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REVIEW
Supplement No. 185 September 2019 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M21
Which brings us to the model
developedandproducedby Kernow
ModelRail Centrewhichisn ow enjo ying
itssecondreleasefollowing thesell- out
success of the first models.Wehavethe
chance torevisit the model, this time
as alate1950slined BR greenexample
fitte dwith achime whistle and standard
end doorsrepresenting No. 10201 when
allo cate dtothe LMR.At 630g inweight,
it’s aheavy model with considerable
tractiveeffortdelivered through six
poweredaxles maki ng it capable of
handling thelong trains typical of the
1950sBournemouth,Exeter andWest
CoastMain Lineroutes.
When firstreleased in 2017, it
soldout in amatter ofmonths proving
beyond doubtthat good modelsof
pioneering locomotives and prototypes
sell well enough to justifytooling and
development costs, at least in ‘OO’
gauge.
Bodyanditsdetail
From its carefullyshapedbodyprofile
with its complexcurve stothe fine
grille and rivet detail,Kernow has
encapsulatedthe transition character
of the Bulleid dieselsvery well. It
retains thefeel of the lateSouthern
Railway andahint of whatwastocome
in modern traction technology,all in
injectionmouldedplas tic.The shapeof
the cabsidesand fronts matches that
observed inarchivephotographs and
the locomotiveitself sitsneatlyonits
bogies.
Finetoolingwork is evident in moulded
detailsuch as the side grilles, fixings,
panellines andsome very subtlecab
frontdetail. Themodified frontdoors
fitte dbythe LMR arenot supplied
with this model.Locomotive-specific
variations in the body shell canbe
incorporatedby Kernowusing different
toolingslides.This allows specific
members of theclass withinagiven
timewindowtobemodelled, making it
averyremar kable model ofaminority
locomotiveclass.
Over all finish of thebodyshell is
neatlydonewith avarietyof small
fittings used to detailitincludingmetal
handrailswith aflattened profile to
match those fittedto th eprototype
locomotives. Thetrain reporting discs
arereasonablythin, despite being
composedofplastic.Look closelyat
the open discsto see thatatinylens
is fitted to each one.Theyare neatly
plugged intothe cabfront and easily
exchangedforclosed ones supplied
in the detailing packto makeupthe
desired trainreporting codes.
An etchedmetalfan grille is fitted
to theroof,with afan visible beneath it.
There aremoretinyfittings to observe
includinglampirons and separateroof
mounted chime whistles. Flush glazing
is fitted to theaccuratelyshaped
windowopenings.Cabinteriors are
visible through the clearglazing units
whichalso featur eseparate windscreen
wipers which themselvesdeservea
closerlook.Bogies,wheels and couplings
Beautifullymodelledreplicas of the
heavybolsterlessbogie sdomuchto
capture the bulkycharacterof the
locomotive including spring andaxle
boxdetailwith good le vels of relief.
ootsteps and sandboxdetails are
separatemouldings neatlyfitted to
the bogie sideframes and separately
moulded unsprung buffers are
fittedtothe integral bufferbeams
alongsidevacuumbrake and steam
heatinghoses.
Thewheels have the weight-
saving holescharacteristic of
Bulleid locomotives, adding to
the authenticity of the model,
ncludingthesmall load bearing
wheelsatt he front ofthebogies.
Allofthe wheelshave inner discs
omposedof meta land no sign of
eccentricity wasobservedduring
testing of the model.Ther eissufficientclearance betweenthebogie frames to
fit ‘EM’and ‘P4’ wheels. The inner frame
of the bogiesrock gentlyaround anaxis
whilst the leadingload bearingaxles are
both articulated and ableto slidefrom
side to side allowingoperation through
curves as sharpassecondradius.
Duri ng testing, the bogies did not
catchonthe underside of the bogies,
evenonsharp curves, despite the
tiniest ofgaps between thetwo –the
action wassmooth andreliable through
alltrack formations. NEM coupling
pockets arefitted in neat slots located
between the bulges in the bufferbeam.
As supplied, the model is fitted with
standardtensi on lock couplings.
Additional detailparts aresupplied with
the modelforthose modellers wishing
to further detailthe bufferbeams.Electrics and drivemechanism
Itsheavy chassis and six-axledrive
makes the modelparticular ly powerful,
with aframe mountedmotor powering
both bogiesthroughgear to wers
and driveshafts.Motionissmoothed
with large double brassflywheels
and performancewasfound to be
excellent–atrulypowerful model
capable of hauling morecoaches than
could be attached to it onalarge
layout du ringtests. Internally, the
circuit boardisfitted witha21-pin
DCCinterface socketand is supplied
with powerusing conventional sprung
wiper pick-upsworking onall12driving
wheels.Workingmarker lights operate
in the directionoftravelwhen worked
on atraditio nal analoguelayout. Fit a
decoder and lightingbecomesmore
controlled, including thecab li ght
which does not operateonanalogue
control. The leadingmarker lights
operate through function F0 andchange
accordingto th edirectionof tr avel.Presentation
Arich shade ofBR green isappliedto
the modeltogether withthe correct
shade ofroof gr ey.The gr een hasa
slight sheen to it,depi ctingalocomotive
in clean condition. Unfortunately,KERNOWModelRail Centrepublishes
regular updates on itsexclusive
models and the Bulleid diesel
story can befound at
http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.comphotographs showthat all three Class
D16/2 locomotives becamevery dirty in
their twilightyears.
Lining is neatlyappli ed on most
of the model, being levelalong both
bodysides and lining up with the lining
around the cab fronts. Thereisaslight
mismatch of the lining wherebody
side and cab lining meets at the cab
corn ers. Number printing is slightly
translucent in places on thereview
model. Nonetheless, theoverall finish
is very good,including the separately
fitted details. Finished in pristine
condition, thereisnodoubt that the
nicelytooled detailwillaccept grime
washeswell to highlight the detail
and the light shine will be easily dulled
down with grime without loosing the
characteroft he livery.
Desp ite themismatched lining
andsimplification of some of the
side grilleslat detail,the 2018British
ModelRailway Gold Awardwas fu lly
deserved. The heavy characterof the
real Bulleiddieselelectric locomotiv es
is all thereinmoulded plastic. It rides
lowonits bogie frames emphasising
the bulkycharacteroft he locomotive.
Compared to standardreleasesby oth er
manufacturerssuch as theBachmann
Class 37/0featured on pageM29,its
£179.99 price tag isgood valuefor a
limitedrun model.Thereisaminimalgapbetween
bufferbeams and bottom of the cab
fronts,yetthe bogiesrotate freely.The locomotivesits close to its bogies in the same manner as the full-sizelocomotives.
Detailonthe bogies isverycrisp and withexcellentrelief.
Flushglazing is fitted throughout with onlyatrace of edgetothe cab
side windows.Separatelyfitted wirehand
railswithaflattened profile arefitted to
thecab sides and front. RRP £179.99
http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com