Dapol A4 Mallard - Repainted Into Network SouthEast Livery.

[daffy]

What larks!

It just needs a face on the front to join Thomas and friends. Algernon the A4?

Nice one Chris.

[exmouthcraig]

Absolutely fantastic 

I'm a massive fan of NSE liveried stuff, 33s and 47s looked amazing in it. As most of their stuff was impossible to tell end from end I think their locos always looked brilliant.

Although the 50 looks the best in dutch!!

Maybe not red wheels @Tank but the union FLAG, (must be PC) tender looks absolutely Brilliant. She is an icon the same as Concorde so only right they get a proper BRITISH livery to reflect that!!

Nice job Sir!!!

[TalyllynJon]

How about going the other way and painting all those multiple units and the class 50 in 1930s, or better still pre-grouping, liveries!

[BramptonBranch]

Its horrible.

[Mr Sprue]

I thought you all might like to see my newest model from Mercig Studios.  I think he did a great job.

I did think about converting it to 3rd rail pickup, but decided against it for now.

Well coming from an engineering point of view the 3rd rail conversion could be very doable, the class 71 has long been well and truly scrapped and melted down, but however the 73 could offer the donor parts needed to convert this old kettle!

This old beast could be converted to bat from both ends! The tender could house the diesel (instead of boring water) she could run on lines without 3rd rail, smoke box for exhaust!    As for the size , indeed the whole engine could quite easily accommodate both power sources!

If the technology had been around in 1938 would they have used coal? 

[TalyllynJon]

If the technology had been around in 1938 would they have used coal? 

The technology WAS around in 1938! The A4s were steam's last blast - the final successful development of steam power on Britain's railways (most, if not all, steam locos built after the A4s were essentially austerity designs, built to fill a short-term gap before diesels and electrics took over). Electrification started back in pre-grouping days with a number of railways electrifying routes. Vincent Raven's final loco for the North Eastern Railway was a mainline electric built in anticipation of the imminent electrification of the East Coast mainline. If that had gone ahead the A4s would never have been built, but the newly formed LNER never had the money to invest in all the necessary infrastructure. By the 1930s the Southern Railway had an extensive network of mainline routes using 3rd rail electric. Gresley, famously, originally considered buying German diesel railcars before deciding to build the A4s. Gresley's final, and longest lasting, design was an electric locomotive. And, of course when Mallard set it's record it was only ever the World's fastest steam locomotive - electric trains had already gone faster. Errrrr..... hold on, this sounds like I'm dissing steam. Truth is I have next to no interest in diesel or electric traction. I love steam, but I am realistic - the A4s were the ultimate steam locos and stunning Art Deco icons - but they were also essentially obsolete when they were built!

[Mr Sprue]

@TalyllynJon  What I had meant to say If TODAYS technology had been around in 1938 would they have used coal?

FWIW I have a passion for steam also! 

[Newportnobby]

Next thing you know some idiot will cover a Black 5 in flowery wallpaper and call it 'Henkel'

[Bealman]

We may as well go the whole hog and get Bulleid's Leader painted like that 

[Dickydcc]

Somewhere in an alternate universe far,far away......

[Tank]

Thanks for all of the comments!  Good and.....not so good!   

I've seen a few of you ask why?!  Well, I like to have 'something different' on my layout, and getting the reactions that I do makes it even better!    Especially those that don't like it!!!!!

The idea was mainly because I don't have any steam locsomotives, so to justify it I've come up with a small backstory.  "In the early 90's Network SouthEast wanted to celebrate 5 years of the NSE sector and ran a commemorative train around the country.  Tours stretched all over the network promoting the values and innovations that Chris Green put forward to make Network SouthEast a great success."

Just to confirm, I don't drink, take drugs, or anything else funky!    Just some fun in NSE World! 

[guest311]

 Tours stretched all over the network promoting the values and innovations

so, I take it that either it's late / cancelled / overcrowded 

[Tank]

I'm all in favour of winding up a purist, and this is both hilarious and well done. She looks great! But I think you missed a trick not putting a full yellow warning panel on 

I did ask Ian to put a warning panel on the rear of the tender.  I thought that it would be too much on the front. 

Maybe not red wheels...

Yes, I'm not sure about those.  The donor vehicle had them (I hadn't realised), and Ian was trying his best to get out of painting them black like I wanted!  LOL  So, I've gone along with it for now and will see how I feel.  A cracking job he's done in any case. 

[Tank]

Tours stretched all over the network promoting the values and innovations

so, I take it that either it's late / cancelled / overcrowded 

Nope nope, there was never one late train ever.  Never never! 

[guest311]

yer, right