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Class 14

Class 15 BTH

Class 16

Class 17 Clayton

Class 20 EE Type 1

Class 21

Class 22

Class 23 'Baby Deltic'

Class 24 Derby Type 2

Class 25 Derby Type 2

Class 26

Class 27

Class 28

Class 29

Class 30 Brush Type 2

Class 31 Brush Type 2

Class 33 BRCW Type 3

Class 35 'Hymek'

Class 37 EE Type 3

Class 40 EE Type 4

Class 41 'Warship'

Class 42 'Warship'

Class 43 'Warship'

Class 44 'Peak'

Class 45

Class 46

Class 47 Brush Type 4

Class 48 Brush Type 4

Class 50 EE Type 5

Class 52 'Western'

Class 53 'Falcon'

Class 55 'Deltic'

Class 56

Class 57

Class 58

Class 59

Class 60

Class 66

Class 67

Class 68

Class 70

Bachmann's first tooling of a Class 37

As part of the Modernisation Plan, a number of Type 3 locomotives were required. English Electric put forward a design and subsequently received an order for 42 mixed traffic locomotives. No prototype was built and the first locomotive entered service in November 1960. The locomotive body had a strong family resemblance to the larger Class 40 and smaller Class 23. Further locomotives were ordered even before the first batch had been competed. In total, seven orders were made totalling 309 locomotives being built both at the Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns. The Class 37 has proven itself to be a reliable and versatile design with a large number still in service today 60 years later.

As would be expected with such a long lived versatile locomotive, many sub-classes and modifications have been made over the years, as well as a large number of livery variations, giving model manufacturers a vast range of variants to offer.

My model is an original Bachmann tooling in BR Green. Although there are some errors it seemed better than the previous offerings from other manufacturers. As usual, my version is in original green with a small yellow warning panel and centre headcode. I added a DCC sound decoder supplied by Howes. It certainly sounds like a class 37! I further modified the decoder to add some extra functions, such as directional cab lights and the ability to turn off the red tail lights when coupled to a train. The chassis uses Bachmanns usual centre can motor driving both bogies via flywheels and does provide a smooth performance.

Bachmann are now on their fifth re-tooling in an effort to capture the locomotive correctly! Although the latest version is considerably better, there are still some minor faults and a prominent seam line where the nose end joins the main bonnet section.

Tri-ang Hornby first produced a Class 37 back in 1965 and it appeared in their catalogues for many years. Lima joined the party in 1987 with a much better looking model. They went on to produce a bewildering array of number and livery variants. Bachmanns Class 37 was first released in 2004. With the demise of Lima, a new company called ViTrains produced a Class 37 in 2008. Contrary to rumours at the time, this was a newly tooled version and not Lima body with a new chassis. Accurascale are the latest to offer a Class 37 announced in November 2019. Despite Bachmann releasing their fifth version in July 2022, the Accurascale version looks promising.