Skip to content
We've Got The Minerals! New and Improved 21 ton MDO/MDV and MDW Packs!

We've Got The Minerals! New and Improved 21 ton MDO/MDV and MDW Packs!

Great news! Our 21 ton mineral wagons (TOPS codes MDO and MDV) are coming back! Demand for these must have wagons has been massive since our first production run sold out rather quickly. 

A cornerstone of our famed "Powering Britain" range, these wagons are now also joined by the first time by the MDW through pipe variant. 

As we said, they have also been enhanced and improved, so what exactly have we done to spice them up?

Well, firstly we listened to customer feedback. We had worked with the factory to make the first batch as friendly as possible to convert to finescale standards, both EM and P4. Unfortunately, mistakes were made here and instructions were literally lost in translation, so they became a bit more of a challenge than we had aimed for.

So, we have gone back to the drawing board and totally redesigned and retooled the chassis on both models. Now we have 26mm axles and redesigned brake gear. While they will still require a small bit of fettling to upgrade to finescale surgery, it will be a keyhole style operation rather than extensive open heart surgery required for the previous run.

Secondly, our rather strange phenomenon of the coupling hooks being on the wrong side of the tension lock couplings has also been resolved! 

We have also readdressed our lamp irons, with the MDVs now having lamp irons on both ends, and MDOs having none at all, just like the real wagons.

Another area we have improved, and something we will be rolling out on future open wagons is an improvement in interior decoration. We are now going for a dirtier, more weathered appearance to better reflect the interiors of these wagons rather than clean, fully painted and pristine. 

Finally, we will now for the first time introduce the MDW, the through air pipe fitted MDVs adapted from 1985 to be used in air braked speedlink trains, mainly on scrap flows, lasting in service until the early 1990s. With the last of the MDVs and MDWs bowing out of front line services in 1992 on coal and scrap trains respectively, these add great options for something a bit different for the sectorisation. Two MDW packs of three wagons apiece will be included in this new production run. 

To top it all off we have three triple packs of MDO, three triple packs of MDV and two triple packs of MDW available to pre-order at just £74.95 per pack, the same great price as before, with both TOPS and pre-TOPS variants available (TOPS only for MDW as these wagons were converted in 1985). Delivery is slated for Q2 2023 and of course there will be the same usual 10% discount for two packs or more pre-ordered and free postage and packaging for UK orders. 

Production capacity is limited, so make sure you pre-order your pack today via your local stockist or direct right here!

Previous article Well, Well, Well - A First Look At The Warwells In OO!