37800 (ex-D6843/37143) Cassiopeia Europhoenix/Rail Operations Group – Accurascale

The star of run 4 and an Accurascale Exclusive for all time is 37800 in the Oxford blue variant of the Europhoenix and Rail Operations Group ‘PCB’ vinyls. This is the last survivor of three similarly finished locomotives with green 37608 and blue 37611 both being stripped of their wraps in 2025 for new makeovers. Happily the Class 37/7 is assured of a longer future in its striking livery as one of four examples dedicated to ROG duties along with 37501, 37510 and 37884. Of note, 37800 is one of two ROG Class 37s that has been modified with an extendable winch at the base of the nose ends to lift the weight of the tightlock coupling adaptor when fitted. This is not as necessary when the lighter Dellner coupler, as provided with the model, is installed. Of course, there is no generic tooling involved as Accurascale has created these special nose ends with their replacement LED tail lights and control socket, which those with an eagle eye will note are subtly different to 37884.

                  The story of 37800 is not dissimilar to the lucky escape of our other exclusive, DRS 37716, and both could have very easily been scrapped on site during their Spanish exile helping to build the AVE (Alta Velocidad España) high speed network from 2001 to 2011. Returned to the UK in August 2012 with 37703/714/716/718 and 37884, while the first four went to Direct Rail Services, the two centre headcode ‘Heavyweights’ had another brush with the cutters torch when they were purchased by EMR Kingsbury. They were saved the following August by Europhoenix and after repairs at Washwood Heath, HNRC Barrow Hill and UKRL Leicester, 37800 was released on test in the striking grey and red ‘phoenix’ scheme in June 2016. Unlike 37884 which was completed in 2015 and initially carried large Europhoenix lettering on the sides, 37800 was outshopped with silver Rail Operations Group branding, which was later changed to black. In January 2018 it was further embellished with Cassiopeia nameplates, continuing the constellation theme common to the owner’s fleet. November 2022 saw it became the first Type 3 to get the blue ‘PCB’ makeover that somehow managed to suit the cluttered bodysides despite being designed for the plain exterior of the previous Class 47 and 57 recipients. Nicknamed the ‘Grim Reaper’ due to its common task moving life-expired multiple units on their final journey to the scrapper, it is also commonly used on less ominous stock and locomotive transfers, particularly shuttling ROG’s own Class 93s around the network. More recently it has gained two and then a third ‘golden whistle’ award decals on the assistant’s cabside, which will also be faithfully replicated on the model.