Large Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST

By the mid-19th century, the North Wales slate mines and quarries had a requirement for small, powerful and rugged locos to work the galleries and tramways in what was by then a rapidly expanding industry.  Various manufacturers supplied narrow gauge motive power to these businesses but none became more synonymous with the area than the saddle tanks supplied by the Hunslet Engine Co. of Leeds.  These sturdy little locos were ideal for the roughly laid, temporary lines in the quarries and the class evolved from the first design, produced in 1870, to encompass a variety of sizes and types which found work at Penrhyn, Dinorwic (where many acquired the names of racehorses!) and the Nantlle valley.  Remarkably the majority of those locos still in service in the 1960′s survived to be preserved, some of them in America and Canada.  Today Quarry Hunslets are still being produced in limited numbers by the new Hunslet Engine Co. based at the Statfold Barn Railway.

The more generous proportions of the ‘Large’ type Quarry Hunslets (as opposed to the smaller ‘Alice’ Class) will prove beneficial to the locomotive’s run-time although to avoid compromising the look of the model we will only be offering it in 32mm gauge.  The model is gas-fired and fitted with a water top up valve, water check valve, miniature pressure gauge; constructed of stainless steel and etched brass with a copper boiler, the model will, as usual, be covered by our two-year warranty.  The anticipated US$1600.00 (subject to the usual provisos), available Q3 2020.  As ever, we’d like to thank David Fletcher for his superb drawings, illustrating the livery options.