Description
The Small Prairie, or 45xx class as it is classified, was designed in 1906 by George Churchward for mixed traffic use on the busy Great Western branch lines. 75 of these locomotives were built between 1906 and 1924, 20 were built at Wolverhampton and 55 were built at Swindon. These locomotives lasted into the early days of BR with the last ones being withdrawn from service in 1964. There are only a small handful left in preservation.
These stunning replicas feature lots of internal and external details which make them a must have on any Great Western or BR model railway.
FEATURES (depending on version)
Die cast metal chassis and cylinders with working vacuum pump
Die cast wheels with steel tyres
Brake shoes in ABS plastic
Two styles of sand boxes in ABS
5 pole skew wound precision motor
Helical gearbox
Sprung driving wheel and pony trucks
Front and rear pony wheel trucks to operate on a cam system to allow the model to traverse R2 (40.5” radius) curves
Die cast pivoted coupling and connecting rods, plated then blackened
The footplate valance to include the packing piece for the extended version.
Two versions of smokebox door (one with fixings for B.R. number plate)
Easily removable cab roof (for adding a crew) by means of small magnets
Chimney, short and tall safety valve casings and whistles to be turned metal parts
Working cab doors in ABS
Wire handrails with stanchions in metal
Sprung metal buffers and screw link couplings
Full back head detail with reversing lever in ABS
Coal load in bunker
Flickering firebox glow