Revolution Ben

I am reluctant to post in another manufacturer's page so rather than go into details here I have added some explanatory notes about details and lighting in the Revolution thread. cheers Ben A.

Hi all, There've been some questions here and elsewhere about the detail combinations on the various Class 59s. We've previously illustrated these on our website but I thought it helpful to repost to save everyone trawling back through websites and threads. The Revolution model of 59001 represents the locos as delivered. At this time they had no radio roof pods and the bogies had single vertical dampers on each outer axle. The exhaust port was on the left side. The blue colour was the original lighter shade, and front and side handrails were silver. This shows 59001 in its original form - note the darker blue on the PGA wagons. Later, radio roof pods were added at both ends on fabricated base plinths, the axle dampers were both moved in to the centre, horizontal yaw dampers were added and to prevent exhaust fumes and particles getting drawn into the clean air compartment grill that is directly below the exit when on the driver's side (this information from Steadfast) the exhaust port was moved to the right side. When repaints came due the blue was harmonised to the darker shade and handrails were painted white. In 1998 a revised version of the Foster Yeoman livery was introduced. The original Foster Yeoman order was for four locomotives. When they decided to add a fifth it was built alongside the four then being constructed for ARC Southern, that would become the Class 59/1. Although 59005 retained the original end light patterns, the bodyshell had now been designed with recesses for the roof pods and these were incorporated, so 59005 has a unique combination of 59/0 style lights and 59/1 style roof. For some reason, the roof pods on CLass 59/1 locos are at the outer ends of the recesses, whereas on 59/2 locos they are in the centre. 59005 also has the revised design of catches for the pyramidal roof access panels. These differed again on the Class 59/2s! There are other idiosyncrasies within the class, but these are the main ones we have focused on. With thanks to Kernow Model Rail Centre for use of these images. KMRC also has stocks of 59002 in attractive Mendip Rail green/orange livery. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, We usually send out a newsletter to give a heads up when the order book is about to close. cheers Ben A.

I had a look at these in the cabinet at Alexandra Palace. Similarly not my era or 'thing' but very fine - the spring detail on the bogies is especially worthy of note. I am already tempted and if the Ivatt diesel society every get their re-incarnated version running and it hauls charters on the mainline there is no doubt I'd be in! cheers Ben A.

Yes - we will take a small number. cheers Ben A.

We won't have a way of testing it however Simon, our customer support manager, will be on our stand and will assist if possible. cheers Ben A.

Hi all, Revolution Trains will be there on Stand 7 at the far end of the Great Hall, opposite the Rose Window. Looking forward to seeing some of these excellent layouts when I can get away from the stand! cheers Ben A.

It’ll be monomode! cheers Ben A.

Hi all, I’m not sure what buses have to do with this thread, and the model won’t have any batteries in it. Cheers Ben A.

Hi there, 91604.1 is for the 59/0, 91604.2 for the 59/1 and 59/2. The difference is the 59/1 and 59/2 can show night running mode. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, Just add to Jo's post, my understanding is that the first Freightliner order came in during a short pause in EWS deliveries, to allow time for the design variation of incorporating the buckeye coupler to be completed. To avoid shutting down the production line five locomotives under construction that had been intended for EWS were quickly reassigned to Freightliner, and became 66501-5. These had the 'wide' lug positions. The 'narrow' spacing came about as it did not occlude the buckeye coupler equipment; but once settled on it was retained as the standard for EWS 66201-250 and then all subsequent locos, whether buckeye fitted or not. cheers Ben A.

The design is very much to Stadler's 'house' style, and incorporates some standard items such as lights, cab quarterlights etc but obviously the whole thing has been sized to fit the UK loading gauge. Personally I think the Stadler locomotives are a good-looking design, and the ROG's green livery suits them well. But I suppose I would say that! cheers Ben A.

Hi all, We have shown CAD before on this: What we are doing now is comparing the material we were sent by Stadler with the actual locomotive we filmed recently to see if we can identify discrepancies to be corrected before tooling begins. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, For any 'what's the latest on...' type questions please see here: https://revolutiontrains.com/projects/ cheers Ben A.

Hello all, Happy to see the NGS Hunslets finding a role on 2mm layouts. And I should point out that Nigel can take a good share of the credit for the sweet running of these locos as he was heavily involved in testing, developing and improving the PCB with its integrated decoder in the models. cheers Ben A.

Hi all, We won't be doing unpowered sets. I think the only reason they are ever suggested is because it is thought they might be cheaper. But that is a myth. When modern features like lights, PCBs, decoder sockets etc are considered the only real difference is a $5 electric motor, and that saving is so paltry it's frankly not worth the extra admin and design time. cheers Ben A.

Just be glad he didn't say Cavalorrhoids... cheers Ben A.

Hi all, We haven't finalised exactly which variants we will be offering. Strathclyde PTE red/black and Scotrail Saltire are definites for the 320, and Network Southeast and London Midland for the 321. In N we were able to produce carmine and cream 320s thanks to the AMRSS, and the Silverlink 321s thanks to a successful expressions of interest exercise. Before the models go up for pre-order we will be considering realistic options for other variants while keeping in mind that we do not want to over-produce. Shelves of unsold models help neither retailers nor Revolution. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, If you’re visiting Model Rail Scotland this weekend Martin Stewart’s Tulloch Bridge in 4mm is well worth seeking out for inspiration. cheers Ben A.

Hi all, We’ll confirm pricing and liveries once we open the order book in due course. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, That isn’t the case. cheers Ben A.

Hello all, We have received a sample of 59101 in its new Heidelberg Materials livery for final approval. This limited run model is among the 59/1 versions expected here in the next 4 weeks. DCC Silent and DCC Sound versions can be pre-ordered from the Revolution website, though I think there are only a couple of DCC Sound versions still available. Of course upgrading to sound is straightforward as the sound project is available from Legomanbiffo and the models all have a factory fitted decoder. We'd like to thank Heidelberg Materials and the team at Freightliner for allowing us to measure and record the real thing on its first day in traffic last December. We also have pre-mapped ESU Lokpilot E24 Nano decoders availableto pre-order for those who prefer their digital models to be seen and not heard... The 59/0 variants are all here and we are going to do our best to start shipping these next week, however please bear with us as we have Model Rail Scotland next weekend too. cheers Ben A.

Which part of the argument do you dislike? The need for the railway to stay relevant and satisfy the needs of disabled passengers? Or the observation that tastes change, and that buildings considered unappealing in the 1870s may now be considered beautiful? Do we accept that it is necessary to offer facilities that enable those with mobility issues to use the railway? If so, then to my mind the solution here fulfils the brief in a functional and aesthetically harmonious way. cheers Ben A.

Hello all, I had a look at the images in the link and I like the look of it. Sympathetically designed but with a clear purpose and obviously a necessity if the railway is to maintain its place in the 21st century and not be tied to the 19th. I suspect that when the railway was built there were some who complained about the aesthetics of the original station building that we now admire. cheers Ben A.

Hi there, Thanks for posting. Always good to read of new railheads being brought into service for freight. cheers Ben A.