Description
Accurascale 5700 Class L91 – London Transport Maroon (ACC2889-EXL-DCC) - DCC Sound Fitted
Sound Fitted
London Transport’s railway network is synonymous with electric traction and the Underground, yet for many years a small fleet of steam locomotives remained in service hauling engineering and infrastructure trains across the surface sections of the network. By the 1950s these ageing locomotives were becoming increasingly unreliable, prompting London Transport to seek suitable replacements.
Several options were considered, including diesel locomotives and a trial fleet of former Great Northern Railway J52 tank engines. Neither solution proved entirely satisfactory, and in 1956 London Transport turned instead to a proven design: the Great Western Railway’s renowned 57xx Pannier Tanks, which were becoming available following withdrawal from British Railways service.
Before entering service, the locomotives required a number of modifications to meet London Transport's operating requirements. The cab roofs were altered to accommodate the tighter loading gauge found on parts of the network, with the protruding roof section removed and a new rainstrip fitted higher up the cab. The locomotives were also equipped with London Transport's distinctive "trip cock" safety system. Mounted on brackets attached to the running plate, these devices interacted with raised ramps at signals displaying danger, automatically applying the brakes and bringing the train to a halt. As the locomotives were intended solely for engineering duties, steam heating equipment was removed.
In total, London Transport purchased 13 pannier tanks, although no more than 11 were operational at any one time.
The locomotive represented by this model, L91, was actually the second engine to carry the number. The original L91 was former GWR No. 5752, built at Swindon Works in 1929. Entering London Transport service in 1958, it was withdrawn and scrapped after suffering damage in 1960 that proved uneconomical to repair.
Its replacement, the locomotive modelled here, was former GWR No. 5757, another member of the same construction batch. Unlike its predecessor, 5757 retained its original back-feed boiler arrangement and never received a top-feed fitting. Renumbered L91, it served London Transport until final withdrawal in 1968. Sadly, the locomotive was not preserved and was subsequently dismantled by Chesterfield Steelbreaking & Dismantling Ltd during 1970.
Model Specification
Product: 5700 Class – L91 – London Transport Maroon
SKU: ACC2889
Barcode: 0781005470103
- Highly detailed OO gauge model of London Transport Pannier Tank L91
- Authentic London Transport maroon livery
- DCC Ready with Next18 decoder socket
- Provision for sound fitting
- Firebox flicker effect
- Stay-Alive power pack compatible
- Exceptional levels of detail and accuracy throughout
Weights
- Model Weight: 219g
- Pack Weight: 746g
