New model announced 2010. Delivery date to be advised.

Following on from the excellent model of the class 04 shunter released in 2008 Bachmann have announced that the similar BR-built class 03 shunters will be added to the range.

This model of 03066 will be fitted with air brake reservoir tanks and painted in the BR blue livery with bonnet and cab end warning wasp stripes.

Similar to the Drewry design class 04 and using the same Gardner 204bhp engines the class 03 were the BR internal???design for the lower-powered shunting locomotives. Rationalisation of rail freight operations in the 1960s, concentrating on retaining significant, regular and???trainload flows and moving irregular wagonload business to road haulage, saw the need for shunting locomotives reduce. The less useful 204bhp locomotives were almost entirely redundant and the slightly less robust class 04 was eliminated.

Class 03 locomotives survived into the 1980s with numbers steadily reducing, however many can still be found at work as depot shunters for both???mainline and heritage railway companies.

Like the 04s many 03s were withdrawn with many years of life left in them and good, serviceable units???were quickly snapped up by the Army,??? industrial rail operators and???heritage railways. Even in industrial use many retained their BR liveries, some even being repainted by enthusiastic drivers to present a cleaner appearance than BRs' own diesels! An excellent reason for a shiny BR green locomotive to be shunting an industry siding on your layout throught the???BR blue era and right up to current times.