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Bachmann 31-713 Class B1 61003 'Gazelle' BR Lined Black Late Crest

A beautiful, elegant loco with sprung buffers and fine detailing.

OO gauge

The B1 Class was Thompson's first design for the London & North Eastern Railway. These 4-6-0 mixed traffic engines replaced a large variety of older designs. It was the LNER's equivalent to the highly successful GWR Hall Class and the LMS Stanier Black Five. They proved to be capable and versatile machines, able to perform well on any type of train. Several examples were fitted with electric lighting.

Introduced in 1942, the first locomotive no. 8301 was named Springbok in honour of a visit by Jan Smuts, the South African Prime Minister. The B1's became known as the 'Antelope' class as the first 40 were named after breeds of antelope and unofficially as 'Bongos' after no. 8306 Bongo. The remaining engines were un-named except from 18 that carried names of LNER directors and no. 61379 Mayflower, named in 1951. A total of 410 engines were built.

The class survived almost to the end of steam on BR, after working extensively over BR's Eastern and Scottish Regions, with the last working example being withdrawn in September 1967. Two locomotives have been preserved.