WIA Archives - Revolution Trains

Samples of Revolution’s upcoming OO gauge Cartic-4 and WIA car carriers will take centre stage on Revolution’s stand at the Great Electric Train Show in Milton Keynes on October 12th and 13th.

GETS is always a great show, with a friendly atmosphere, and this year is set to feature up to 30 layouts and more than 50 trade stands and demonstrations.

Revolution is on stand 14, close to the centre of the main Arena display area, and directly opposite the star attraction: Pete Waterman’s Making Tracks 4 which depicts sections of the southern West Coast Main Line in the present day and includes OO gauge depictions of Watford Junction Station and Bushey Viaduct in Hertfordshire and the well-known ‘birdcage’ cutting at Roade in Northamptonshire.

Making Tracks 4. Photos Key Model World/Cavalex

The whole Revolution team will be present and we are looking forward to displaying, for the first time, decorated samples of our upcoming Cartic-4 car carriers and first Engineering Prototypes of the imposing WIA 5-unit covered sets.

In addition we will have the decorated samples of the OO IHA steel carriers on display for the first time; these arrived during the summer and while the N gauge models were displayed last month at The International N Gauge Show, until now there has been no opportunity to show off their upscaled cousins. The pre-order book for these in both scales closes immediately after the show so production can get underway.

N gauge modellers aren’t being left out, with 1938 stock trains in both London Underground and Isle of Wight versions, and first deco samples of the Class 180 and 175 diesel units available for inspection. In addition, first engineering prototypes of the Alcan PCA tanks in N will also be on display.

And other than items on display, we will be happy to answer questions about our recently annoucned Class 99 bi-mode locomotives, and anything else you might want to ask us about. We are always more indiscreet in person!

In addition we will have a second Revolution Raffle, with proceeds going to the Railway Children charity, and this year we have been generously supported by Cavalex who have donated several models to the prize pot. Last year, thanks to the generosity of show goers, we were able to raise nearly £4000, and anything raised this year will be in addition to the £18,000 raised whilst we were taking part in the Beacon/GBRf industry-wide 5-a-side football tournament last month.

And finally we will have limited stocks of some hard-to-find models that may be sold out at retailers. These are items we are clearing from our own stores, or from cancelled or returned orders. If there is anything in particular you’d like please let us know and if possible we will bring it!

Revolution Trains is offering the imposing 5-piece articulated WIA ‘Sefoorss’ car carriers as its next wagon in OO and N.

Photo: Foulger Rail used under Creative Commons

CAD work on the model is complete, and the order book is opening imminently, with our usual great value pre-order price available to encourage early orders.

The Prototype

60 five-unit sets were ordered by BR’s Railfreight Distribution sector ahead of the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994.

They were designed to offer complete protection and, being fully enclosed, meant that new cars could be shipped between the UK and continental Europe without needing to be waxed, saving time and money.

Brand new WIA units lined up at Tonbridge. Photo: Paul Wade.

Initially they were operated by Auto Care Europe, a partnership comprising RfD, SNCB and Cobelfret. Some outer wagons were adorned with the ACE logo and car maker markings too. On privatisation ownership passed to EWS and from around 2007 the DB Schenker (now DB) logo was added to the intermediate cars of some sets.

Photo: CA850 used under Creative Commons.

Though it is not immediately apparent from the outside, the wagons are double-decked and the entire roof canopy can be raised or lowered as one unit to aid loading and unloading.

In railfreight terms cars are light, but high volume, so the wagons are designed to maximise the use of space and completely fill the loading gauge, hence the angled contours of the roofs. Articulation is chosen as it both reduces costs, but cutting the number of bogies required, but also simplifies loading and unloading as cars can easily be driven the full length of the train.

Photo: Foulger Rail Photos-Creative Commons

The Model

The model features our usual refinements including separately fitted brake parts and articulation units designed to allow operation down to curves of radius 2. We’d like to thanks DB for their assistance and support in researching the model.

The OO CAD is complete and the N gauge CAD is under development.

The articulation units have been designed to allow the model to comfortably negotiate R2 curves, and for added realism the customer will have the option, for the tail end car, of replacing the tension-lock coupler with a cosmetic air pipe, in either the loose or stowed position, and a control box moulding that clips into the NEM pocket to recreate the look of the real thing.