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£229.95
The pervasive Ruston and Hornsby 88DS 0-4-0 diesel shunter has a long pedigree with a stream of industrial and commercial customers with many operating on individual internal railway systems. This ranged from power stations and collieries, steelworks, chemical works, refineries, gas works, quarries, manufacturing works and paper mills.
Available first quarter 2025.
The pervasive Ruston and Hornsby 88DS 0-4-0 diesel shunter has a long pedigree with a stream of industrial and commercial customers with many operating on individual internal railway systems. This ranged from power stations and collieries, steelworks, chemical works, refineries, gas works, quarries, manufacturing works and paper mills. Many factories possessed private railway networks and sidings. Since steam locomotives were expensive to operate on small industrial systems, an alternative was sought. The Guinness factory in Dublin were early pioneers of substitute haulage transport technologies. Post WW1 with many firms beginning to operate their own diesel powered commercial vehicles, in-house expertise was soon established, and a thriving market developed when diesel shunting locomotives started to appear in the 1930s.
The Ruston and Hornsby 88DS shunter had longevity with construction lasting almost 30 years from June 1938 to 29 November 1967 when the last was built heading to Tarmac Roadstone’s plant at Hayes, Middlesex. A total of 271 locomotives were constructed with a significant number surviving into preservation. During WW2, the War Department and Ministry of Supply were a large customer, with locomotives employed in ordinance and maintenance duties. Later British Railways took them into service, working around the country in places such as the biscuit town of Reading, chocolate city of York – Rowntree’s had their own as well, to the industrial and heavy manufacturing areas of the north east of England in Hartlepool and Newcastle upon Tyne. The 88DS shunter featured a four-speed gearbox and had a maximum speed of 15½ miles per hour delivering impressive haulage figures on the flat or on inclines.
The initial Accurascale production run mirrors the diverse range of industries where these small, but powerful mechanical locomotives could be seen. A total of ten locomotives, predominantly from the post-war period from the late 1940s up until the mid-1960s are all available in a wide variety of attractive, colourful and distinctive liveries reflecting their owner’s corporate branding such as Tarmac’s in-house Yellow Olive coloured livery. With authentic livery, markings and numbers, accurate to time period modelled, they will undoubtedly grace many smaller dioramas, railway sidings, settings and layouts with main line connections. The perfect little shunter.
The Ruston and Hornsby 88DS 0-4-0 diesel shunter is a completely newly-tooled 0 gauge model. Its key specifications are:
Shamrock Trains is a provider of 0 Gauge ready-to-run model railways and similar associated products. We provide a high quality, professional and personalised service to our customers. We are a highly knowledgeable operation providing specialist advice to customers around the world; we believe we are one of the few model railway retailers to operate in this way. Honesty, integrity, providing value for money and the highest level of customer care are the principles of our business.
Email us at enquiries@shamrocktrains.com, or phone us on 07759 310098.