Rails of Sheffield’s latest partnership with Dapol has delivered a first ever ready-to-run model of the SECR ‘D1’ 4-4-0 for ‘OO’. MIKE WILD finds out more about this attractive new Southern Region locomotive.
THE ARRIVAL of the SECR ‘D’ 4-4-0 in July 2021 was a big moment for Southern Railway and Region modellers. The elegant lines of the Wainwright 4-4-0 were captured superbly by Dapol and that led to the announcement in February 2022 of a first-ever ready-to-run model of the SECR ‘D1’ 4-4-0s.
The new ‘D1’ model has been produced exclusively for Rails of Sheffield by Dapol and models the class from introduction in 1921 through to its final years with BR in the early 1960s.
Above: The new Dapol model of the SECR ‘D1’ 4-4-0 has been produced exclusively for Rails of Sheffield, and it is delightful.
These charming 4-4-0s were developed by rebuilding 21 of the 1901-introduced ‘D’ 4-4-0s with a larger super heated boiler, Belpaire firebox and new cylinders to increase their performance. Initially they worked on the Kent Coast services where their greater power output allowed them to haul heavier trains prior to electrification. In later life some were reallocated to Eastleigh on the South Western section of the Southern with the la…
