AUG 2022 - POST DEMU SHOWCASE UPDATE

Our third show of 2022 saw us attend DEMU Showcase on the 23rd and 24th of July 2022 at Sutton Coldfield. It was great to be back at Showcase after a few years away. The weekend was very well attended and we would like to thank everyone that took the time to visit our stand and discuss our various projects.

We would like to thank the DEMU organising team for arranging the show, it was a great venue and the team thoroughly enjoyed meeting visitors over the weekend.

N gauge PGA wagon project

We are very excited that our first N gauge project is closing in on the final stage of the process; production.

The pre-production samples have arrived from the factory for review, ahead of production starting imminently. This is a milestone in our history and hope that this will be the first of many N gauge projects in the future. We are now awaiting a slot in the factory to allow the production stage of the process to commence.

The Cavalex N gauge PGA wagons are currently available to pre-order from Rails of Sheffield here.

From day one, the intention has been to release all our OO gauge products in N gauge, to offer 2mm modellers the same models, subject to there being the demand for these projects. As a company we are committed to releasing N gauge products, and we hope that the N gauge community can get behind us and support our future projects.

PHA/JGA bogie stone hopper wagon

Unfortunately, the Covid situation in China has caused a slight delay to this project. The first painted samples of our PHA/JGA wagons are being readied at the factory to ship to the U.K. next month, ahead of our attendance at The Great Electric Train Show in October.

As and when we have more information, we will of course provide updates on our website and social media pages.

TEA bogie tank wagon

The prototype TEA bogie tank wagons can still be seen operating out of the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire, perfect for modellers that want to recreate the current day scene.

The first run of our TEA bogie tank wagons arrived in the U.K. in May and have proved popular with customers. It is very satisfying to see another highly detailed model come to fruition.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers that have supported our TEA project.

Our thanks to the following magazines for reviewing our TEA bogie tank wagons in their August issues: British Railway Modelling, Hornby Magazine, Model Rail, Rail Express Modeller and Railway Modeller.

HAA project

The first initial batch of red cradle HAA wagons were received in May, and on inspection during QC checks, it was discovered that there was an error with the assembly of the wagons that meant that we were not happy with the product. We at Cavalex, nor our partners at KMS Railtech and Trains4U, were happy to release the wagons for sale and the error could not be rectified without affecting the quality of finish of the models.

The models have had to be completely remade from scratch which takes time for the factory to complete, which unfortunately, has also had an impact on production for the whole project. The factory is hoping to have the first batch of Models ready for shipping at the end of the month.

Class 56 project

A significant milestone was reached last month for Cavalex Models, as the first running samples of our eagerly awaited Class 56 arrived, just in time for DEMU Showcase on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of July.

As well as being on display at the show, the samples were given a run out on Oak Road, Mike Buick’s excellent exhibition layout which depicts a stretch of the Great Western Berks and Hants line. The Class 56 looked right at home working several different rakes including MoD, steel and stone. We would like to thank Mike for allowing the samples to be tested throughout the weekend.

Video clips of the Class 56 sample running on Oak Road can be found below:

Video Clip 1

Video Clip 2

Video Clip 3

The Class 56 was well received by visitors to the show with positive feedback received. Following the show we will now conduct testing and evaluation of the models. There are a few tweaks and minor modifications to be made ahead of the painted samples which are expected over the coming months.

Please keep an eye out for updates as the Class 56 samples are put through their paces during the testing phase.

PHA/JYA bogie box wagon

At DEMU Showcase last month we announced our next wagon project.

Cavalex are teaming up with Ultimate Model Railways to produce the Orenstein & Koppel bogie aggregate open wagon in 4mm scale in OO scale.

The 61 wagons were built by Orenstein & Koppel at their Dortmund works in Germany and introduced in 1988, to meet the expanding business and upgrading of the Foster Yeoman Torr works quarry, for use out of Merehead stone terminal. They were designed to be as short as possible, to give the maximum payload in the shortest possible train length and were a similar size to the successful PTA wagons then in use by Foster Yeoman and ARC, as they were then known.

Generally, for design and build purposes they were to run in blocks of 10 wagons, with two outer wagons and 8 inner wagons, but in reality blocks could be any number, depending on depot size and payload required. At some depots the trains had to be split for unloading and reconnected afterwards.

The wagons have proved very successful, both in operation and maintenance and, although designed for a 20 year life, are still in operation today.

The model is already significantly advanced and at the tooling stage of the process.

The Cavalex PHA/JYA wagons will be produced to the same high standard of finish as the highly regarded PGA and recently arrived TEA bogie tank wagons and will incorporate similar levels of detail.

Both inner and outer wagons have been modelled.

Following in the footsteps of the PGA and BBA which have been at the forefront when it comes to highly detailed wagons, the PHA/JYA wagon is by no means any different. The highly detailed underframe has been replicated with a wealth of separately fitted parts and the authentically modelled bogies complete this stunning wagon design.

As can be seen from the photos below of two 3D printed examples, the model recreates the fine details and complexity of the prototype wagon in scale form.

These models will look great behind our forthcoming Construction Sector Class 56 and are sure to prove popular with modellers.

More information about the announcement can be found by clicking on the below button.