The pre-production C16 arrived from Broadway Limited today for display at this weekends EXPO NG exhibition in Swanley, Kent, England [25th October]. I was expecting the Yellow Bumble Bee model as that is the one they have been showing on their web site but the RGS one turned up.     click on these little ones for the bigger picture

Some details: -

Length - 12 1/2"  over the couplers with the engine and tender close coupled

Width - 2 1/4"    across cab side window blinds

Height - 3 1/8"   to the top of the whistle

Runs very nicely on DCC, the sounds work fine and sound great although not much like a C16. This pre-production engine has the sounds from the N&W 2-6-6-4 in it so it sounds a bit odd but they all work. The tender drawbar has two holes allowing close coupled or tight curve options. There are six wires sticking out the tender front with a connector on them that plug into the back of the engine.

Not so good news is the front coupler. There is a very nicely moulded pilot surmounted by a rigid solid representation of the knuckle coupler. The dummy coupler is very similar to the thing sticking out the front of the Bachmann 2-6-0. Its even to high to just hook into an HO Kadee. I feel a casting and conversion kit coming on. The knuckle looks like its a separate moulding that is clipped in so it should be possible to do something. I can't unclip it without destroying it as it one of those one way clip.

For those who want to re-gauge the engine to On3 its not all good news. The tender is probably going to need new trucks, or at least surgery to them as there isn't room to fit wider wheel sets as they come. To re-gauge the loco it looks like you are going to have to widen the motion bracket and cylinders to be able to fit wider wheels. Looking at it from above this shouldn't make the engine too wide as the cylinders are narrower than the running boards along side the boiler. I've got to send this one back so I had better not start taking it to bits to see how difficult it would be to re-gauge!

I don't want to give this back. Roll on the production models