Dapol is in the process of producing OO Gauge Class 21 and Class 29 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives.

Production has reached the stage where the first three production samples have arrived at Dapol’s factory at Chirk, North Wales, have been scrutinised by the design team, and have been passed for shipment.

The Class 21 and Class 29 locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow for British Rail between 1958 and 1960. They were designed for working both passenger and freight trains, and classified as Type 2.

Numbered D6100-D6157, they were never renumbered according to the TOPS numbering system. By August 1968, 38 of the original Class 21 locomotives had been withdrawn, with the remainder being rebuilt with bigger engines and reclassified as Class 29. The rebuilt Class 29 locomotives were all withdrawn by 1971, and no examples of either Class 21 or Class 29 have been preserved.

The models have a detailed body with etched grilles, separately fitted handrails, finely detailed cast wheels, and metal sprung buffers.

On the cab side of the Class 21 models is a moulded representation of a tablet catcher, which was used when operating on single lines, such as in the north of Scotland.

An accessory pack that comes with the models contains a snow plough that locates in the coupling NEM pocket, and is easy to fit. When the snow plough is in use, that end of the locomotive cannot be fitted with a coupling.

Prices will be £189.66 for DCC Ready, £222.13 for DCC Fitted, and £346.52 for the Sound Fitted version.

Other OO Gauge models recently announced by Dapol include a range of Great Western Railway (GWR) 2884 Class 2-8-0 steam locomotives, and a range of OO Gauge 0-4-0 saddle tanks built by Hawthorn Leslie in Newcastle.