Accurascale announces Class 37 in 37/6 and early Type 3 variants

Accurascale has announced a new model to fill what it sees to be a gap in the OO gauge market of the English Electric Type 3 in its 'as-built' and Class 37/6 guises. The manufacturer commented "It's evident that modellers crave a whole new generation of Class 37s, with the latest technology, intricate detail differences, and the distinctive shape of these, perfectly captured. We received a large amount of calls in our customer poll and noted the demand in the recent 'Wishlist' poll for a Class 37."

CAD work is largely complete with small corrections required, with horn grilles in the wrong place in the renders and a 3D print demonstrating the progress of the Class 37/6 to date will be available to view on the Accurascale stand at the Warley Show. The locomotives will also be available through its stockists as well as direct. Delivery is expected for Q4, 2020.

Acquired in three batches from Eurostar, the DRS Class 37/6s Nos. 37601-37612 are the missing link in the range of privatisation-era diesels available to 4mm scale modellers, with an outward appearance quite unlike a non-rebuilt locomotive.

Accurascale's first run of the models will see all with WIPAC light clusters and top headlights. Number-specific body, roof and nose tooling will feature, with a range of different separately-added plastic and etched metal parts. The models are to sport Class 50-style cast bogies, two styles of buffer, single or double nose multiple working sockets, a range of fuel tanks, kick plates, bodyside windows, step and nose grille combinations and optional miniature snowploughs.

A total of six different Class 37/6 locomotives will feature in its first run, comprising of the various DRS liveries they have carried, as well as the distinctive Europhoenix livery with Rail Operations Group branding. All feature the specific details of the real locomotives each model is based on.

The manufacturer is also to produce models of the earliest of the locomotives in their 'as-built' 1960 guises. The ‘early’ Class 37/0 represents D6700-6704, the first five locomotives delivered from English Electric’s Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows between December 1960 and January 1961. Distinctive compared to the other 114 split headcode machines due to their characteristic riveted multi-part cantrail grilles, the models are to represent this and a range of other 'as-built' features, such as four-character headcode displays, frost grilles, double-riveted roofs, bufferbeam cowlings with large round Oleo buffers, bodyside water filler access doors and steps, and accurate early bufferbeam configurations with vacuum/steam/control piping only.

Optional nose corner grabs, boiler exhaust panels (open or plated) and boiler water tank sight glass depending on locomotive number will also feature. Accurascale commented "A definitive model of the English Electric Class 37 has been a long time coming. We're proud to bring this stalwart of over six decades of service to 4mm scale modellers in a multitude of different builder, era and locomotive-specific options. This is the first project from our Senior Project Manager, Gareth Bayer, and is the culmination of many years work. We are taking our experience and technology from our other locomotive projects such as the Class 55 Delitc, the Class 92 Electric and sister brand IRM’s Irish Outline ‘A Class’ locomotive and applying the same top standards to produce the ultimate Class 37."

The specification is to include all-wheel drive, lighting packages as per prototypes, a stay-alive power pack to provide performance over dirty track, a large five-pole centrally-mounted can motor with twin flywheels and a heavy metal chassis, heavy metal Class 37 sounds, ESU Loksound 5 and twin speaker arrangements in sound variants. For pricing and availability, see its website.