| Brand: |
Gaugemaster |
| Part Number: |
GM4240401 |
These tiny four-wheeled shunters were designed to reach the places other locomotives could not; with a wheelbase of just 6ft they were able to tackle sharply curved lines in streets, docks, warehouses and factories and even use traditional wagon turntables. They were a direct replacement for the legendary Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ‘Pug’ 0-4-0STs working dock lines in Liverpool, Manchester and beyond. Around 50 similar locomotives were built for industrial railways, in many cases with electric rather than hydraulic transmission. As the work they were built for vanished in the 1960s, many of the 20-strong class found further work in industry, with some surviving well into the 1980s before being rescued for preservation. Highly regarded by crews for their Rolls-Royce engine, all-round visibility and unique (for a BR locomotive) rear platform for shunting staff, they continue to play a useful role in shunting and engineering work at heritage railways. One locomotive, D2860, was even claimed by the National Railway Museum as the perfect shunter for its Great Hall in York.Factfile: Class 02 Built: 1960-61No. built: 20 Numbers: D2850-69, 02001/003/004Withdrawn: 1969-7 Current Status: Seven preserved – D2853/54/58/60/66-68 |
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