The first Princess Royal Decoration Sample, new Class 66s and Mid-Year Terriers!
It is time for another edition of The Engine Shed – your latest update from the Hornby Development team.
In this edition we have some news of the Princess Royal as the first decorated samples have arrived and we have included some striking images of the model On show at the recent Warley Exhibition, we were also able to get our hands on the Decoration Sample and have several photos of ‘Princess Elizabeth’.
In line with our first look at the decoration sample we also have the full write up on the project having spoken to both the lead designer and researcher. We will also take a look back on one of the larger projects of the 2019 range.
Breaking with tradition there was news at Warley of five 2020 liveries of the popular Class 66 announced and we have the details for those of you who missed the notice on the Hornby stand.
Of course, it would not be an update from the Hornby Development team without all the latest samples. Fans of the Terrier will be pleased to see featured this month the two Mid-Year additions included with the decoration samples for both ‘Leadenhall’ and ‘Cowes’.
There is also the last look at the One:One Collection, ‘Bittern’ and Black 5 together with the R3813 Class 395, ‘Hornby Visitor Centre’.
Princess Royal
We last discussed the Princess Royal project in August when we featured the first tooling samples ahead of our Visitor Centre Open Weekend. Things have progressed since then and we recently received the first decoration sample just ahead of the Warley Exhibition held last weekend.
The sample of R3709, ‘Princess Elizabeth’ certainly drew a fair amount of attention at ‘Warley’.
With the first look at what modellers can expect from this exciting project, we wanted to take the opportunity, as we have done throughout the year, to look at the development journey in a little more detail before showing you the latest images.
We have found that nothing truly brings home the work the team do like taking you through each step and pointing out key elements of the design. We hope these articles also give you a deeper understanding of just what goes into creating a Hornby model.
For the designer, the Princess Royal project began towards the end of March 2018, with the initial design work concluding during August. Clocking up around 570 hours of design time, the Princess Royal was not a quick project needing a great deal of time and careful attention from the designer.
To help arrange a research trip, the team also contacted the Locomotive 6201 Princess Elizabeth Society who were a great help, especially Clive Majonnier the Society Chairman. Through the Locomotive 6201 Princess Elizabeth Society we had a visit to the West Shed on the Midland Railway, owned by the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust who kindly arranged for 6201 Princess Elizabeth to be shunted out so we could obtain the correct dimensions.
With some particularly interested bystanders nearby, both the designer and researcher took a whole host of reference photographs. In conjunction with drawings and other reference material, the designer had plenty of information with which to carry out his work.
Perhaps most noticeable about the Princess Royal project is the sheer number of small alterations and variations that have been accounted for between the individual models. With three included in the 2019 range, both large and small differences have been captured on the Hornby models leaving the modeller to try and see what they are.
With variations such as the axle box, rear pony truck, firebox, reversing levers, lubricator box and valve gear, not to mention a whole host of changes on the tender, you will no doubt be impressed with the level of attention to detail that has gone into producing these models.
Each variation would invariably mean subsequent changes to other parts of the design to ensure the whole model would be accurate. As can be imagined, this involved hours and hours of work for the designer, creating each component as required. However, the finished article will certainly speak for itself not to mention those modellers who obtain one.
An interesting feature on the Princess Royal is the inclusion of a flickering firebox which is a detail not previously announced. As we have pointed out in the past, the team are constantly pushing the boundaries on just what is possible with the flickering firebox being a first for us. Of course we have had firebox glows before in certain of our models going back many years but never one that flickers.
Offering crisp, realistic LED lighting, the flickering firebox involved an incredible amount of work from the team, getting it just right which required some incredibly fine manufacturing tolerances. At its closest point, the LED is just 0.2mm away from its plastic housing and with its carefully placed location, it is hardly visible yet emits that tell-tale flickering glow.
We will have further news on this special feature in the coming weeks.
Having covered the main areas of this exciting project the following are images taken of the first decoration sample for R3709 ‘Princess Elizabeth’. Please remember that as a sample this is not the finished article and the team are still working on the detail and correcting some of the inconsistencies of the model.
We hope to have the other two Princess Royal models, R3711 ‘Princess Marie Louise’ and R3713 ‘Princess Arthur of Connaught’ soon and we will include them whenever possible.
The models are on schedule to be released early in 2020.
Warley Model Railway Exhibition & Class 66s
Last weekend’s Warley Exhibition was a massive success and saw manufacturers and retailers alike converge on the NEC in Birmingham for another exciting show. On the Hornby stand we had an array of models and samples, as well as a very special notice. We revealed five new Class 66 locomotives that would be available next year, with full details to follow in January’s Range Launch.
The five locomotives and their liveries can be seen below and more information will be available soon.
The show itself was hugely enjoyable and the whole team would like to thank everyone who stopped by. The mix of modellers, collectors and families was truly refreshing and the hobby must be in good standing for such a turnout year after year.
Terriers 'Cowes' and 'Leadenhall'
Announced back in June during our Mid-Year Announcements, both R3812, ‘Cowes’ and R3811, ‘Leadenhall’ followed after the successful inclusion of the popular Terrier in the 2019 Range. Due for release early next year, both of these decoration samples are the first true look at what you can expect.
One:One Collection
With the office just next door to the stunning One:One Collection, it is incredible to see our 00 gauge models of those locomotives rapidly approach their release. Having had a starring role during our Open Weekend, to now being able to show the last samples before both models arrive feels strangely exciting.
We have photographed both ‘Bittern’ and the Black 5 in the Locomotive Storage warehouse over the last few months and now the models will soon be released.
These images offer you the last look of R3771, A4 Class ‘Bittern’ and R3805, Black 5 before their release.
R3813 Class 395 'Hornby Visitor Centre'
Another memorable event we attended this year, offering an incredible modelling opportunity, was the Ramsgate Engineering Depot Open Day back in June. With the ‘Hornby Visitor Centre’ gracing the sides of the actual Class 395 train, Hornby announced a model carrying the same name and development has been ongoing since then.
Having recently received the approval sample we can now share it with you.
That wraps up another edition of the Engine Shed. With just one more edition left for 2019 we can now begin looking ahead to our 2020 Range Launch. Hopefully you are just as excited as we are, especially as next year poses a big milestone for Hornby as a whole.
We would definitely recommend that you make sure you check back with the Hornby website throughout December as we will have something new for you each day in our online Advent Calendar and considered by many to be a Hornby Christmas tradition.
If you have any feedback from this month’s blog please do pass your comments on either on Facebook, Twitter or on our Official Forum.
We will be seeing you again in a few weeks for our Christmas edition and the last before we begin officially celebrating 100 years of Hornby.
Happy Modelling!
The Engine Shed team
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