"Slug, Scot & Duchess"

What's this? A diesel?! Yes indeed, and it is one I've been waiting for a very long time. I finally found this model in the Loughborough Model Centre - I've wanted an English Electric Class 37 (nicknamed "Slugs") for quite a while now, and originally I had wanted one with the split headcode panels. However I saw this one on the shelf, and...well, the rest is history!


Bachmann when they released this model, took a lot of criticism from a lot of quarters in the modelling press that the model just didn't look the part - the front end not being well shaped as per prototype. To those people, I salute you - as I can live with whatever little discrepancies there are. I bought this second hand for a very reasonable sum and love it to bits.

EDIT: Reliably informed by a friend that since my diesel is a 37/0, it should be nicknamed a "tractor" - the slugs were the 37/9s apparentally! Learn something new every day - thanks Hiesler!


And here is a very special model - my great friend, Mr Syret, bought this for my 22nd birthday. It's a Hornby Royal Scot, and this is 46120 - Royal Iniskilling Fusilier.

I am already I am thinking of making it my favourite of the preserved Scots - namely 46115 Scots Guardsman. We shall see...

Finally - we have a visitor of sorts to Copley Hill - I'm not sure they ever appeared at 56C (and most likely never in this livery) but this is one of my favourite locomotives, and models, so...


46237, City of Bristol, a "semi-streamlined" duchess class locomotive. One of my favourite models, I bought this purely for its express passenger blue livery, as the class in this form wears it incredibly well.


It's just a shame I didn't notice the buffer was squeew whiff! Never mind, it still looks the part amongst the other engines.


This is one of the jobs I WILL get around to doing soon - I am going to fit a pair of etched plates from the Fox transfers range, as the Hornby ones do not do this engine justice at all. For starters, the red nameplates were not silver lined, but gold, on BR engines...


Even so, its an incredibly minor niggle for something that has so much grace, majesty, and elegance about it. It's not my favourite pacific class...but in that livery, it comes very, very close...

Until next time - less motive power orientated, and more layout orientated when I finish the ballasting!