Vans loaded

Off to the Glasgow show in the morning with New Mills. Another great photo by Chris Nevard, this time in monochrome, captures our chosen period superbly.

Last run for DP2?

No excuses for featuring DP2 again. Since we time-warped New Mills back to the early 1960s this loco has performed brilliantly on the exhibition circuit, effortlessly hauling our 12 or 14 coach expresses and creating quite a buzz amongst an admiring public gallery. The actual loco had real presence and this translates uncannily in 4mm too.

Our model is one of Phill Hutchings wonderful collection of diesel, electric and gas turbine prototypes locos from the late 1950s and 1960s. Crafted from a LIMA Deltic with Craftsman overlays and an A1 detailing pack, it captures the impressive bulk of this one-off was a prototype, a Type 4 mainline loco built in 1962 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows. Although lacking the power of the Deltics it did prove to be the test bed for the Class 50 build.

The 1A4C headcode tells us that our loco is hauling the the 14.05 Liverpool to Euston train in 1962 shortly after its completion.
The HELJAN DP2 is arriving soon and is sure to be a cracking model if their other diesels are anything to go by. So do we retire our DP2? There is something special about prototype models such as this that were never offered in r-t-r format so had to be created by adapting other models or kit bashing, by teasing resin or plastic into shape, and applying various detailing kits. Something tells me that our DP2 will always command a 'special place' in our loco fleet!

This model was part of a large collection of transition era steam and diesel locos originally produced by the team who create Radmore, a large terminus layout built in the 1980s and exhibited across S E England. It predated New Mills but heavily influenced the design concepts behind New Mills. But where is Radmore today? Has it survived? Rumours persist that it may have survived in the hands of a series of owners and you could hardly fail to recognise the striking station building based on Marylebone. If you've seen it let us know!

Glasgow bound

This is the Chris Nevard photo Model Rail used for the cover of their latest edition. No excuses for displaying it here in all it's glory!