Workhorses of the West - Our Brand New Run of GWR Pannier Tanks!

[Warbonnet]

Few steam locomotives can match the enduring appeal of the Great Western Railway's famous Pannier Tanks, and it's time to reveal our brand new run of these plucky little engines!

We've listened closely to customer feedback and curated a carefully-balanced range of the most-requested and highly-anticipated liveries and variations - let's get started!

What livery sits better on a GWR Pannier Tank than Great Western livery itself?

Following popular demand, we've got the return of GWR 'Shirtbutton' and Great Western liveries - this time on new variants compared to the original run.

We've also responded to the strong demand for a GWR war-time black edition of the pannier tank, seen here on No. 8751 - set to be one of our most sought-after in this run.

Our new run of Accurascale GWR Pannier Tanks benefits from subtle refinements to the electrical pick-up system, further enhancing the smooth and reliable performance for which these models have become renowned.

The range also showcases the remarkable variety found within the Pannier Tank family, combining multiple tooling variations with an exciting selection of new liveries and identities not featured in our first production run. Delivery is targeted for Q2 2027.

We love to tell the full story of a locomotive class, and mention must be made to those that went on to find a new life in industrial usage after the end of mainline steam on Britain's railways.

No. 3650 was one such survivor. Withdrawn from BR service in 1963, it was sold to Stephenson Clarke Ltd, a private colliery operator at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen in South Wales. Repainted into a striking blue livery, it enjoyed a successful industrial career before entering preservation at Didcot Railway Centre.

We also welcome new examples in the ever-popular British Railways Early Crest and Late Crest plain black liveries, representing the true go-anywhere mixed-traffic locomotives that became a familiar sight across the Western Region during the 1950s and 1960s.

Saving perhaps the most exciting for last, we're delighted to offer a brand new Accurascale Exclusive: preserved No. 9600 in lined BR Early Crest black, as seen operating on the UK main line in the 21st century.

Following an extensive overhaul completed in 1999, No. 9600 became one of the famous 'Tyseley Panniers', certified for main line running at speeds of up to 45mph.

A regular companion to our previous Accurascale Exclusive, London Transport-liveried L94, the pair became one of the most recognisable pannier combinations on the preservation scene. If you've already added L94 to your fleet, then 9600 is the perfect partner! You can buy No. 9600 exclusively from Accurascale. 

Meet the New Fleet in detail...

8764 Great Western

Built at Swindon by the GWR on 10 October 1933 as part of Lot 282, 8764 was constructed with the new larger cab design of the 8750 class while still retaining earlier features such as the original water filler caps and the absence of bunker steps. While the steps and a top feed would be added later, the original fillers remained until withdrawal. New to Old Oak Common, it spent most of its career in the London area and later carried the lined black livery of the Paddington pilots. Reallocated to Barry (88C) in 1960, it remained there until withdrawal on 21 May 1962 after just over 28 years of service.

3608 GWR 'Shirtbutton'

Completed at Swindon on 2 February 1939 as part of Lot 314, 3608 was new to Oxford shed. Another member of the 8750 variant, it featured the larger cab, bunker steps and later-pattern water fillers. However, it was built before top feed became standard and this was added later in its career. Spending much of its life based at Oxford, it was not reallocated until 1958 when it moved to Slough (81B). Subsequent transfers took it to Old Oak Common (81A) and finally Southall (81C), from where it was withdrawn in June 1965.

8751 GWR Wartime Black

Built at Swindon in September 1933 as part of Lot 282, 8751 was the second locomotive constructed with the new larger cab design while still retaining early details such as the original tank fillers. By the time it appeared in GWR wartime black livery it had gained bunker steps, while a top feed was added around the same period. It continued in this condition well into BR service, receiving only a smokebox numberplate. New to Old Oak Common, it was transferred to Ebbw Junction (86A) in 1960 before withdrawal in 1962.

5753 BR Early Crest

Built by the GWR at Swindon in April 1929, 5753 was one of 30 locomotives constructed as part of Lot 238. Like all Swindon-built 5700s, it carried cast iron numberplates painted in an off-yellow shade to represent brass. New to Old Oak Common, it soon moved to Southall where it spent the remainder of its working life until withdrawal on 14 September 1959. Some say that after withdrawal, 5753 went on to work on an island off the coast of Cumbria, but that's another story...

7774 BR Late Crest 

7774 was the last of the 5700 pannier tanks built by the North British Locomotive Company. Works No. 24062 was completed in March 1931 and allocated new to Aberbeeg shed. Aside from visits to Swindon Works, it remained a South Wales locomotive throughout its career, seeing service at Newport Pill, Tredegar (86H), Aberbeeg (86K) and Ebbw Junction (86A). It was finally withdrawn in November 1959.

3650 Stephenson Clarke Ltd

Built at Swindon in 1939 as part of Lot 325, 3650 was initially allocated to Tyseley depot in Birmingham, where it remained until a transfer to Wales in 1953 via a brief two-month stay at Bristol Bath Road (82A). Following withdrawal from Neath (87A) in September 1963, it avoided scrapping when it was sold to private colliery operator Stephenson Clarke Ltd at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen in South Wales. There it was painted blue with red "Stephenson Clarke" lettering on the tanks.

After its industrial career ended, it was purchased by a member of the Great Western Society and moved to Hereford before eventually transferring to Didcot Railway Centre. More restoration work was required than initially anticipated, but after a lengthy overhaul it steamed again on 23 July 2008. Initially restored in Stephenson Clarke blue, it has since been repainted into GWR shirtbutton livery. Its last boiler ticket expired in 2016 and it is currently undergoing overhaul to return it to service.

9600 BR Lined Black (Preservation) – ACCURASCALE EXCLUSIVE

9600 was the first locomotive of Lot 352, completed at Swindon in February 1945. Appropriately, its first allocation was Swindon shed. It later moved to Bristol St Philip's Marsh (82B) in 1961 before transferring to South Wales. It was withdrawn from Ebbw Junction (86B) in September 1965 but enjoyed a second career after purchase by the National Coal Board, moving to Merthyr Vale Colliery where it worked until 1973.

Purchased thereafter by 7029 Clun Castle Ltd, it moved to Tyseley in Birmingham, now home to Vintage Trains. The locomotive's overhaul was completed in 1999 and it was restored to an exceptionally high standard, becoming one of the famous "Tyseley Panniers" certified for main line operation at speeds of up to 45mph. Over two boiler tickets it worked extensively on the national network, both on charter trains and as a banking locomotive. It often appeared alongside L94, creating one of the most striking pannier pairings seen on the main line in preservation.

 

Targeted to arrive in Q2 2027, you can pre-order yours today with no deposit down!

Accurascale Exclusive No. 9600 can be ordered directly from Accurascale, while our main-range models are also available via your local stockist too. 

We've worked hard to keep prices the same as the first run - £139.99 (DC/DCC Ready) and £239.99 (DCC Sound fitted), and don't forget you'll also benefit from free UK delivery and collect Accurascale Reward Points that you can exchange for discounts on future purchases, such as decoders or ModelU crews!

PRE-ORDER YOUR MODELS TODAY

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[Patrick Davey]

GNR blue........

[Mol_PMB]

Only last night, @jhb171achill was saying it would be a horse for the next announcement...

... and now we have these workhorses!

What other secrets does he know?

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Only last night, @jhb171achill was saying it would be a horse for the next announcement...

... and now we have these workhorses!

What other secrets does he know?

Aha! Must ask the Wee Birdy…..!