Ruston & Hornsby 48DS

WHEN it was first unveiled in January of last year, the new Hornby Ruston 48DS shunter had an impact far beyond its small size. A year later and the models have reached the shops with four different versions now available, including two in Scottish distillery company liveries.

The 48DS locomotive is the product of the Ruston & Hornsby company of Lincoln which was formed from the merger of two Lincolnshire agricultural engineering companies in 1918.

It went on to build over 200 of the 48DS model alongside other industrial locomotives for both standard and narrow gauge industrial railways. The 48DS model was afour-wheel drive diesel shunter of 48 horsepower designed to run on standard gauge track. It is documented that the 48DS was one of the more popular designs built by Ruston, being sold to numerous different light