Revolution Trains ‘Pendolino’
SCALE ‘N’ gauge MODEL Revolution Trains Virgin Trains ‘Pendolino’ five-car set PRICE See text
Ithink I must enjoy the distinction of having taken one of the shortest ‘Pendolino’ journeys of any passenger. I had gone with Nigel Harris and the Model Rail video team to shoot the links for one of our programmes on Virgin’s thennew tilting train at the Old Dalby test track in Leicestershire. Our ‘journey’ took us from inside the shed and out into the daylight – about two carriage lengths! Virgin’s ‘Pendolinos’ have been whizzing up and down the West Coast Main Line now for nearly 15 years. In model form too, ‘OO’ modellers have had the Hornby Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ for nearly as long, but there was no Class 390 for ‘N’ gauge until Revolution Trains launched its crowdfunding scheme in the autumn of 2014. Three years on, the ‘N’ gauge ‘Pendolino’ is now a reality and we have received a five-car set for review.
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
So, what do we have? Revolution’s ‘Pendolino’ – produced by Rapido Trains – comes in one of those slip-cased ‘book packs’ made popular by Japanese ‘N’ gauge. It immediately imparts a sense of quality. The cars are held in a hard foam liner, with finger holes to aid in their removal (if you have small enough fingers). The five cars consist of: Driving motor Standard (Car A). Pantograph trailer Standard with shop (Car C). Intermediate motor First (Car G). Pantograph trailer First (Car H). Driving motor First kitchen (Car K). The ‘Pendolino’ is also offered as a nine-car set (the book pack is double thickness) with an additional two cars available to create a full 11-car formation. Let’s begin this review with the finish because it is just so eye-catching. Virgin’s red, silver and white livery is superbly executed and makes this model every bit as striking as the real thing. The joins between these three difficult colours are crisp and every detail of the livery is present, from the curious extension of the yellow end ‘apron’ up onto the roof, to the white outline of the main Virgin logo. The red colour used on the roof looks spot-on, and dips down correctly below the pantograph wells.
THE SMALL PRINT
Printed details are all present and correct too. These include the tiny black arrows, dots and chevrons below the windows (I’ve never understood the purpose of these) and the Tate Liverpool nameplate on the First Class car. The doors are outlined in black and the digital destination displays are a black panel which carries a representation of the destination screen visible under a magnifier. Above it, the door glass carries a white Virgin Trains logo, which is clearly legible and pin-sharp under a magnifier, and is some of the smallest lettering I’ve seen. Unit and individual coach numbers are carried. The car ends carry C4 restriction
markings and overhead live wire warnings. All the cars employ a similar method of construction, having plastic bodyshells with flush glazing and a detailed plastic underframe and ends unit. Plastic bogies are fitted with metal wheels on stub axles, with the pick-ups bearing on the stub axles. The pick-ups are wired through the carriages to power the interior lights and power is transmitted to the two driven cars by ‘live’ couplings, thus
It wouldn’t be Rapido without some amusing adjunct to the sound effects!
spreading electrical pick-up over more than 400mm. This ensures exceptional reliability over dead sections or dead-frog points, while allowing diagonally opposite wheels of each driven bogie to be fitted with traction tyres without adversely affecting current collection. As with all Rapido products, the instruction leaflet is a manual which includes prototype notes and background information about the model, as well as a full explanation of the DCC soundfitted option and the numerous available functions. These even include Virgin’s humorous ‘Don’t block the toilets’ announcement. Well, it wouldn’t be Rapido without some amusing adjunct to the sound effects! The couplings are unusual, each car having a male coupler at one end and female at the other, so the cars can only be connected one way round. They can be coupled, one car at a time, on the track, by pressing both cars firmly together. The correct sequence of cars is ensured by having the car letters A-K printed on the undersides, together with ‘front’ and an arrow where appropriate. The front emergency coupler covers are removable and the model can be fitted with one of the supplied couplers to simulate locomotive-hauled operation.
FINE DETAILS
Thanks to laser scanning and the close involvement of Virgin and Alstom, the character of Virgin’s striking 21st-century express train has been well captured, from the distinctive front-end shape with its Ferrari-style Virgin shield, to the corridor connection with its double-leaf door, 85 scale feet away. There isn’t much need for separate detail fittings on the streamlined bodies but, nevertheless, the driving cars have separate windscreen wipers and roof-top detail, especially the cables and insulators around the pantograph wells. The bogies have separate details, including very fine yaw dampers, and there are even
spares. There is traction motor and cardan shaft detail on the underside of the appropriate cars. The windows are flush-glazed with tinted plastic which is free from the prismatic effect on the edges. In the two power cars, the glazing helps to conceal the ‘solid’ interior which hides the motor and mechanism. The trailer coaches have interior detail with high-backed seats, which are red in Standard Class and black in First Class. The First Class interiors also feature the tables and working lozenge-shaped lamps. The biggest issue is that if you missed the ‘Pendo’, getting one is not easy as they have been made to order. However, Revolution’s Ben Ando told Model Rail that Rapido has made some additional models. These are likely to be available in late spring and prices have yet to be confirmed. Keep an eye on www.revolutiontrains.com for further news. Revolution’s first major release shows yet again that a small group of like-minded modellers can use modern design and production methods to produce top-notch ready-to-run models, reducing the modeller’s reliance on the established big names.