Electrifying

I have a terrible dilemma. Olivia's Trains, a small model railway shop, has commissioned Danish model railway manufacturer Heljan to produce a model of the EM1 (later known as the Class 76), a 1500v DC Bo-Bo electric locomotive.

Designed by genius engineer Sir Nigel Gresley for the London & North Eastern Railway company, it was intended to haul exceptionally heavy freight traffic over the steep gradients of the Pennines on the Woodhead Route (Manchester-Sheffield).

I love these locomotives, and normally I would be in the market for several (these, incidentally, are pre-production samples which have been hand-painted). But...

First up, they're being made by Heljan, a company not noted for its fidelity to the original or the very finest accuracy (have a look at the rather poorly represented sides of the bogie frames on these models, to see what I mean):

And, because they're a commission from a retailer, they are retailing at £160. Each. And the thing about EM1s is that they almost always have to work in pairs, with several sets on the same layout at the same time to cover both heavy freight and express passenger workings (although a model of an EM2, the Co-Co express passenger locomotive, will apparently also follow shortly).

I can't "justify" that. I love them, but, you know, a minimum stud of, say, five, plus an EM2, and you're looking at near a thousand smackers. And the other thing about these engines is that they wore three quite distinct liveries at different times in their lives -- the green and blue shown here, and the livery they wore when they were launched: a deliciously rich blackberry black. So you'd really need three fleets, one for each livery. Obviously.

Three grand. The real tragedy is that I love the original so much that I am seriously considering this investment.