Accurascale OO Scale Class 50 – 50046 ‘Ajax’ Run 2

The mighty Ajax, the son of Telamon, second only to Achilles in the Greek warrior hierarchy, equal of Trojan champion Hector and also the most famous Class 50 that ‘got away’, being scrapped at MC Metals, Glasgow, in June 1992. It had donated its low hours power unit to 50007 in December 1991, around five weeks after working its last train, after Sir Edward Elgar had been sidelined with a main generator flashover near Basingstoke in July of the same year.

Rewinding to happier days, Laira-based 50046 had been dedicated in October 1978 after the Leander-class Frigate built in 1962. It was invited to Doncaster Works exactly four years later to take part in the refurbishment programme, being outshopped in large logo livery the following March, and arguably never looked better. Two years later in April 1985 it again received the attention of the painters, this time care of its Plymouth home, ahead of its twinning ceremony with HMS Ajax which would see it gain the smaller version of the ship’s crests.

Despite their recent heavy overhaul, the four roof exhausts of the English Electric design were notorious for quickly turning the standard Rail grey roof filthy, leading the depot to effectively give up and paint the roof black to hide the oily deposits. 50046 was only the second to be so treated after 50042 Triumph, although the latter was quickly returned to grey following a visit to the ‘Plant’.

Laira gave it a full repaint again in May 1987 following an F exam, although it notably did not receive the red bufferbeams that were applied to similar makeovers from the start of 1986. Over the next few years it would be allocated to the parcels and departmental sectors as well as NSE’s Thames and West of England passenger pools before it was officially retired in March 1992. Notably, both cabs survive, the No.1 end with owner Gary Hardings in Cornwall and the No.2 end at the Plym Valley Railway in Devon.

Specification:

• Highly-detailed OO scale model, 1:76.2 scale
• Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track) in OO
• Die-cast metal chassis
• RP25-110 profile OO wheels with provision for re-gauging with scale-sized wheels for P4/EM gauges – with simple ride height adjustment – and the ability to set brake blocks in line with wheels
• Separately-applied etched metal/plastic detail parts, including grab handles, steps, wipers, etc.
• Scale-width wire handrails
• Etched metal pre-painted nameplates and crests (where applicable) provided for the customer to install
• Interchangeable printed headcodes with full descriptions covering the first nine years of the class plus the preservation era
• Scale-sized and body-mounted snowploughs are provided for the customer to install which allows coupler use if you omit the centre plough, with an additional one-piece NEM-mounted option
• Full underframe tank, battery box and full-formed compressor detail with extensive pipework and other separate parts
• Fully sprung metal buffers and buffer plate, factory-fitted pipework and screw couplings (for display)
• Fully sprung buffers, super-fine pipework and screw couplings (for display)
• Kinetic NEM coupler mounts at the correct height and mini-tension-lock couplers

Deluxe Features:

• Separately powered working radiator fan with different speed settings
• PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power
• Custom ‘Accurathrash’  Speaker Technology including large ‘Accurathrash’ Style Bass Speaker (on DCC Sound-fitted models only)
• Hall sensor for flange squeal effect (on DCC Sound-fitted models only)

DCC Features:

• DCC-ready with PowerPack capacitor for uninterrupted power
• DCC-ready or Factory-Fitted DCC Sound options
• Provided DCC-ready [21Pin MTX Socket] or Factory-Fitted DCC Sound [ESU LokSound 5]

High-Performance Traction features:

• Five-Pole motor with two flywheels
• Helical gearbox for maximum performance and slow-speed running
• Gearing is arranged so the locomotive can achieve a minimum scale top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h)
• All-wheel drive (sprung centre axle) and all-wheel pickup

Fully detailed Lighting Pack features:

• Directional lighting, DC and DCC
• Switchable Red and white marker lights with day/night options
• Switchable Red and white marker lights with correctly configured lights for preservation-era oddballs 50008 and 50044
• Interior lighting with cast electrical compartment and engine bay detail on the metal motor enclosure
• Separately switched cab lighting and illuminated, driver’s desk, auto/off on movement