# Argyle Loco Works - Accucraft NA Class 2-6-2T



## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Chaps,
The Victorian Railways NA class 2-6-2T project has been mentioned in this forum last year. This is a project by Argyle Locomotive Works here in Australia to run a limited edition series of live steam and electric 1:19 scale models of the iconic Australian Puffing Billy Locomotives from the turn of the century.
The product has been developed in Association with Accucraft. The two test samples of the model arrived last month and have been in testing these last few weeks. Given most of the promotion of the model has been in Australia, and a little in the UK, I just want to show you guys the model and make sure you're aware of the goings on in case some of you were interested in the model in the US in particular. Should you be interested, drop Accucraft in the US a note as they can supply the model to US buyers directly. The product is expected in the first half of next year. Liveries are two tone green, two tone maroon and chocolate and plain black...basically the 3 liveries as used on the VR from 1900-1955, and today in preservation.


Here's the green sample:










There is a really neat flyer you can download with history and photos of both samples, available from the Argyle web site:
http://www.argyleloco.com.au/Produc...eet_NA.pdf

Argyle page is here:
http://www.argyleloco.com.au/Products_Pricing/ALW_Loco.html

Also Accucraft UK have a page set up, with the same info, however you can click on the photo and see the over liveries:

http://www.accucraft.uk.com/product...ys-2-6-2t/

We're also looking at RTR rolling stock to go with it.


Many thanks,
David.

PS I'm a designer and supplier of prototype drawings and design for the project, but am not Argyle nor an employee of Argyle, I'm freelance.


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## Two Foot Cal (Aug 3, 2008)

David, 
Thanks for your help in the production of this locomotive. I have placed a reservation through Argyle for one of these locomotives and look forward to receiving it next year. I also plan on purchasing the VR rolling stock to go along with the loco and hope the models are well received internationally so that Argyle will see fit to produce additional passenger and freight wagons. 
I am privileged to own one of Argyle's original "NA" live steam locos and still operate it for special occasions our own 32mm gauge railway. 
I can highly recommend Nick Anchen's new book "The Narrow Gauge" as a valuable resource of information for anyone interested in the VR Narrow Gauge Railways. 
For sure, the new locomotive will be a valued addition to our railway here in California. 
Ric Collins


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

David, good photos in the flyer. Both the green and red. same two I have ordered. The graphite smokebox looks good too. I think Accucraft need to be a little more careful in their paint finishing though. I know the pictures are the sample engines but on the sides they look as if the paint was sprayed on cold metal and has not wetted out smooth. If they are trying to keep the shine down they should be using matting agents in the paint to do that.


Argyle NA Class Flyer

Andrew


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Chaps, some more photos. 
We have two samples sent for review, the 1900 -1903 two-tone green livery and the 1903-1921 Canadian Pacific Red scheme. The samples are very much hand made to test design and detail concepts, finish and assembly of the production will be in keeping with typical Accucraft models. 


















































































David


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I wish you guys would stop posting photos of such beautiful locomotives. I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to raid the retirement fund as it is! 

Best wishes, 
David Meashey


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## Two Foot Cal (Aug 3, 2008)

David, 
Thanks for posting the additional photos. The samples look very nice with lots of detail. Do you have photos of the cab interior and fuel tank? It would be nice to have a large enough gas tank to supply a 30 min run time. 

Regards, 
Ric Collins


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Excellent pictures David. It is awesome seeing such good models of what I am so familiar seeing in prototype. 
Fair enough they are samples but I do find some Accucraft paint finishes are a fine 'orange peel' or mist over sprayed. It could very well be the type of paint used. I think it is baked enamel which may just set-up like that on the surface going on in one hit. The finish on my Accucraft Saxon IIIK is an excellent smooth satin. I read somewhere that Roundhouse uses a 2 pack paint making it hard wearing. Some people say it is too thick and shiny but my Lady Anne is satin with very little orange peel. I think on such a fine detailed model the finishing is important to look in scale. Perhaps difficult to get fine and smooth with the required enamels. Also there are one or two prominent spots that lazer cutting is obvious. A final finishing with file is needed. Perhaps I'm being too critical on just the samples but overall I think it is a very well made model of the NA. I'm looking forward to them becoming available. 

Also, if the fox bogies are produced for the Puffing Billy excursion cars there may also be a market to sell them to those that model the Leek and Manifold railway in England. I believe they used a similar bogie on some of their rolling stock. 

Andrew


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Ric, 
I dont have any postable photos of the cab interior, its pretty standard Accucraft - the rear cab wall however doesn't extent to the floor but allows the coal bunker space to open into the main cab area (same as Lyn), which allows much space for R/C, battery and so forth. The ends of the side tanks have an opening in them which opens into the cab front wall, again for R/C, battery etc. plus the tank sides come off easily to access these area (running boards and tank rear stay in place). All this was advised by Tony Walsham and is working well on the samples. The gas tank is sized to run out before the water, and should do the 1/2 hour in 20 deg day type thing easily. I suspect we'll see longer runs in warmer weather and engine run in. The boiler is quite large. 
Andrew, really cant comment on the paint finishes, except these prototypes were very hand made, and not really shop finished. The standard accuraft finish will be the norm on the production models and I have no issue with it. I'm very happy with the level of paint finish on model such as Poncha, Nevada, Grass Valley, DSP #51 and #191, and the two Mason Bogies, all of which I had involvement in the development. If thats the paint finish we'll get, thats what I want. I do agree, the roundhouse paint is very solid and smooth, but way too thick for our level of detail. 

There will be a couple of videos of the samples running, uploaded to Youtube in the next week. 

Many thanks, 
David.


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## Two Foot Cal (Aug 3, 2008)

Hi David, 

Thanks for the reply and additional information. Having the extra space in the coal bunker area will be nice for placing the R/C equipment. I have found with the L&B engines that placing the R/C in the water tanks subjects the delicate electronics to the boiler heat and can cause problems. On the other hand placing the gas tank in the water tank is a good thing for providing extra heat to vaporize the butane. Looking forward to seeing the videos on Youtube. 

Ric Collins


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## g scaler (Nov 14, 2009)

The locomotives samples are excellent. The pain of the wait is torture however. 
In regard to rolling stock for this locomotive and VR accessories the following items are already available: 
STEAM and THINGS: 
etched brass body kits for NC, NAC, NBB side door. 
SHAPEWAYS: 
JEEVI shops (GVROCKSNOW): 25' underframe NM, NU, NQ, NT bodies 
PUffing Billy Models shop (Gembrook) inspection pit piers, buffer stop, NB platform body, Whitfield trolley and trailer body, 29'6 bogie 
CAMBRIAN MODELS UK: 
Fox bogies


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## g scaler (Nov 14, 2009)

In regard to my last post I Notice that Puffing Billy Models shop on Shapeways has also uploaded the Whitfield C.I. water tank and the W.I. chimney for a V.R. portable building.


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## g scaler (Nov 14, 2009)

The VR 2000 gallon portable tank, a body for an NH and portable building ventilators have also been added at Puffing billy Models shop on Shapeways.


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## Taperpin (Jan 6, 2008)

On the Argyle Loco Works site ,there is now a U tube clip of this sample running .. 

Gordon.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Just gorgeous....... What magnificent locomotives!!!!!! Outstanding...


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## Stephen Yoannidis (May 20, 2011)

I really love this, but for such a lovingly detailed model it pains me to see the metal pan in front of the smoke box not done right, it should be attached to the edge of the smokebox, not placed under it, without gaps between it and those wire connections between the smoke box and the headstock (i'm not sure what they're called...). I know these are just the pilots, but does anyone know if this will be fixed? If you have a look at the actual locomotive and compare it to these pilot models you should be able to see what I mean. As a pretty unique feature to this train (i haven't seen another engine with the metal pan in front of the smokebox) i'd hate for it to be let down. Hopefully they fix it. Is anyone here involved in the production of these models?


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Yeah I see what you mean.
I was speaking with Michael from Argyle just yesterday and he mentioned this aspect being different on the prototype. 
I can't find when they had it lower like the model though. I'm not too sure what is going on there. There are B&W images from much earlier days and it was higher then too.

















8A has a tapered stack but you can order it that way as an option from Argyle.










David's pictures are better but I got to see the sample model at the Caulfield Model Railway Exhibition yesterday and took a short video at the Argyle Loco stand. 
That is a Aster cut open. I can see why they cost so much now. There is a whole lot more to them.


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Chaps, 
There are infact some 30 odd cosmnetic items that are being sorted prior to the production model, the front chute being one. The chute on the green prototype is one of several types we've tried out, the one on the red one is different again and more like what the final may be...check the Argyle video. There has to be some assembly compromise re how the thing is connected to the smokebox front. Accucraft's original chute actually bolted into the very bottom edge of the smokebox front casting, and thus close to views like that of 6A, but it was unmanagable when trying to take the front off. We dont want to bolt it onto the actual face, the metal connections just become way overscale and it looks way wrong, so we have cleated it to the smokebox base, with it set tight to the smokbox front edge. It needs to look right, but also this is a running live steam model, and access and maintenance is also a consideration. Its a balance. 

By the way, there was no consistency in the chute design on the NA over the 100 years. The one on the sample model on the green one right now was based on one a type from the 30s and was a type Gordon Watson fabricated for some testing..they didn't always align with the braces at all. The one on the red model, also made by Gordon, is based on today's chute design and is the template we've sent back to Accucraft. The real 6A today has a brand new chute and has very distinct fold lines, not present on the others. The template for the production model has the chute edges aligning with the front braces, more typical of how the chutes are today. Dont worry its in hand along with a number of other cosmetic items. 

Not a Roundhouse cut open, but an Aster P8. 

David.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks for the correction David. I kind of knew that but still have trains going around in my head from yesterday's exhibition. 

Andrew


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## Stephen Yoannidis (May 20, 2011)

Thanks for the replies everyone, great to see its being looked at. The detail is just so remarkable i'd hate for it to be tripped up on something so noticeable (for me anyway) like that. I was thinking the other day how great it would be if the inside of the cab was finished in that creamy yellowish colour that the actual na cabs and other Victorian railways (k class for example) were also finished in (I have no idea if it has been in the cab of the model because i havn't seen it, just thought it may be a nice idea), maybe even with red levers and controls instead of the standard accucraft plastic black knobs if we really wanted to go overboard (again i have no idea what the inside of the cab looks like, so i'm just guessing). Do you guys know if we get (with our model) the total number of production models argyle/ accucraft produced and the production number of our own particular model? (e.g. something like "this is number 20 out of 514 models produced"). 

Anyway I think i've asked enough questions here, i'm just so excited to get mine! I've ordered one of the green livery. 
Stephen


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Stephen, 
Production number is not set yet, but it will depend entirely on orders. Accucraft usually number the models, but dont state the total number, usually we have to ask to know how many the total was. The cab interior walls are indeed painted cream on the model, with the colour taken from the Puffing Billy Workshop. All the colours used are perfectly matched to their colours. 
For the electric model however I have specifically asked that the whole backhead be coloured gunmetal grey. Its about the only colour departure we're doing. To paint the backhead cream and then pick out every control and pipe in copper, brass and red is a hugely costly thing to do. One of the reasons the electric models often come so close to the live steam model in cost is due to the amount of work in assembling the backhead on the electric models. Its expensive and doesn't give value for money. Thus the backhead will be highly detailed, but sprayed one colour. It will be easy for people however to take it out and hand paint it themselves. I have a lot of prototype cab interior photos if people want to use it. The internal cab walls are indeed painted cream. 

Many thanks, 
David.


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Please excuse if this sounds persnickity, but I couldn't help noticing in the video...

There's a number plate, "6A", on the side of the tank. There's a shadow underneath the number plate, and at first I thought "Gee, is that embossed at such a high relief that it created that shadow?" Then we got a shot from a more forward angle, and it appears that there's a narrow extension? Extrusion? A right angle of some sort along the bottom of the name plate, and THAT's what was causing the shadow.

Is this prototypical? If it's a footplate on the side of the tank, then it sure doesn't look like it would've supported much weight.

It's a beautiful engine... but I just wondered..


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)




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