Accucraft UK Ltd

Welcome to our September update.  After a successful Llanfair show we are now looking forward to attending not one but two shows over the weekend of 30th September/1st October, the relocated Elsecar Show to be held at Barrow Hill Roundhouse and the G1MRA AGM and Show in Woking.  We hope to see you at one or the other!  We are pleased to bring you news of a new generic model from Accucraft US, ‘Mabel’, further detail of the 16mm scale Bagnall saddle tank and some great videos from Bram Hengeveld of the new 1:32 scale 43XX Mogul.

Introducing ‘Mabel’

Accucraft Trains is proud to announce our next freelance narrow gauge steam locomotive in 1:20.3 scale, 45mm gauge. The model is based on a 3ft gauge Baldwin style locomotive and will be available in both kit form and ready to run. Joining the ranks of the classic Ruby, Dora and Forney 0-4-4, we hope ‘Mabel’ brings the joy of live steam to both novices and experienced collectors alike.  Special thanks to Marc Horovitz for our concept drawings.  The anticipated UK RRP is £1275.00 for the kit version, £1495.00 for RTR models.  Please contact our office to place a pre-order.

Colour Options:

Black with white lining
Green with yellow lining
Maroon with yellow lining
Blue with white lining

Add on options:

Rear truck: £60
Pilot truck (Requires extended frames): £100
Separate Tender (TBA)

Specifications
1:20.3 scale, 45mm gauge
Butane fired
Water Gauge with blowdown valve
Pressure gauge included
Piston valve gear
Goodall valve included
Safety valve under steam dome
Knuckle couplers
Blind middle driver for tighter curves
Min. Radius TBA

New for 2024 – 1:19 scale (16mm) Bagnall 0-4-0ST

Encouraged by the success of the Quarry Hunslet, scaled down from our 7/8ths” version, we have decided to shrink the Bagnall saddle tank in the wash as well!  With its stepped boiler, the little locomotive should have ample run time and will be available in either 32mm or 45mm gauge.  Fitted with simplified Walschaerts valve gear, a removable cab roof and choice of chimneys, we feel this little engine will be a winner for 2024.  Once again David Fletcher has drawn the locomotive for us and illustrated a variety of attractive liveries and lining schemes.  UK RRP is anticipated to be £1795.00.

Bagnall were renowned builders of industrial locomotives for both standard gauge and narrow gauge.  They developed a huge range of designs and built numerous engines for the ‘big four’ and the MOD.  The 7″ x 12″ saddle tank was a mid-range narrow gauge design that could be supplied in a number of different formats.  Several examples of the type have been preserved, one of the most famous being the Rev. Teddy Boston’s ‘Pixie’ which ran round his railway in the garden of Cadeby rectory!

S19-40A BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED BLACK – 32mm GAUGE
S19-40B BAGNALL 0-4-0ST PLAIN BLACK – 32mm GAUGE
S19-40C BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED DARK GREEN – 32mm GAUGE
S19-40D BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED DARK BLUE – 32mm GAUGE
S19-40E BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED LIGHT GREEN – 32mm GAUGE
S19-40F BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED MAROON – 32mm GAUGE

S19-41A BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED BLACK – 45mm GAUGE
S19-41B BAGNALL 0-4-0ST PLAIN BLACK – 45mm GAUGE
S19-41C BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED DARK GREEN – 45mm GAUGE
S19-41D BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED DARK BLUE – 45mm GAUGE
S19-41E BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED LIGHT GREEN – 45mm GAUGE
S19-41F BAGNALL 0-4-0ST LINED MAROON – 45mm GAUGE

Video footage of the new 43XX

Our friend, Bram Hengeveld, has made a series of great videos featuring the new 43XX. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu7zjipwvVM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMow3TOCkHM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4CGz1avjMk

Llanfair Garden Railway Show 2nd & 3rd September

Only two weeks to go to the show!  We have had a major clear-out in our storage and will be bringing a heap of stock to sell, display locomotives, samples, ‘open box’ stock and second-hand items. It will be the last opportunity to purchase many ‘end of line’ items, never to be repeated….. scroll down to find a list of examples of the stock we will be bringing.

We are delighted to say that we will be bringing not one but three sample models to the Llanfair Garden Railway Show, the prototype 7/8th” scale Sirdar ‘Diana’, the new Accucraft US 13T Shay and the 1:29 scale GP60 diesel.

‘Open Box’ and damaged stock for sale at Llanfair

Here are some examples of the clearance stock we will be bringing to the show:

S19-35 TR No.1 45mm gauge, assorted liveries £1295.00

S19-36 SAR ‘Lawley’ 4-4-0, SAR or Beira green £2800.00

S19-37 Large Quarry Hunslet, maroon or blue £1295.00

S78-3 Bagnall 0-4-0ST saddle tank, black or green £1295.00

S78-4 Kerr Stuart ‘Wren’ 0-4-0ST, assorted liveries £995.00

R19-21 Lynton & Barnstaple Composite coach £95.00

R19-16 Isle of Man ‘Pairs’ coach £95.00

R19-24 Isle of Man ‘E’ Van, maroon & cream £50.00

R19-25 L&B ‘Howard’ van, brown or grey £60.00

These, and many more bargains, will only be available from the Accucraft stand over the weekend of the show.  See you there!

Llanfair Garden Railway Show 2nd & 3rd September

Only a few weeks to go to the show!  We have had a major clear-out in our storage and will be bringing a heap of stock to sell, display locomotives, samples, ‘open box’ stock and second-hand items. It will be the last opportunity to purchase many ‘end of line’ items, never to be repeated…..

Last call for pre-orders for Diana!

With the first batch of the Kerr Stuart ‘Sirdar’ 0-4-0Ts now in production, make sure you get your order in if you want to guarantee a ride on the footplate of the prototype (courtesy of Phil Mason, the owner).  Some liveries may already be getting scarce so make sure you don’t miss out.  Only purchasers of the first batch will get a ‘ticket to ride’!

New for 2024 – 1:19 scale (16mm) Bagnall 0-4-0ST

Encouraged by the success of the Quarry Hunslet, scaled down from our 7/8ths” version, we have decided to shrink the Bagnall saddle tank in the wash as well!  With its stepped boiler, the little locomotive should have ample run time and will be available in either 32mm or 45mm gauge.  Fitted with simplified Walschaerts valve gear, a removable cab roof and choice of chimneys, we feel this little engine will be a winner for 2024.  Once again David Fletcher has drawn the locomotive for us and illustrated a variety of attractive liveries and lining schemes.  UK RRP is anticipated to be £1795.00.  Full details will follow in due course.

Rest assured, because of the small diameter of her boiler, we will NOT be scaling down the Kerr Stuart Diana!

Live Steam offerings from ‘The Clearing House’

An absolute corker!  Accucraft D&RGW T-12 4-6-0 in Moffat green livery.  Butane-fired, in great condition with one very careful owner.  These are extremely rare models! – £3995.00

Accucraft live steam D&RGW C-16 2-8-0, nice, well cared for example – £1850.00

Aster Berkshire 2-8-4 converted to Southern Pacific form, No. 3509, fitted with a Coffin pre-heater, a rare model of a rare prototype (there were only 10 SP examples).  The model is in  great condition, RC fitted and comes with a wooden carry case – £3950.00

Aster-Accucraft Great Northern Heavy Mikado 2-8-2 No. 3202, new and unused in its original box – £3500.00 

Aster-Accucraft Union Pacific Light Mikado 2-8-2 No. 2840, new and unused with its original box – £3250.00

1:20.3 Scale 13T Shay

We are delighted to be able to share an image of a production sample of the forthcoming 13T Shay from Accucraft US.  We are now taking pre-orders in anticipation that the batch will be delivered in the autumn.

The 13-2 Class A straight boiler Shay locomotive was one of Lima’s industrial success stories, with virtually identical examples built for US and international industry and plantations lines. Orders were built for New York, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington State, Minnesota and Hawaii. In addition, exports were built for Queensland Australia, Japan, Puerto Rico and more. Despite its small stature, the design was built for a wide variety of gauges including 50cm, 24”, 30” 36”, 42” and standard gauge. The 13-2 Class A is a 2 cylinder, 13 Ton conventional straight boiler design, and differs from other 13 Ton ‘T’ boiler and tapered boiler designs.  Today there is only one known survivor of this design of 13-2 Class A, as built for Queensland, Australia which is now preserved at the Nambour Museum in beautifully restored, non-operational condition.

At long last, a gorgeous little Shay that is gauge-adjustable!  Perfect for the 16mm brigade!

The model will be gauge-adjustable for 32mm and 45mm and will come with two types of stack as typically supplied by Lima when built.  Supplied in either black or green and now planished (Russian) iron, UK RRP £2145.00 RTR, £1995.00 Kit, available direct from Accucraft UK, due for release Q4 2022.  Our thanks to David Fletcher for the superb illustrations.

We are also pleased to be able to offer the cute little 13T Shay with a further livery variation, adding the planished iron boiler to the two other options.  Planished or ‘Russian’ iron was popular among 19th Century locomotive builders, particularly in the USA.  The name is applied to sheet iron with a very highly polished or glazed surface. It is used for protecting the lagging of engines and boilers and for other uses where a non-corroding black iron of finished surface is desired.

These sheets are made by piling together about fifty pickled sheets of soft steel with powdered charcoal sprinkled between adjacent sheets. The pile is wrapped in old sheets, wired and heated in a furnace to a cherry-red heat for about six hours. Upon cooling, each sheet is swept free of loose charcoal and is then sprayed with steam to form a thin oxide. Again the sheets are piled together, heated and then placed on the hammer table, several in a bundle, and pounded with a steam hammer. This brings about a grinding action which grinds the carbon and oxide on the surface down to a highly polished coating.

Specifications:

1:20.3 Scale – 45 mm Gauge/32mm Gauge (adjustable)
Brass, Copper & Stainless Steel Construction
48 in. (1.2 M) Mini. Radius
Length: 16.8 in. (427 mm)
Width: 4.5 in. (116 mm)
Height: 6.6 in. (168 mm)

Features:

Butane fired
Two truck, two cylinders
Simulated Stephenson valve gear,
Two Safety valves
Lubricator
Water level gauge
Blowdown valve
Hand operated pump in bunker
Superheater

Live Steam offerings from ‘The Clearing House’

An absolute corker!  Accucraft D&RGW T-12 4-6-0 in Moffat green livery.  Butane-fired, in great condition with one very careful owner.  These are extremely rare models! – £3995.00

Accucraft live steam D&RGW C-16 2-8-0, nice, well cared for example – £1850.00

Accucraft Live Steam D&RGW C-21 2-8-0, RC fitted, comes with original boxes – £2950.00

Aster-Accucraft LNER/BR B1 4-6-0 BR Apple Green, No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’, open box example – £3100.00

Aster Berkshire 2-8-4 converted to Southern Pacific form, No. 3509, fitted with a Coffin pre-heater, a rare model of a rare prototype (there were only 10 SP examples).  The model is in  great condition, RC fitted and comes with a wooden carry case – £3950.00

Aster-Accucraft Great Northern Heavy Mikado 2-8-2 No. 3202, new and unused in its original box – £3500.00 

Aster-Accucraft Union Pacific Light Mikado 2-8-2 No. 2840, new and unused with its original box – £3250.00

Well, it finally feels like summer is here and we are able to safely venture out into the garden and actually run trains!  This month we bring you news of the arrival of the 1:32 scale 43XXs, a sneak preview of next year’s 16mm scale ‘small’ locomotive and advance news of the Llanfair Garden Railway Show.

1:32 scale GWR 43XX Moguls are here!

We are delighted to report that the first batch of these handsome Great Western 2-6-0s have now landed and the majority have already been sent to their new owners. The factory decided not to paint the tyres because they were stainless steel and they could not guarantee that the paint would not chip. However, we have been painting stainless steel tyres with enamel paint for years and have never had a problem. If you wish to blacken the tyres on your locomotive, we recommend wiping them down with alcohol to remove any residual oil and then, without the need for primer, painting with Humbrol gloss black enamel (#21) or Humbrol satin black enamel (#85) depending on the finish required. You will also find you need to fit the cab and tender steps, removed to make packing easier and safer.

New for 2024 – 1:19 scale (16mm) Bagnall 0-4-0ST

Encouraged by the success of the Quarry Hunslet, scaled down from our 7/8ths” version, we have decided to shrink the Bagnall saddle tank in the wash as well!  With its stepped boiler, the little locomotive should have ample run time and will be available in either 32mm or 45mm gauge.  Fitted with simplified Walschaerts valve gear, a removable cab roof and choice of chimneys, we feel this little engine will be a winner for 2024.  Once again David Fletcher has drawn the locomotive for us and illustrated a variety of attractive liveries and lining schemes.  UK RRP is anticipated to be £1795.00.  Full details will follow in due course.

Rest assured, because of the small diameter of her boiler, we will NOT be scaling down the Kerr Stuart Diana!

Last call for pre-orders for Diana!

With the first batch of the Kerr Stuart ‘Sirdar’ 0-4-0Ts now in production, make sure you get your order in if you want to guarantee a ride on the footplate of the prototype (courtesy of Phil Mason, the owner).  Some liveries may already be getting scarce so make sure you don’t miss out.  Only purchasers of the first batch will get a ‘ticket to ride’!

Llanfair Garden Railway Show – 2nd & 3rd September

As ever, we will be supporting the Llanfair Garden Railway Show over the weekend of the 2nd & 3rd of September.  It is our intention to bring a lot of redundant stock, ends of line and show models to sell so make sure you bring your wallets!  We will have the sample of the little Bagnall 2-4-0T Rheidol with delivery expected shortly after.

Welcome to our regular website update.  This month we mark the Coronation of our new monarch, King Charles III, the UK’s first new head of state for 70 years.  The new King is no stranger to the railways being an enthusiastic user of The Royal Train and he is known to have a passion for steam locomotives.  The photograph below shows him at the controls of Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado on the day of that he named the locomotive at York Station in 2009.  God Save the King!

Photo courtesy of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust.

The new 7/8ths” Scale Kerr Stuart ‘Sirdar’ 0-4-0T breaks cover!

We were thrilled to unveil our latest 7/8ths” Scale offering at the Peterborough Show last month and we have to say the production sample didn’t disappoint!  Loaded with detail and superbly finished, the model really does the prototype justice.  The model is gas-fired and fitted with a water top up valve, miniature pressure gauge and lubricator; constructed of stainless steel and etched brass with a copper boiler, the locomotive has an enhanced level of detail made possible by this scale including a brake stand / gas control valve, dummy water gauges and sliding cab-sheet doors.  It is gauge-adjustable between 45mm and 32mm gauges.  The gas tank is concealed in the left hand side tank with the filler hidden under a dummy coal load, the Goodall top-up valve is hidden in the dummy sand pot on the boiler.

Don’t forget that in addition to the help Diana’s owner Phil Mason has given us he has very kindly arranged that every customer who purchases a model of Diana will be entitled to a free footplate ride on the prototype locomotive at the Amerton Railway near Stafford (subject to terms and conditions yet to be finalised) and the opportunity to pose their model with the real thing!  A numbered certificate confirming this will be issued with every model sold.  You can find full details here.

Accucraft donates models to the Talyllyn Railway

Also at the National Garden Railway Show we were able to donate two of our models of TR No.1 Talyllyn to members of the railway who were manning their stand at the show.  We always stated that we would make a contribution to the railway from our sales of this model and what could be better that giving them two engines to raise funds for the earliest preserved railway in the UK!  The photo shows Ian Pearse handing over one of the models at the show.

The Accucraft UK stand at the Peterborough show, serendipitously located next to the 7/8ths” Scale stand!

Don’t forget the Llangollen Show!

That’s right!  It is only a week away!  We will be there with a full stand and look forward to see faces old and new!

Welcome to our April update.  We are pleased to say that we have a definite delivery date for the GWR Moguls and can also bring you news of a raft of new items in ‘The Clearing House’, good news if you are a fan of American 3′ gauge lines!  We’d also like to remind you that April is the month of the National Garden Railway Show in Peterborough, full details below.  We look forward to seeing you there and hope to have one or two surprises on our stand.

Gauge 1, 1:32 scale GWR Moguls in full production

We can confirm that we will be delivering these models on the first week or so of May.  If you haven’t ordered one, we advise that you do so soon!  Although we are shipping stock in addition to that which has been pre-ordered some liveries are being rapidly hoovered up and may not be available.

The National Garden Railway Show

It’s D&RGW month at ‘The Clearing House’!

We have some choice items available for sale, in fact you could obtain an instant collection form what we are offering, not one but two ‘San Juan’ Jackson & Sharp coach sets, some rare and beautiful locomotives and a heap of assorted rolling stock, we even have a cute little speeder and trailer in stock!

Live Steam

Accucraft live steam 1:20.3 D&RG 4-4-0 ‘Col. Boone’, a rare and superb example of the classic American 3′ gauge 4-4-0, now extremely hard to obtain – £2500.00

Accucraft live steam D&RGW C-16 2-8-0, nice, well cared for example – £1850.00

Accucraft Live Steam D&RGW C-21 2-8-0, RC fitted, comes with original boxes – £2950.00

Electric

Accucraft 1:20.3 scale RGS C-19 2-8-0 – RC fitted with batteries – £1950.00

A bit of a rarity!  An Aristocraft/Sancheng G Scale (Gauge 1) Speeder and trailer (powered) in brass.  Only a limited number of these were made, in its original box – £350.00

Rolling Stock

Complete set (four car set + additional car, five in total) Accucraft ‘San Juan’ J&S coaches, made in  brass, green livery with their original boxes – £2000.00

Nine D&RGW freight cars and a caboose including a four car boxcar set. two livestock cars, a gondola and tanker – £95.00 each (+ shipping) or £900.00 for the set (all with their original boxes).

Set of six Accucraft US Iron Mountain coal cars (all boxed) – £240.00

After something of a drought for Gauge 1 followers we have bumper good news for you!  We have received our stock of Mk1 coaches and the 14 ton oil tankers as well as four production samples of the new 43XX, delivery of which is expected in April.  We will be attending the Midlands Garden Rail Show this coming weekend and will have examples of all these with us. We look forward to seeing you there.

Production samples of the GWR 43XX 2-6-0

We think you will agree that the factory has done a wonderful job of capturing the clean lines of Holcroft’s mogul.  The model is built to1:32 scale for 45mm gauge track, gas-fired with a single flue boiler.  Built to a similar formula as our very successful 61XX 2-6-2T, the chassis is constructed from stainless steel, the wheels are un-insulated. The boiler is copper, the cab and bodywork are constructed from etched brass. The gas tank is in a water bath in the tender.  The model will run round 4′ 6″ radius curves and is happy on code 332 or code 250 tracks, however, we do not recommend running through LGB code 332 pointwork.

At last!  The Mk1 coaches have arrived!

Much delayed because of Covid-19 and the subsequent rise in shipping costs, we can report that the Mk1 coaches have finally arrived, including the long anticipated RMB buffet cars.  Dealers now have their stock of these lovely Gauge 1 coaches but be advised, the maroon ones are nearly all sold out!  At the same time we also took delivery of the black 14 ton oil tankers and, again, these are rapidly selling out – don’t forget that the silver G1MRA 75th Anniversary tankers are still available (direct from G1MRA).

The Midlands Garden Railway Show

Welcome to our January update.  We have to start with an apology for the fact that the office has been unavoidably closed since Christmas due to illness.  We hope that normal service will be resumed shortly.  We are sorry if your ‘phone messages went unanswered for a while but we have been doing our best to monitor and respond to emails.  Unfortunately the Covid situation in China is also affecting our productivity and some project delivery dates have been pushed further back in consequence. This bulletin should provide a reasonably accurate timescale for the arrival of the next UK and US projects.

1:32 Scale Mk1 coaches and 14T Oil Tankers

The buffet cars, SKs and BSKs have been slightly delayed by poor sea conditions but we expect to be sending them out at the end of this month.  Please note, that in light of supply problems in obtaining Kadee couplings, the batch will be fitted with the Accucraft knuckle coupler.  The problem which afflicted these couplers in the last batch has been addressed by shortening and softening the corridor connections which were responsible for pushing the coaches apart.  The Accucraft knuckle coupler is fully compatible with Kadee couplings.  They are accompanied by the black oil tank wagons, most of which are now pre-sold.

1:32 Scale GWR 43XX 2-6-0s

Although we had hoped to see the 43XXs this month, the batch has been further delayed. The good news is that many of them are now complete and in the paint shop and we have been promised delivery in March.

1:13.7 Scale (7/8ths”) Kerr Stuart ‘Sirdar’ 0-4-0T

We should have a sample for the National Garden Railway Show in April followed by delivery of the batch in May or June.

1:20.3 Scale 13T Shay

These terrific little engines should be rolling of the production line in July.  Make sure you have pre-ordered yours since demand is already proving high!

A further run of the Argyle Locomotive Works NA Class 2-6-2T

Exciting news!  Argyle have commissioned a further run of the very popular Puffing Billy Railway NA Class 2-6-2Ts.  These are bound to be popular and further details of pricing and availability will appear here soon.  Meanwhile we are taking expressions of interest, red, green and black liveries will be available.

Midlands Garden Rail Show – 11th & 12th March

We will, as ever, be attending the Midlands Garden Rail Show at the Fosse and look forward to seeing you there.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.  We have enjoyed seeing many of you at various shows this year and hope to see more of you next year.  The market continues to be challenging and we apologise for the numerous delays that have affected the delivery of our projects and fervently hope that the situation begins to stabilise in 2023.  Last orders for Christmas will be on Friday 16th December and the office will be closed from Friday 23rd December until Tuesday 3rd January 2023.

Last call for the Peckett kits!

If you, like us, have enjoyed Phil Parker’s construction series in Garden Rail magazine and feel inspired to assemble one of these lovely little locomotives you need to be prompt.  We only have a handful of kits and ready to run examples left in stock and the maroon ones are now completely sold out.

G1MRA 75th Anniversary tank wagons

The Gauge 1 Model Railway Association still have a few of these celebratory wagons available for those who might be considering one for Christmas or as a Christmas present for someone – don’t miss out!

The Clearing House

The past year has been a sobering one, we have been asked to handle several estate sales on behalf of the families of deceased modellers.  We have also been somewhat alarmed and disappointed to discover that many of these people have been offered woefully low prices by third parties who clearly think they can make a quick buck from grieving partners and families.  We aim to sell collections at sensible, realistic prices based on their worth and take a modest commission for doing so.  We don’t promise a quick return but we do aim to realise value for money for both vendors and purchasers.  Most of these models have come from the collections of long-standing and trusted customers.  If you have a collection looking for a new home, please consider talking to us.

Meanwhile, there are a lot of new additions to The Clearing House this month.