Monthly Archives: September 2017

Peco Bullhead Turnouts announcement

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Delivery of the highly anticipated PECO Streamline OO Bullhead Large Radius Turnouts is imminent, so we are now inviting forward orders.

For those of you who may not be aware of the legacy that the hobby in the UK has to deal with,  it will help to explain why this new track system will be popular with some model railway enthusiasts. In the UK, proprietary model railway rolling stock is produced to a scale of 4mm to the foot (OO scale), but runs on HO scale track, hence the reason behind our track needing to be 16.5mm gauge. Because of this, PECO have always considered it best practice to compromise on the scale and spacing of the sleepers, in light of the hybrid scale/gauge of the track, and therefore the sleepers are proportioned to be more visually acceptable. However, there has been an enthusiastic demand in recent years for a prototypical track replicating British Railway practice, using bullhead rail, but with sleepers proportioned more closely to 4mm scale. The result has been the new PECO Streamline “Bullhead” range, strictly OO scale in all ways except the gauge, which has to remain at 16.5mm in order to accept the models that will be operated on it.

Key features to highlight include:
  • Wider sleeper proportions, set at a spacing appropriate for 4mm scale.
  • Bullhead profile nickel silver rail.
  • Fine rail chair and bolt detail, fine wood grain effect.
  • Solid, machined point blade.
  • Nickel silver check rails.
  • Unifrog format.
  • Compatibility with all existing OO/HO Code 75 turnouts.

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UNIFROG – these new turnouts, like all other PECO turnouts, work straight out of the pack without modification. However, the frog tip itself is a separate unit that can be “powered” (that is, switch the polarity according to the route selected) in conjunction with a changeover or micro switch, making use of the factory-welded wire attached to the frog tip.  Unlike electrofrog turnouts, the modeller does not have to break any wires underneath the turnout to isolate the frog unit, nor bond across from the stock rail to the point blade, or even use insulating joiners, so is far easier to use as a result. These new arrangements lend themselves to being especially DCC-friendly.

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It is worth mentioning here that due to the unique shape of the rail profile, it is not possible to manufacture these turnouts in the usual semi-automated manner, by a process known as “insert moulding”. Therefore the turnouts have to be mostly hand-assembled, which is reflected in the higher retail price compared to a standard turnout. Because of the hand-built nature of this product there will be longer lead times involved to replenish stock if the demand is high.
SL-U1188 PECO Streamline OO Bullhead Turnout Large Radius R/H
UK SRP inc. VAT £32.50

SL-U1189 PECO Streamline OO Bullhead Turnout Large Radius L/H
UK SRP inc. VAT £32.50

We already have flexible track (SL-108F) and rail joiners (SL-114), available in the range so these new turnouts will kick-start modellers to really get on with their next new layouts!

It’s worth mentioning here that the rail joiners for bullhead rail are really quite special, incorporating bolt detail: you can really see that the bolts are square in profile, and all set at different positions, just like the real thing!

With PECO Streamline OO Bullhead, we have taken
track detail to a whole new level!


Fleischmann Autum/Winter news

Click HERE to view the Fleischmann Autumn/Winter new release sheet


Roco Autumn/Winter news

Click HERE to view the Roco Autumn/Winter new release sheet.


Dapol O gauge 14XX

GWR Class 4800/1400 & 5800

The 14XX was a GWR tank locomotive designed for branch line passenger and freight work. Although the design is attributed to Collett, much of the actual locomotive was derived from the earlier 19th century George Armstrong designed 517 Class. Entering service in 1932, in all 75 were built and ran well into the 1960s with 4 surviving into preservation. An autocoach was often combined with a 14XX on many branch line operations. The driving cab on the autocoach meant that the locomotive could be controlled from there and negated the requirement to run the locomotive round at the end of the journey. This format was known as a push-pull train. The Dapol 14XX & autocoach will complement each other very nicely of any GWR based layout.

14xxFeatures of the 14XX include:

• Die-cast running plate
• Fully compensated die-cast chassis
• Die-cast and profiled wheels
• High level of separately applied detail
• Flickering fire light effect
• Removable cab roof for ease of posing your locomotive crew
• Sprung metal buffers and articulated screw coupling
• Dapol’s proven motor and gearbox offering exceptional smooth performance and slow running capabilities
• DCC Ready, incorporating Dapol’s new ‘Quick-fit’ DCC and speaker design
• Un-numbered versions of each livery will be available so that you can model your local locomotive

48xx58xx

Proposed Models

7S-006-001 48xx Class GWR Great Western Green 4800 Auto fitted                                   £190
7S-006-001D 48xx Class GWR Great Western Green 4800 Auto fitted DCC                        £210
7S-006-001S 48xx Class GWR Great Western Green 4800 Auto fttd DCC & Sd                   £330
7S-006-002 48xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 4871                                                             £190
7S-006-002D 48xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 4871 DCC                                                  £210
7S-006-002S 48xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 4871 DCC & Sound                                  £330
7S-006-020 14xx Class Green GWR Green1432 Auto fitted                                                   £190
7S-006-020D 14xx Class Green GWR Green1432 Auto fitted DCC                                        £210
7S-006-020S 14xx Class Green GWR Green1432 Auto fitted DCC & Sound                        £330
7S-006-021 14xx Class BR Early Crest Black 1405 Auto fitted Top Feed                             £190
7S-006-021D 14xx Class BR E/Crest Black 1405 Auto fitted Top Feed DCC                         £210
7S-006-021S 14xx Class BR E/Crest Blck 1405 A/fitted Top Feed DCC & Sd                         £330
7S-006-022 14xx Class BR E/Crest Lined Green 1444 Auto fitted Top Feed                        £190
7S-006-022D 14xx Class BR E/Crest Lined Green 1444 A/fitted Top Feed DCC                  £210
7S-006-022S 14xx Class BR E/Crest Lnd Grn 1444 A/fitted Top Feed DCC & S                    £330
7S-006-023 14xx Class BR L/Crest Lined Green1426 Auto fitted Top feed                          £190
7S-006-023D 14xx Class BR L/Crest Lnd Grn1426 A/fitted Top feed DCC                            £210
7S-006-023S 14xx Class BR L/Crest Lnd Grn1426 A/fitted Top feed DCC & Sd                   £330
7S-006-050 58xx Class Great Western Green 5811                                                                  £190
7S-006-050D 58xx Class Great Western Green 5811 DCC                                                       £210
7S-006-050S 58xx Class Great Western Green 5811 DCC & Sound                                       £330
7S-006-051 58xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 5809                                                             £190
7S-006-051D 58xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 5809 DCC                                                  £210
7S-006-051S 58xx Class GWR Shirtbutton Green 5809 DCC & Sound                                  £330
7S-006-052 58xx Class BR Early Crest Black 5819                                                                   £190
7S-006-052D 58xx Class BR Early Crest Black 5819 DCC                                                        £210
7S-006-052S 58xx Class BR Early Crest Black 5819 DCC & Sound                                        £330