England Engines

Peco announce the Small and Large England Locomotives in OO-9 Gauge



Peco says "At long last we are pleased to be able to invite you to place your orders for this highly-anticipated model. A joint venture between ourselves and Kato Japan this wonderfully-characterful locomotive will soon be available in miniature form. The loco is the perfect choice for complementing the current range of Ffestiniog Railway-themed rolling stock that we currently produce, and soon modellers will be able to recreate a prototypical FR train on their layouts!"

Let's run through the technical specs for these models:

• Narrow gauge ready-to-run locomotive  - OO-9, 1:76 scale, 9mm gauge track;
• Available as two versions: "Prince" and "Princess" in lined maroon livery;
• Separate locomotive chassis also available - supplied with detachable unpainted body moulding for protection;
• DC (analogue) coreless motor fitted within loco body giving smooth and reliable running;
• Loco and tender electrically connected - pick ups on front loco axles and two tender axles. Inner axle of loco fitted with traction tyres;
• Will comfortably negotiate 9inch/229mm radius curves;
• Fully decorated with fine lining and small details;
• Separate moulding supplied for handrails, etc.;
• Supplied fitted with standard PECO OO-9 coupling, Arnold N gauge couplings supplied separately.

Please note: DCC operation is technically possible but no provision has been made for this in the model due to limited available space.

Separate chassis also available!
Modellers who might wish to build their own bespoke model will be delighted to know that the chassis will be available separately - this will be supplied with an unpainted body moulding fitted to protect it in transit, and is easily removed. 

A little bit of history....
The Small England engines are the first 4 steam locomotives of the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales. They were build by George England & Co in South London in 1863, followed by two ‘large Englands’ in 1867.  They were originally built as 0-4-0 side tank locos and modified gradually over the years into their final and most iconic form with saddle tank, enclosed cab and a tender for coal, as depicted by our model. 4 of the 6 England engines survive and three of those are still in service, still on the Ffestiniog Railway.

The above models arrived at the end of March 2022 - place your order today!

In August 2023 Peco announced the Large England Locomotive

Peco say"Following the success of the Small England locomotive we are pleased to announce the forthcoming Large England! Mind you, the name is slightly misleading as these locomotives were only marginally bigger than their Small England cousins!

The first steam locomotives for the Festiniog Railway (four Small Englands and two Large Englands) were built by George England & Co.at Hatcham Iron Works, New Cross, South London. As such they are collectively known as the England Engines.

After the four Small England locomotives were built in 1863-64, further developments of the design lead to the Large England in 1867, an improved design with a larger boiler and a saddle tank for greater water capacity. Two locomotives were built – named “Welsh Pony” and “Little Giant”. “Welsh Pony” is in service today although sadly “Little Giant” was scrapped in 1879. These are two of the three “Large England” models we are offering. Three? Yes, three, as for a bit of fun we are also offering our very own creation – “Exmoor Pony”.

“Welsh Pony” is offered in the FR “purple brown” livery, the attractive colours as previously seen on our Bug Box coaches. “Little Giant” is presented in the FR maroon livery, as per “Prince” and “Princess”. Finally, a might-have-been bit of fantasy is taking place with “Exmoor Pony”, looking lovely in Southern Railway malachite green. Would she look great hauling a short rake of Lynton & Barnstaple bogie coaches? We think so!

Following the success of “Prince” and “Princess” in both maroon and green, it is only natural that we turn attention to “Palmerston”, which happily is in service today on the Ffestiniog Railway. We are pleased to offer this model in FR maroon colours. Note that special attention has been taken with this locomotive’s nameplate positioning, different to that found on the previous two locos.

These additional models are expected in March 2024.