Hornby A4 R3012
The unique streamlining and long life of the LNER express Class A4s turned the design into an icon. Added to this, the setting of the new world steam locomotive speed record by Mallard and the class enjoys great popularity.
Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, the A4s were introduced in 1935 as the ultimate in sleekness and epitomised the world into which they were born. They were largely based on the Gresley A3s and were built in batches at Doncaster, the class eventually reached 35 in number. The first batch was built for the Silver Jubilee service and the locos have the word 'silver' in their names. Most of the rest were initially given the names of birds, but later extensive renaming took place to honour individuals and the five British Commonwealth dominions. While built as crack passenger express locomotives, in later years they were sometimes seen on freight trains. The last was withdrawn from service in 1966 and six of the class were preserved.
The Hornby model arrived in 1979 and was part of a drive to update their model railway system from toy to model. This was no doubt influenced by the emergence of the Airfix and Mainline railway systems in the mid 1970s. Such a popular class of locomotive could not be allowed to fall into their hands. It was a good move and has given Hornby an excellent return on their investment. An improved version of the model was tooled up in 1998 and a Live Steam model arrived in 2003. The following year the current super-detailed model was born and 28 versions of it have appeared so far. A total of 77 versions have been made of Hornby A4s since 1979 - proof, if it were needed, of their popularity! The current model is 60027 Merlin in BR late green livery. It has a single chimney and a corridor tender.