Bulleid designed the Q1 in wartime (1942) which explains a lot about its strange appearance. The need to save on material meant that the footplate was done away with and the use of Idaglass for lagging led to its armadillo appearance. The Idaglass could not carry any weight and so the weight of the cladding had to be carried on a frame. Along with its Bulleid-Firth Brown wheels, the result was a powerful 0-6-0 which weighed less than a conventional locomotive. 40 of the locomotives were built and they were used for freight and later on some passenger trains. The last of them was withdrawn in 1965 and one survived to provide good service on the Bluebell Railway.

The Hornby model is a faithful reproduction in 00 scale. The pipework beneath the cab and firebox is beautifully reproduced and the blackened handrails and sanding pipes are particularly fine, as too are the steps on both the tender and the front of the loco. There is so much fine detail it is difficult to take it all in. There are the now usual sprung buffers, NEM coupling sockets, small tension-lock couplings, darkened coupling rods, exquisite tender mounted cab doors and the fine inside cab detail. Even pressure gauges have printed faces and some of the models have lubricating gear at the front which is so attractive in motion - but not this one.