Bachmann 33-825Y 25 Ton Queen Mary brake van Number LDS56293 in BR Bauxite To call this a review seams a little pretentious on my part but I wanted to share the model with readers who like something a little different. A sure way to spin a few extra pennies for the retailer is to produce limited editions. Sometimes they come with a certificate sometimes just announced as a limited run of a given number of about 504. Can anybody explain this arbitrary number? Its always been a mystery to me. The model is one of Bachman’s more established offerings, having been around for several years. The apparently insatiable demand for unusual liveries presents the ideal opportunity to produce something different without the expense of new tooling. On this occasion, commissioned by the Cornish retailer Kern Model centre who have a well documented history of bringing limited editions to market. My first experience of seeing one of the ”Queen Mary” brakes was one cold night at Ipswich, some 35 years ago when some friends told me about a departmental move. With steaming Max-Pax tea in its flimsy, brittle container with the lid that never fitted properly and notebook in hand we stood for a couple of hours waiting for the rare visitor. As promised, without any ceremony it trundled past on an unremarkable freight, the destination of witch was unknown! Two hours to see a tatty wagon, by now you must think we had lost it or had nothing better to do but for us it was more about doing something together with the expectation of something hitherto not seen at the busy East Anglian junction. Personal observation The real attraction for me is the livery. The large electrification sign and diagonal grey stripe hint of future development on the railway along with those cheerful warning stripes, a plethora of data panels and bright yellow buffer beams and a chance to run trains that would otherwise not be seen in regular service. Price and value. This is very subjective. Weighing in at around £19.00 upwards, according to the retailer’s site this slightly higher cost of £25 sets it apart from the retail catalogue but seams quite fair compared to purchasing decals and paint for a home produced equivalent.
Very nice indeed. Something a little different. I like anything with the black and yellow warning panels. Nice model. Cheers Toto
Mine arrived from Kernow this week and I agree, it certainly is something different. Thanks smeonard55 for some great photos and a colourful first hand experience of the real thing. At an impressive 146 grams and 155mm buffer to buffer, it is much heavier and longer than my other guards vans (my other brake vans are about 100 grams lighter). With 8 solid metal wheels it glides smoothly on a test run, it rolls and pulls nicely and negotiates set track points without issue. It is well detailed with molded boards and rivets etc, and the tiny printed labels are very clear. Separate running boards are supplied for the new owner to optionally fit to the bogies. Molded hand rails and very course lamp irons indicate an older model origin. There is no glazing at all, and no details inside the verandas. Small plastic tension lock couplings are integrally molded into the bogies, so changing the couplings may need a lot of work although the bogies have screw fitting rather than rivets. With no obvious way to get inside and no instructions, fitting interior lighting may be difficult. Buffers are not sprung, but I am not sure that this is an issue when running. For me, it is excellent value and a very satisfactory model.
I am currently building one of these brake vans in '0' gauge from a 'Connoisseur Models' brass kit, quite a big and heavy beast too! I think if you look carefully, you'll find that there will be a way to dismantle your '00' gauge version Bernie, as nowadays models are designed to clip together for production line speed in manufacture, it's really just a matter of finding out how and where to 'disengage' said clips without breaking them or damaging the model. You will find that adding power 'pickups' to either/both bogies for internal lighting or tail lamp shouldn't be too difficult, it's easy enough on coaching stock so ought not to be any more difficult on a bogie van, and I've done 'How-to's' on coach lighting on this forum which you should be able to find if you're unsure how to go about it. The most difficult part of any modification or 'add-on' to stock is taking the initial plunge to dismantle a new model which you've just spent good money on, once you take a deep breath and jump in, it's easier from then on! Keith.
May be worth checking how well a longish train of standard wagons with this hanging on the end can cope with tight curves. I remember aiming for 1oz per axle (which would cope with both white metal wagons and plastic wagons), and would give approx 113g for the 4 axles 155g is approx 1.25oz/axle or a 25% increase in axle weight. - note the mixing of measuring systems - annoys the hell out my young lad when I do it . Nice model, it would be well and truely lost on the east coast of Scotland - and what's this electricity malarky, sounds like something lowlanders would look at (south of the TAY) Paul
Who came up with the modelling scales of 2, 3.5, 4 & 7 mm to the foot? These mixed measuring systems have been around for decades! I just tried the queen mary with a rake or 6 light 4 wheel wagons around a second radius 90 degree curve, it seems OK at speed, sudden stop/start etc., both pulling and leading. It does run very freely, maybe something to do with the large solid metal wheels (flywheels). But my layout is incomplete, so can't do a circuit. After adding 3 coaches and a few extra wagons it also worked OK on normal start/stop operation on the curve. But when running at high speed and stopping suddenly (poweroff) the push on impact does dramatically derail about 4-6 of the wagons on the curve putting them on their sides. I did it again without the queen mary, not so dramatic but still a significant derail with some wagons at angles to the track. The model is certainly a novelty and wont suit everyone. I am trying a fictional preserved approach so I can use what appeals and is available at bargain prices. And in OZ there are places that still don't have electric. My cousin lives 2 hours drive inland of Cairns (north Queensland), electricity and water supply were only available in the last 15 to 20 years and this year the town got their first mobile phone service tower. They still do not have an all weather road, and he had to cross 6 flood prone fords to get to the nearest big town to buy his mobile phone.
No idea, as fast as I could get it in the 1.5 meter run up to the curve. Paul in post #5 above, suggested the axle weight of the queen mary was too high, and its momentum in a rake of wagons would be a problem on sharp curves. So I tested it and in normal use, it is OK. But in extreme use, the momentum of the Queen Mary van plus 3 extra coaches at the tail of the train was such that small light weight wagons in the middle of the curve were propelled off the track upon a sudden power off stop. Being new to this game, I was not aware of what would happen. So, don't do it!
I guess you have to run trains at silly speeds for it to happen. Anything will derail at high scale speeds if they’re not designed to do so. The brake van is no different to a parcel coach on the rear of a goods train.
The Southern Railways, built bigger, better and to last. Nothing you northerners would know about ! Cheers, Gary.
