Specialist ‘O’ gauge manufacturer Minerva Model Railways has produced its first ever ready-to-run diesel locomotive modelling the characterful but short-lived Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’. MIKE WILD finds out what this diesel-hydraulic has to offer.
SWINDON WORKS rarely made mistakes (at least from the start of the 20th century), but the Class 14 0-6-0 diesel hydraulics weren’t its finest hour, though not for their performance. Introduced in 1964 with a total of 56 locomotives being completed at the end of 1965, they were intended for light freight and trip work while their dual controls and visibility from the off-centre cab made them useful for shunting work too. However, no sooner had they entered service than the work they were intended for started to move away from the railway to road competition leaving the railway with a collection of locomotives with no future.
