• Ace Trains, PO Box 2985, London, W11 2WP.
• Tel: 0207 727 1592
• Web: www.acetrainslondon.com
• Email: info@ace-trains.co.uk
• Prices: Coronation - £745 plus postage; Castle kit £265 plus postage

Reviewed by Martin Bloxom

Ace Trains have been advertising in the Gazette for some years as ‘The Home of Standard Scale Gauge O’ and ‘brilliantly old fashioned.’ I have had the pleasure to inspect and test two models from their range. This was at Allen Levy's Ace Trains outdoor circuit, but the review is entirely at my own instigation for which I was given an entirely free hand, so it is not a manufacturer’s or supplier’s write up.

Ace have become very popular this past twenty years progressing from Hornby tinplate – like replicas to these later creations. Sales to date, of locos and rolling stock, have reached 45,000, some 15,000 being locos. Engines are usually in batches of 500-1,000 with variations in livery – the LMS/BR Princess Coronations, streamlined or unstreamlined, running to some 15 livery variations. 30,000 coaches have been produced.

Models are in metal fabricated using the latest technologies. The Castle kit uses cast metal body parts. Wheels are set at 28mm back-to-back (Bonds standard scale). Most will run on Peco track and will run through such points although ‘frog’ clearances may need to be adjusted. On the other hand they will cope with 2 foot radius curves where, as with the ‘Coronation’, small Bassett-Lowke bogie wheels will be needed. Ace will supply these on request.

Scale diameter bogie wheels will cope with 3ft 9in and 4ft 0in radius. All drivers are flanged, bogie and trailing trucks are well sprung. Drivers are not sprung but side-play to wheels with fullvalve gear gets models round tight curves without difficulty.

Motors in the LMS streamliner and other RTR locos are can types with flywheels and a train of steel/brass gears. The Castle kit is supplied with a different motor and no flywheel; performance for both motor types is very good. The two models are tested as below. All models will run on either 2 or 3 rail systems. A simple switch alters this.

LMS streamlined ‘Princess Coronation’ No 6220, ‘Coronation,’ with single chimney in blue and silver livery. Price (inc. box) £745, postage extra.

This model had done a minimal amount of running when tested. The table below tabulates the main model and prototype dimensions. You can judge for yourself. The scaling is to the nearest 3/4in/mm. For running on 4 foot radius upwards scale wheels at 3ft1in are used on the bogie. For curves of less than that, small Bassett-Lowke like bogie wheels are necessary.

Details include: Streamlined ‘winged’ illuminated lamps in the express position; screw coupling at the front with a largish Basset- Lowke hook type at the back which could be easily changed; excellent rivet detailing. The tender has ladders, tank fillers, vents, coal pusher and three-quarters full coal load. There is no brakegear, or brake/ heat pipes on the bufferbeams. Cab detail is basic but the coalhole on the firebox lights up in motion and smoke units are an optional extra. The paint finish is glossy – too much for some tastes, but it fits the ‘brilliantly old-fashioned’ tag. Using the small Basset-Lowke style bogie, the model will negotiate 2ft 0in radius curves.

On test, haulage on level track was fine and 6220 coped easily with 14 Ace coaches of BR Mk 1 type stock each weighing 1lb 15oz making up a load of 27lbs 2oz. These coaches have Commonwealth type bogies beautifully sprung with working springs as per prototype and are very free running. With its flywheel fitted motor, fine slow starts were made, but stopping a heavy train needed care. 20 minutes running on 15 volts DC used 0.5amp continuously.

GWR ‘Castle’ Kit E7/-2K, built and finished as BR Green No 5069 ‘Isambard Kingdom Brunel.’ This kit costs £265 – complete with grey primer, but other paints, nameplates not included.

This is a made-up example of the ‘screw and glue’ kit. I cannot report on construction – could a GOG member do this? You may of course wish to add extra details of your own as is often the case when kit- building. Castings are used, but rivet detail is there on the bodies – all very well done. The many tender rivets look impressive.

Other details: Screw coupling at front, large B-Lowke hook on tender rear – easily changed; excellent rivet details which looks right. No brake-gear or vacuum/steam heat pipes. The nonflywheel fitted can motor drives on the rear axle. The boiler is partly cut out at the firebox joint to fit this all in but once the engine is in motion, it’s barely noticeable. You can fit extra details. On test 5069 moved 10 Ace GW coaches – all we had, each 2lbs in weight. I suspect the model would take more. Again on 15v DC just 0.5amp was recorded, as with the Coronation. Take up and stopping the train was again very good.

For both models you could remove the old spoon centre-third collectors and put a skate on using the same screw holes and screws; you would need to make a skate plate to fit this. Electric 3 rail pick up is via the screws into the body. You could fit brake-gear to the engine by making a template and carefully drilling into the frames. Fit plastic tube to tube the hangers and use plastic brakeshoes – GW ones are available from Warren Shepherd and others. A good engineer could reduce the flanges and even move the wheels out to 29mm back-to-back.

As RTR models they bring the old model years back to life. Given their cost, and that they will run out-of-the-box straight away, value for money is very good. You could add crews and flatten the glossy paint finish although it would probably diminish any re-sale price.

I have seen on test the ACE prototype ‘Britannia’ as advertised in the Gazette. The plain black prototype on another test track pulled nine heavy Exleys with ease. This new model will have an opening smokebox door and front take plate detail inside the smokebox. Retail price is expected to be in the £695-745 region. Other models are being planned. (An LMS 8F would be a goods engine worth considering). Did someone say standard coarse scale was dead?