# New Product: Accucraft 1:13.7 scale (7/8ths) Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0T



## Accucraft (Jul 30, 2014)

Accucraft Trains is pleased to announce our latest live steam locomotive in 1:13.7 scale: the Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0T. The model is based on a beautifully restored and operating example found on the Sandstone Steam Railroad in Bloemfontain, Free State, South Africa. A brief background about this loco is found on our website 

http://www.accucraft.com/modelc/B77-531-040.html

Key specifications include:

- Scale: 7/8ths” to 1 foot (1:13.7)
- Length: 208 mm (8.19 inches)
- Width: 110.5 mm (4.35 inches)
- Height: 181.6 mm (7.15 inches)
- Weight: TBD
- Min Radius: 4′
- Gauge: Adjustable to either 32 mm or 45mm
- Boiler: Center Flue
- Working Pressure: 60 psi
- 1/2” Pressure Gauge
- Water sight glass
- Full backhead detail
- Slide valve cylinders with fixed cutoff
- Full Walschaerts valve gear
- Fuel: Butane Gas 

Three different color versions are offered: maroon, green, and black. Each version also features an attractive contrasting color lining. 

B77-531 1:13.7 scale Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0, Maroon w/ yellow lining
B77-532 1:13.7 scale Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0, Green w/ yellow lining
B77-533 1:13.7 scale Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0, Black w/ red lining

Price = $1,650.00 USD

Note the loco can be gauged for operation on either 32 or 45 mm track. Reservations are being accepted through any authorized Accucraft Trains live steam dealer, or from us direct.

Those of you attending the National Garden Railway show held at the Arena in Peterborough, United Kingdom on Saturday, April 9th will have an opportunity to view the engineering sample up close. Photos of the model will be taken at the show and posted to our websites. Information for the Peterborough show is found here

http://www.nationalgardenrailwayshow.org.uk/ 

We anticipate strong interest in this handsome little loco and therefore recommend placing your reservations soon.

Regards,

Robert Sarberenyi
Marketing Director
Accucraft Trains
33268 Central Ave.
Union City, CA 94587
(510) 324-3399


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Please clarify, can this locomotive be purchased from any authorized Accucraft dealer?? Thank You.


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## Accucraft (Jul 30, 2014)

Nick Jr said:


> Please clarify, can this locomotive be purchased from any authorized Accucraft dealer?? Thank You.



That's exactly right! The Decauville Type 1, 3-ton 0-4-0T may be reserved through *ANY* authorized Accucraft live steam dealer or through us directly.

Rob Sarberenyi
Marketing Director
Accucraft Trains
33268 Central Ave.
Union City, CA 94587
(510) 324-3399


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Rob, thank you. If a steam loco can be referred to as CUTE, this one is. LG


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

I agree, it's an attractive model. I especially like that it has outside valve gear, and backhead detail.


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Although I am downsizing, I think I need one of these. Here is a video of the real thing running at Sandstone:





also here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q62HMR1gHo#t=15.477


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

I want to ask if anyone can give an update regarding this model?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Ill have a sample in Diamondhead. Looking over the final corrections.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Will there be provisions for fitting RC to the engine? That seems to be one area that Accucraft needs to focus on improving. RH makes fitting RC a snap on manual controled engine with servo mounts, frame laser cut to mount slide switch and a place to mount the reciever/battery pack. Mike


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike Toney said:


> Will there be provisions for fitting RC to the engine? That seems to be one area that Accucraft needs to focus on improving. RH makes fitting RC a snap on manual controled engine with servo mounts, frame laser cut to mount slide switch and a place to mount the reciever/battery pack. Mike



No there is no RC provisions. I took great strides to get the backhead and cab clean and scale looking being it is completely open and seen. If you want RC you can add one easily with 2 servos on the floor. Under the deckplate you can add batteries and the receiver.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike Toney said:


> Will there be provisions for fitting RC to the engine? That seems to be one area that Accucraft needs to focus on improving. RH makes fitting RC a snap on manual controled engine with servo mounts, frame laser cut to mount slide switch and a place to mount the reciever/battery pack. Mike


I guess Roundhouse designs them for R/C and then leaves the parts out if you order a manual version. Accucraft's idea of "R/C ready" [see EBT #12 threads] consists of a lever on the throttle instead of a knob, and a partition behind the gas tank to make a space for your gear. No servo mounts or otherwise useful appendages.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, if I may add, Roundhouse knows they are shipping a fully functional loco as they run them in BEFORE shipping them to the customer. No question about their slogan. LG


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Thats why I said it was an area for improvement Pete. Yes, they design there engines in CAD for RC control with a manual option. And that is probably how they all should be. Call it constructive critisim of the Accucraft line. Proper test running would be nice, but not expecting it from such a huge company that basically assembly line produces engines. With RH being hand built, one at at time but in batches. Thier quality is second to none, backed up with spare parts for most everything. Still a beautiful little engine from Accucraft, would love to be able to afford one for myself! Mike


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike lets be honest here these are hand build locos from Roundhouse AND Accucraft. I for one know that every loco is tested at Accucraft. Roundhouse does the same they test it at the chassis step but Roundhouse takes it a step further and runs the chassis on air for 8 hours.


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## JoelB (Jan 3, 2008)

Keep in mind that Roundhouse offers most (if not all) of their Classic Series with a factory-installed RC option, so it's natural that they'd want to create one version of the needed platework for both RC and manual.

I don't think AC is of the same mind, however. My Accucraft Countess OOB came with all the machining needed for RC, same with the generic Edrig/Ragleth/Lawley engines. But it's hit-or-miss otherwise, likely up to the designers whether to take the time and effort to design in RC or not. The new 7/8n2 Bagnall from AC UK doesn't appear to have pre-drilled holes for RC mounts, for example. Also note that in many cases, the predrilled holes assume use of servos with specific mounting dimensions. I've used Cirrus nano servos in my locomotives, which don't match up to predrilled holes in models where they were put by Accucraft. I create my own mounting brackets out of brass sheet and mount them to the engine with double-sided tape.

I agree with Jay in that there's a way to get RC into the Decauville, in fact, probably several ways. I downloaded David Fletcher's line drawing of the engine from The Train Department website some time back and enlarged it to 7/8" = 1' scale on my printer. Turns out that there's some space in either side bunker, space in at least one side tank and room under the floor to put stuff. Yes, you'd need to use nano servos and some ingenuity to make the whole thing look neat and discrete, but it's definitely doable.


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Isn't the degree of difficulty fitting RC proportional to the scale? 7/8s reasonably straightforward - to - 1:32 most difficult. This then varies from more or less with the individual locomotive in any scale.


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## JoelB (Jan 3, 2008)

Generally speaking, yes. But a lot has to do with choice of prototype -- tank engine versus tender engine (and type of tank engine, side versus saddle) and how much space you have to work with. Also depends on your tolerance for having 21st-century electronics visible in among the 19th-century plumbing.

For a great example of making stuff fit in what looks like next to no free space, take a look at Roundhouse's latest offering, a 1:19 scale Hunslet "Lilla". That's a very small model in that scale, but they're somehow able to cram in a water gauge glass and two-channel RC into the cab.


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

JoelB said:


> Generally speaking, yes. But a lot has to do with choice of prototype -- tank engine versus tender engine (and type of tank engine, side versus saddle) and how much space you have to work with. Also depends on your tolerance for having 21st-century electronics visible in among the 19th-century plumbing.
> 
> For a great example of making stuff fit in what looks like next to no free space, take a look at Roundhouse's latest offering, a 1:19 scale Hunslet "Lilla". That's a very small model in that scale, but they're somehow able to cram in a water gauge glass and two-channel RC into the cab.


Joel;
You're right and why I included the '[difficulty varies] more or less with the individual locomotive in any scale' part.  But it bears emphasis so as not to scare anyone off a particular scale.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Joel, thats the issue. Discreet installs. Roundhouse is not discreet and uses larger servos and everything is visable from the windows or the cab. Then also the problem is what RC so you use for a factory install. So many options. You pick one and people still want one different. O well, here is the US I see alot less RC than in the UK at steamups so maybe its the target market and whats asked for.


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## JoelB (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Chris,

Point well taken, I only noticed your "This then varies..." _after_ I'd already posted the reply.


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## Tomahawk & Western RR (Sep 22, 2015)

each company has their perks. for accucraft it is detail, aster for it is parts availibility (before the factory closed and they had that dumb "yard sale") and roundhouse for its reliability and quality.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

To get back to the prototype: It was ofered during the intermediate period after Décauville had established it's reputation as a supplier of portable railway equipment. There was an earlier version with outside frames and much nicer side tanks that had curved undersides. and of course the later version with inside frames that Accucraft has also produced. 
Unfortunatly this loco which must have been very common in France amongst contractors, quaries and industry was not on common carrier railroads built to two foot gauge or 60cm gauge. The most famous being; the chemin de fer du Calvados started out by Décauville, it then went to another supplier Blanc Misserond, the chemin de fer Pithivier Toury which was mainly a beet carrier, and the chemin de fer du Tarn also started with Décauville. as well as the Royan Tramway and the Tramway de la Trinité à Ethel in Britany. It was probably too light for common carrier workings. Neither do I see it in stock with the many sugar beet railroads, which mainly used ex WW1 surplus engines.
It must be understood that Décauville started out in business with mechanising agriculture with mobile steam engines and equipment for tilling the fields with cable and tackle. The 40cm and 50 cm. gauge railway equipment developped as a by product of this lucrative market. Later after the Paris exhibition where Décauville showed off his 60cm Railway to the public, there was a boom that was short lived except for the military because Colonel Péchot adopted their portable track system as a military standard. WW1 did the rest. 
It is funny as there are quite a few photos of this very design being used in the colonies in Africa to provide an early form of public transport and also to the many sugar cane railways, a consequence of the early development of the firm as a supplier of agricultural equipment.


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