Model Features

• Die cast metal body and chassis
• Die cast wheels which are tapered from the rim inwards on both sidesas per the prototype, with steel tyres
• Brake shoes in ABS plastic
• 5 pole skew wound precision motor
• Sprung centre driving wheel and pony trucks
• Die cast pivoted coupling and connecting rods, plated then blackened
• Fully working prototypical Walschaerts valve gear
• Easily removeable cab roof (for adding a crew) by means of small magnets
• Working cab doors
• Wire handrails with stanchions in metal
• Sprung metal buffers and screw link couplings
• Full back head detail with reversing wheel in ABS
• Flickering firebox glow

History

The BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T was a class of steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for British Railways. It was essentially a hybrid design, the chassis being closely based on and sharing a number of parts with the LMS Ivatt Class 4, and having a boiler derived from a GWR No.2 boiler as fitted to the GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T and 5600 Class 0-6-2T tank engines.

The design and construction took place at the ex-GWR Swindon Works, along with the 2-6-0 tender engine version of the class and a number other BR Standard Classes, The chassis design used a number of LMS-designed components including Brake Hanger Brackets, Flexible Stretcher Brackets and Reversing Shaft Brackets.

In to service, they were based on the Western, Southern, North Eastern and London Midland Region. The class had a short life as most of the work that they had been built for soon disappeared along side the branch lines and the introduction of DMU services on shorter routes. The shortest lived was 82043, only 8 years 8 months old at withdrawal; the longest lived was 82019, two months short of its fifteenth birthday. The class’s design life span however, was intended for 40 years.

None of the locomotives survived into preservation. The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust are in the process of constructing a new locomotive from the ground up which is progressing well, and have been most helpful supplying photographs of these versatile engines.