The Key Publishing limited edition model of 40145 in large logo blue prompted DAVID DOLMAN to take an already good model and make it even better.
As a youngster spotting in the West Midlands in the early 1980s, I’d occassionally manage to see a Class 40 out and about, or catch one on shed at my regular jaunts to the likes of Bescot and Saltley depots. These big English Electric machines have such a presence, and the sound of them - especially when hard at work - is something to behold.
When I first got into modelling, the only option if you wanted a Class 40 was to get a Lima model, accept the odd proportions and then add a lot of detail. Other than that there was a model from French company Jouef, but that had a poor mechanism. Hornby took over the original Lima tooling but didn’t upgrade it. Instead it reintroduced it under the RailRoad range offering different/better levels of finish and a far better drive system.
Above: Key Publishing’s limited edition Class 40 40145 East Lancashire Railway in its striking BR large logo colour scheme shows the effects of subtle weathering and detailing.
Bachmann released its first version of the Class 40 in 2003. It had a few dimensional errors here and there and some of the detail was a bi…
