A baby ‘Baby Deltic’ for EFE Rail

1960s ‘N’ gauge modellers are in for a treat with a brand new model of the Class 23 ‘Baby Deltic’ being added to the EFE Rail range. The locomotives spent their short lives working in the London area on the East Coast Main Line and adjacent routes. One was retained for use by the Railway Technical Centre Derby.

SMALLER locomotive classes are steadily being picked off by Bachmann through its EFE Rail brand. It is not afraid to tackle short-lived and often unreliable prototypes such as the Class 74. The latest in the English Electric Class 23 Bo-Bo locomotives introduced in 1959 and fitted with a Napier Deltic T9-29 engine which was, in effect, a half-sized type of the engines fitted to Class 55s. They are to appear in ‘N’ gauge which is a welcome development for 1960s BR modellers.

The locomotives worked on outer suburban services on the Great Northern from Kings Cross along with trains on related routes. The locomotives were built with train reporting discs and end doors which were replaced with four-character headcodes during refurbishment intended to improve the poor reliability of the class.

The Class 23 was never to survive long with its poor reliability and the desire to reduce locomotive classes to save money. All but two locomotives were withdrawn by the end of the 1960s and the remainder went shortly after that. One, No. D5901, entered departmental use with RTC Derby until 1975. Despite this respite, the locomotive was not saved except for its engine which has been overhauled and returned to working order.

Two body types

To cover the short careers of the Class 23, two body shells have been tooled to cover both train reporting disc locomotives and refurbished machines with headcode boxes. They are to be fitted with metal hand rails adjacent to the cab doors and the bonnet fronts. Clear flush glazing together with detailed cab interiors completes the bodyshells. Disc headcode models are supplied with a set of open and closed discs.

Detailing extends to the bogies and underframes where small parts have been tooled for the bogie footsteps and brake fittings. Pipework, battery box and fuel tank detail is built up with standalone components which are fitted to the cast metal chassis frame.

Technical details

A twin bogie drive with all eight wheels being powered will deliver enough tractive effort to operate the typical trains associated with Great Northern suburban services. A coreless motor is frame mounted in the metal chassis block and is linked to the bogie gear towers with drive shafts in the usual manner. Gearing is set for realistic operating speeds and quiet running which will help when digital sound is required. For digital sound, space for speaker installation is provided in the fuel tank moulding.

Electronics starts with a NEXT18 decoder socket which provides sufficient connections for the running lights which include tail lights as well as colour balanced forward illumination for the headcode boxes and disc marker lights. Control switches are also included for control of lighting when the model is to be used on analogue controlled layouts.

Liveries and prices

Ten models are set for release in the third quarter of this year, finished in four different liveries. Nos. D5902 D5906, D5907 and D5909 will appear with train reporting discs finished in BR green with a late crest. Nos. D5900, D5901 and D5903 will feature four character headcodes, finished in BR green with small yellow panels. Full yellow ends will appear on BR green No. D5903 and No. D5908 whilst one BR blue example is offered as No. D5909. The suggested retail price is set at £149.95 which is remarkably good value for money when the technical specification is taken into account. Given the popularity of minority classes, the EFE Rail ‘Baby Deltic’ is likely to be popular.

This article originally appeared in Rail Express Magazine. To subscribe please visit https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/rail-express?source=digital22