Hornby have today announced some new locomotives to their range due within the next six months. The only addition for SR modellers is a Drummond M7. The Hornby M7 tooling dates back to 2006 but still holds up as a good model.
The notable thing about this addition to the range is the tooling combination being one of the ten second series short frame locos introduced in 1900, with the front sandboxes below footplate (originally located in the smokebox!) rather than the majority of the class that had the sandboxes above footplate forward of the front splasher.
Hornby have only produced one previous version with this tooling combination, being R2503 as 357 in SR Maunsell green post 1931 livery as part of the original batch of four releases in 2006.
The newly announced model is as follows:
- R30418 SR M7 E318 in SR Maunsell lined olive green livery with ‘E’ prefix. Short frame, front sandboxes below running plate, open coal rails and original smokebox door style without dog clamped as running between 17/11/1924 and 14/2/1927 and allocated to Guildford shed. Due February 2026.
Also being released, that might be of interest, due this December is R30016 Hornby 88DS 0-4-0 Diesel number 1139 – British Gas Southern “Hilsea” which spent its life from 1961 to the early 1980s with British Gas (Southern), Hilsea gas works, near Portsmouth, where it carried fleet No. 1139. It was used at Hilsea for shunting rail tanks of naphtha brought in from Esso Fawley, 500 tons at a time in 20 rail tank loads. Hilsea was used to separate the rail tanks for unloading into special tanks. It is now preserved at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.
The entire Hornby 2025 range can be viewed and ordered from Kernow Model Centre here.
Rather pleasent announcement!