Product Features and Details
Model: The Fulgurex class 231 pacific's is simply remarkable. Fulgurex models are among the finest and most collectible handmade models in the world. Fulgurex models are handmade and hand-painted by "Old-World" artisans which have made Fulgurex locomotives the most sought-after items by collectors all over the globe. The locomotives are truly the epitome of fine craftsmanship - the Mercedes of the European Model Railway Industry! Many Fulgurex models are produced in quantities less than 40 worldwide, so they are very collectible. The model is equipped with a brushless, ironless, high efficient motor with a flywheel. The model features full cab interiors, a functional smokebox door, sprung-loaded puffers, and a fully functional and replicated four-cylinder drive system. Fulgurex has really outdone themselves with this model, it is simply a work of art.
Historical extract of the history of this locomotive: The railway company NORD launched in 1922 a study, which was actually drawn before the First World War, for a locomotive of the type "PACIFIC"; a strong locomotive for fast trains. The result of this project was a four-cylinder Compound machine type 231 series no 3.1201 to 3.1240; popularly called a "Super Pacific". After a few test drives, the locomotives were put into operation in 1923, via the depot La Chapelle and Calais. Immediately it showed that the locomotives were a lot stronger and faster than the previous versions (or Atlantics). The locomotives were, among other things, used for the famous express trains, such as FLECHE d'OR, NORD-Express, OISEAU-BLEU, and so on; it became "THE" machine of prestige trains that could provide transit times that were previously unthinkable. Here is a little example: the train no 79 "FLECHE d'OR showed on one of its first rides on 12. September 1926 that it was possible to complete the Paris-Calais route in just 2 hours 55 minutes. The train weighed 543 tons and reached an average speed of 101 km/h. This performance was an enormous development and for the year 1926, even the newly founded airlines considered this serious competition.
