Bachmann OO 32-687TL BR 45049 The Staffordshire Regiment Class 45/0 Blue South & West Exclusive
South & South West Region Sales Area Limited Edition Model
Detailed model of BR class 45/0 (steam heating) locomotive 45049 The Staffordshire Regiment finished in BR blue livery. These Derby type 4 locomotives operated the Cross Country and NE/SW services from the West Country to Birmingham and onward to Leeds and Newcastle in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The Class 45s were built at British Rail’s Derby and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962. They were a development of the Class 44 and, together with the Class 46, the three classes were collectively known as the ‘Peaks’. As built the entire class was fitted with multiple-working equipment and steam-heat boilers but some later had their boilers removed and were fitted with electric train heating (ETH). With the implementation of TOPS in 1971, the steam-heat locos were designated Class 45/0 and the ETH fitted examples became 45/1.
From 1975, during works visits the locomotives began to have their head-code equipment removed and this was replaced with sheet metal and two sealed beam marker lights and it is in this condition that our Class 45/0s are modelled. Although withdrawals of the Class 45 fleet began in the early-1980s, No. 45049 was one of the longest surviving examples and was not withdrawn until October 1987.
45049 was allocated to Cricklewood shed at the London end of the Midland mainline which had been worked by the class 45 locomotives for many years before the introduction of HSTs when the TOPS number was added. The locomotive moved to Toton (Nottingham) shed briefly, but was soon returned to Cricklewood until withdrawn in 1987.