This long lived class of tank engines started life in the 1880s as the South Eastern’s R class. They were designed by James Sterling and originally had a simple low cab and no dome. They were the first South Eastern locomotives built specifically for shunting and light freight duties with some 25 being produced.

In 1899 Harry Wainwright took over as chief mechanical engineer of a combined SE&CR and LC&DR, he set about rebuilding some of the older engines including the R class tank engines. Our model faithfully reproduces this engine in 5” gauge, with all the style and Victorian elegance of the original. It has a copper boiler with both hand and crosshead pumps. There is a screw regulator mounted in the smoke box. Steam from the boiler is superheated and then fed into a cast iron cylinder block mounted between the frames.