Accucraft Isle of ManMannin

[-steves-]

Well today my Isle of Man Mannin turned up, here it is, just unboxed
















,.

[-steves-]

A few more, only taken with a phone so please forgive all the colour differences. I am also aware the station is not fully painted etc as yet
















...

[Peter Butler]

Looks just stunning.... you should be well pleased.

[tuppenced]

Those pictures are very helpful to me, Steve, because I'm Australianising a Beyer Peacock.

David

[-steves-]

Very pleased with it, as yet its unsteamed, hoping to fit RC to it at some point, just have to work out how to make the linkage work as it looks like the servo holes are already in place along with a switch mount in the cab. It will be interesting to see a proper RC'd one when they come out in a few weeks or so.

Detailing is incredible, well done Accucraft

[steam4ian]

Beautifully Beyer Peacock. Love the front truck, inclined cylinders and the curved tank corners.
All very well captured by Accucraft.

Many of the locos on our local NG 3'6" system were either BP originals or colonial clones.

Great purchase.

Ian

[mikewakefielduk@btinterne]

A lovely looking loco. What a pity its 45mm only.

[tuppenced]

A lovely looking loco. What a pity its 45mm only.

Mike,
That's not really an Allen-key option with inside frames and outside cylinders. What full-sized manufacturers do is switch to outside frames with smaller wheels. That avoids making a narrow steam chest.

This is a fast Main Line passenger engine with big driving wheels, not a little industrial truck-tamer. The design has already been narrowed and narrowed, starting as Standard Gauge, reduced to 3' 6" for Norway and Australia, reduced again to metre gauge for South America and three feet for the Isle of Man. Taking it down yet again to only 640mm gauge seems to me a step too ridiculous for the aesthetics, but Freelance is Freelance, so whatever turns one on.

After all, I'm modifying my Engineering Sample. Accucraft said it would be a shame to take a gas-axe to it, but that isn't my intention at all!
The level of detail is absolutely stunning - as are the delicate spoked wheels, which are both sprung and compensated. Although this locomotive is only a whisker away from "16mm" in scale-ratio, it's a world away from the simple utilitarian caricatures we are used to, and (thanks to the People's Republic of China), no more expensive.

David 1/2d