Peter749 Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Rails have announced on their website the Battery Electric "Test Unit Gemini" https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/exclusive-Bachmann-oo-test-car-gemini-announcement? It appears to be just a repaint as it has no Battery Boxes underneath and the Engines are visible. http://www.old-dalby.com/images/battery_railcar.jpg Peter 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Isherwood Posted July 25 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 25 3 minutes ago, Peter749 said: Rails have announced on their website the Battery Electric "Test Unit Gemini" https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/exclusive-Bachmann-oo-test-car-gemini-announcement? It appears to be just a repaint as it has no Battery Boxes underneath and the Engines are visible. http://www.old-dalby.com/images/battery_railcar.jpg Peter So who will be the first to offer a 3D printed replacement battery box component for this model? CJI. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Darius43 Posted July 25 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 25 Looking at pics on the web the battery boxes and their supporting framework should be relatively easy to replicate in plasticard. Granted it would be better if you didn’t have to do this but then the re-tooling costs would make the model seriously expensive. Presumably the exhausts also need to be removed… Cheers Darius 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Interesting- I drive past this unit frequently as it resides just down the road from where I live - not sure many appreciate it’s significance- either as a unique experiment of the late 50s, nor the fact that it has been preserved back on a section of line where it worked in the 60s. It does seem incredible that dabbling with batteries and chargers was occurring in the late 50s and here we are almost 70 years later still dabbling! 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter749 Posted July 27 Author Share Posted July 27 On 25/07/2024 at 19:53, Darius43 said: Granted it would be better if you didn’t have to do this but then the re-tooling costs would make the model seriously expensive. And £270 is Cheap? 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Darius43 Posted July 27 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 27 2 minutes ago, Peter749 said: And £270 is Cheap? Of course not, but re tooling the chassis could put it north of £400 these days… Cheers Darius 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Nile Posted July 27 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 27 No model trains are cheap these days. The standard model is listed on Rails site at £242 here , which puts this special edition at a premium of £28. Seems quite reasonable to me. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 On 25/07/2024 at 19:53, Darius43 said: Looking at pics on the web the battery boxes and their supporting framework should be relatively easy to replicate in plasticard. That was the conclusion I came to when I was seriously considering this unit last year, but in original BR green (bodies @ £25 from Bachmann Spares, perhaps on the underframes of a Hornby Class 110 with the noticeably different power bogie fashioned from a Hornby Railroad GWR railcar bogie frame, £1.49 from Lendon's - nearest I could come up with): I nearly went for it but remembered just in time that I really don't need any more projects ! (It was just unlucky, such resolve has crumbled at least three times since then 🥴!!) Although producing a model of a diesel unit masquerading as a battery electric unit does seem a pretence too far, as the underframes were completely different, we have had some Heljan railbus creations which don't look anything like their intended subjects other than the colour schemes, so is this any worse? And @cctransuk was straight in there with the obvious solution (well, for those not adept at fiddling with plasticard anyway 😉) - I wouldn't be surprised if this was already being looked at by at least one of the principle 3D printing practitioners........but don't forget that power bogie! There's a good description of this unit on pages 76/77 of 'Modern Locomotives Illustrated No 207 - The First Generation Diesel Multiple Units'......yes, even though it isn't one 😀! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Darius43 Posted July 27 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 27 Some useful photos here. Cheers Darius 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted July 29 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 29 (edited) Ive rode this unit many times at Bury, including its first preservation run, it also has the distinguished title of being the first, and last, preserved train with passengers (albeit it volunteers) to terminate at and depart Stubbins, and the Railscene video filming, when it went to Rawtenstall as a pre-opening filming run. There is not an overwhelming number of mods needed… motor bogie, under frame, jumper cables, but at £269 its a little on the upside for such mods. For me in its ELR condition, in Blue/Red, I need to remove all seats except first class. Edited July 29 by adb968008 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
25901 Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 29/07/2024 at 08:48, adb968008 said: Ive rode this unit many times at Bury, including its first preservation run, it also has the distinguished title of being the first, and last, preserved train with passengers (albeit it volunteers) to terminate at and depart Stubbins, and the Railscene video filming, when it went to Rawtenstall as a pre-opening filming run. There is not an overwhelming number of mods needed… motor bogie, under frame, jumper cables, but at £269 its a little on the upside for such mods. For me in its ELR condition, in Blue/Red, I need to remove all seats except first class. Oh the good old days, the on going joke at Bury was that it needed a weeks notice to move from P4 due to it taking a week to charge it and once it was moved to the carriage shed they noticed the electric bill go through the roof lol 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf27 Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 25/07/2024 at 19:53, Darius43 said: Looking at pics on the web the battery boxes and their supporting framework should be relatively easy to replicate in plasticard. Granted it would be better if you didn’t have to do this but then the re-tooling costs would make the model seriously expensive. Presumably the exhausts also need to be removed… Cheers Darius Like this? Knocked this up the same evening as this announcement, it spurred me on somewhat. Its paintwork is almost finished now as well, in glorious red and blue. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 The BEMU newly released from Swindon Works on the morning of the Works Open Day, 13th September 1975. I think I knew something of its history at the time and that it was a bit special, so quite a scoop as I recall! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted August 1 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 1 (edited) As both are topical in OO currently heres a 110 and BEMU.. and a few years earlier, the first / last train in preservation to / from Stubbins.. note the final remains of the footbridge that used to exist that ran behind the signalbox. Edited August 1 by adb968008 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium E100 Posted August 19 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 19 Seems a prime target for NIU Models to come up with a kit. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted August 19 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 19 Does seem a but odd not to do the distinctive under gubbins and offer it in both proper green livery and the later research blue-red. It is pretty so I assume it will sell very well. More pics of it. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted August 22 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 22 (edited) On 19/08/2024 at 15:41, Clive Mortimore said: Does seem a but odd not to do the distinctive under gubbins and offer it in both proper green livery and the later research blue-red. It is pretty so I assume it will sell very well. More pics of it. I think you have made the argument there for why they haven’t spent money doing the under gubbins as you call them - it will sell well without, so why bother? To be honest, paint almost anything in RTC colours and it will sell - of course Hornby proved that you get the colours wrong, and it won’t! Roy Edited August 22 by Roy Langridge Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted August 23 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 23 Note its also the only DMU to still have its outside swing link damping springs.... Andy G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter749 Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 6 hours ago, uax6 said: Note its also the only DMU to still have its outside swing link damping springs.... Andy G The Power car also has swing link damping springs on the inner power bogie even though it should not. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 On 23/08/2024 at 14:37, Peter749 said: The Power car also has swing link damping springs on the inner power bogie even though it should not. Peter But then the real BEMU's power bogie is a different and heavier design* to the other three more conventional DMU-type bogies - all things considered the presence of swing link damping springs on what should be the single power bogie are the least of its issues 'down below'! *Which prompts a question - was this power bogie unique to the BEMU, or 'lifted' from an EMU of similar vintage? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted August 27 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 27 I think, looking at it, that is was a new design.... Andy G 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halvarras Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 On 27/08/2024 at 18:21, uax6 said: I think, looking at it, that is was a new design.... Andy G Thanks - that would have been my guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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