Revolution would like to thank Brush Traction/Wabtec for allowing us to visit their Falcon works at Loughborough to carry out some detail checks to ensure our Class 92 is as accurate as possible.
The famous frontage is all most of us get to see, but adjacent to this is a large area comprising many parts of the business. Brush Traction is now a subsidiary of Wabtec, and the workshop where the Class 92s are being serviced for GBRf – Shop 25 – is well inside the complex.
Brush have asked us not to share online any images that show the interior of the workshop, and in particular not to show any of the other vehicles they were working on, however their staff were all extremely helpful and clearly passionate about the work they do, and happy to help us take all the key dimensions we wanted so we could double check our CADs against the works drawings and the real thing.
Anyone who has seen our tanker wagons and Pendolino models will know that Rapido Trains are sticklers for underframe details, and being able to get beneath the locomotive was not only very interesting but extremely useful.
They also gave us some interesting pointers about the proposed modifications to the buffer beam for the Caledonian Sleeper locomotives, though these will not be carried out until next year.
The works has an overhead gantry too, to enable work to be carried out on the electrical roof equipment. This was very useful as getting the roof right is always important for a model – especially an N gauge one. The images below are a useful comparison; note that on the prototype more of the roof is visible as the side cowlings were removed.
Rapido’s Scottish contact – photographer Tom Smith – was also invited into Polmadie depot to get some additional material. This is helpful as it enables us to compare the details of two different Caledonian Sleeper locomotives – at Loughborough was 92018 (the loco that ran the inaugural Caledonian sleeper train and the one we are planning to offer) while at Polmadie Tom caught 92010…
Also present at Polmadie was an additonal treat – 92043 “Debussy” in Europorte 2 livery. These colours are defunct with the acquisition of owners GBRf by EQN – could this loco be the first to get the Hector Rail colours?
Rapido’s engineers will now take this information and use it to enhance and finalise the CAD drawings ready for the next step, which is tooling.
We are hoping to have the final CAD drawings to show people on at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at the NEC next weekend where we are on stand C31 with Rapido, along with news of our next modern wagon.
Thanks to everyone who has already signed up for a Revolution/Rapido Class 92 in N, and our other projects, and we look forward to chatting at the show!