Branchline Class 45/0 No. 45041 ‘Royal Tank Regiment’ BR Blue Sound Fitted OO Gauge
Class 45/0 No. 45041 ‘Royal Tank Regiment’ BR Blue Sound Fitted OO Gauge 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 45/1s. 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of the Class 45 fleet began in the early-1980s, No. 45041 was one of the longest surviving examples and was not withdrawn until June 1988.
