County Class 1045 County of Kent BR Early Express Blue

County Class 1045 County of Kent BR Early Express Blue

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.

Features:

• Analogue DC Model
• This model mainly operates in British
• This model is decorated in BR company markings
• GWR Class 1000 ‘County’
• 1045 “County of Kent” in BR ‘What-If’ Express Passenger Blue (Early Crest)
• Black backed number & name plates
• Single Chimney
• Speedo Fitted
• Parallel Buffers
• Suitable for operation on 2nd Radius curves (438mm or greater)
• Working dynamic firebox flicker
• 21-pin DCC decoder socket
• MoPower stay-alive capacitors
• 2 factory-fitted speakers in all models
• Sprung buffers
• Museum quality paint finish
• Smooth & powerful mechanism

Details

As World War II raged on, the Great Western Railway realised there was a growing need to expand their fleet of locos.

In the usual Great Western tradition, Hawksworth developed the design from the existing family of mixed traffic locos descended from the 4-6-0 Saint. However, so it could compete with the powerful 3-cylinder locos of the LNER and LMS this new design needed to be modernised. It also needed to be easy to service and repair, as the railway had lost many of its shed staff and labourers due to wartime austerity.

Hawksworth’s new design flew in the face of anyone believing that all Great Western locos look the same. This unconventional loco would be designated the 1000 Class, though it was more commonly known as the County. It would be the last of the 4-6-0s built by the GWR.