Southern Class Z 0-8-0T

[HornbyinNC]

To my knowledge, the Southern Class Z 0-8-0T has been over-looked as an RTR model. 

Eight of the Maunsell designed locomotives were built, starting in 1929.  A further ten, were planned, but not built due to depression era economics.  They were used as large shunters, primarily around London, until replaced by diesel traction.  The last one survived in operation until 1962.

[LCDR]

Hornby made a pre-production model of the Z many years ago but it never made production.

 

Many railways had a small fleet of hump shunters usually with eight driving wheels for pushing 'cuts' of wagons over the hump from where they ran down by gravity into sorting sidings.

 

The North Eastern Railway had the T1  4-8-0T, the Great Central Railway had the S1 0-8-4T  which were also built by the LNER, and also converted some Q4 0-8-0s to Q1 0-8-0T. The LNWR had some 0-8-2T and 0-8-4Ts of Webb design. The London & South Western Railway had the G16 4-8-0T .

 

Maunsell's Z class 0-8-0T were the last of the steam hump shunters to appear. 

 

By the end of the 1930s diesel shunters were beginning to appear in marshalling yards to perform this duty, and displacing steam. The LNER and LMSR started to use these sometimes two in tandem. BR went one better in 1965 with the introduction of the class 13 which was created by coupling two diesel shunters together and controlling them from one cab.

 

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[Lancing]

The Z Class shunting locos had limited duties and a very limited operating range - mainly London marshalling yards and, later, banking between Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central, so perhaps not a very popular choice.

[LCDR]

Being a small class and a limited area of operation does not always prevent it becoming a popular model.

 

At various times the Z was allocated to various places. Before the War they were at Bricklayers Arms, (for Hither Green), Eastleigh, Gillingham (for Hoo Junction), Exmouth Junction, West Croydon (for Norwood), Salisbury. During World War two two were loaned to the War Department at Stranraer in Scotland. After the War they were allocated to Hither Green, Eastleigh, Exmouth Junction, and Salisbury. When diesel; shunters were introduced at Hither Green the Zs there were sent to Gillingham,  Ashford, Feltham and Eastleigh. They also made short excursions to Brighton, Templecombe, Fawley . Late in their lives some more were sent to Exmouth Junction to bank trains up from Exeter St Davids, until they were replaced by W class 2-6-4Ts.

 

Hornby have not shied away from models of small classes of locomotives for example the P2, the Duke of Gloucester and the proposed W1. Their GWR Holden 0-4-0T was a 'one off'.

 

The P2s were associated with the Glasgow to Aberdeen services and only rarely worked elsewhere. Threy were rebuilt to Pacifics during the War. They have however proved a popular model.