SNCF stephen Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have to say a feeling of excitement that I have not had since I was a young lad came over me as I went to pick up this package from the Post Office today, so I decided to write this little article about it all. Last week I placed an order for an N Gauge X73500 unit that is made by Mikadotrains in France. Mikadotrains are a small manufacturer of just this type of Autorail. This SNCF Autorail is quite prevalent along the branch lines I am modelling (the Limousin region) and there are a number of livery variation. This particular one is a plain TER (Transport express régional) livery. If there was an option for a Limousin region version then I would have purchased that varient. However rumour has it that the Limousin officials wanted a significant amount of cash for the use of the logo, so a plain one it is (although I might get some decals printed but shhhhhh!). This unit is based on a Tomix chassis which the SNCF society journal states is a little oversized but in this model it is not that noticeable and the reliability that Tomix chassis provides is fantastic so it is a price I am willing to pay. The model features working directional headlamps at each end, a coupling bar in case there is a need for multiple operation and it is DCC ready (there are some videos showing the unit with sound built in but I am not certain if that is a standard feature!). The chassis takes up a significant amount of room in the body but they have still found room for a drivers seat. The unusual thing about the passenger cabin is that even with the tinted glass and the chassis taking up well over three quarters of the space the tops of the passenger seats have been inserted inside. I believe they are a little too high to be realistic but since the tint and the chassis makes them hardly noticable this does not bother me too much. The unit is not cheap. Including postage I paid about £180. With Arnold releasing their version of the same unit as we speak there will definitely be comparisons especially with its price tag of £145 (excluding postgae and from a British Supplier). However the Arnold version comes with only 4 liveries and has the benefit of a large companys research and development team. Mikadotrain have done a great job with this unit, I will certainly be considering getting other liveries in the future and if they get around to producing their X2100 & x2200 I would be in heaven as they are on my wish list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Patrick Posted April 1, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 1, 2011 That's a lovely looking little model... really catches the character of the real thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordonwis Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 That's a lovely looking little model... really catches the character of the real thing. And it works well too. At the London Festival of Railway Modelling my version ran for the first time on my venerable layout that was built about 10 years before even the prototype was conceived, let alone the model. The layout is 17 inches wide as it was originally deveide to fit into a suitcase way back in the late 1980s when I didn't have a car. It therefore has about 5 inch radius curves - but the railcar ran round the tight curves just fine. The only problem was with the swept path at one end of the layout which required small modification to a catenary post base an hour before the show opened. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNCF stephen Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 And it works well too. At the London Festival of Railway Modelling my version ran for the first time on my venerable layout that was built about 10 years before even the prototype was conceived, let alone the model. The layout is 17 inches wide as it was originally deveide to fit into a suitcase way back in the late 1980s when I didn't have a car. It therefore has about 5 inch radius curves - but the railcar ran round the tight curves just fine. The only problem was with the swept path at one end of the layout which required small modification to a catenary post base an hour before the show opened. Indeed the Tomix mechanism is flawless. It never needs lubrication and does not require running in (although I find that they tend to run a bit better after about 5 minutes of operating!). I am tempted to get an Arnold one to see how they compare but with only 4 liveries to choose from I think I will stick with Mikadotrain for the next one. I don't suppose anyone else has any experience with the Arnold X73500? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordonwis Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I don't suppose anyone else has any experience with the Arnold X73500? No, as it's not yet released... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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