# Brighton Belle all Pullman electric (5 BEL) from GAM



## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

I finally took delivery of the new Golden Age Models 1/32 scale Brighton Belle all Pullman electric set on Friday. The five car set is produced by F.C. Models in Korea. The cars are fabricated brass and follow the same construction techniques as GAMs locomotive hauled British Pullman cars. The cars come with full interiors with battery powered lighting. One Motor/Brake has a single power truck, more than sufficient for moving the five cars. The powered unit comes with NiMH batteries and a Peter Sporoer motor controller card using a Spektrum AR400 receiver. A Spektrum compatible hand held transmitter and battery charger are also provided. The power car has a switch for 2 rail track pickup or R/C operation. 

The set ran flawlessly right from the box although I charged the batteries for about an hour while I inspected my track before taking the train out on the line.

Pictures below [I hope]










[/URL]http://http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/drrivet/photo 02s.jpg


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim;

Those cars are beautiful! Years ago (aw heck, DECADES ago) I lusted for the OO version of that train, which was manufactured by Wrenn. At the time they were way above what I could afford. Would be a different story today, but Wrenn are out of business, and my OO is displayed in a china cupboard.

Have fun,
David Meashey


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Jim,
Very nice.
However, I do wish that Golden Age would take a little more care in their research though and get all the details 'correct'.
Things that unless you have an interest, you would not notice, but since I was going to build a set 'once', I do tend to spot such things.
Ah well, they still do look nice though.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Accucraft UK (Sep 16, 2013)

Beautiful! I have seen the cars are various exhibitions and marvelled at them.... the great news is that there will soon be a restored 5-BEL back on the main line.

The down side, Jim, is that you now have to lay a third rail! 

Graham.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice!


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## mocrownsteam (Jan 7, 2008)

Jim,

That set looks just great! But you will have to add a third rail for power pickup!!

Mike McCormack

mocrownsteam
Hudson, Massachusetts


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Graham / Mike

In 1997 I visited Robert Head and his beautiful GWR layout. He had someone [probably Tenmille] custom make plastic ties sections that were for 7 ft 1/4 in gauge and 4 ft 8 1/2 in dual gauge in 1:32 scale. He offered me all the ties strips I was willing to ship home to promote Brunel's proper track gauge. IF I had taken him up in it I would have my third rail, although not really correct; and bad enough to stir David L's juices.

This is one case where I think my vivid imagination will have to do.

I have investigated David's observation that the sets are "not quite right", and being a RIVET COUNTER, may fix a couple of the more obvious things because they are easily accomplished.

Quentin brought in a total of 19 sets. There are a couple on the shelf if one has a desire to have one of them. Just remember, the real Brighton Belle ran with two 5 car sets coupled together Monday to Saturday, and used only a single set for Sunday between London and Brighton, so to be correct you could only run it one day each week. LOL!!!


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Jim,
The Golden Age Models web site is a little lacking in details.
Do they come with all the battery 'stuff', or did you have someone fit it for you?
£5875 per 5 Car Set = $7913.46 plus shipping.
A lot less than an Aster Challenger, AND it's much longer in length!!!
On one of the Gauge 1 tracks that I visit in the UK, he has a London Underground train running and has the correct four rails.
I always thought that I would be fun to fit a bright led under the outside pickup to be triggered when coming into contact with the power rail to represent the vivid flashes that I remember.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

David
As I stated in the original post; all the batteries and R/C are already fitted and it is ready to go "out of the box" except for charging the batteries in the Motor Brake. The PSME motor controller and transmitter, along with the Spektrum AR400 receiver and batteries were shipped to the builder and all the installation was done in the factory.

Unfortunately, the web guy screwed up and the prices for both 0 scale and Gauge 1 have exactly the same prices. The Gauge 1 price is a bit low on the web site, because it reflects the original 2 rail track powered ONLY version of the model. The price was raised when R/C was made standard. The price is not for the budget-minded modeler, but is consistent with short production run brass models in 1:32. Just look at the current production price of J&M coaches [if and when produced] and models by folks like Peter Rogers.


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim, that is a pretty train you have there. Certainly much more class than the dingy Hudson & Manhattan cars I rode as a kid from Jersey City NJ to New York City.

Larry


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

My second 5-BEL set arrived last week but rain precluded a test run. I took them to Rob K's meet in PA yesterday and ran the full 10 car formation as was correct for the weekday service. Since there were two powered units in the consist I enlisted a second driver to operate the other R/C controller.

Ran well together and does make a wonderful train. I have sets 3052 and 3053 in Pullman livery. I know that there is one remaining set, 3051 in Pullman livery, and a single set in the BR blue and creme of the late 1960s available. Contact Golden Age models in the UK if interested. 

Here is a link to a short video by Jason Kovac that includes the BB and an LBSC designed 0 scale live steamer, including a 1950s Lionel PRR N5c cabin car on the rear. ==>


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Will you be able to set this up so the 10 car train can run from one transmitter?

I thought you could do this pretty easily. Yes, I know you JUST got your new toys!

They look fantastic.

Greg


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Greg
Two of the Motor bogie units [one in each set] has a power truck. Since these were produced for an importer in the UK, they use a motor controller from Peter Spoerer Model Engineers which has a Spektrum AS400 receiver. My experience using Spektrum Transmitters is that although you can bind multiple receivers to a single transmitter, you can only select one receiver at a time. Since the primary market is aircraft and cars, this seems a very reasonable limitation. 

Peter Spoerer says that I can bind both receivers to one of his transmitters, which is what I need, but I have not tried it yet.

If I was using AirWire this would be a trivial exercise. I will keep you posted.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hey Jim thats a magnificent train. I remember meeting it when we used to go to Britain by the Dieppe NewHaven ferry which connected with the Brighton line a bit inland in the sixties. It must rank as the most plush three rail multiple unit train that ever rollled the rails anywhere. Sort of a MU train designed for Lucius Beebe. By the way I can certify having seen it around 1967 in Brown and cream.

I almost went three rails when I had just my PLM pacific back in the late seventies, because the PLM had a line going up to the Mont Cenis tunnel towards Torino in Italy which had huge 1500V three rail and catenary motors reminiscent of the Great Northern, New Haven and Milwaukee dinausors 2CoCo2, 4 BoBO4 and 4CoCo4 and even a series of 1AoBoBoAo1 wich had the front truck rigged with one carrying axle and one powered one... The advantage was to run on my partially ground level line with the pans down as I will not electrify as I like running my steam engines manually. Finally I scratchbuilt my SNCF 2D2 9100 which is a n overhead fed 4-8-4. it runs with the pans looking for the overhead, so does my GG1.


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## Frank Gleva (Oct 6, 2015)

Anyone know where to purchase used gauge 1 Golden Age Models. Thank you.

Frank Gleva
8 Palm View Dr.
Hilton Head Is., SC 29926
USA
[email protected] .com
843 342-6104


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