A Ruston 0-4-0 165DE in kit form

A DIESEL shunter type which can be found at numerous standard gauge heritage railways in England and Scotland is now available more easily in model form thanks to the release of a new kit from Planet Industrials.

Examples of the Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 165DE operate at lines as diverse as the Severn Valley, Foxfield and Cambrian Heritage Railways, where they perform duties ranging from shunting to

hauling passenger trains.

The body is mounted on a ready-to-run Hornby 0-4-0 Peckett chassis. The body includes a 3D-printed plastic core to provide a robust, solid and true structure to detail, with etched metal overlays and other parts. The first batch sold out within hours of its release on March 13.

It comes at a time when 4mm scale models of two other Ruston & Hornsby standard gauge diesel models are in the pipeline. A readyto-run model of the 0-6-0 variant of the 165DE is under development by

Heljan.

And, as previously reported, Hornby is expected to release models of the 165DE’s smaller sibling, the 88DS, in July. The latter is to include examples preserved at the Fife Heritage Railway and Derwent Valley Light Railway.

The Planet Industrials model is available from www. lightrailwaystores.co.uk

The unmistakable lines of a Ruston 165DE are captured in a combination of 3D-printed plastic and etched metal overlays.