LATEST NEWS

A round-up of the latest headlines from the model railway world this month.

Since sharing plans and an early test shot of its first tooling in February, Accurascale has made further progress on its forthcoming GWR 78XX 4-6-0 'Manor' Class locomotive for OO gauge, with the revealing of a fully-tooled sample with detail parts and etchings fitted. The manufacturer was keen to point out that this is an early tooling sample, Accurascale outlined that there will be further refinements to plastic, die-cast and etched parts, as well as tweaks to the tooling based on this first sample. Much use has been made of die-casting to ensure as much weight as possible is added to the locomotive to aid traction as well as smooth and reliable running.

The manufacturer has also listened to feedback from modellers, and along with its own improvements will be implementing a number of upgrades, to include alternative driving wheels with no webbed areas opposite the balance weights, and an alternative 1952-style firebox washout plug arrangement. Accurascale is also aiming to make the slidebars thicker to more accurately represent the prototypes, removing the cutouts from the front of the cylinders, adding the valve gear splashplate on the fireman's side, reinstating the missing central pipe on the cab backhead, reducing the length of the elongated rivets on the front running plate and adding the lip to the front and rear of the raised section of the running plate over the cylinders.

Recently, Accurascale visited the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway and recorded the sound of 7820

Dinmore Manor for its DCC sound-fitted locomotives. Decorated and sound-fitted samples are said to arrive soon, with the manufacturer saying it is on course to deliver the finished models in Q4, 2021.