At this weekend’s London Festival of Railway Modelling, Dapol announced new production batches of their ex LSWR Adams B4 0-4-0 tanks and Class 73 Electro-Diesels both in 00 gauge.

Adams B4

The Dapol ex LSWR B4 class 0-4-0t were first announced back in March 2014 and the first versions arrived in June 2018., with a second batch with further livery and detail variants including the first appearance of the Drummond Boiler fitted and one of the 5 off Drummond K14 versions, arriving during 2020.
This third batch includes seven new versions, to the same technical specification as the previous batches, (exact livery versions or artwork have not yet been released) as follows:

• 4S-018-005 B4 0-4-0T BR Late Crest 30096, as carried between c1959 and December 1963
• 4S-018-012 B4 0-4-0T Lined Dark Green Jersey 91 [sic Dapol have the number incorrect as she was 81] , as she carried between November 1893 and circa 1920/1 when she gained a more enclosed cab.
• 4S-018-013 B4 0-4-0T LSWR Dark Green 82, K14 type with Drummond Boiler, as her condition between April 1907 and February 1924 when she gained SR Goods lined black livery.
• 4S-018-014 B4 0-4-0T Trouville Brown 89, as carried from approx 1923 to April 1935 if no rear cab number or April 1935 to February 1950 if the number is painted on the cab rear.
• 4S-018-015 B4 0-4-0T Southern Black lined 99, as she carried between January 1926 and January 1936.
• 4S-018-016 B4 0-4-0T Black ‘Corrall Queen’ nameplate and 30096 smokebox door number plate as she ran between December 1963 and December 1972 when she was owned by P.D.Fuels Ltd of Dibles Wharf.
• 4S-018-017 B4 0-4-0T Dorset Green 99, after sale in February 1949 to Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd (Bilson Staffordshire) and being scrapped by August 1958.

The livery artwork is under preparation and the finished models are not expected to be available until Q3 2023.

Class 73

Also announced are a new batch of seven Class 73 Electro-Diesel liveries, and sees the return of BR Blue livery models that have not featured in the line up since the model run was released in November 2015.
The first six of the eventual class of 49 were built by BR at their Eastleigh works in 1962 and were designated Type JA. The remaining locomotives, with a higher power output and top speed increased from 80 to 90mph. were built by English Electric at Vulcan Foundry at Newton Le Willows between 1965 and 1967 and were designated type JB.

Twelve locomotives survive into preservation, including E6003 now named ‘Sir Herbert Walker’ on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway (of which I am part of the owning group) and several are still in use with South Western Railway, Southern, GBRF and Network Rail.

The seven versions announced are as follows:

• 4D-006-015 Class 73 JB Electric Blue E6012 Small Yellow Panel
• 4D-006-016 Class 73 JB Early Blue SYP & Double Arrow Logo E6031
• 4D-006-018 Class 73 JB BR Blue FYP 73120
• 4D-006-017 Class 73 JA BR Blue FYP 73002
• 4D-006-020 Class 73 JB Intercity Executive 73136
• 4D-006-019 Class 73 JB Large Logo BR Blue 73126
• 4D-006-021 Class 73 JB GB Railfreight Battle of Britain 73109

Dapol advise that the decorated samples, with the same technical specification as previous batches, are under review and feedback is being provided to the factory to correct a small number of minor issues. The models are expected to be available towards the end of the year.