NER Snowplough Pair No.11 and No.12 - LNER Blue Deposit

Never before seen in OO-Gauge ready-to-run, the NER Snowplough is an exciting addition to the rolling stock in our Railway Icons range. Brought to life in miniature by Bachmann Europe, meticulous care and attention was taken to produce an accurate and true to life example of this unique piece of North Eastern history. Sold as a pair depicting No.11 and No.12 in service with the London North Eastern Railway (LNER), repainted to run in an all-over blue livery.

Model Features:
- Metal detailing parts.
- Painted and detailed crew compartment interior.
- Separate accessories.
- Precision moulded body shell.
- Historically accurate running markings.

The first NER snowplough was built in 1887 and, despite an accident in 1888 where a plough train upended a locomotive at Annitsford, 23 more were made. All 24 were made of wood except the final two, which were metal. Built on an old locomotive tender frame, this wooden giant was the North Eastern Railway's (NER) answer to the threat of snow blocking its lines. As today, parts of the railway were isolated and exposed, and snow on the line presented a serious hazard to vehicles and passengers. During and after inclement weather the snowplough would be pushed by two steam engines and when it came across a snowdrift it would charge straight through, clearing the rails for traffic.

No.12 is the oldest surviving NER Snowplough, and was constructed in Gateshead in 1891 along with No.11. While LNER areas outside of the North East tended to prefer buffer beam ploughs, the harsh terrain and isolated lines of the North East gave enough of an argument for the continued use of independent snowploughs. In contrast to the NER colouring the LNER favoured a striking blue for its engineering stock. Thanks to abuse through their working lives and infrequent maintenance, great variation in the exact colour could be seen from one plough to the next.

No.11 and No.12 were eventually renumbered under the LNER Engineers Vehicle Renumbering scheme, and went on to serve after nationalisation in the late 1940’s.