Hornby R3243 2-6-0 Class K1

[mick]

Over recent months I have cancelled a number of Hornby loco's that I have had on pre-order due to the implementation of Hornby's 'design clever' philosophy or whatever they called it. All of a sudden it seemed we were back to basic moulded on details which in my eyes were not what I wanted to see or to pay for, even if they were going to be available at more attractive prices. I had almost resigned myself to becoming a full-time modeller (yes...me!) rather than just a collector until the release of the Hornby K1 along with my interest in the railways of Scotland. I decided this was one engine that I really did want for my future plans and I'm so glad I managed to get hold of one.

I'll take some photos when the conditions are more suitable but my initial impressions are that this is one of the better models that Hornby have ever produced and it seems they have reverted back to meeting the demands of the present day modeller. The loco and tender come ready coupled and when placed on track there's barely a gap between them. There's also a proper smokebox door handle and not one of those horrid moulded things. I'm not sure how it runs because I haven't tested it yet but if it's anywhere near as good as it looks then it should be top dog. And one final word for now on the packaging. This is the first Hornby model I have purchased with the new style packaging which makes removing and replacing the loco from its box all the more easy. Highly recommended model.

[Riddles]

If they make 62005 it will be a "must have" for me, despite my interest being mainly London Midland Region. That loco is impressive on the mainline. Hornby never seem to produce models of preserved examples until they have made at least half a dozen other numbers. I guess they know they will be able to sell one more example when interest starts to wane. I don't have time to re-number one myself these days and my eye sight isn't as good as it was. Glad to read positive reports.