A SHORT HISTORY OF THE USATC S160 2-8-0
By 1942, the UK’s resources were being drained by the demands of conflict. Years of bombing coupled to an increasing need to transport men and materials meant that railway engines were in short supply. Britain’s own ‘Austerity’ locomotives would go some way to supporting the Allied fightback, but more hardware was required to ensure the nation and its army was kept on the move.
Relief came in the mighty shape of the United States Army Transport Corporation’s S160 locomotives. Constructed in America to fit the UK’s tight loading gauge, they adhered to the ‘Austerity’ essentials of a no-frills design, quick build time and low maintenance while in service. Constructed in multiple batches from 1942 to 1945, almost 800 locomotives were shipped to the UK, lending a spartan but distinctive character to our railway operations with their decidedly ‘Yankee’ appearance.
The first 396 engines were assigned to the four regions for running in: 174 to the Great Western Railway, 168 to the London & North Eastern Railway, 50 to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and 6 to the Southern Railway. The second batch (of 400) were stored in South Wales, in preparation for D-Day and the immense military effort that this would generate. Over 1300 additional S160s were built, and these were shipped directly to mainland Europe to replenish railways that had seen their fleets decimated over the last four years.
A sole S160, no. 93257 (later no. 700) ‘Major General Carl R Gray Jr’ remained in the UK to train military personnel at the Longmoor Military Railway.
After the war, S160s were scattered across the globe, to places as far afield as China, Korea and India – as well as to European countries such as Hungary, Poland and Greece. These engines were modified by their new operators to match the different demands of their new homes.
Eight engines have, to date, returned to the UK for preservation, each of them subtly different; three are in running order, with the others undergoing restoration.
CLARK RAILWORKS EXCLUSIVE | WD DRAB GREEN LIVERY
Clark Railworks will be the exclusive retailer for the WD ‘Drab’ Green Livery of Rapido’s OO Gauge USATC S160 2-8-0.
No. 2044 was something of a legend. Allocated to the LMS at Toton on its arrival in 1943, it was one of five engines reassigned to the War Department at Sudbury (Staffordshire) later that year. Railwaymen of the time recall seeing the engine and her sisters repainted into Khaki, although this was never officially confirmed, nor is there any colour photographic evidence from the time.
So while the engine was definitely real, its ‘drab’ green coat of colours may have been just a dream! Either way, no. 2044 is the perfect opportunity for you to own a very special variant of a stunning model – and a fitting bedfellow for one of Clark Railworks’ ‘Austerity’ 2-10-0s.
KEY INFO
Dual LED firebox glow with dynamic fire draw effect.
Twin flywheel motor.
Detachable loco-to-tender connection.
Pickups fitted on both the loco and tender.
21-pin DCC Decoder socket fitted.
