Accucraft September News

Well, August was a hectic month for the firm, hence the late arrival of this newsletter!  At Llanfair we were honoured to be joined by Bing Cheng and a team from the Accucraft factory and, following the show, we were able to make our way to Porthmadog to present the Ffestiniog Railway with a cheque for the proceeds raised by our limited edition model of ‘Lyd’ – Paul Lewin (FR General Manger) said this would pay for a new set of tubes for the real locomotive when she needs her first overhaul!  Thanks to all those who purchased these models.

Sunny (Accucraft US), Graham Langer, Paul Lewin (FR), Ian Pearse, Bing Cheng and Naomi Ding (Accucraft) during the presentation of the cheque for £6000 raised for ‘Lyd’ by our model – Andrew Thomas

Bing Cheng and Paul Lewin in ‘Lyd’s’ cab – Andrew Thomas

LMS Black 5 4-6-0 in 1:32 scale

At Llanfair we were delighted to be able to unveil the engineering sample of our new live steam Black 5. The model is in 1:32 scale and 45mm gauge and features all metal construction with three versions. The model is gas-fired and has all the features the Gauge 1 fraternity have come to expect from an Accucraft locomotive.  The chassis is constructed from stainless steel. The boiler is copper, the cab and tender are constructed from etched brass. Like other fine scale models from Accucraft, it will provide many years of enjoyment.  With a target RRP of just £2250.00, we regard the model as a steal!  The locomotive will run round 6′ radius curves and is happy on code 332 or code 250 tracks.

Trackshack ‘Sea lion’ in 1:13.7 scale

We were also able to show the first example of ‘sea Lion’ at llanfair.  TrackShack has commissioned Accucraft (UK) to produce a model of  the Groudle Glen Railway Bagnall 2-4-0T in live steam.  The model will be to 7/8ths” scale (1:13.7) for 45mm gauge track and will happily harmonise with the Trackshack/IP Engineering range of 7/8ths” scale Groudle Glen rolling stock kits.  Built to Accucraft’s usual high standards, the loco will be constructed of copper, brass and stainless steel and carry the enhanced level of detail that scale allows.  The target UK RRP is hoped to be about £1000 and the models will be exclusively available from Trackshack.  At least 50% of any profit from this model will go to the Groudle Glen Railway to help fund the construction of ‘Brown Bear’, a new Bagnall 2-4-0T to take the place of ‘Polar Bear’ (now preserved in Sussex). Purchasers of this model will also gain similar benefits as those donating £178.10 to the new construction.  You can see more about the ‘Brown Bear’ project here.  You can pre-order one of these enchanting models here.

Trackshack County Donegal / Isle of Man railcar in 1:20.3 scale

Also shown for the first time at Llanfair was the County Donegal / Isle of Man diesel railcar.  Full details can be found on the Trackshack website here.