BR Class 8

This fascinating model is inspired by a locomotive that was never actually built. The newly formed nationalised railway in 1950 and into 1951 was required to design and build a standardised heavy freight locomotive. Of the various proposals drawn up, including this Mikado 2-8-2, R A Riddles opted for the 2-10-0 arrangement given in success in his own War Department design. The resulting 9F Class of engine became a universal success – with over 250 examples built. The builder of this model specifically wanted the challenge of making a unique engine and so reverted to one of these proposals to produce one. After many thousands of hours of design work and production in the workshop, the outline of this “never-was” engine has been perfectly captured. The engine is powerful and heavy – two desirable qualities when looking for heavy haulage. The boiler is made of steel giving additional adhesive weight as well as 2 ½ inch bore cylinders and large bore piston valves for free steam flow.