Bachmann Brassworks Gauge 1 "Jinty" makes its debut
Date: 17 July 2006
Source: Bachmann
Bachmann Europe Plc today displayed at its Annual Trade Open Day the new Gauge 1 locomotive a 3F Class 0-6-0T, better known as “Jinties”.
The first 3F 0-6-0T was introduced by Sir Henry Fowler for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1924. Four hundred and twenty two “Jinties” were constructed between 1924 and 1931. Although built to a standard design, there were nonetheless minor variations between the batches.
The “Jinties” were very versatile locomotives and were ideal for shunting large stations and yards. They were equally at home in exchange sidings or on trip workings conveying goods wagons from larger stations and yards to others in the area for delivery or loading. Often this would require shunting operations at the station or industrial complex concerned.
The “Jinties”, however, were not confined to shunting or working short distance freight trains. They could also be found on passenger workings. In the late 1920s, they were introduced on services operated from the North London Railway terminus at Broad Street on commuter services over the former Great Northern system. The schedules required some spirited performances over the heavily used Great Northern route and the “Jinties” could not have found more demanding work anywhere on the network.
7 locomotives built by Bagnalls were delivered in 1929 to the Somerset & Dorset Railway. The LMS and the Southern Railway jointly owned this line which linked Bath in Somerset with Poole in Dorset, running through the Mendip Hills. Up until 1930, the locomotives carried that line's distinctive Prussian Blue livery, before being absorbed into LMS stock and repainted into standard unlined black livery.
During the Second World War eight locomotives saw service with the War Department, three of them did not return home. During 1943 two locomotives were sent to the Northern Counties Committee, the LMS operation in Northern Ireland. These became Y Class locomotives numbers 18 and 19. These had to be re-gauged to 5’ 3” gauge the standard gauge throughout Ireland.
The introduction of diesel shunters in the 1950s saw the gradual withdrawal of “Jinties”. The last of the class was withdrawn in 1967. Ten locomotives passed into preservation.
The Bachmann Brassworks Gauge 1 locomotives will be available in brass finish (BW1010) at £539.45 and in painted black livery (BW1011) at £599.95. The models will be available from Bachmann dealers in August. The Bachmann Brassworks model is of the keyhole version and features the protection plate on the bunker rails.
BE 2006-32
