Ellis Clark Trains E3004C Presflo Wagon Plain Grey 8611 (TOPS)

Our first release under the Ellis Clark Trains banner, the Presflo’s complex design makes it a fascinating wagon to look at – but also meant we had our work cut out for us when recreating the prototype in 7mm scale. Leaving no stone unturned in capturing the character and detail of these compact workhorses, our efforts were vindicated when our Presflos swept the awards board upon their release in 2022.  

Presflos entered service in the mid-1950s and were used up and down the country for the transport of powdered material over the next four decades. Add in the fact that they could be found either in long rakes or scattered among mixed trains – sometimes even singly or in pairs to form a complete train – and you have a wagon that’ll be at home on almost any O gauge layout. 

We’re incredibly proud of our inaugural home-grown product, and when you see and hold one in the flesh, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Hornby Magazine Awards 2022
Best 'O' Gauge Carriage or Wagon of the Year

Model Rail
Model of the Year 2022

British Railway Modelling Awards 2022
Gold Award

A Brief History

Presflo is railway parlance for ‘pressure flow’ and refers to the system fitted to these wagons whereby air is pumped through a load of powdered material to prevent it from clumping – thus allowing the load to be easily discharged.

The 22-ton Presflos depicted by our models entered service from 1954 and were intended primarily for the transport of cement. But they also proved useful for other materials of a similar consistency, including salt, sand, powdered alumina and even flour. Their distinctive ribbed design was to prevent the wagon from collapsing inwards when discharging its load.

Presflos were used all over the country, with some of the best-known traffic flows including Tunnel Cement between Aberthaw (South Wales) and the West Midlands, Blue Circle Industries between Westbury (Wiltshire) and Devon, and powdered slate between Delabole (Cornwall) and Tonbridge.

The Scottish Highlands are an ever-popular modelling subject, and Presflos could be found there in mixed trains on the Ballachulish branch (in conjunction with the aluminium smelter at Kinlochleven) as well as on the Kyle line in the 1970s, where a single wagon would be conveyed in passenger trains during oil rig construction at Loch Kishorn.

The nature of their work meant Presflos usually became filthy and often caked with whatever substance was in their charge – making them the perfect subjects for a spot of large-scale weathering!

Ellis Clark Trains are proud to announce that our eagerly anticipated Presflo wagons are now in stock!

An extremely exciting project and one we have been working on for some time now, this is also our first release solely under the Ellis Clark Trains brand.

This particular example represents a Plain Grey TOPs version, unlettered and numbered 'APCM8611'.

Features

• Super-fine detailing throughout
• Carefully researched and designed using original drawings and dimensions, cross-referenced with pictures of original and rebuilt wagons.
• Super-fine pipework, handles and small detailed parts in plastic and metal
• Die-cast chassis
• Sprung buffers
• 3-link couplings
• Sprung axle boxes
• Will run on Peco 2nd radius curves (1028mm)