TIM SHACKLETON sees a much-loved Lima model thriving under the Hornby banner – and shows how to make it even better with simple additions and weathering.
For three decades now the Class 59s - and their ‘OO’ gauge equivalents - have brought a welcome splash of colour to our railways. Here we see them in their current liveries. While the Lima/Hornby model is often looked on as a second-division product, it takes only a little effort to create a good-looking, hard-working locomotive that will be at home on any layout.
I’VE been on the ‘59’ trail from the very start - big locomotives hauling massive trains through attractive landscapes are very much part of my agenda. For a good decade and a half my family would spend at least one holiday a year at a cottage in rural Somerset, and most days would embrace trips out to Berkeley, Frome or Witham Friary to see some hardcore ‘59’ action.
In the mid-90s I can remember the excitement of seeing the newly delivered National Power Class 59/2s on acceptance trials at Ferrybridge, and many years later I had the thrill of flying in a helicopter over Whatley and Merehead and being astonished by the near-unimaginable scope of the Mendip quarrying operations.
In the meantime, I’ve bought every rea…
