Purchased and reviewed by John Cockcroft

This is not a new model but was previously sold under the label of Lionheart for a lot more money than this version, which cost me about £170 from Tower Models. There is little to say by way of comment other than ‘Wow!’

It represents a 59ft 6in Type N trailer, six of which were built in 1906. As far as I can see it is almost perfect and the rendition of the complex pre- 1927 livery is exceptionally good. By the way, if you want to order one in this livery, it is referred to as ‘Twin Cities’ when ‘Fully Lined’ may have been clearer. Several other livery versions are available. The model is fitted with a warning gong on the driving end which is just within period as the earliest recorded fitting was about 1925. The non-driving end has windows which is again correct for this livery, later they were either painted over or panelled in.

There is a large circular moulding on the floor in the trailing compartment which I thought must be a grain tub or perhaps storage for cider! Closer inspection showed it has holes underneath, so I presume it is for the noise box and loudspeaker that drives the Tower Models price up to £315 for the sound equipped version. Personally, I think this a high price to pay for being massively irritated. Anyway I took it out but kept the screws. They are probably mysterious Chinese threads and may be useful to repair other RTR models.

As it comes, the model is so perfect it looks too good to be real, with a dazzling white roof and spotless black undergear. The roof slides off and so this was easy to spray with Humbrol 66, my roof colour of choice. I masked off the body and gave the underframe a thorough blasting of a mix of matt black toned down with pale buff paint to give a sort of warm grey look. There was a bit of overspray on the lower edge of the ends which enhanced the effect of an in-use vehicle. The result is a model that sits on the track like the real thing and is thoroughly believable. The pictures show both sides of the vehicle after I repainted the white roof and black underframe.

O gauge RTR is a useful short cut to building a convincing layout, but manufacturers can’t cover every prototype. For example, many auto trailers were 70ft vehicles, and as they were often used in pairs, there are still kit building options to explore.