Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter British Rail (Western)

Shelvoke & Drewry Freightlifter British Rail (Western)

This newly tooled and highly detailed model is based on the heavy duty fork lift truck that Shelvoke & Drewry were asked to produce in 1952 especially for the London Brick Company.  The design was intended as a UK alternative to the American Hyster forklift, which was subject to UK import restrictions.   LBC went on to buy over 170 of the vehicles, some of which were still in use 21 years later,  Moreover, the Freightlifter proved equally in demand from other sources, notably  all three  Armed Forces as well as the railway companies.
 The trucks could lift between 12,000 and 18,000 lbs with a lift height of up to 29 feet.  Production models included the Model 82 with 7 ft 10 ins wheel base, Model 100 with an 8’4” wheelbase and a smaller Model 72 for indoor use. In 1962, the entire range was re-designed and re-named Defiant and production continued until 1974. 
To launch our 1:76 scale replica, we’ve selected the vehicle as used by British Railways (Western) in the popular brown and cream colour scheme long associated with the GWR. The vehicle bodywork is printed with British Railways WR lettering in cream with the addition of the S & D freightlifter marque applied in red and white.  Registered 729 AAR, the model features the optional Dualdrive cab component for this first release which takes on the main body colours.  The mudguards, chassis, interior, spotlight, hydraulic cylinder gaiter, mast chains and cab window frames are all black.