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Bachmann 31-137A

LNER D11/2 6401 'James Fitzjames' LNER Lined Black

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

Prototype Era
Era 3 (1923 to 1947) The Big Four (LNER, LMS, GWR and SR)

Manufacturer description

Class D11/2 4-4-0 6401 'James Fitzjames' LNER Black

 

Built: 1919 – 1924

Built for: GCR (absorbed by the LNER)

Designed by: John G. Robinson

Duties: mixed traffic

Wheels: 4-4-0

 

Highlights

• LNER built D11/2 variant

• Locomotive modelled with reduced height cab and boiler fittings to suit Scottish loading gauge

• Adjustable tender draw-bar length

• Sprung buffers

• Hinged tender fall-plate

• Removable coal load with empty coal space modelled below

 

History

The Class D11 came into being as a result of the success of Robinson’s D10 ‘Director’ Class (GCR Class 11E). In 1917, Robinson built his B3 ‘Lord Faringdon’ 4-6-0s, but they never quite matched the renown of the Director Class. As such, the decision was taken to order a batch of five 4-4-0 locomotives similar in design to the D10s. The locomotives received the classification of D11 (GCR Class 11F) and became known as the ‘Improved Directors’.  They were named after GCR Directors, Royalty & WW1 battles and the first batch was delivered between 1919 and 1920. A further six were built in 1922 due to their popularity.

 

On its creation in January 1923, the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) found itself short of express passenger trains. As an urgent solution, Gresley took the decision to build additional locomotives of the D11.To fit within the restricted North British Railway loading gauge, the original Robinson design was modified to include lower cabs and boiler fittings. They also received a Gresley chimney and a flatter dome, but were not fitted with the original GCR water pick up apparatus. The original GCR Class D11s were classified as D11/1 and the NBR locomotives as D11/2.Twenty-four D11/2 locomotives were delivered over five months during 1924, carrying names of characters from the works of Scottish author, Sir Walter Scott.

 

Withdrawals of the locomotives only began in 1958 but were rapid, with the last of the D11/1s disappearing in December 1960 and the final D11/2s at the beginning of 1962. The Class D11 is widely acknowledged as Robinson’s most successful express passenger design.

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.

Bachmann LNER D11/2 model 6401 “James Fitzjames” is a 240 mm scale representation of a London & North Eastern Railway 4‑4‑0 locomotive built in 1919‑1924. The locomotive is finished in pristine condition with a lined black livery and carries the original running number 6401 and the name “James Fitzjames”.

The model includes DCC‑ready electronics with a 21‑pin socket, a pickup in the tender and an adjustable tender draw‑bar length. It is equipped with sprung buffers, a hinged tender fall‑plate and a removable coal load that reveals the empty coal space underneath. The minimum curve radius is the second radius, 438 mm.

The prototype was designed by John G. Robinson for the Great Central Railway, later absorbed by the LNER, and operated as a mixed‑traffic locomotive. The D11/2 variant was adapted to the restricted North British Railway loading gauge, featuring a reduced‑height cab and boiler fittings. Production numbers were increased in 1924, and the class remained in service until withdrawals began in 1958, with the last examples removed by early 1962.