03 March 2023
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Another new industrial locomotive has entered the scene, and Andy York is keen to share his thoughts.
One of the success stories of the modelling industry over the last six years or so has been the explosion of choice of industrial railway locomotives. Rapido Trains UK has revealed its first model for its own range, rather than a commission, adding a popular choice to this interest area in the form of the 16in Hunslet.
Following Phil Parkers first look at the model, Andy York casts an eye across the model, below. Read his full review in the April 2023 issue of BRM, on-sale March 23 in print, and available from March 17 with a World of Railways Plus subscription.
What we like:
1. Each of the models in their maroon, blue, green or black liveries present well, and the decoration on each is excellent with pin sharp fine lining, plates and lettering.
2. There are variations within the releases with our review model of Beatrice having a more conical chimney rather than the ones with a lip and some locomotives, such as Holly Bank No.3, have additional steps for fitting if required.
3. The cab interior is decorated well, with plenty of detail, including the back sheet with bunker doors. Inside is a pre-fitted 'sugarcube' speaker which is pre-wired to the circuit board. This sits at the top of the saddle tank with its Next18 decoder socket.
The model is well-balanced with die-cast weighting in the saddle tanks. The centre of gravity sits in line with the middle of the centre drivers.
A hidden gem in the instructions is that, providing replacement stock is available, they will replace any models that have factory-originated defects up to five years after initial purchase.
What we noticed:
1. Etched plates would have been nice, but works plates and custom nameplates are available from Light Railway Stores which will further improve the model.
2. Rapido advise that the model should be run in for an hour in each direction at varying; some early users reported issues with jerky running which improved after running and in some cases crank pins which were a little too tight on the connecting rods.
3. This is Rapido Trains UK's first general locomotive release, but several models are already sold out from the manufacturer. These may still be available from stockists.
Read Andy York's full review in the April 2023 issue of BRM, on-sale March 23 in print, and available from March 17 with a World of Railways Plus subscription.
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