SPEED IS THE FOCUS for Hornby’s diesel and electric plans in 2020 with all-new ‘OO’ gauge models of British Rail’s Advanced Passenger Train and BR Class 91 Bo-Bo electric locomotives planned.
BR’s Prototype Advanced Passenger Train (APT-P) was developed and built in the late 1970s for use on the electrified West Coast Main Line. Designated Class 370, it was intended to cut journey times between London and Glasgow in the 1980s by utilising tilting technology at high speed.
Hornby’s new ‘OO’ gauge model features all-new tooling developed in-house with a prototypical seven-car pack as 370001/370002 and twin Non-Driving Motor (NDM) vehicles at the centre (R3874) and a five-car pack as 370003/370004 with a single NDM (R3873). Hornby’s new APT-P will feature prototypical tilt and additional vehicle packs will be available to create longer formations. An extra NDM vehicle Sc49004 (R3948) together with an APT-U development vehicle 977527 - ex-TS Sc48204 – (R4970) will also be available. Prices are set at £484.99 for the seven-car pack, £394.99 for the five-car pack, £89.99 for the two-car add-on packs and £39.99 for single vehicles. Delivery is currently planned for December 2020.
Keeping with the high-speed theme, Hornby is adding a newlytooled ‘OO’ gauge BR Class 91 Bo-Bo electric locomotive to its fleet with four models planned initially. Introduced in 1989 following electrification of the East Coast Main Line, they have spent 30 years in front-line passenger service and are currently being replaced by Hitachi Class 800/801 Azuma InterCity Express Trains.
Models planned include 91002 Durham Cathedral in InterCity ‘Swallow’ livery (R3890), 91117 Cancer Research UK in GNER blue (R3893), 91111 For the Fallen with VTEC’s distinctive commemorative artwork (R3892) and 91118 in current LNER colours (R3891). Priced at £169.99 each, delivery is expected during December 2020.
For something a little different, Hornby’s ‘OO’ gauge Eurostar will feature promotional artwork applied to set 3005/3006 in 1999 to promote The Beatles’ remastered Yellow Submarine movie and album. Each of the 18 vehicles displayed different animated artwork and while Hornby doesn’t have all vehicle types in its suite of tooling, the manufacturer has come up with a compromise to enable 12 of the 18 images to be displayed by printing different illustrations on each side of the four-car pack (R3829) and the add-on twin-pack of extra saloons (R40001). A four-car train set will also be available (R1253M).
Further high-speed highlights in the 2020 range include a series of High Speed Train (HST) power cars including a set to commemorate the pair utilised on the final GWR HST service to depart Paddington in May 2019.
Also added to the range is a new LNER Class 800/1 five-car set as 800104 in its Celebrating Scotland variation of the new Azuma livery, while the Class 390 Pendolino makes a welcome return as 390001 in new West Coast Main Line operator Avanti West Coast’s colour scheme.
New diesel/electric locomotive additions include classes 08, 31, 50, 60 and a cavalcade of Class 66s (see Table 2 for more details) and more.
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