Without a doubt, it would need a bit of co-operation to get it going.
At Liverpool a couple years ago, the only complaint about this model was weight. That was fixed!
Was the weight issue actually fixed?
Who would want to crowd fund a loco that Austrains has said it will produce?
I believe so! The initial sample that had a terrible video clip showed how poor it was. I actually got in touch with Geoff and suggested some areas that could help put weight over the driving wheels, also ensure the spring on the front bogie was not too hard. I do not recollect seeing another video of the model that came out with more weight as to what it could pull, however at Liverpool last year he had two models there, one the original and the other the production sample, which was said to have all the additions and the like and was ready to go into production. Said the model would be in Oz prior to this years CNY.
The production model was certainly of a good weight, and well balanced so to me it would have certainly been more than able to pull a load that was a prototypical one. What the end user needed to be aware of though that these loco's were basically branch line loco's, and the loads they hauled were typical for those lines. Both the lower rated Saturated and Superheated versions had the same loads listed for them, even though the super 30T was used in place of 32cl on one Richmond line service in the morning and did the work more than comfortably.
The more I read in regard to this model, the more confused I am. I understood some mystery man, probably someone, or other that maybe green in colour and came down with the last flying saucer spotting or flash across the sky. I understood that Geoff Hope had paid up all monies for the tooling as well as the money for production was in hand, guess that was the same as with the RX, next we hear is that there is a delay and the Ixion 32 was to take its spot on the production line, as the two were working together as seen with the sharing of the two tender types.
That was basically where things finished, and the turn of events that had the Martian in China, who was able to sell the toolings to what I understood through the clouded mists of time Ixion models, who confirmed they had purchased them, and they were supposed to be complete toolings only waiting for the spot in the slot to become real, unlike the martian.
The events and promises we all know about but now we have nothing? Question is I guess is how much would the current owner/s of the toolings want for them? Thats likely a $164000.00 question. In affect the way things stand now, is that there are a complete set of toolings available for the production of a 30T, but will sit on a floor somewhere only to corrode away. as the current owners say the factory has doubled the price to produce the model, basically meaning, again, the toolings are totally useless as they are a wasted item that some or more has invested a lot of money in for what good purpose let alone reason.
The only failing that I could see with the toolings are that they are made for plastic/abs material rather than for metal. Yet, the way the extra weights that were put into the model had resolved the issue as far as the end user/buyer would be concerned.
Realistically then, Geoff Hope along with those who ordered and paid for the 30T, along with those at Ixion and not forgetting the dumbbells which includes me, have thrown a lot of time. effort and money into something that all seemed to have lost out on, with only the martian coming out of it ok, besides the factory who got their money.
To me, and I know several others who feel the same, this whole saga has really shorted out the confidence that we were all starting to regain after so many years of delayed models that have been often a let down after they eventually arrived, sort of wonder what was the point of getting past Lima and their near enoughs, at least we got them.
Modellers will not want it to haul 70 S wagons up a 1 in 30 grade anyway, just a real prototype load, and the newest sample can do that, I am told.
