The latest arrivals from Hornby

New A4 No. 4491 Commonwealth of Australia

One of the latest models to arrive at Margate is this magnificent new A4, joining the other hugely popular models in the range.

This is the latest manifestation of this popular model, representing one of the five A4s built in 1937 for hauling the ‘Coronation’ streamlined train on the ECML from London to Edinburgh. They were all named after countries in the British Empire at the time.

It’s not quite in as-built condition, for the tender top’s fairings have been cut back, making it suitable for the 1938-’39 period (during the War, the A4s were painted plain black). Performance and finish are exemplary, as you would expect.

Available to order now, priced at £217.99, in DCC Ready guise (21-pin), the OO LNER A4 Class range continues to sell well for Hornby.

The Beatles: The Liverpool Connection train pack

A great addition to the Hornby Beatles collection, this latest train pack enables those Beatles fans to take their modelling further.

Aimed at the collectors’ market (described as a ‘Detailed scale model. Not suitable for children under 14 years’), this is an attractive set celebrating the EP collection of ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘The Beatles’ Hits’. The livery/printing application is first-class, though a ‘detailed scale model’ it certainly isn’t. It’s a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, and is sure to be popular among those who collect Hornby items and Beatles’ memorabilia.

The pack contains a Beatles-liveried 0-4-0T locomotive and matching long wheelbase vans in OO gauge and costs £119.99.

New addition to Hornby BR Standard 2MT range

It represents one of a batch of Standard 2MT 2-6-0s built in 1955 for service on the Scottish Region of BR. For a time, it operated over the ex-Great North of Scotland routes in Aberdeenshire, allocated to Keith shed – hence the provision of a snowplough. Sadly, it only had a service life of a decade – a quarter of what might be expected from a steam locomotive.

All the extra parts have been fitted, including the snowplough. However, fitting the snowplough (which just clips into the NEM pocket on the pony truck) means that the locomotive will not negotiate any curve under a 4ft radius. The livery application is exquisite, and the performance is exemplary. You can see this model in action, and the A4 on World of Railways.

Priced at £228.99 and available to order now, the 2MT has already proved a successful model for Hornby and is likely to sell out quickly.

New Hornby Railroad Plus Class 31 No.97203

This is the most recent release of this ex-Lima tooling (though with a much-improved mechanism). It represents a Class 31 in the employ of the British Rail Railway Technical Centre Derby, renumbered into the 97XXX series.

The livery is described as ‘enhanced’, and it’s certainly beautifully applied. Performance is excellent, and there are spare traction tyres supplied. Priced at £96.99, the new locomotive is available to order now.

The Railroad brand plays an important part in encouraging new modellers to the hobby and the new Railroad Plus range is seen as a stepping stone to the Hornby main range.