RAILFREIGHT 37

My collection of Class 37 traction has expanded with the addition of this lovely, red stripe Railfreight-liveried example. It's a ViTrains model, with only a few tweaks carried out, namely new cast buffers, snowploughs (from a Heljan Cl47, refined a little), screw couplings and a driver in each cab. I must admit to not knowing whether the real 37378 wore snowploughs in this guise, but I thought I'd fit them anyway. Locos in this livery always look better with them fitted.

The most important facet of the project was the modification of the bogie frames to represent the cast examples as fitted to the Class 37/3 subclass in the mid-1980s. I covered this task in my diesel detailing book (on EWS liveried 37405) and it's a simple enough job, although it takes a while to achieve a neat finish on the tough plastic frames.

All the other details are as supplied in the ViTrains package. The weathering (airbrushed with Railmatch enamels) is deliberately subtle, depicted this freight mover in the condition of a recently outshopped machine, already pressed into regular service.

Another ViTrains '37 is also nearing completion, this time it's going to be a 37/0 in BR blue and is being back-dated slightly to include a 'domino' headcode and frost shield. Stay tuned, Tractor fans...