◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL R3986 Hornby BR Class 9F 2‐10‐0, No. 92167, BR black ◆ PRICE £252.99 ◆ AVAILABILITY Hornby stockists Web www.hornby.com

Imust admit to being thrilled when Hornby announced its plans to produce an all-new ‘OO’ Class 9F 2‐10‐0, as these locomotives must rank among the most impressive types to operate in the UK. Their real-life careers may have been short, but their place in railway history is assured by virtue of being the final steam locomotives built for British Railways.

Hornby has had a ‘9F’ in its range for as long as I can remember and, although the last version was good, customer demand for greater detail and technical specification has led the

Margate team to deliver this latest model, which has been redesigned from the wheels up.

Initially, three versions have been produced, unsurprisingly with No. 92220 Evening Star (R3988) being the most eye-catch-ing, with locomotive and BR1G tender presented in lined BR green livery. A more sober pairing – and more representative of the class as a whole – is No. 92194 in BR black with early crests and joined to a BR1F tender (R3987), plus No. 92167 sporting later BR crests and trailing a BR1K tender (R3986).

The latter version forms our review model, which is noteworthy for featuring a mechanical stoker. Before we look at the model in detail, it’s worth dwelling on the packaging, which is a marked improvement on previous Hornby boxes. The artwork is excellent, with antique-style scale drawings on the side of the lift-off box lid, which reveals a foam-lined inner carton, into which the plastic retaining sleeve is securely seated. The whole package oozes class – well done Hornby!