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Accurascale ACC3117

NCB North East - VF5300 - 59 - DCC Sound

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.

Accurascale has released a 0-6-0 saddle tank steam locomotive model, representing the Hunslet Austerity, in British Railways Late Crest livery. The model is available with a DCC sound system and features a highly detailed interior and exterior, including a die-cast metal chassis and pickups to all wheels.

The model has a scale weight of nearly 250g and is designed to be reliable, with an on-board power bank and a powerful coreless motor. The tooling suite is designed to accurately represent the Hunslet Austerity class, allowing for modifications to be made to cover various issues and variations of the real-life locomotives.

The real-life Hunslet Austerity was a wartime product, built by several manufacturers, including Vulcan Foundry, and was used for heavy shunting duties. The locomotives were designed to be reliable and efficient, with a short wheelbase and a saddle tank design that made maintenance easier. They were used extensively by the National Coal Board and were also adopted by the War Department and other railways.

The Hunslet Austerity was a successful design, with over 485 built and nearly 60 surviving to preservation. Many of the locomotives were modified over the years, with some being fitted with different blastpipe and chimney arrangements to improve efficiency. The last Austerity was built in 1964, and the design remained in service until the 1970s, when they were eventually replaced by more modern locomotives.

Today, the Accurascale model of the Hunslet Austerity is available with a DCC sound system, which includes a pre-fitted twin speaker sound capsule and a flickering firebox glow. The model also features a small, flexible neck NEM coupler mount and a brake rigging system. The model is designed to be highly detailed, with etched metal and plastic parts, including grab handles, steps, and pipework.