Description
The Rapido Trains UK 958010 is an OO gauge DCC Ready model of the LNER J52/2 No.2 in BR Unlined Black Early Crest (Departmental Use) livery.
The LNER J52/2 0-6-0 saddle tank is one of the most characterful shunting locomotives in British railway history — a neat little engine seen the length and breadth of the Great Northern Railway network, from North London to the North East of England.
These locomotives started life on the GNR as the J13, based on the Stirling-designed J14 which featured a domeless boiler. Henry Ivatt refined this design with a more efficient domed boiler variant, fitted with a boiler the same length as the J14 but with an increased diameter. The first J13s rolled off the production line in 1897, working alongside their domeless counterparts on shunting duties. Between then and 1909, a total of 85 of the class were produced — some at the GNR’s works at Doncaster, others at a variety of contractors including R. Stephenson and Co.
Under the LNER, the J13s that had been fitted with domed boilers from new were reclassified as J52/2. The class became a common sight in North London, covering the North London Line, Kings Cross goods, and numerous marshalling yards across the country. Plans to scrap the J52s in the mid-1930s were halted when war broke out in 1939, as any functional locomotive was pressed into service. With the arrival of numerous diesel shunters under the BR Modernisation Plan, withdrawal of the J52s resumed and the class faced extinction.
In 1959, with only a couple of years left before the entire class was to be scrapped, Captain Bill Smith stepped in and saved No.68846 — becoming the owner of the world’s very first privately owned BR steam locomotive. The aptly and affectionately named ‘Old Lady’ was repainted into her pre-grouping guise and renumbered 1247, going on to haul enthusiasts’ railtours and earning a permanent place in the annals of railway preservation history. No.1247 can still be seen today at the Barleylands Farm Museum in Essex.
Rapido’s model has been designed using works drawings to ensure complete accuracy, featuring specific detail variations correct for this locomotive: cast tapered chimney, Pop-type safety valves, tall dome, parallel buffers, plate-type front step, 3 handrail knobs, closed bunker coal rails, smokebox numberplate.
This DCC Ready version features a Next18 decoder socket and factory-fitted speaker, ready for a DCC decoder to be fitted at any time for full digital control.
Specifications: SKU 958010 | Scale: OO Gauge | Era: British Railways Late (1956-1968) | Company: British Railways (Departmental) | Running No: No.2 | Livery: BR Unlined Black Early Crest (Departmental Use) | Can motor with flywheel and plunger pickups. Diecast chassis block with sprung buffers. Detailed cab interior with firebox glow lighting. Factory-fitted speaker on all models. Next18 DCC decoder socket. Optional scale couplings included. Scale: OO Gauge (4mm/1:76).
