but they help. For many years, the NMRA's complete refusal to make knuckle couplers the standard kept us bound to the awful X2F coupler. It held the hobby back for a very long time.

If Rapido is going to experiment with a new scale for British models, I would hop on board with HO scale. Join the rest of the world and see where things can go. I am not anti-OO at all, just thinking it would be interesting to explore HO.

Interesting and insightful. Thank you.

I don't know if it's a problem as much as it's something to consider the sales value of. Which would sell more? a) #5322 in a khaki livery that it wore at a museum for a few years (but likely never before) b) A #43xx in proper ROD black livery And do note, if wearing a livery that's prototypical for the preservation era is a factor, the good folks at Didcot painted the locomotive in proper ROD black which she's wearing now. Therefore, the preservation argument applies to both khaki and black. https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/72/5322-43xx-class Given the interest in WW1 era models as of late, the correct answer may be a moving target. The whole khaki paint thing is quite contentious in some circles. For me, I don't really care if there were a few ROD locomotives painted that way (although some evidence could change my mind), the upshot is that all reliable information points to black being the standard, so that's what I go for. Some of the major manufacturers have selected the (likely) erroneous khaki. How have they sold? I would bet Oxford sold more due the enticing pairing of the kahaki Deans Goods with the railway gun. I would also bet Bachmann sold more of the khaki "City of Birmingham" since it came with the ambulance train. Thankfully Bachmann released the Robinson 2-8-0 in correct ROD black, perhaps seeing a trend in the successful (and accurately painted) 009 WW1 models? All of that's conjecture, of course. There are plenty of instances where manufacturers changed or dropped liveries because low reservations. If the khaki locomotive doesn't garner pre-order interest, it may help Dapol to know that there are customers out there who would pop for a black one. I have contacted Dapol, not to criticize them, but to express interest in an alternative. If enough of us are like-minded (and if khaki pre-orders are low) maybe we will get a black ROD version? If not, I won't lose any sleep over it, but I also won't be ordering one. Rob

Very disappointing to see the the #43xx ROD version in khaki rather than black. Among the WWI crowd it's pretty much accepted that "if" any ROD locomotive was ever painted khaki that it didn't last long before being painted black or very dark grey. Perhaps if enough folks express interest we can get Dapol to use a proven ROD paint scheme? Rob

If we can dare to dream beyond the GWR, I sure would like to see an O gauge version of their forthcoming OO Wainwright Class D. Honestly, they would be very smart to focus on another LBSCR steam locomotive that would match well with the coming Stroudly coaches... something bigger than the A1.

There were 2-10-0's built in the USA specifically for WWII service in Russia. Quite a few of these still exist in Russia. The Bachmann model is one of the WW1-era locomotives. The locomotives that eventually ended up on the Frisco were part of this group. I would guess the United model is just a bit oversized. I wrote an article on detailing one of the Bachmann locomotives to it's as-built condition. Not sure if it is online anywhere. It was "The Unintended Patriot: Modeling Reading's "Russian Decapod" No. 1127" in the December 2002 issue. They were super neat with their designed-for-Russia handrails, long cab roof, steps and other details. All the best, Rob Davis

I am still awaiting closure from Osborns on this order and a refund. They are not responding to my emails. Since reaching out here worked before, I thought I would try again. Can anyone help me reach them?

Very cool. No need to be sorry, I know how it goes. If you get to it, please let us know the results.

AY Mod - Thank you. I appreciate that and I hope you are right. There has been no contact from the shop to me since the orders were placed. Hopefully this is just a miscommunication. - Rob Update: I did hear from the shop in response to a PayPal inquiry. I am relieved to know they are not closed.

John, did this prove to be a feasible 3D printing project?

I have a very large, expensive order, placed online the first week of April that has not yet been delivered. I have sent many emails. I have called many times. The phone was answered once (about a month after the order) and I was told some items were not in stock but were coming and I would get an email that weekend. Since then, my emails have gone unanswered and every time I call I get an automated message that they are busy. Beware if you are planning to do business with them. Rob