F Class 4-4-0 GNoSR Lined Blue 49 'Thistle'

F Class 4-4-0 GNoSR Lined Blue 49 'Thistle'

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 GNR company markings
• GNoSR “F” Class / LNER D40
• ‘What-If’ Lined Blue No. 49 “Thistle”
• GNoSR smokebox door (reconstructed)
• Square running plate valance
• Short covered Ramsbottom safety valves
• Late tender springs with dampers
• Westinghouse and vacuum brake fitted
• Suitable for operation on 2nd Radius curves (438mm or greater)
• Dynamic firebox flicker
• 21-pin DCC decoder socket
• MoPower stay-alive capacitors
• Factory-fitted speakers in all models
• Sprung buffers
• Museum quality paint finish
• Smooth & powerful mechanism

Details

The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) served the main towns and cities to the northeast of the Cairngorms. Despite its impressive name, the company’s network covered a relatively modest portion of Scotland compared to the other major pre-grouping railways.

At the close of the 19th century, the GNSR faced a rise in passenger and freight traffic, prompting an order for ten new 4-4-0 locomotives from Neilson, Reid & Co. in 1899. These were closely based on the earlier T Class, but featured saturated boilers and cab-side windows. Classified as the V Class, they were delivered in two batches. However, financial pressures led the GNSR to cancel the final five, even though the builder had already completed them. Fortunately, the newly established South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) was urgently seeking locomotives, and purchased the surplus engines at a premium, designating them as the G Class.

Over the next two decades, the GNSR steadily expanded the V Class, though each proposal from Locomotive Superintendent William Pickersgill was delayed and scaled back by cautious directors. In total, 13 V Class locomotives entered service between 1899 and 1921. After the First World War, Pickersgill’s successor, T.E. Heywood, sought replacements for older stock and ordered a further development. These locomotives were built with superheated boilers and classified as the F Class. Eight were constructed, each carrying individual names, marking a distinction from their V Class predecessors.