Bachmann 'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0
31-178DC
Designed by Sir William Stanier for the LMS, 191 locomotives were built between April 1934 and December 1936. This was Stanier's Class 5 express passenger locomotive for all but the heaviest duties. Many saw service on the former Midland Railway main line and they also worked cross-country trains from Bristol towards Birmingham and the North East. On the West Coast main line they saw active service on trains between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. Withdrawals began in January 1961, with the last of the class being withdrawn in November 1967, nine months before the end of steam on British Rail. The final examples worked in the North West, with four members of the class entering preservation.
Palitoy had modelled the Jubilee Class in their Mainline range in 1979 and the tools, which were owned by Kader, passed to their Bachmann Branchline system. However, the model illustrated here is from completely new tooling produced in 2007. Its features include an opening smokebox door and fall plate. The illustration is of 45659 Drake, which is fitted with a decoder. It is in BR green with late insignia on the tender.