Phoenix locos are UK based international distributors of high quality, affordable battery electric model locos,
rolling stock and loco bogies in 5 inch and 7.25 inch gauge that are ideal as club locos or in garden railways.

Class 52 Western Frequently Asked Questions

What do you get with a Western kit?

Two fully built bogies, a powder coated and fully wired chassis, working buffers, bogie spring beam and brake detailing, front and rear coupling, detailed GRP one piece body-shell, cab interiors with seats, driving desks and bulkheads along with a white metal detailing kit (including the ashtray) all grilles Etched Brass/nickel window frames windows, roof fans with etched grilles and a lost wax brass body detailing kit with items such as windscreen wipers, lamp brackets and brake valves. You will need to supply nameplates, paint, transfers and batteries. (We can advise on these items and supply them if required)

Do you need engineering skills to build the kit?

Absolutely not, the kit is designed to be built with hand tools only. We do all the machining, welding, drilling and tapping and supply all fasteners. We build the bogies and drive train. The chassis is pre-drilled and the wiring loom is complete and fitted to the chassis. Even the battery terminals are installed.

Most of the work in a kit is in the body. There is great deal of modelling work to be done, with apertures to be cut out with windows and grilles to fit, interiors to finish and plenty of detailing parts to be fitted. We are always happy to provide guidance on any particular aspect of the building process and we constantly update our records to reflect customer feedback.

How long will it take to build Western Kit?

The mechanical side takes about 10 hours to complete and the body shell around 30 hours to finish. This depends on your level of modeling skills and your approach to painting the body. We allow a day to cut all the apertures and finish the openings. It takes 2-3 hours to fit the grilles and finish around them. We usually allow a further day to prepare the body shell generally for painting.

If you use a spray shop they will generally take 2 or 3 days to finish the painting. The actual painting is the work of a few hours but you need to allow drying time for masking between coats. After the body shell is painted, you will need a day to construct and paint the interiors and install items such as roof fans and grilles. The wheels and bogie detailing will require painting as will the valances and buffer beam detailing.

When you have finished all the painting and detailing, the chassis is placed onto the bogies and the wiring connected, the valances are bolted in place the speed controller remote is plugged in. you are now ready to place the body shell onto the chassis and give your Western its first run.

Do you offer a warranty?

Yes we do, subject to certain conditions we guarantee your locomotive for 12 months from day of purchase. We will repair or replace any item which fails. We do however exclude items that have been mis-used.

How fast is a western and what will it pull?

Speed is around 8-9 mph maximum. Passenger hauling is around 1 to 15 passengers depending on gradients and track conditions.

Can I try a Western?

We try to have a demonstrator available and have a programme of track and club visits throughout the year. We can generally arrange a demonstration in most areas. Please contact us for further details.

What kind of delivery time can I expect?

We have the Western in continuous production. We build in production batches of ten. Where possible we have our parts laser cut and produced by CNC machines. This means we have to buy parts in greater numbers, but we believe the higher quality and accuracy is well worth the extra cost. The biggest benefit of batch production is the shortening of delivery times. Currently Western kits are available at around 8 weeks delivery; this can be as short as 2 weeks or a maximum of 12-16 weeks depending on when you place your order.

Ready to Roll Kits are quoted on an individual basis at the time of order. When you place your order we will write to you and confirm all the details and give an indication of the likely delivery time.