NER Class S3, LNER/BR B16/1

The first S3 was introduced in 1919, designed by Sir Vincent Raven they were stated to be 'fast goods engines'. However, as a logical development of classes S, S1 and S2, they soon became very useful to the operating department as mixed traffic engines. Between 1919 and 1924 a total of 70 were built at Darlington works, 38 before and 32 following grouping. They utilised the same basic design of boiler, valve motion and cylinders as the T3/Q7 0-8-0 mineral engines.
From new, the S3's were allocated to NER sheds mainly associated with working the East Coast main line, but as newer standard classes such as the K3's were introduced, the allocation became more widespread with members of the class at Hull and Scarborough. By 1935, 48 were concentrated at just two sheds, York had 22 and Dairycoates 28.
The B16's were very versatile machines, equally at home on fast fitted freights, for which after all they had been designed, as humble goods and general freight traffic. They were seldom seen on the top class main line express work however, usually when filling in for a failed pacific. An ideal task for them was working the heavy holiday trains to the coast, and on summer Saturdays during the period up to the second world war, as many as thirty could be seen at Scarborough during the day. Both Gresley and Thompson had a go at rebuilding the B16's producing the B16/2 and B16/3 classes. Post war, the class became even more widespread, some reaching Kings Cross and Marylebone. From the middle fifties, many of the class were still working on the heavy holiday trains, rostered to the Glasgow - East Coast workings and the Newcastle - Carlisle trains.
Normal withdrawal began in 1958, and the last of the unrebuilt engines was called for scrapping in September 1961.

The kit produces the original B16, later B16/1 and is not suitable for making either of the rebuilt variants (B16/2 and B16/3).
The body is etched in brass and the boiler is supplied ready rolled. The chassis can be compensated and hornguides and bearings are supplied, but other compenating/springing components aren't.
The fittings are a mixture of high quality whitemetal and lost wax castings, the piton and slidebars are nickel silver castings.
The kit comes with our own LNER Group Standard buffers.

You can download a pdf version (which requires Adobe Acrobat to be read) of the instructions for this kit, loco only, by clicking here

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You can download a pdf version (which requires Adobe Acrobat to be read) of the instructions for this kit's tender by clicking here

This file is 8 MB which will take a while to download if you are on a dial-up connection.

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