Specification

Hornby’s new Princess Royals will be available in a variety of guises, including the Dcc-fitted Era 3 (LMS crimson lake) No. 6212 Duchess of Kent (R3854X) and the Dcc-fitted Era 5 (BR Brunswick green) No. 46211 Queen Maud (R3855X) at £209.99 each. Also Dcc-fitted are Era 3 (LMS crimson lake) No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth (R3709X) and Era 4 (early BR blue) No. 46206 Princess Marie Louise at £204.99 each.

Dcc-ready examples available to pre-order at £189.99 each are R3709 Princess Elizabeth (LMS crimson lake), R3855 Queen Maud (BR Brunswick green), R3711 Princess Marie Louise (early BR blue), R3854 Duchess of Kent (LMS crimson lake) and R3713 No. 46207 Princess Arthur of Connaught (late crest BR maroon).

Measuring 300mm (12in) long, the new models are powered by a five-pole skew wound motor.

Overall, the all-new Princess Royal is a truly stunning locomotive – the team Hornby should be proud of what they’ve achieved with this gem. It will make a fine addition to layouts and display cabinets alike. It’s a must for all LMS fans!

remarkable high-speed slogging capability of the ‘Princess’, with much running in the high 80s, several bursts into the 90s and a maximum of 95mph on the up journey.

While there’s a world of difference between attempting a single momentary record speed and managing a locomotive at a very high average for over 400 miles at a stretch, it’s worth comparing Princess Elizabeth’s feat with that of the streamlined LNER Pacific No. 2509 Silver Link which had achieved a speed of 112mph on its very first public trip, and which during the first fortnight of the 1935-introduced ‘Silver Jubilee’ express between King’s Cross and Newcastle, covered 2323 miles each week at an average of 70.4mph, with a 3½-hour interval between each of its 232.3-mile daily runs.

With their huge boilers, 6ft 6in driving wheels and impressive 40,285lb tractive effort, the ‘Lizzies’ were built more for the demanding conditions of the West Coast Main Line (over which loads of 600 tons and up to 17 coaches were commonplace) than sheer top speed, but as well as showing that the west coast route was also capable of light six-hour Anglo-scottish expresses, Princess Elizabeth’s record run also paved the way for the LMS’S forthcoming ‘Coronation Scot’.

Just six months later, in June 1937, the streamlined Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6220 Coronation, heading a special press trip to herald the new service, just wrested the record from the LNER by touching 114mph near Crewe, but Mallard’s last laugh came the following summer, and with the war clouds that would devastate Britain’s railways once again already gathering, the age of steam speed records was at an end.

If Mallard hadn’t had to slow down for Essendine Junction, could it really have achieved 130mph as driver Duddington and inspector Jenkins believed, or was this just for the benefit of the press who’d gathered to report the story – and dare it even be suggested that a Stanier Pacific could ever have done the same? The short answer is that we’ll never know!

Fortunately, two ‘Princess Royal’ Pacifics remain in preservation. The Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society’s No. 6201/46201 Princess Elizabeth itself returned to main line duties in March last year, and the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s No. 6203/46203 Princess Margaret Rose is currently on static display in the West Shed at the Midland Railway – Butterley.

➜ To find out more about both, visit 6201.co.uk or www.prclt.co.uk

The level of cab detail is phenomenal. The gauges are picked out, complete with white background and tiny print; the regulator handle is highlighted in polished metal; copper and brass pipework is painted in the correct colours; and even the screw reverser has parts painted red and black. GARETH EVANS

A side-on view of the stunningly finished new Hornby model of No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth. GARETH EVANS The cab roof panels can be slid open, revealing the wealth of detail inside the footplate. Note also the separate safety valves. GARETH EVANS

No shortage of detail – including the wind shield between the cab windows; the concertina cab door, which is fixed in the folded position; the crisp printing of the paintwork; the trailing truck; the pipework beneath the cab; and the cab roof, which can be opened separately. GARETH EVANS Past and present side by side: Pete Kelly’s model of a previous generation of Hornby’s Princess Royal Pacific, No. 46208 Princess Helena Victoria alongside Hornby’s all-new model of No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth. GARETH EVANS Tender detail differences between a previous generation of Hornby Princess Royal Pacific (left) and Hornby’s all-new model (right). GARETH EVANS