Sold August 2022 Back to Archive

We don't see too many steam outline battery electric locomotives, although regular readers may remember the 5 inch gauge LMS Jubilee we sold back in 2020. We were very taken with it - much of the fun of driving a live steam engine with 50% of the weight and 10% of the maintenance!

This 5 inch gauge GWR 45XX 2-6-2T came to us from an experienced model engineer with two other steam outlines to his credit, a 5 inch gauge Hymek and Class 52, as well as several live steam locomotives.

Powered by a single Sinclair C5 12v motor with chain drive to the centre axle; the 4QD hand controller has a seperate remote for the MyLocoSound PLC009 soundcard - sampling and sound quality are both convincing with buttons for guard's whistle and safety valve.

The fibreglass bodywork is well-detailed; finished in GWR livery it lifts off as a single piece for ease of setup and breakdown.

Cylinders are piped through to a smoke generator mounted beneath the smokebox, synchronising puffs of "smoke" from the chimney with the "chuff" from the soundcard - there's some video of it on our YouTube channel here.

We like this one; live steam locomotives seem to get heavier every season - something that can be lifted straight off the track and into a car boot by one man at the end of play is an attractive proposition.