Accurascale adds further Brush Type 2s to range

Accurascale has announced four additional Brush Type 2 locomotives to its launch range, with the new stablemates featuring London Underground trip-cock gear and other detail differences never before seen on a model of these charismatic locomotives. Pre-production samples will be available to view at the Accurascale stand at the London Festival of Model Railway this weekend, with delivery of models expected in Q2, 2023.

Watch – Howard Smith speaks with Fran Burke, Director of Public Communications at Accurascale who reveals four additional variants to its previously-announced Brush Type 2 models:

For peak-hour Monday-Fridays suburban services from Moorgate on the City Widened Lines to Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North, 61 Hornsey, later Finsbury Park and Hitchin, Brush Type 2s were delivered with London Underground trip cock gear, D5586-5615/22-7/39-54/71-9, the major spotting feature being the operating lever on the side of the bufferbeam cowling on the secondman's side. Six of these, D5671-6, were fitted with Whitaker-style tablet catchers in the early 1960s for use on Highdyke iron ore branch in Lincolnshire and retained their recesses well into the 1980s, long after the equipment had been removed.

A further eight of the trip-cock locomotives were uprated with ETH equipment between 1971-5 for ECS workings out of King's Cross and other London terminals, becoming 31401/2/3-5/7/8/20. Four new locomotives featuring these detail differences, never before offered on a RTR model will now join the first run of the Accurascale Class 31 line up, across four new running numbers and liveries.

D5615 brings great news to many modellers who were surprised by the lack of a BR green, small yellow panel Brush 2 in the initial range. It will appear in BR green, small yellow panel with trip-cock gear and has the Mirrlees 'production' style of exhaust which has also never been done before on a 4mm:1ft model of the Brush Type 2 to the latest standards. This will be one of two locomotives in green, with 5674, in BR green with full yellow panel, BR logo, trip-cock gear and tablet catcher recess also joining the fleet.

For BR blue era fans, two additional Class 31s in this guise join the range, including another long awaited Class 31/4. 31402 will come complete with trip-cock gear and additional roof panel from its time earlier in life when it was uprated to 1,600hp in an Accurascale Class 31 first.

The quartet is complete by 31248 in BR blue with trip-cock gear and tablet catcher recess.

As well as Accurascale’s standard and well-regarded traction, light and sound package, its Class 31 features working radiator fans – driven from a separate motor – and separately switched tail lights, allowing not just the either end to be illuminated as required, but also individual tail lights or both depending on era. Utilising Accurascale’s standard specification of ESU PowerBank capacitors for smooth uninterrupted running, ESU Loksound 5 decoder with bespoke DCC sound package and twin speaker set up, including ‘AccuraThrash’ bass reflex speaker it promises to catch the characterful thrash of the real locomotives. It will also include a wheel flange sensor, automatically playing flange squeal on sound fitted locomotives as they hit curved track for extra realism on factory fitted DCC sound models.

DC and DCC sound options are available on all locomotives except D5615, as per D5549 it requires sound recording of a Mirrlees power unit, which Accurascale are currently looking for to record. Should their search yield an operational power unit that can be recorded then DCC sound fitted options of these locomotives will be made available.

For further information, pricing and availability, visit the Accurascale website, or see your local stockist.