Accucraft UK 16mm ‘SIR HAYDN’ Talyllyn Railway No. 3 0-4-2 PRE ORDER
Accucraft UK 16mm ‘SIR HAYDN’ Talyllyn Railway No. 3 0-4-2 PRE ORDER
Engineering sample will be with Accucraft UK in April 2026, expect updated images and a lots of running clips from extensive testing of the model once it is with them!
Following the great success of the Accucraft UK Talyllyn Railway models of Dolgoch and Talyllyn, Accucraft UK are now pleased to announce the follow-up model in this range, TR No 3, Sir Hayden/Corris Railway No 3.
The locomotive we know today as Talyllyn Railway No. 3 Sir Haydn was built by Hughes’s Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works (later known as the Falcon Works), Loughborough in 1878 for the Corris Railway (CR), until closure in 1948, and since 1951 has operated on the nearby Talyllyn Railway (TR). It has carried its running number under four successive owners. Like the TR The Corris Railway was built to 2 ft 3 in, completed in 1859, running from Machynlleth to Corris and on to Aberllefenni to serve local slate quarries. Originally, the line was horse-drawn, but three identical 0-4-0ST locomotives, numbered 1 to 3, were ordered from Hughes’ in 1878. Between 1883 and 1900, the locomotives were fitted with trailing pony trucks, converting them into 0-4-2STs. In 1921, the CR acquired a fourth locomotive from Kerr Stuart and No.2 became a standby. At this stage the history of the three Hughes engines becomes complicated, the best components from each one were used to create one, good, working locomotive and the exact portion of the original No. 3 is open to conjecture. Negotiations began to sell the Corris Railway to the Great Western Railway in 1929 and Nos. 1 and 2 were scrapped before the purchase was completed on 4th August 1930. Aberllefenni Quarry was leased by the local member of parliament and owner of the Talyllyn Railway, Sir Henry Haydn Jones. His support for rail transport for the quarry’s output was critical in keeping the railway open up to and including World War Two; without this support it is likely that the railway would have closed, and the locomotives been scrapped. No. 3 was still working when the Corris came under the control of British Railways following nationalisation in 1948, however, this was short-lived, and the last train ran on 20th August that year. No. 3 was then left under tarpaulin at the rear of the Corris Railway’s Machynlleth station along with the other remaining Corris engine, No. 4.
The model is internally gas fired and will be available in either 32mm or 45mm gauges. Being inside framed, it is not gauge adjustable. The 45mm versions will be produced only to order.
The cab layout is very similar to the Accucraft Peckett model, but the gas tank is located across the back of the cab but is easily removable to extract the gas jet if it becomes blocked. It has the standard Accucraft water filler turret on the rear of the boiler with the water gauge visible through the right-hand cab door. The lubricator is situated in the left-hand side of the cab, similar to the Peckett, and the reverse lever is located conveniently just forward of the right-hand side cab door. The steam regulator turns through a right angle and is placed in the left-hand side of the cab, in a similar fashion as our gauge 1 Victory model, the Adams Radial Tank loco, and Talyllyn model, although their steam regulators were positioned to the right-hand side. The cab roof lifts and tips over to the side in a similar fashion to the Peckett model.
The model will be highly detailed with rivets and castings as Accucraft customers have come to expect. It is anticipated that an alternative set of buffer beams will be included which will represent the Corris era couplings without the Talyllyn buffers.
Initially the model will be produced in the Corris Railway red and the Talyllyn Railway green. However, lined black and plain black versions could be produced if there is sufficient demand.
The anticipated sale price will be in the region of £1,950.00 inc VAT.
Specifications:
Scale:16mm to 1 foot (1:19)
Gauge: 32mm or 45mm
Length: 250.5mm (over buffers)
Width:32mm gauge – 84.5mm Width45mm gauge – 96.5mm
Height:to the top of the chimney – 124mm
Boiler: Centre Flue
Working Pressure: 60psi
Weight: TBC
Minimum Radius: 2 feet 6 inches
Reversing Gear: Piston type, reverse by lever in the cab
Valve Gear: Simulated Stephenson’s link
Fuel: Butane Gas
Boiler Fittings: Safety valve, pressure gauge, water gauge with blow-down valve
Cab Controls: Steam regulator, gas regulator, reverse lever, lubricator
Colours available, subject to production batch:
S19-41A Corris Red with yellow and black lining 32mm gauge
S19-41B Corris Red with yellow and black lining 45mm gauge
S19-41C Early Talyllyn Green with yellow lining 32mm gauge
S19-41D Early Talyllyn Green with yellow lining 45mm gauge
The fledgling preserved Talyllyn Railway purchased the two remaining Corris locos from British Railways for £25 each. No. 3 was named Sir Haydn after the former owner of the railway. At the time, the crucial role that Haydn Jones had played in keeping the Corris running in the 1930s was not fully appreciated. He had played an important part in ensuring that No. 3 survived. Sir Haydn was in better condition than No. 4 and became the first new locomotive to work on the Talyllyn for over 85 years. The original cab, which only had an opening on the right-hand side, was replaced in the 1960s with a cab that was shorter and had openings on both sides and further modifications followed over the subsequent years. It is in late Corris/early Talyllyn form that the new Accucraft model is presented.
