7mm Hudswell Clarke

Ixion Model Railways Ltd

Jan 24, 2012: Scroll down the page to see the first painted Hudswell Clarke, and the three final revised liveries.

Photo courtesy Chris Nevard/Model Rail

IXION MODEL RAILWAYS ANNOUNCES THEIR NEWEST PROJECT:
THE O GAUGE HUDSWELL CLARKE STANDARD 13in x 20in INSIDE CYLINDER 0-6-0 CONTRACTOR’S STANDARD GAUGE SADDLE TANK LOCOMOTIVE IN 7MM ‘O’ SCALE (1:43.5)

Ixion Model Railways are pleased to announce the production of a finescale injection-moulded O Gauge model of the Hudswell Clarke standard 13in x 20in inside cylinder 0-6-0 contractor’s saddle tank locomotive in 7mm scale (1:43.5, for 32mm standard gauge).

This locomotive, Ixion’s third product, once again reflects the Ixion Directors’ own diverse interests in the railways of the United Kingdom and Australia, catering as it does to steam era modellers of the railways of both Great Britain, and New South Wales. The CAD design work for this engine is complete, and illustrated here. Tooling is now under way.

PROTOTYPE INFO
On February 15, 1888, the first of a new class of 24-ton standard contractor’s industrial tank locomotives, Maker’s No. 299, rolled off the production line of the Railway Foundry, Leeds. This saddle tank featured 13” x 20” inside cylinders, and a simple, robust design and construction. Later known as the firm of Hudswell Clarke, this manufacturer eventually had produced eighty of this class of locomotive when the final engine, Maker’s No. 1750, was completed on July 19th 1946. The model we are producing represents the class as built in the late 1920s through to the mid 1930s.

Over a period of over 70 years, these little engines worked on Light Railways (famously including the Easingwold Railway, whose loco No.2 was of this class), railway construction duties, in collieries and government and private industrial facilities across Britain.

One engine, Maker’s No. 1530, of 1926 was bought by the Sydney County Council in Australia, and worked the Bunnerong Power Station sidings until its sale in 1947. It ended its days at the Wallarah Colliery at Catherine Hill Bay, south of Newcastle, NSW.

Three examples of the class have survived into preservation, though none is operational.

MORE ABOUT THE MODEL:
Made in the same Chinese factory which produced our acclaimed On30 Coffee Pot models, this superior model will feature:

• An injection-moulded, painted, ready-to-run body and chassis
• Finescale wheels
• Six-wheel electrical pickup
• High-torque flywheel-equipped motor, driving the rear axle
• 40:1 precision gearbox for slow, smooth running
• Sprung rear wheels, and prototypically correct 'inside-out' coupling rods (front rod outside rear rod)
• DCC and sound ready, with provision for easy speaker installation
• Full cab detail
• Sprung buffers
• Hook drawgear, with three-link couplings
• Choice of three liveries: lined maroon, lined green, and lined blue
• Included is an etched brass fret containing a selection of prototypically correct cabside Maker’s plates, plus suitable saddletank nameplates, and engine number plates
• Also included is a set of injection-moulded 7mm scale loco tools, including shovels, picks, pricker, hammers, oil bottles and bucket

Final price is to be confirmed due to the possible effects of currency movements, but we expect the recommended retail price to be £325.00, or around $500 in Australia, and available in model shops. As we intend this model to be as widely available as possible, trade enquiries from model railway retailers are warmly invited.

Additional details of liveries, pilot models, delivery dates etc will be placed on this site as they are finalised.

Source, location, date and photographer, of Hudswell Clarke Maker's No 1676 above unknown. Please contact us if you are able to provide details of the source and/or copyright owner.