We take a look at Minerva’s Kerr Stuart ‘Victory’ 0-6-0T, Hornby’s Maunsell Cattle Wagon, and more.
Minerva’s last model was a hit in the Model Rail office. Has it kept up the good work with its latest offering? RICHARD FOSTER finds out.
The philosophy that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ certainly applies to model manufacturer Minerva Model Railways. In case you’ve forgotten, Minerva was formed by Chris Klein, the British director of Anglo-australian outfit Ixion, who joined forces with Dragon Models Wales’ proprietor Chris Basten. The ‘Victory’ follows the standards set by Minerva’s Peckett ‘E’ 0-4-0ST (MR219), which combined good looks and a smooth mechanism with a reasonable price to provide the ideal ‘O’ gauge starter locomotive. You can see the same philosophy stamped all over its latest offering. The ‘Victory’ is just a bit bigger. These ten chunky Kerr Stuart six-coupled tanks were used in France during the First World War, and although four passed into ‘main line’ ownership, they’re still considered ‘industrial’ locomotives. What this means is that there’s a dearth of prototypical information and photographs to compare the model to. But it compares well to photographs and drawings in A Pictorial Record of Great Western Absorbed Engines, by J.H. Russell, and in H.C. Casserley’s Steam Locomotives of British Railways.
PLAIN AND SIMPLE
As with the Peckett, the ‘Victory’ looks basic at first glance, but that’s not to suggest it’s of poor quality. The finish is plain but the shape is accurate, the rivet details are very well defined and the handrails are made from fine wire, but they’re sturdy. The wire handrails on the water tank fillers are particularly refined, and the footplate features a very detailed backhead, with some superb fittings. The one thing you’ll notice is that the locomotive lacks a smokebox door dart. Don’t worry, it’s not fallen off - it’s supplied in a bag along with a number of other parts. You get GWR toolboxes, curved GWR front steps, tank vents, lamp irons and cylinder draincocks. Some of these items have locating holes on the model which, once fitted, will improve the look no end. There are just a couple of minor visual criticisms: the indent across the cab appears to be a line of rivets on the prototype, and could perhaps have been better executed, while the join where the chimney top joins the body really needs filling.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Three colours are offered: lined black, lined red and the lined green reviewed here. Although plain - and slightly plasticky looking - the finish is good and the lining is nice and fine. A brass etch of very fine worksplates enables you to re-create any of the ten locomotives and will add an extra touch of finesse to the model. Our short stretch of ‘O’ gauge test track doesn’t allow us to stretch the ‘Victory’s’ haulage capabilities, but the weighty chassis should ensure that the model pulls a decent length train. A brass flywheel ensures beautifully smooth and virtually silent performance straight from the box. In fact, performance was hugely realistic, as there was a very slight delay between shutting off the power and the model coming to a stop while, at the other end of the speed spectrum, the ‘Victory’ had the characteristic waddling gait of a short wheelbase locomotive with big, outside cylinders. Three-link couplings are factoryfitted and those big, turned metal buffers are sprung. There’s a host of DCC options, too. Remove the four screws that secure the body and you’ll find an eight-pin DCC socket. For £332.50, you can buy a ‘Victory’ with a factory-fitted DCC decoder, while £402.00 will buy you a sound-fitted locomotive. What we have here is another ideal route into ‘O’ gauge but for those who want a locomotive a bit more substantial than an 0‑4‑0ST. We await Minerva’s GWR pannier with baited breath!