From the Works

Trade information on new products for the garden railway modeller. If you are a trader with any new product, contact phil.parker@warnersgroup.co.uk Please mention Garden Rail when contacting suppliers.

ROUNDHOUSE ENGINEERING Linda Mk2 16mm scale

By public demand, 2024 sees Roundhouse reintroduce one of the Penhyn ladies back to its locomotive range.

‘Linda’ was designed and built in 1893 by the Hunslet Engine Company for use on the Penrhyn Quarry Railway. She worked at the quarry until 1962 and then entered service on the Ffestiniog Railway very shortly after. A part of the Ffestiniog Railway has actually been named ‘Linda’s Leap’ where Linda jumped the tracks later in 1962. Despite this early setback, she has been a staple of the FR loco roster and has been through several conversions, alterations and rebuilds over the intervening decades. In 2021, her boiler certificate expired and she has once again been stripped down for another restorative overhaul. Roundhouse’s version of Linda represents the 0-4-0 loco pre-1970.

As part of the work, the designer has moved the receiver and batteries onto the loco, allowing for an easier running experience.

Roundhouse Engineering Co.Ltd.

Units 6-10, Churchill Business Park, Churchill Road, Wheatley, Doncaster, DN1 2TF www.roundhouse-eng.com

Specification:

• Internal gas firing using the ‘FG’-type burner.

• 0-4-0 outside framed chassis using Roundhouse inside value gear

• Exhaust enhancer

• Controls fitted as standard are: steam regulator, safety valve, pressure gauge, displacement lubricator, gas regulator and reversing gear

• Water gauge and top-up system as standard

• Full radio control is available for both regulator and reversing valve gear using 2.4GHz R/C

• Also available with manual control

• Glazed cab windows

• Four-wheel tender with resin coal load

• Rechargeable battery pack and 240V charger supplied

• The wheels are adjustable between 32mm and 45mm gauge

• Insulated wheels available at additional cost

• Supplied with etched brass works plates

• Minimum radius 2’6”

• Available in any standard Roundhouse colour, shown here in Mid Brunswick Green

Dimensions:

Length over buffers: 460mm

Width: 105mm

Height: 130mm

Weight: 3.66kg (with tender and R/C)

Linda is available in radio or manual control. Order books are now open for summer production dates.

Price:

With R/C: £ 2495

Manual control: £ 2195

ROUNDHOUSE ENGINEERING Conwy/Conway Castle 16mm scale

‘Conway Castle’ was built in 1958 for the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Ernesettle in Devon. It arrived on the Ffestiniog Railway in 1981 and was rebuilt by Boston Lodge with a Gardner 6LXB 180hp bus engine. During the late 80s and early 90s, it was used for push-pull duties before being transferred to the Welsh Highland Railway in 2000 for use in the Dinas yard. The loco was withdrawn from service in 2013, and plans are in place to rebuild the sections of it to make it more suitable for works trains and shunting.

This model has been designed and built to be equal in performance to Roundhouse’s steam models. It features a powerful motor and drive-train and at almost 3kg, is quite a heavyweight, with performance to match.

Specification:

• 0-4-0 outside framed chassis with high-quality 12V motor and precision-made nylon worm and gear set

• Four-wheel drive, with chain driven rear axle

• Full radio control for both speed and direction (and sound if fitted)

• Working directional headlights

• Rechargeable NiMh batteries with fast charger for in-situ charging

• Fitted as standard with insulated wheels

• The wheels are adjustable between 32mm and 45mm gauge

• Fully glazed windows and removable roof to access interior

• Available with optional sound system, featuring engine sound and horn at extra cost.

• Minimum radius 2’

• Available in any standard Roundhouse colour, shown here in Deep Brunswick Green. Feasibility of a three-colour paint finish is currently being investigated

Dimensions:

Length: 260mm

Width: 105mm

Height: 150mm

Weight: 2.75 kg

Price:

With Sound: £ 1295

Without Sound: £ 1145

Other News For 2024

Good news for those looking to add to their fleet, Roundhouse is re-introducing the price freeze policy! Customers can order today, and freeze the price of their loco at point of order, no matter when the loco is completed.

Alongside this, acknowledging that these are difficult times for some, prices on the Classic Series Steam locomotives this year will also not be changing. The firm hopes this will continue to encourage new people into the hobby.

BOLE LASER CRAFT

Ruston 2DL Diesel locomotive kit 16mm scale The Lincoln-based firm of Ruston & Hornsby made a staggering number of these two-foot diesel locomotives for the Ministry Of Supply during the war, many of which remained in store, and were later disposed of in Army surplus sales.

The kit features a new steel-wheeled chassis, together with a through-the-floor mounting for a rechargeable PP3 battery. These can be recharged by plugging in a standard micro USB lead and charger.

Now completely 3D printed, the three main body components are resin, providing a much finer resolution than the previous filament printers, meaning there are no visible layer lines. The bottom edges do need a little light sanding to remove the remains of the printing supports, but the resin is very easy to sand and only needs a few strokes of the supplied emery board to leave a nice flat surface.

Various detail components come 3D printed in a charcoal black engineering grade nylon. The main components are bolted together with M2 captive nuts and bolts to allow easy painting of the model and maintenance.

Dimensions:

Length: 142mm Width: 60mm Height: 78mm Track gauge: 32 or 45mm

Prices: Kit Form: £ 120

Kit features a pre-built and tested working chassis (no soldering required) and battery clip for a PP3 battery (not supplied).

Ready To Run Manual Control: £ 180

Manual control (i.e. a simple Forward-Stop-Backwards switch) in a choice of liveries. Comes with a PP3 Lipo battery and USB charger.

RTR Micron Radio Control: £ 290

Pre-built and fitted with a Micron MR603 controller and supplied with a matching ‘centre off ’ transmitter. PP3 Lipo battery and charger included.

Choice of liveries available. Delivery 4-8 weeks

Bole Laser Craft

Yew Tree House, South Street, Bole, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 9EJ

ACCUCRAFT Rheidol running sample now in the country 16mm scale

Accucraft has now received the production sample of Rheidol and she is currently undergoing testing on various lines. Production is underway with an initial order into the factory for delivery in March.

One of Archangel’s most successful models in the early days of 16mm scale, the prototype was originally named ‘ Treze de Maio’ and built by Bagnalls for a sugar cane plantation in 1896. Never delivered as the order was cancelled, instead, the locomotive was re-gauged from 2’ 5 ½” gauge to 2’ 3” gauge when it was sold to the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and named Talybont. In 1903, after the failure of that railway, it was purchased for the construction of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, regauged to 1’ 11 ¾” and renamed ‘Rheidol’. Absorbed by the GWR in 1923, it was numbered 1198, but it was withdrawn and scrapped the following year, having never carried its GWR number.

The model is gauge-adjustable, gas-fired and fitted with a water top-up valve, water gauge with blow-down valve, lubricator and pressure gauge; constructed of stainless steel and etched brass with a copper boiler. More details can be found on Accucraft’s website.

Accucraft UK Ltd.

PO Box 394, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 9QN www.accucraft.uk.com

BOOT LANE WORKS Spirit 16mm scale

Released on Boxing Day 2023, Spirit is inspired by the World War One Open Simplex, nicknamed ‘ Tin Turtles’. This kit is easily adaptable to recreate various versions of the original, including that on the Ffestiniog Railway for both 32 and 45mm gauge.

Almost entirely screw and nut construction, some parts require adhesive to complete and is built from 3D-printed filament and resin parts, laser-cut acrylic with ample room under the skirt and hood for batteries & electronics if desired.

Supplied with a 3-6 volt motor, nylon worm gears, Binnie Engineering 20mm wheels on 1/8” stainless steel axles, and all necessary metal stock, nuts, screws, etc. required to build the model in the photo.

Dimensions:

Length (over buffers): 172mm

Width (across cab-roof): 108mm

Height (from railhead to rooftop): 112mm

Rigid Wheelbase: 48mm

Price: £ 110 (including P&P within the UK)

Boot Lane Works

6 Finham Brook, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 7YE www.bootlane.org.uk

BLACK CAT BRIDGES Worcester Road Bridge

Bespoke metal bridges built to any scale and size. The model shown is inspired by inspired by a railway bridge in Worcester. This one was built for 45mm/Gauge One, but the firm has already built several in 32mm.

Build Time:

4-6 weeks

Prices:

Depends on the model

Blackcat Bridges

5 St Lawrence Close Rowington CV35 7AG

www.blackcatbridges.com

RESURGAM ROLLING STOCK NWNGR/WHR/WHHR Pickering Brake Carriages 16mm scale

Produced in collaboration with William Curry, these three new 16mm scale laser-cut kits represent the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways, Pickering Brake Carriages over three distinct eras.

The first kit can be used to represent either of the original pair of vehicles as built in 1907; illustrated here in lined NWNGR red livery. The second variant, illustrated in Green, covers the original WHR era, after being cut-down in height in 1923 to fit the restrictive Ffestiniog Railway loading gauge. They remained in this condition until closure of the railway and were subsequently broken up in 1942. The third variant covers the single newbuild replica vehicle commissioned by the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in 2019, and built at the FR’s Boston Lodge Carriage Works; again, illustrated in green.

Each version of the kit incorporates the era-appropriate internal layout, bogies, roof vents, door handles and gutters.

As per usual, the kits feature hidden slot and tab construction techniques throughout for easy and accurate assembly, and are available in plywood only. They include individually glazed panels, with window beading in full relief. Interior panel detail and bench seating is supplied in full, but upholstery is left to the builder’s preference.

The kits are complete with 32mm gauge steel wheelsets and bronze bearings as standard, and will negotiate a 2ft 6in radius; although they cut a significant chord in the process.

As standard, the kit will include, 3D-printed representations of the Guard’s Ducketts, Roof Vents, Door Handles and Grab handles, along with SLR Models ‘Door Lock Covers’. Despite their fine appearance, these are surprisingly strong components, especially once mounted in position and will easily stand respectful handling.

Couplings and transfers are not supplied with the kit, but the correct ones are available from Endon Valley Custom Decals.

Resurgam Rolling Stock www.resurgamrollingstock.co.uk

Specification:

• Laser-cut plywood kit

• Three distinct versions available, please specify at time of ordering

• Hidden slot and tab construction to aid accurate assembly

• Full interior panel detailing and seating framework supplied

• Individual glazing panels (where appropriate), complete exterior window beading modelled in full relief

• 3D-printed ducketts, roof vents, door handles, grab rails and door lock covers

• Includes era-appropriate prototypical outline ‘Bogies’, complete with steel wheelsets in 32mm gauge as well as suitable bearings

• Does not include couplings, vacuum pipes, or lettering

Dimensions:

Length Over Headstocks: 483mm

Roof Height: 135mm (Full Height) 125mm (Cut-Down)

Max Height Over Vents: 150mm (Full Height) 132mm (Cut-Down)

Width Over Body: 97mm

Extreme Width: 115mm (Over Ducketts)

At present, it is planned the first of these kits will be available for dispatch in Early March 2024, then at 28 days’ notice thereafter.

Price: £ 160.00 each + Postage