Revolution Trains TEA tank wagons

◆ SCALE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Revolution Trains TEA tank wagons, EWS grey, VTG red ◆ PRICE £49.99 each, £144.99 per triple-pack ◆ PERIOD 2001-present ◆ AVAILABILITY www.revolutiontrains.com

RT has scaled up its ‘N’ gauge version of the TEAS for ‘OO’ gauge. George Dent details the differences.

Revolution Trains released an ‘N’ gauge model of the Greenbrier TEA tank wagon in 2016 (see MR228) and, thanks to its success, the prospect of a 4mm:1ft scale version was offered. As Revolution Trains operates on a crowd-funding basis, it wasn’t long before the order book was closed and the production process began. While this great new model is, in some ways, a scaled-up version of the 2mm scale model, a number of extra details have been added to the larger version, arguably making it one of the best modern ‘OO’ gauge readyto-run wagons on the market. Greenbrier’s 100t TEA bogie tankers entered service in the early 2000s, owned by wagonleasing company VTG. They have worked for a range of UK freight operators over the years, most notably EWS and, subsequently, DB Cargo. Employed for the transit of oil-based commodities, they have worked across the country on flows between refineries and terminals and are still in use today.

LIVERY VARIETY

These exquisite models have been manufactured for Revolution by Rapido Trains. There are a variety of liveries on offer and the models feature a number of detail differences across the various batches, in terms of the tank filling hatches, walkways and discharge apparatus. The standard of finish is very high, with our two livery samples featuring crisply printed logos and labels, with even the tiniest being legible under a magnifier. The profile of the barrel and underframes appears to be spot on, with plenty of fine detail for the modeller to enjoy. The etched walkways are sublime, as are the complex bogie frames. The underslung discharge pipes and brake gear are also impressive, with plenty of prototypical plumbing installed. Tension lock couplings slot

into pivoting NEM sockets fixed to the bogie frames, while the sturdy, business-like buffers really look the part, despite not being sprung. Brake hoses are provided to fit into holes in the bufferbeams, along with a spare set of brake handwheels. Also provided is a small sheet of waterslide transfers, featuring VTG logos, alternative TOPS number panels and a variety of safety instruction panels.

HARD TO FIND FAULT

There’s very little to criticise here, with the price offering fantastic value for money in today’s bespoke RTR market. Models are available individually or in packs of three. However, as most of the models were pre-ordered before production began, only a small quantity remain for sale via Revolution Trains’ official retailers (see www.revolutiontrains.com for further details). One negative issue that is worth mentioning is the fact that most of the vertical barrel supports have been installed out-of-true on both of our review samples. These are securely bonded, so rectifying the fit may be tricky, leading to some necessary touching-up of the paintwork. That aside, this is another superb offering from Revolution Trains. Grab them while you can!

The profile of the barrel and underframes appears to be spot on, with plenty of fine detail