Page 53 - Rail Express - September 2019
P. 53
REVIEW
The locomotivesits close to its bogies in the same manner as the full-sizelocomotives. Flushglazing is fitted throughout with onlyatrace of edgetothe cab
Detailonthe bogies is very crisp and with excellent relief. side windows.
Which brings us to the model Finetooling work is evident in moulded clearance between thebogie frames to
developed andproduced by Kernow detailsuch as the side grilles, fixings, fit ‘EM’and ‘P4’ wheels. The inner frame
Model Rail Centrewhichisnow enjoying panellines andsome very subtle cab of the bogiesrock gentlyaround an axis
itssecond release following thesell-out front detail. Themodified front doors whilst the leadingload bearingaxles are
success of the first models.Wehavethe fittedbythe LMR arenot supplied both articulated and able to slidefrom
chance to revisit the model, this time with this model. Locomotive-specific side to side allowing operation through
as alate1950s lined BR greenexample variations in the body shell can be curves as sharpassecond radius.
fittedwith achime whistle and standard incorporated by Kernowusing different During testing, the bogies did not
end doors representing No. 10201 when toolingslides. This allows specific catchonthe underside of the bogies,
allocatedtothe LMR. At 630g in weight, members of the class within agiven evenonsharp curves, despite the
it’s aheavy model with considerable timewindowtobemodelled, making it tiniest of gaps between thetwo –the
tractiveeffortdelivered through six averyremarkable model of aminority action wassmooth and reliable through
poweredaxles making it capable of locomotiveclass. alltrack formations. NEM coupling
handling thelong trains typical of the Overall finish of thebodyshell is pockets arefitted in neat slots located
1950s Bournemouth, Exeter andWest neatlydonewith avariety of small between the bulges in the bufferbeam.
CoastMain Line routes. fittings used to detailitincludingmetal As supplied, the model is fitted with
When firstreleased in 2017, it hand railswith aflattened profile to standardtension lock couplings.
soldout in amatter of months proving match those fitted to theprototype Additional detailparts aresupplied with
beyond doubt that good modelsof locomotives. Thetrain reporting discs the model forthose modellers wishing
pioneering locomotives and prototypes arereasonablythin, despite being to further detailthe bufferbeams. Thereisaminimal gapbetween
sell well enough to justify tooling and composedofplastic.Look closelyat bufferbeams and bottom of the cab
development costs, at least in ‘OO’ the open discs to see that atinylens Electrics and drivemechanism fronts, yetthe bogies rotate freely.
gauge. is fitted to each one.Theyare neatly Itsheavy chassis and six-axle drive
plugged intothe cabfront and easily makes the model particularly powerful, photographs showthat all three Class
Body andits detail exchanged forclosed ones supplied with aframe mounted motor powering D16/2 locomotives became very dirty in
From its carefullyshapedbodyprofile in the detailing pack to makeupthe both bogiesthrough gear towers their twilight years.
with its complexcurvestothe fine desired train reporting codes. and driveshafts.Motionissmoothed Lining is neatlyapplied on most
grille and rivet detail, Kernow has An etchedmetalfan grille is fitted with large double brass flywheels of the model, being levelalong both
encapsulatedthe transition character to the roof,with afan visible beneath it. and performance wasfound to be body sides and lining up with the lining
of the Bulleid diesels very well. It There aremoretinyfittings to observe excellent –atrulypowerful model around the cab fronts. Thereisa slight
retains the feel of the late Southern includinglampirons and separate roof capable of hauling morecoaches than mismatch of the lining wherebody
Railway anda hint of what wastocome mounted chime whistles. Flush glazing could be attached to it on alarge side and cab lining meets at the cab
in modern traction technology,all in is fitted to theaccuratelyshaped layout duringtests. Internally, the corners. Number printing is slightly
injectionmoulded plastic.The shapeof windowopenings. Cabinteriors are circuit boardisfitted with a21-pin translucent in places on the review
the cabsidesand fronts matches that visible through the clear glazing units DCCinterface socketand is supplied model. Nonetheless, the overall finish
observed in archivephotographs and which also featureseparate windscreen with powerusing conventional sprung is very good,including the separately
the locomotiveitself sits neatlyonits wipers which themselvesdeservea wiper pick-ups working on all12driving fitted details. Finished in pristine
bogies. closer look. wheels. Working marker lights operate condition, thereisnodoubt that the
in the directionoftravelwhen worked nicelytooled detailwillaccept grime
Bogies,wheels and couplings on atraditional analoguelayout. Fit a washes well to highlight the detail
Beautifullymodelled replicas of the decoder and lightingbecomesmore and the light shine will be easily dulled
heavy bolsterlessbogiesdomuchto controlled, including thecab light down with grime without loosing the
capture the bulky character of the which does not operateonanalogue characterofthe livery.
locomotive including spring and axle control. The leadingmarker lights Despite themismatched lining
boxdetailwith good levels of relief. operate through function F0 and change andsimplification of some of the
ootsteps and sandboxdetails are according to thedirection of travel. side grilleslat detail,the 2018British
separate mouldings neatlyfitted to ModelRailway Gold Awardwas fully
the bogie sideframes and separately Presentation deserved. The heavy character of the
moulded unsprung buffers are Arich shade of BR green is applied to real Bulleiddieselelectric locomotives
fittedtothe integral bufferbeams the model together withthe correct is all thereinmoulded plastic. It rides
alongside vacuumbrake and steam shade of roof grey.The green hasa lowonits bogie frames emphasising
heating hoses. slight sheen to it, depictingalocomotive the bulky characterofthe locomotive.
Thewheels have the weight- in clean condition. Unfortunately, Compared to standardreleases by other
saving holescharacteristic of manufacturerssuch as the Bachmann
Bulleid locomotives, adding to Class 37/0 featured on pageM29,its
the authenticity of the model, KERNOWModel Rail Centre publishes £179.99 price tag is good valuefor a
ncluding thesmall load bearing regular updates on its exclusive limitedrun model.
wheelsatthe front of thebogies. models and the Bulleid diesel
Allofthe wheelshave inner discs story can be found at ❒ www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com
Separatelyfitted wire hand omposed of metaland no sign of www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com
railswith aflattened profile arefitted to eccentricity wasobserved during
thecab sides and front. testing of the model. Thereissufficient £ £ RRP £179.99
Supplement No. 185 September 2019 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M21
