Revolution Trains PCV cement hoppers

◆ GAUGE ‘N’ ◆ MODEL Revolution Trains RT-PCV-TOPS-J PCV ‘Cemflo’ cement hoppers ◆ PRICE rrp £89.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Revolution Trains Web www.revolutiontrains.com

Constructed in the early 1960s for Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM), the ‘Cemflo’ design featured an aluminium body and air-discharge system, allowing a larger payload to be carried and providing easier unloading compared to

BR’S existing cement wagon fleet. Perhaps best known for their use on the Cliffe-uddingston flow, taking cement from Kent to Glasgow, the ‘Cemflos’ were certainly an eye-catching sight, especially during the drab tail-end of the steam age.

Accurascale’s excellent ‘OO’ ‘Cemflo’ appeared in 2019 (MR261) and this ‘N’ gauge version is every bit as impressive. Manufactured by Accurascale, but sold under the Revolution Trains banner, this 2mm scale rendition boasts a similarly high specification. Seven different triple-packs are being offered, with Blue Circle logos, PRE-TOPS branding and post-tops versions, with PCV codes and other appropriate markings, all of which sport the same stylish silver paintwork.

Pack J is under review here and, in terms of looks, the wagons are hard to fault. The complex but attractive outline looks perfect and there is plenty of exquisite surface relief, including bolt and rivet heads, panel seams, and the barrel-top walkways and filler hatches are superb. The distinctive perforated sideframes, discharge chutes and brake gear are all there, with pipe runs and cross-shafts present and correct.

The Oleo buffers look the part, while the couplers are mounted into pivoting NEM pockets, allowing for close coupling on straight track, while the gap opens slightly to compensate for curves. The disc wheels feature RP25 flange profiles and our samples ran smoothly and reliably under test.

Quality of the paintwork and lettering is universally high, with some very fine lettering applied to the data plates on the solebar, as well as the tiny Metro-cammell logos. With these excellent new wagons, Revolution Trains and Accurascale have definitely cemented their place in the world of ‘N’ gauge rolling stock! (GD)

The complex but attractive outline looks perfect and there is plenty of exquisite surface relief