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Dapol 4S-027-NRM02

SECR D Class 4-4-0 No.737

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

Prototype Era
Era 2 (1875 to 1923) Pre-grouping

Manufacturer description

Model Details:

• DCC Ready – Next 18 Decoder Socket

• 00 Gauge

• SECR Lined Green No.737

• This model has been developed and produced exclusively for Locomotionmodels by Dapol in a partnership with Rails of Sheffield

• 4S-027-NRM02

Fifty-one D Class 4-4-0 locomotives were built between February 1901 and March 1907 during the Wainwright period by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. These locomotives were used on the prime express trains to the Kent Coast and Hastings including those carrying boat train traffic for the Continent.

Twenty-one of the class were rebuilt between April 1921 and October 1927 as D1 Class 4-4-0s, leaving thirty D Class locomotives in operation. During the first years of the Southern Railway the locomotives continued to appear on the front-line express duties before being replaced by larger locomotives.

The outbreak of World War Two in September 1939 saw many of the class laid up due to wartime travel restrictions resulting in a reduction of passenger traffic. Twenty-eight members of the class entered service with the nationalised British Railways in January 1948.

The locomotive originally selected for preservation was No. 31734 but this was found to have defective frames and cylinders. It was stored inside Ashford shed ready for preservation, but No. 31737 replaced it having been withdrawn in November 1956. It arrived at Clapham Museum on 27th June 1960. Along with other items removed from Clapham, after a period of storage, it moved to the then new National Railway Museum at York for its opening in 1975, becoming part of the National Collection.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

Dapol SECR D Class 4‑4‑0 No. 737 is a limited‑edition model released by Locomotion Models. It carries the manufacturer part number 4S‑027‑NRM02 and is presented as an exclusive collaboration between Dapol, Locomotion Models and Rails of Sheffield.

The model is constructed in 00 gauge, finished in SECR lined green and is DCC ready with a Next 18 decoder socket. It replicates the pre‑grouping South Eastern and Chatham Railway locomotive No. 737.

Fifty‑one D Class 4‑4‑0 locomotives were built between February 1901 and March 1907 during the Wainwright period. They operated the main express services to the Kent Coast and Hastings, including boat‑train traffic to the continent. Twenty‑one units were rebuilt as D1 Class between April 1921 and October 1927, leaving thirty D Class engines in service. The class continued on front‑line duties under the Southern Railway before larger locomotives took over. During the Second World War many were laid up, and twenty‑eight entered British Railways service in January 1948.

The preserved example associated with this model is No. 31737, which arrived at the Clapham Museum on 27 June 1960 after replacing a withdrawn locomotive. Following a period of storage, it moved to the National Railway Museum in York for the museum’s opening in 1975 and now forms part of the National Collection.