Wo sind unsere Manors? Dekorierte Muster und Update
Fran Burke
Wo sind unsere Manors? Diese Frage ist in den letzten Wochen immer wieder aufgetaucht. Wir möchten uns für die Verzögerung bei der Bereitstellung dieses längst fälligen Updates entschuldigen. Es hat wirklich zu lange gedauert.
Wie Sie sich vorstellen können, war die Produktion in den letzten 12 Monaten nicht reibungslos, und diese Probleme in der Lieferkette haben unseren Manor-Zeitplan mehr beeinträchtigt als wir wollten. Allerdings sind nach zwei Monaten mit Teaser-Aufnahmen neuer Ingenieurprototypen aus der Fabrik unsere ersten dekorierten Muster angekommen. Sie waren das Warten wert!
Wir haben letzte Woche die ersten beiden unserer dekorierten Muster erhalten, die aus 7812 'Earlestroke Manor' in BR-Lackierung mit grünem Streifen und späten BR-Wappen sowie 7808 'Cookham Manor', einer der Lokomotiven, die wir umfassend untersucht und gescannt haben, in GWR-Hemdknopf-Lackierung bestanden.
Dekorierte Muster sind ein bedeutender Meilenstein vor der Vollproduktion, bei dem wir die Lackierungen bewerten und die letzten Unstimmigkeiten vor Beginn der Vollproduktion beseitigen. Während die ersten Lackierungsmuster dieser Lokomotiven tatsächlich sehr schön aussehen, haben wir Bereiche identifiziert, die weiterer Verbesserung bedürfen, wie zum Beispiel:
Der Kupferschornstein ist zu rot und die Spitze sollte ebenfalls aus Kupfer sein
Die Kohle im Feuerkasten wird eine realistischere Farbe haben, wenn das Flackern ausgeschaltet ist
Die Kohleladung wird weiter verfeinert und erhält mehr Feinheit
Die Namensschilder werden vollständig geätzt und montiert, wobei geätzte Nummernplatten im Detailset bereitgestellt werden.
Weiteres Polieren des Druckgusskörpers zur Entfernung von Nahtresten
Die Lokomotivnummern sind leicht zu groß und werden korrigiert
Ausrichtung unserer Lampenhalterungen
Anpassung des vorderen Kupplers, um sicherzustellen, dass er am Haken verstaut werden kann
Diese Verbesserungen werden nun an die Fabrik zurückgemeldet und vor der Vollproduktion umgesetzt. Da es sich um kleine Anpassungen und Verbesserungen handelt, bedeutet dies, dass die Produktion sehr bald beginnen wird, mit einem Liefertermin im zweiten Quartal 2022. Wir entschuldigen uns für diese Verzögerung, aber angesichts der Lieferkettenprobleme, die 2021 die Produktionslinien stark beeinträchtigt haben, sowie der Pandemie, ganz zu schweigen von unserem Bestreben, die bestmögliche Dampflokomotive zu schaffen, sind wir der Meinung, dass diese geringe Verzögerung im endgültigen Modell vollauf gerechtfertigt sein wird.
Im neuen Jahr werden wir Ihnen Bilder der anderen Lackmusterausführungen zeigen, einschließlich BR Schwarz und anderen GWR-Varianten, sowie Videos dieser Schönheiten in Aktion, die auch das maßgeschneiderte DCC-Soundprojekt beinhalten.
Sind Sie aufgeregt? Wir sind es auf jeden Fall! Reservieren Sie Ihr Manor-Modell bei Ihrem lokalen Accurascale-Händler oder direkt, indem Sie hier klicken!
When we launched our Powering Britain range, the aim was simple: tell the story of Britain's rail freight revolution through the iconic wagons that powered the nation. From merry-go-round hoppers to the birth of the railways, every wagon has played its part.
Today we're delighted to reveal the next chapter in that story with the announcement of one of the most requested British freight wagons of recent years...
The BR 32.5t HBA/HEA Domestic Coal Hopper!
For over three decades these rugged wagons were a familiar sight across every corner of the British Rail network. Whether working lengthy domestic coal block trains, Speedlink services or mixed freight formations, the HEA became the standard wagon for Britain's domestic coal traffic.
Yet despite a fleet approaching 2,000 wagons and a career stretching from the mid-1970s right through to the 2010s, the HEA has never truly received the high-fidelity ready-to-run treatment it deserves in OO gauge.
Until now.
A New Standard for Domestic Coal
By the mid-1970s British Rail recognised the need to replace its ageing fleet of unfitted mineral wagons inherited from the steam era.
While the HAA merry-go-round hopper had transformed power station coal traffic, it wasn't suited to the wider domestic coal network. Its automatic discharge equipment made it expensive to build and maintain, and many coal merchants simply didn't require such sophistication.
Instead, BR developed a simpler, more versatile design.
The prototype HBA, numbered 360000, emerged from Shildon Works in 1975. Its all-steel construction, manually operated hopper doors and air-braked running gear proved an immediate success, leading to the construction of 1,998 production wagons between 1976 and 1979.
Initially finished in traditional BR Bauxite, many later received the striking Railfreight red and grey livery introduced in 1979, although weathered bauxite examples remained a common sight for decades afterwards.
A Wagon That Evolved
Like many successful BR wagon designs, the HEA continually evolved throughout its career.
The earliest wagons featured centrally-mounted end ladders, leaf spring suspension and twin air pipes. As production continued, offset ladders became standard while improved Bruninghaus suspension increased the maximum speed from 45mph to 60mph, prompting the TOPS recoding from HBA to HEA.
Safety modifications saw ladders disappear altogether during the EWS era, while underframe details evolved with changing braking and suspension equipment.
These subtle - but highly visible - differences are exactly the sort of variations we love reproducing at Accurascale.
More Than Just Coal
As domestic coal traffic declined during the 1980s, the versatile HEA chassis found new life in an astonishing variety of roles.
Some carried rock salt. Others found second careers within collieries.
Hundreds became the familiar MEA box wagons, while others evolved into the MFA ballast spoil wagons that survived until as recently as 2024.
Covered CEA wagons carried everything from china clay to lime and even seaweed.
Perhaps most distinctive of all were the cut-down RNA nuclear flask barrier wagons, created from redundant HEAs for use on Sellafield traffic - a fascinating chapter in the wagon's long working life.
The humble HEA proved remarkably adaptable, becoming one of the most influential freight wagon chassis designs of the late BR era.
A Missing Link Finally Arrives
Our HEA family represents one of the biggest upgrades in the modern RTR wagon scene.
The new tooling finally fills that gap by faithfully recreating these workhorses with the attention to detail that you expect from us.
Better still, we've gone far beyond a single version.
For the first time in ready-to-run OO gauge we're producing:
As-built HBA wagons with leaf spring suspension
Early central ladder variants
Offset ladder HEAs
Later no-ladder EWS-era examples
Multiple axlebox styles
Single and twin air pipe variations
Wagons with and without AVI transponders
Correct suspension variations throughout production
Every version has been researched to accurately represent the prototype during its intended era.
Specification Worthy of a Workhorse
As with every Accurascale freight wagon, we've focused on both appearance and operation.
Every model features:
Diecast metal chassis for excellent weight
Brass pinpoint bearings for exceptionally smooth running
Flexible NEM coupling pockets
Sprung metal buffers
Scale coupling pack included
Etched stainless steel brake discs
Finely reproduced underframe and brake equipment
Prototype-specific suspension, axleboxes and pipework
Era-correct tooling and decoration variations
Every livery has been carefully researched to match the prototype, and our colourful first run depicts the early years of the original BR Bauxite, striking Railfreight colours and later Trainload Distribution schemes.
Just the Beginning...
The HEA is much more than a single wagon.
It forms the foundation of an extensive family that served Britain's railways for almost fifty years.
With this entirely new tooling we've created a platform capable of reproducing many members of that remarkable family - and this is only the beginning.
Expect many more developments from this versatile chassis in the future.
Powering Britain Rolls On
From coal merchants and Speedlink trains to nuclear flask workings and engineering duties, the HEA family became one of the defining freight wagons of the late BR era.
Nearly 2,000 were built, yet today only eight survive.
We're proud to preserve their legacy in miniature with what we believe is the definitive OO gauge model of this classic British freight wagon.
The BR HEA joins our ever-growing Powering Britain collection, bringing another essential piece of Britain's freight railway story to life.
It's time to fill one of the biggest gaps in the modern freight fleet.
Pre-order your models today, exclusively from Accurascale.
Prices start at just £79.98 per triple-pack - and you'll get 10% Rake Builder discount when buying two packs or more. That works out from as little as £23.99 a wagon!
By making these available for sale directly, we're able to pass the savings straight back to you, the modeller, helping put more money back in your pocket, and allowing you to buy longer trains!
Pre-order yours with no deposit down, and a projected release date of Q2 2027.
PRE-ORDER YOUR MODELS TODAY
In the beginning, we created the coaches for your pre-grouping locos.
Now they're on their way...
Check out the factory finished production samples of our Genesis coaches!
