The Power of Attraction
The Power of Attraction
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Engine Shed. This month’s bumper edition features a final look at the eagerly awaited Rocket Royal Mail Train pack, a decorated sample of the new BR Class 9F, the Class 43 Jubilee pack and information about our newly engineered magnetic couplings.
Rocketing into Margate
There is always excitement when samples arrive at our head office whether these are decoration samples, tooling samples or final samples and the day that the final sample of the Rocket Royal Mail pack arrived at Margate was no different.
We think that you will agree, it looks fantastic.
This pack features unique box art in line with our previous Rocket offerings, as well as an extra figure bringing the count to three, the driver, fireman and the guard on the rear of the Mail coach. Below is a side-on view of the CAD for the Royal Mail coach itself.
And here is the coach as decorated from the Hornby art system.
Rolling with the Rocket
The Royal Mail pack is not the only Rocket themed release in 2022, with a selection of Era 1 rolling stock being made available this year. At present, the only available pack is the flatbed wagon pack, the sheep, coal and horse wagons will follow soon. These wagons approximate the rolling stock that would have been used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, based on mid-twentieth-century replicas of original rolling stock based on lithographs of the originals. These units are as accurate as can be based on research conducted at the NRM, with the only source material in existence.
These packs will allow any modeller to expand their era 1 freight sets, something previously unavailable in the Hornby range with only passenger stock produced. It would not be uncommon for both passenger stock and freight stock to be used in the same trains during the early pioneering days of the railways.
BR Class 9F
R3987 BR, 9F Class, 2-10-0, 92194 - Era 5
A decorated sample of our new 9F has arrived at the office and we were truly amazed. Both Evening Star and the un-named examples look fantastic and models befitting the status of the legendary 9F.
This locomotive is fitted with a flickering firebox which accentuates the excellent level of detail inside the cab.
R3988 BR, 9F Class, 2-10-0, 92220 'Evening Star' - Era 5
The 9F has had a place in the Hornby range for the best part of 50 years, with Evening Star being the most produced example of the lot for reasons that probably do not require explaining.
Final comments will be sent off to the factory with any minor changes required being made, and then the big red button will be pushed and the models will be well on their way to arriving with us before the end of the year.
The tension of a train
Since inception ‘00’ gauge models have relied on a variation of the tension lock coupling a simple yet very effective solution for joining models together to make trains. The earliest iterations of these from Tri-ang had the same simple form, a metal hook and a D shaped loop which allowed the hook to connect behind it. While these worked well, they were not perfect and a revision to the design gave the hooks a small notch to allow a better connection and more material was added to the stem that was attached to the hook ensuring that it always fell when raised over another coupling.
While this was a suitable solution for many years, refinement in the production process has allowed for more realistic models to be created and, after several years of this, the gap between wagons and coaches caused by the old tension lock couplings began to resemble gaping chasms.
To combat this, interchangeable NEM couplings and moving connections on coaches keep stock close on straight track and then allows suitable room on curves by expanding slightly.
Now, in 2022, we have refined this further, by modifying how the coupling connects and looks in order to increase its realism. Instead of the tension lock, the couplings now feature strong neodymium magnets that hold trains together. Several styles of this coupling have been designed depending on use.
This is the first of this new type of coupling and was designed for use with older coaching stock, hence its resemblance to pipes as opposed to something that represents a knuckle coupling.
The first appearance of these magnetic couplings was recently included in the latest release of Maunsell stock. The couplings were included with these coaches alongside standard NEM couplings and were unannounced, a surprise that has been well received by many.
The Jubilee 43
R30215 HM Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee HST Train Pack
In the last edition, we covered the incredibly well-received model of the Severn Valley Railway’s repainted ‘Taw Valley’, number 70 ‘Elizabeth II’. In another celebration of Her Majesty’s achievement, we have applied a fictional livery to a set of Class 43 units and complimentary Mark 3 Coaches.
These models are supplied with re-purposed destination boards commemorating the Platinum Jubilee on top of a striking double silver and blue livery. Each coach number follows the same format, ER0052 through to ER0022, standing of course for Elizabeth Regina followed by the year of her Coronation and each Jubilee that followed. The locomotive numbers also adhere to this pattern, 43052 and 43022.
We are certain that these models will be a popular addition to any modeller’s collection and a perfect way to remember the 70th Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Discover the full collection here.
Coming Soon
R60086 Hornby Railways 50th Anniversary Wagon, 1972 - 2022
Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hornby Railways with this aptly liveried wagon in the iconic Hornby red and yellow. Perfect for any collectors or enthusiasts including those who can relate back to Hornby Railways when it was first introduced.
R60170 Lowmac with Coca-Cola Bottle
If you’re after something slightly different for your layout with a fizzy twist then look no further because nothing gets fizzier than this! If you already own one of the Hornby Coca-Cola train sets or any of the individual Coca-Cola models then this would make a perfect addition to the red collection.
We have two new 20T Brake Vans heading into the warehouse and onto your layouts soon! Featured in two very different liveries in LMS and BR, these vans are set to look great on any era 2/era 7 based layouts.
Message from Montana
Hornby Jubilee Takeover
Welcome to the Hornby Jubilee Takeover – a week dedicated to all things Jubilee! Following the exciting product announcement of our Jubilee HST and Mk3 coaches, we still have plenty more to come!
Episode two of our new podcast, Beyond the Buffers will be going live tomorrow. Listen in as Simon Kohler talks about the royal history of Hornby and Development Manager Carl shares details about the development of the Jubilee HST and the modifications to the HST models overall. Tune in tomorrow at 7pm by heading over to our Spotify channel or you can watch the action via our official Hornby YouTube channel.
We also have a new episode of Signal Box going live later this week featuring footage from a recent visit to the Severn Valley Railway and of course the purple icon that is Elizabeth II.
The excitement doesn’t stop there though – head over to our Jubilee Takeover webpage where you can access a Jubilee activity pack, our new desktop calendar, our Platinum Jubilee and Best of British Collections and lots more!
Kidicraft x Hornby
From one hobby to another...We are pleased to share that we are working with Kidicraft in the production of one of their brand new exhilarating ranges featuring the classic and heritage brands of Hornby, Airfix and Corgi. Kidicraft supply high-quality products in the toy and gift sector including puzzles, bookmarks and notebooks which are produced to suit all ages.
The initial ranges will comprise of twenty-eight 1000pc jigsaw puzzles across the Hornby, Airfix and Corgi brands, with stock being available from August 2022. There is something for beginners, collectors, and enthusiasts alike and all details can be found here. The Hornby puzzles will be available to order via Horby.com very soon!
Collector Club – 20% Jubilee Discount!
As part of our Jubilee celebrations, Collector Club members will automatically receive a 20% discount off any in-stock products ordered via Hornby.com until 11.59 BST on 5th June. To take advantage simply place your orders before then or sign up to the Collector Club before the time is up! The usual 10% discount remains for all products on pre-order. Browse the Hornby range here or click here to sign up to the Club for instant access to a whole host of benefits!
Father’s Day is on the way
With Father’s Day just around the corner we will soon be sharing our top gifts for the special occasion as well as ideas and suggestions for Dads who are new to the hobby, are existing enthusiasts, collectors and so on. We will also be launching a special Father’s Day competition and project so stay tuned as all of this is to come!
We appreciate that such occasions can often be difficult for many and the last thing we want to do is offend or upset anyone so please dismiss any future Father’s Day communications should you prefer not to see them – thank you.
And with that, we reach the end of the line for this bumper edition of Engine Shed I hope you have enjoyed it. Keen followers of Hornby on social media may have seen that I have been on a trip away recently to the Great Central Railway and their Diesel Gala. It was a wonderful weekend, with a good selection of traffic in stock, although this sadly did not include my favourite class, the 55 Deltic which was out of action on the Saturday and Sunday that I visited. Hopefully, my next trip away will not be too long into the future.
If you would like Engine Shed to cover a specific subject in a future blog or if you have any images of your locomotives and coaching stock in action, maybe you have a suggestion for a particular model that you think we should produce in the future, please do let us know. We are always keen to receive all feedback.
Be sure to follow Hornby on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to be kept up to date on all the latest news and product updates. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Hornby YouTube channel too!
Happy Modelling!
The Engine Shed Team
Return to Engine Shed homepage
© Hornby Hobbies Ltd. All rights reserved.
Related Products
Further Reading
