This is my 100th post on this site and I thought that I must have a special class of Loco’s to celebrate. It just has to be the Class 40, larger cousin and predecessor of my favourite, the class 37.

I had over ten Lima Class 40’s at one time but they have proved very popular with friends and old customers. Sadly I now only have four, so a smallish gallery follows.

I think the main thing that needs doing to a Lima Class 40, other than detailing, is lowering the body on the chassis and adding the extra pipework on the bogie frames. I think it gives it that powerful look the prototypes had. Although a bit underpowered they made a great noise when starting and that lovely whistle when stationary.

For my last batch of Class 37’s we move on to 94-99. In this era we saw the privatisation  of the previously sectorised businesses. Initially five parts where privatised, they only lasted for a year or so before the whole lot were sold and EW&S later EWS became owner of them all.

Again I held on to quite a few Loco’s in this era as modelling options were many.

Moving on to the next era, we move on to the sectorisation of the Railfreight industry. I have modelled most sectors in which they served. All loco’s are to the usual specification as the previous posts. I have retained more Loco’s is this era as it is one of my favourites, very few have been sold.

When  Lima brought out the Class 73 – it was, for the time, a very good representation of the real thing. When they announced their next Loco would be a Class 37, I thought great, we can move on from the Hornby 37 with Class 47 bogies!!!! What a disappointment it was when it arrived. To get it to a reasonable standard took a lot of work. I have already outlined the main amendments in the BR Blue section, the previous post to this one. Anyway here are a few of my attempts for 84-88.

Again, many have been sold, so only four loco’s from this era.

I prepared these Loco’s for an article in Model Rail. They demonstrate the differences within the Class. All are detailed, have lights and are lowered on the chassis. I would say that in the day if we wanted a better Class 37 we had little choice than to detail the loco’s with brass etches and cast parts. Even the detailed models do not sit that well with the latest models but we really had to ‘model’ in those days to get a reasonable result. All Loco’s have Ultrascale wheels with extra pick-ups.

Many of the original loco’s are sold, so this post is not quite as comprehensive as the article in MR.