It's widely known that our sound-fitted O Gauge Black 5s sound incredible. Maybe even a little too good – as we sold out of them a while back. So you can't have one.

Or can you??

We've decided to retrofit a small number of our remaining non-DCC Black 5s with digital sound, using the same decoder and speaker setup as those that went before. Meanwhile, Neil will be customising three unnumbered engines as no. 45407 'Lancashire Fusilier', a loco that's still going strong today on main-line charters. 

So if you missed out on a sound-fitted Black 5 first time around, or you're new to O Gauge – or you just fancy a little more of the good things in life – now's your chance. 

Meanwhile, there's news on an even bigger engine – but in a smaller scale – as our Clark Railworks Austerity 2-10-0s are set to enter production in September. 

The ‘Dubdee’ has been an enormous project, with a complex specification and consequently a lot of problems to solve. It'll also be the first model in the industry to feature dual-channel digital sound, courtesy of our Nexus decoders. But we got there, and Austerities will start to board flights to the UK from early October. They'll arrive in four batches between then and January; we'll keep you updated regarding which models are in which batches, as this is still subject to change.

Suffice to say that the news has resulted in a surge of pre-orders. So if there's a specific 'Dubdee' you've got your eye on, why not reserve it today? There's nothiong to pay until it's ready to post, and you'll be safe in the knowladge that there's loco with your name on it.

We've also made a few quiet upgrades to the Austerities' not-so-austere spec while you weren't looking. We've banished the spare set of underscale leading wheels that enabled the models to run round second radius curves. They'll all now come with scale-size leading wheels as standard – and a tiny-but-clever modifictaion to the chassis that allows them to negotiate those hairpin bends. 

All non-digital Austerities will now come with three speakers and onboard stay-alives as standard. So they're truly ‘plug n’ play’ should you fancy a plunge into DCC sound. They'll also have easy-access PCB trays in the boiler that pop out to reveal a Plux22 interface, ready for your decoder of choice.

If you're in the market for rolling stock, our OO Gauge LMS GUVs won't have escaped your notice. There's one for all seasons in our colourful lineup, and to answer a common question: yes, shades of red do tend to look like shades of pink at this stage in the rendering process! But they're sooo pretty, right? Take your eyes to the full banquet here. And note that the pre-order button for any of them is but a click further on...