◆GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆MODEL Hornby ‐Dublo R30263 BR ‘A4’ 4 ‐ 6‐2 No. 60009 Union of South Africa, The Great Gathering 10th Anniversary Collection
◆PRICE £320.99 ◆AVAILABILITY Hornby stockists Web www.hornby.com
Many readers will recall The Great Gathering of 2013, the once ‐i n‐a-lifetime reunion of all six remaining Gresley ‘A4s’ at the National Railway Museum, orchestrated to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Mallard breaking the world speed record for steam traction.
As well as the four preserved ‘A4s’ residing in Britain – Mallard, Sir Nigel Gresley, Union of South Africa and Bittern – The Great Gathering also saw Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada temporarily repatriated from North America.
To mark the 10th anniversary of this landmark event, Hornby announced a commemorative set of ‘A4s’ under the Hornby ‐Dublo banner, presented in special packaging, depicting all six of the preserved locomotives as they appeared in 2013. Produced in association with the National Railway Museum, each version is limited to 510 pieces.
SPECIAL PACKAGE
Hornby kindly supplied a sample of No. 60009 Union of South Africa for review, presented in BR lined green livery, complete with the South African coat of arms applied to the cab sides. ‘No. 9’ was main line registered in 2013, so the model duly reflects this, with modern overhead line warning flashes applied to the locomotive and tender.
The packaging is worthy of note, with the model packed snugly within a foam-lined card box with leatherette-style covering, embossed in gold with The Great Gathering logo. All this slips inside a card outer sleeve, carrying the retro Hornby ‐Dublo branding. Along with the model, the box also contains a numbered certificate.
Relaunched in 2020, models in the Hornby ‐Dublo range are based on Hornby’s existing steam locomotive tooling, enhanced by the addition of a die ‐cast metal bodyshell and a higher level of finish. This model certainly packs some ‘wow’ factor, as the overall build quality and paintwork are superb.