Loch Class 4-4-0 HR 14384 'Loch Laggan'

Loch Class 4-4-0 HR 14384 'Loch Laggan'

1:76 scale model produced by Rapido Trains. This model is ready-to-run straight out of the box and would make a excellent addition to any model railway collection.

• Analogue DC Model
• This model mainly operates in British
• This model is decorated in Highland Railway company markings
• This model is best suited to 438mm radius curves
• Highland Railway ‘Loch’ Class 4-4-0
• LMS Lined Black No. 14384 ‘Loch Laggan’
• Short louvred HR chimney
• Short smokebox door straps
• Smokebox without wing plates
• Ross pop safety valves
• Tablet catcher
• Dynamic firebox flicker
• Factory-fitted speakers
• Sprung buffers
• Museum-quality paint finish
• Smooth & powerful mechanism
• Highly detailed
• NEM coupler pockets

Details

The Highland Railway Loch Class locomotives were a fleet of 4-4-0 steam engines designed by David Jones in 1896. Inspired by the earlier ‘Big Goods’ design and sharing its tender, the new locomotives were built by Dübs & Co. between 1896 and 1897, with fifteen delivered in total. Each was named after a Scottish loch – including the world-famous Loch Ness – giving rise to the class name.

With larger cylinders and a longer boiler barrel, the Lochs produced an impressive 17,070 lbs of tractive effort, around 3,000 lbs more than the preceding Strath Class. Their power and reliability ensured they quickly became a mainstay of Highland Railway operations. A further three locomotives were built in 1917 by the North British Locomotive Company, featuring larger tenders and Westinghouse pumps, extending the class to eighteen members.

The Lochs were originally used on express and mainline services before being gradually displaced by the Castle Class. They later found work on branch lines, local passenger services, and pilot duties, particularly around Aviemore and the Slochd summit, but were also seen as far north as Thurso.

After grouping in 1923, all eighteen locomotives passed to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). Ten received new boilers, which raised the boiler height by nine inches and altered their appearance, including the loss of smokebox wings and replacement of tall safety valves with smaller pop valves.

Two Lochs survived into the British Railways era after nationalisation in 1948, though neither was ever repainted from LMS livery. The final example was withdrawn in 1950. Sadly, none of the class was preserved, leaving the Loch Class remembered only in photographs and railway history.