Heljan’s eagerly-awaited ‘OO’ gauge Ruston 165DE 0-6-0 diesel shunters are here. MARK CHIVERS casts a glance at this latest arrival.
HELJAN'S NEWLY-TOOLED ‘OO’ gauge Ruston and Hornsby 165DE 0-6-0 shunters arrived in the Hornby Magazine office during April, finished as BR Permanent Way Machine 97653 and Industrial No. 45 in National Coal Board (NCB) green.
Lincoln based Ruston and Hornsby (R&H) built more than 150 of these 150hp diesel-electric locomotives in various wheel and gauge configurations for industrial use at home and abroad between 1950 and 1963. Most were built for use in industry, such as collieries, docks, steelworks, quarries and the like, although several were purchased by British Rail (BR). The first appeared at the Western Region’s (WR) Swindon Works in 1953, which featured several modifications from the industrial examples for use on BR, such as a safety foot pedal device and radiator shutters.
Above: Heljan’s latest ‘OO’ gauge release models the Ruston and Hornsby 165DE 0-6-0 shunter in BR Permanent Way Machine and industrial guises.
Several years later, BR ordered four more R&H 165DE 0-6-0s for use at its WR pre-assembly rail depots, which were delivered in 1959. Designated Permanent Way Machines (P…
