Deltic Engineering Prototype Breaks Cover!

We are delighted to reveal the first engineering prototype of our highly anticipated Class 55 Deltic locomotive! Tooling was completed in China 10 days ago and they sent us a hastily assembled prototype for assessment which we have now received.

CAVEATS!

Before we go any further, it is important to point out at this point this is a first tooling sample, which is sent to us for assessment.

There are many corrections required, and we have spent the last few days going over them, and will continue to pore over it in the coming days before offering feedback to China for correction before production. Some of the feedback includes (but not limited to):

• Shoulder grills (these ones are hideous, but thankfully a separate part to the main body so simple to fix)
• Bogie adjustments (including wheels)
• Roof fans
• Roof fan grills
• Handrail adjustments on the front 
• Seams will be dealt with when tooling is polished 
• Glazing is a tad frosty, this is due to polishing of tooling required
• Buffer cowling and shank

THE GOOD STUFF!

Now the negatives are out of the way, we can focus on the positives. And there are many! Firstly, the shape is spot on, and we are delighted with how China was able to replicate our CAD in their tooling to create a beautifully accurate body shape, featuring the distinct taper of the cab ends, the windscreen shape, that bulbous nose profile, the gentle slope of the nose front, the barrel body sides and placements of windows, exhausts and hatches.

The bogies are beautifully detailed too, with the sidesteps also featuring some superb etches.

Our sample from China did not arrive with our electronics on board yet, but we will receive that soon. We did receive a motor though, so we hardwired a TCS decoder and took it for a spin.

Haulage capability will be no problem, with our model weighing in at a mighty 768g! Performance from the motor is smooth and quiet as you can see in our video, but it will improve much more with the electronics in place, such as the super capacitors which will keep your Deltic going over dead sections, dirty track and points for up to 10 seconds!

Our next sample will also have the first sample of our highly anticipated sound chip and speakers, along with lighting, which was not present on this model. 

Overall, we are delighted with our first sample, and though the snag list may seem long, these are simple to rectify, and correct. The main thing is that the shape is accurate and that distinct Deltic character is captured. 

Are you as excited as we are? Place your pre-order for your Deltic today ahead of a March 2020 delivery. If you fancy a look for yourself, we will be at the Great Electric Train Show at Stadium MK next weekend. We hope to see you there!