The first decorated samples of “The Badger” were revealed to the public in late summer this year, and they certainly got the modelling public salivating at the prospect of one gracing their layout or collection in the near future.
At that time, we outlined one particular difficult area that we needed to nail in order to sign off on this model and that was the DCC sound file. The real locomotive is unique as we know, but this extends to its innards, and the 89 as a result sounds like nothing else on the rails.
We had hoped that the real locomotive would be back together and that we could record it in time, but this sadly has not been the case, despite the amazing skills and dedication to the people who are working on her.
As a result of this, we had hung on as long as we can, but now we must defer to historical recordings to replicate the sound for our model. This is easy enough done, but waiting for the real locomotive to be repaired resulted in us missing our production slot at the factory. We also had some work to do with the pantograph, which sits higher than the Class 92s so some fettling was also required which came up in the testing phase.
The good news is that these issues are no longer halting progress of our model, and it is now in production. However, this does mean there has been a further delay, with the finished models now due in stock in Q3, 2024. We sincerely apologise for this delay, but we really wanted the best sound file to match this unique locomotive to really take it to the next level. We're delighted that the sound file we are preparing will sound fantastic though, and will demonstrate it in the new year.
In the meantime production has commenced, which means we can no longer add any more capacity to the production lines, so remaining stock is limited. If you fancy an 89, now is the time to place your pre-order to avoid disappointment.
Utilising the same DCC operated pantograph mechanism as the much loved Accurasacale Class 92, the 89 has tried and tested technology throughout meaning that development of this locomotive has been at a much quicker pace, which once again is the benefit of having several cutting edge locomotives now released onto the market under the Accurascale banner.
The locomotive is an excellent performer too, with excellent smooth running characteristics, weighty chassis meaning excellent haulage capacity and of course, with Accurascale’s industry leading specification of Powerbank capacitors, helical gearing and multiple lighting configurations, meaning it will be a talking point on any layout or in any collection.
Sound will be of course provided via ESU Loksound 5 DCC sound decoders with a full custom sound file. It will also make use of Accurascale’s much loved ‘Accurathrash’ sound set up with large speaker and smaller sugar cube speaker for maximum sound performance. Accurascale are anxiously awaiting completion of the repairs of the real locomotive at Brush Loughborough before recording the loco in the coming weeks.
A total of five liveries covering the life of the locomotive from creation to date is available, and can only be ordered via Rails of Sheffield or Accurascale direct via their website.
