Holiday Pics: Diesel No.21

The most popular photo from my holiday on Flickr was a shot of the newest member of the Isle of Man steam railway fleet, Number 21.

A controversial loco, this beast has cost £400,000 been re-engined under warranty and still doesn't do what it's supposed to. In the cab we have drive by wire controls with a flat screen console and joystick to make the loco work. Basically, it's what you find in a very modern diesel but operating on a Victorian steam railway.

First impressions are that this is a BIG beast. Far chunker than everything else on the line, it certainly has presence. It also looks a bit like someone took and plan and enlarged it a little bit too much. As a model making prospect, it looks promising. If anyone has a plan, I could be tempted.

This means we need photos and while touring the steam shed, I snapped a couple of (hopefully) useful shots.

The roof is nice and simple although the pod nearest the camera might be interesting to build with all those curves.

Under the footplate, the bogies are lovely and simple. The detail isn't very prominent either - a bit like some Heljan models - so ideal for resin casting.

One thing you will need for any model is a stupidly bright headlight that will blind your camera from about half a mile away.