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Accurascale ACC3107

NCB North East - VF5300 - 59

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 4 (1948 to 1956) British Railways Early Crest
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)

Manufacturer description

This Austerity was another wartime product, this time from the Vulcan foundry, Newton-le-Willows. It was completed in 1945 and allocated the WD number 75310. Following war dept service, the locomotive was purchased by the NCB and allocated to number 6 area, North West Durham. Particular to this area is the cut back cabs on all locomotives for working the restricted clearance of the tunnel on the entrance to Lambton coal drops at the port of Sunderland. Another smaller feature on this locomotive was the relocation of the injectors to above the running plate ahead of the cab. Both of these features are faithfully recreated on the model

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

The Accurascale Hunslet 'Austerity' 0-6-0 Saddle Tank Locomotive is a highly detailed 00 gauge model, designed to represent the British Railways Late Crest period. The model features a coreless motor with flywheel, die-cast metal chassis and pickups, and a powerful on-board power bank for reliable operation. The locomotive is designed to move heavy trains with ease, with an all-up weight of nearly 250g.

The model is highly detailed and features a tooling suite that allows for various modifications to be represented, including those made to the LNER, NCB, and Hunslet draughting changes. The model includes features such as a cut-back cab, relocated injectors, and a pre-fitted twin speaker sound system. The model is also equipped with a powerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power and a small, flexible neck NEM coupler mount.

The Hunslet Austerity is a real locomotive class that was built during World War II, with over 485 machines constructed and nearly 60 surviving to this day. The locomotives were designed to be simple and powerful, with a wheelbase that was more forgiving on poorly laid track and a saddle tank that provided easier access to the inside motion for maintenance and servicing. The first Austerity steamed at Hunslet's works on January 1, 1943, and the class was used extensively in Army depots and shunting yards during the war.

After the war, many Austerities were sold or hired by various railways, including the LNER, NCB, and Dutch State Railway. The locomotives were also used in industrial railways in France and Tunisia. The Austerity design was later modified with different blastpipe and chimney arrangements to improve efficiency, and the last Austerity was built in 1964. The class proved to be a real boon to the preservation scene, with nearly 60 machines being saved and used to provide motive power for preserved railways.