968504 Rapido Port of Par Bagnall Alfred Port of Par Yellow As Preserved OO Gauge DCC Sound Fitted

Description

The Rapido Trains UK 968504 is an OO gauge DCC Sound Fitted model of Port of Par Bagnall Alfred in his distinctive Port of Par Yellow livery as preserved in the 2000s — the first ever ready-to-run OO gauge model of this iconic Cornish industrial locomotive and the real-life inspiration for the Rev. W. Awdry’s beloved Bill and Ben characters.

The Port of Par twins Alfred and Judy are among the most recognisable small industrial steam locomotives ever to work in the UK. Their story begins in 1829 when Joseph Thomas Treffry started to build Par Harbour in Cornwall, importing coal and exporting copper, lead and granite. The geographical constraints of the site were severe: locomotives had to pass under an 8-foot bridge beneath the Cornish Main Line and operate on curves down to a 70-foot radius. After years of ramshackle and second-hand motive power, something purpose-built was finally needed in the mid-1930s.

In September 1937 the first locomotive was delivered by W.G. Bagnall of Stafford at a cost of 1,200 pounds, carrying works number 2572. She had been intended to be named Chough after the Cornish bird, but the name was received by Bagnall as Cough, which they thought rather strange, so the locomotive arrived at Par without nameplates. She was eventually given the name Judy after 1955. By 1952 the low-profile Sentinel Toby required replacement and an upturn in traffic prompted an order for a second locomotive. Alfred was delivered in 1954, named after harbour manager Alfred Truscott. Though nominally the same design, Alfred had differences from Judy: a different bunker style, tank and handrail alterations (including a tank filler that opened in the opposite direction) and a considerably higher price tag of 7,500 pounds.

Both engines worked hard at Par, hauling thousands of tons of china clay daily. During the 1960s the port was modernised and rail traffic diminished as the branch line to the clay workings was replaced with a road. Judy was withdrawn in 1969 with boiler trouble; Alfred soldiered on until 1977 when shunting was taken over by tractors. The locomotives became celebrities in their later years as some of the last working steam engines in Cornwall, and their fame inspired the Rev. W. Awdry to immortalise them in his Railway Series as Bill and Ben, carrying a striking yellow livery. Both Alfred and Judy can now be found on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, with Judy returned to operational condition in 2023 and plans for Alfred’s restoration in progress.

This individual locomotive model depicts Alfred in the striking yellow livery he carried during his preserved years at Par, before his eventual transfer to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway. The yellow livery is believed to have inspired Awdry when he immortalised Alfred and Judy as Bill and Ben in his Railway Series. Rapido’s model accurately portrays the specific features of Alfred’s tooling — distinct from Judy in bunker style, tank configuration and handrail arrangement, including the tank filler that opened in the opposite direction. The smooth-running mechanism features a flywheel and plunger pickups.

This DCC Sound Fitted version includes a factory-installed ESU sound decoder and speaker, delivering authentic steam sound effects straight from the box on both DCC and analogue (DC) layouts.

Specifications: SKU 968504 | Scale: OO Gauge | Era: Preservation | Livery: Port of Par Yellow (as preserved) | Locomotive: Alfred | DCC: ESU sound decoder, pre-fitted speaker | Smooth-running mechanism with flywheel and plunger pickups. Factory-installed speaker on all models. ESU Nano decoder socket fitted under the tank. Separate tooling accurately portrays the differences between Alfred and Judy. NEM coupler pockets. Scale: OO Gauge (4mm/1:76).