Masterpiece Models GWR locomotives
◆ GAUGE ‘O’ ◆ MODEL Masterpiece Models Churchward ‘47XX’ 2‑8‑0 No. 4700, BR lined green; Collett ‘Grange’ 4‑6‑0 No. 6822 Manton Grange, BR black ◆ PRICE ‘47XX’ from £3,465; ‘Grange’ from £3,355 AVAILABILITY Masterpiece Models Tel 01737 242073. Web www.mas
There are so many quotes from Henry Royce, of Rolls Royce fame, that can be applied to much more in life than luxury motor cars. You can certainly pick any number of them to describe these two new offerings from Masterpiece Models.
It’s almost sacrilege to call these locomotives ‘models’. As we discovered with its 7mm:1ft scale ‘Castles’ in the July issue (MR262), Masterpiece produces scaled down versions of the real thing. The only difference is that they’re powered by electricity and not steam.
It’s probably fair to say that most museum-quality manufacturers tend to stick with the ‘glamour’ locomotives; ‘Pacifics’, express 4-6-0s, even ‘Deltics’. Masterpiece covers all areas of the railway, dishing out its high quality treatment to tank locomotives and express locomotives alike.
We therefore follow the review of the ‘Castle’ with two very different Great Western designs. The big green monster is George Jackson Churchward’s mighty ‘47XX’ express freight 2-8-0. Charles
Collett’s ‘Grange’ 4-6-0 looks quite dainty by comparison!
Both models really capture the essence of the originals. They’re absolutely spot on from every angle, although Manton Grange’s BR smokebox numberplate
It’s almost sacrilege to call these locomotives ‘models’
doesn’t quite meet the high standards set elsewhere. As with the ‘Castles’, the finish is nigh on flawless, thanks to the brass construction.
It’s impossible to describe the level of detail in words, which is why we’ll let the photographs do the talking. In summary, however, you get full working valve gear, the smokebox door opens with a miniature dart and locking bar arrangement to reveal the blastpipe, steam pipes and front tubeplate. All the cab fixtures and fittings are present and correct, including posable seats and firehole door. The tender is just as good as the locomotive and the tool boxes open. You even get a complementary box of miniature fire irons, lamps and a bucket.
SMALL THINGS
As with the ‘Castles’, these models are built to pull trains. Both performed well on Dave Lowery’s layout, handling heavy trains of brass rolling stock with ease. They also featured the switch in the tender filler to change between 12V analogue and DCC control.
However, there is one further innovation: the electrical connection between locomotive and tender is maintained by a pair of powerful miniature magnets. There’s no need to mess around with fiddly plugs and sockets here; you just pull the plug apart. Again, dare we hope that such a feature finds it way on to mass-produced models?
Consider this Henry Royce observation when drinking in Masterpiece’s ‘47XX’ and ‘Grange’: “Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing.” (RF)