This model dates from 1978 when it appeared in the Airfix catalogue. Airfix made only two versions of it and two further versions planned by Palitoy, after taking over the Airfix tooling, did not come to fruition. However, in Dapol's hands, the tools came to life again and six more versions were produced, including two limited editions, one of which was based on the Class 14xx that appeared in the film The Titfield Thunderbolt. The tooling passed on again in 1996, this time to Hornby who set about improving the performance of the model, which they did successfully. Since then, they have produced 15 versions of it and the latest one is in GWR green, with shirt button monograms, as No.4869.

Model Railway Express

Run by model railway enthusiasts, Modelfair is an online shop specialising in new, pre-owned and collectable model railways.  http://www.modelfair.com  for friendly and reliable service.

For Hornby and spares for Hornby, Electrotren, Lima (HO), Jouef and Rivarossi visit www.hornbyspares.co.uk

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