A look at the SDS Models NR Class NR52 ‘Kungara Mankurpa’

I don’t usually write at length about new models that I acquire. However, every now and then one comes in that just wants to be talked about. And when I got my hands on this beautifully made and exquisitely printed NR Class from Australian maker SDS Models, I couldn’t help but share a more in-depth look.

The Prototype

The NR Class dieselelectric locomotive is one of Australia’s best known and most prolific locomotives. 120 of them were built between 1996 and 1998 by A Goninan & Co in their factories in New South Wales and Western Australia. They were commissioned by erstwhile railway operator National Rail, hence the class name. The 22m loco weighs in at around 130 metric tons, packs 3000kW of power and can reach a top speed of 115km/h.

To this day, the NR operates passenger and freight trains across Australia. 119 of them are still in service, now owned by operator Pacific National after it acquired National Rail in 2002. Among its more famous duties are the tourist trains The Ghan (Adelaide – Darwin), Indian Pacific (Sydney – Perth) and Great Southern (Adelaide – Brisbane), for which the respective locos have been adorned in specific liveries.

In 1997, two locomotives were launched into service bearing designs by Indigenous artist Bessie Liddle. These works tell stories from the Aboriginal Dreamtime, using the characteristic dot technique. NR52 tells the story of the star constellation Pleiades, known among Indigenous people across Australia as the Seven Sisters. NR52 wore this livery for approximately ten years before being repainted into the blue and yellow Pacific National intermodal livery. The other ‘Indigenous’ loco, NR30, was repainted in 2009.

NR Class Models

As H0 scale models, the NR class has been around since 2000. Australian maker Austrains released nine runs until their founders retired and sold their tooling to SDS Models in 2015. SDS themselves released another run based on the Austrains tooling, known as Austrains Neo, before tackling a completely overhauled version under their own name in 2019. At roughly the same time, competitor Auscision announced their own NR class variant.

Both manufacturers released a strictly limited run of NR30 and NR52 in their original Indigenous liveries. SDS Models released 660 units across three options: unpowered, DC analog, and DCC Sound.

In this article, I am introducing the NR52 sound variant.

The Packaging

The box has a very simple, pretty design. Opening the box finds the model sitting in a solid styrofoam mould, with the handrails well protected. Also in the box are some spare horns and a small leaflet with some technical details. A manual as such is not included, nor is a spare parts list. Instructions on how to open the model can be found on the SDS website.

First Impressions

Looking at the design first hand, you can’t help but feel impressed. The dot painting looks exquisite, the model is rich in detail.

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Looking more closely, I don’t notice any blur or flaws in the printing. Most lettering is readable, except for the really small bits.

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No issues at the front of the loco, but the rear has a few tiny flaws around the marker lights and the top edge – nothing you notice from a modicum of distance.

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According to SDS, they did a lot of detail work on this new variant. Proportions were adjusted, details added. Of note are the etched metal steps at the rear, the spare knuckle couplers tucked under the steps, and the see-through steps at the front. I don’t have any other NR Class models at hand for comparison, but I love these little details all over the model.

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The model is has a recommended minimum radius of 457mm, but handles my Peco R2 curves (438mm) just fine by itself, although the rear end veers out quite a bit. I don’t have any rolling stock to hook up to it at the moment, but there is a good chance I will need longer couplers for it.

Lights and Sound

Let’s have a closer look at the technical side. The model is equipped with a 5-pole skew wound motor and two sizeable flywheels. A 21MTC digital interface sits on the board, the sound variant comes with a ESU LokSound 5 decoder and an exclusive sound project.

The model has the following light functions at both ends: headlights, marker lights (red and white), ditch lights, and number boxes. Headlights and ditch lights are directional. Marker lights and number boxes are switched using the same key – F7 for the front, F9 for the rear end. The function scrolls through several states: all off, number boxes + white markers, number boxes + red markers, red markers. This sequencing reflects real-world usage of the light combinations. However, I’d still prefer if there was a way to selectively switch the individual lights as desired – with 18 functions set up on the decoder, there is a bit of room.

Here are the front lights:

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As can be seen in the last photo, the ditch lights are shining through a small gap in the body. The gap itself is not noticeable except when you look closely, but the light bleed can be seen from quite a distance. I have noticed this other videos of SDS NR locos as well. Other than that, the front lights are nice, bright and even.

Here are the rear lights:

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The rear markers are a bit dark and somewhat unevenly lit. The light bleed of the ditch lights is also present at the rear end.

I suspect that the light bleed is owed to the way the model is assembled, where the upper part of the body sits on top of the lower frame. It’s a bit of a bummer that this light bleed is present on a model of this price class, but it should be relatively easy to suppress it, by putting some sort of cover over the light conductors. So it’s not the end of the world.

However, that requires opening the model, and here’s where I am running into real problems. To summarise: it really doesn’t open easily.

The top part of the body clips into the bottom part and is held in place by six clip tabs. The instructions direct you to squeeze the body in three place, then pull it off upwards. I tried that, but the tabs aren’t giving way, and nothing moves. Some of the tabs can be seen from below, and someone with a calm hand and good nerves can use a small tool, like a screwdriver, to try and unclip them. This is also the recommendation I have read in other places. I have not tried that yet – honestly I am way too scared of damaging the loco or breaking off some of the very fine detail parts. I do have a second SDS NR Class on order, where I will try the process again.

The Sound

After all that, it’s time to check out the sound. The model sports an amply sized 20x40mm speaker which sits in the fuel tank. The function list is, conventiently, printed inside the lid of the box.

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The sound project contains functions for the prime mover, horn, bell, air compressor, brakes and sanders, plus a few logic functions like shunting mode and heavy load. Everything sounds great, the sounds are loud and clear without distortion or muddiness. As a nice detail, the ditch lights flash alternatingly for a few seconds when the horn is activated. The bell is quite typical for American locomotives, but to my knowledge is not used on the Australian prototype, although it is present.

With or without sound, the model accelerates and runs smoothly. The following video shows the full startup sequence of the GE 7FDL engine, before the loco takes a turn on my test layout.

Final Thoughts

Notwithstanding the described flaws, this is an absolutely beautiful, well-made model with a stunning print quality. I absolutely can’t stop marveling at the design and the details. I don’t regret purchasing this loco and look forward to many years of running it, once my layout is built.