Key Publishing has joined forces with Accurascale to offer an exclusive limited edition model of heavy weight Class 37 37702 Taff Merthyr in Railfreight triple grey with coal sector markings.

The real 37702 was built in 1961 at English Electric’s Vulcan Foundry and numbered D6720. It became 37020 in 1974 and spent most of its early career allocated to Eastern Region depots. In 1986, the locomotive was selected for refurbishment as a heavyweight Class 37/7 which involved a full overhaul combined with removal of the split headcode boxes, additional ballast weight to boost adhesion and regearing. It became 37702 and was named Taff Merthyr.

The coal sector allocated locomotives were common in South Wales hauling up to 32 HAA coal hoppers on steeply graded branch lines with 37702 Taff Merthyr a regular on these flows as well as household coal trains formed of Cawoods coal containers. In 1993, 37702 was fitted with unique rectangular buffers which it carried for the rest of its career until withdrawal in 2001. It was later selected for use on infrastructure projects in Spain and was scrapped in 2007.

The new Key Publishing limited edition uses Accurascale’s 2023 tooling for the Class 37 and will be only the second Class 37/7 to be produced – the previous version being 37714 for the Heavy Tractor Group.

Highlights of the model include newly tooled rectangular buffers specific to 37702, correct Class 37/7 nose end details, correct bogies and underframe, a fully detailed cab interior, a removable roof panel for access to the decoder socket and speaker, die-cast chassis, all-wheel drive and pick-up, a powerful five-pole motor with twin flywheels, fully functioning lighting circuits, bogie chains, sprung buffers, NEM coupling pockets and more.

37702 will be available DCC Ready with a 21-pin decoder socket (a DCC sound fitted with an ESU 21-pin LokSound V5 decoder factory installed, together with twin speakers and a capacitor power bank for onboard energy storage is also available).

The DCC ready model costs £169.99. Delivery is expected in the second quarter of 2025 and is limited to 300 units – 150 DCC Ready, 150 DCC sound fitted.