Progress on the 40 class is going ahead quickly at the factory and is just following the normal assembly process. However, on the other side of the Pacific at QSI work on the sound installation is also well underway. The sound decoders were manufactured in China previously and the first step in the installation process is to check fit the decoder. The above photo shows this process with the decoder being trial fitted to a chassis from the current production run. These are identical to those produced by Sanda Kan all those years ago so it was not surprising that the trial fitting did not produce any problems.
The next step in the sound process is to burn the sound files into all of the decoders. After this the decoders are fitted to a mounting pcb and then they are forwarded to the factory in China for assembly into the "with sound" 40s.
Back at the factory in China injecting is underway and decoration (painting) of the parts is taking place as parts are received from the injection sub-contractors. Injection is expected to be completed by the middle of April after which decoration will be finished and final assembly completed.
The Eureka office now has several running non-sound samples and is expecting a sound-equipped version from QSI any day which will be most enjoyable. The non-sound running samples at the Eureka offices are superb. They are smooth running and are very quiet. With this quality base the sound versions should also be of a very high performance.
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| Green type 2 body modified to show type 1 body with added ventilation on roof. |
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| Type 2 body with vertical louvers on rear engine ventilation in Royal Blue. |
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| Type 3 body with mesh grille on rear engine ventilation and across body stack in Indian Red |
The above art-work is not final as there are minor corrections to be made including adjustments to the numbering. The above workings were mainly used to get the main body colours right.
Squirting is under way and will be finished in April. Decoration is also under way and is expected to be finished in May.
Also coming with the production run of the 40 class will be spare wheel sets complete with wheels, axles and gears. (An expanded coverage of the problem of this topic can be found in The Eureka Times 32.) Price is not finalised yet but will be around $25 for six complete wheel sets.
The final price of the 40 class ($330) now applies
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