The Definitive Guide To The Locomotives

14 November 2019 by

The Definitive Guide To The Locomotives You Need In Your Collection

Model railways have captivated the imagination of railway enthusiasts and modellers for over a century. They offer both a trip down memory lane but also into a whole new world. Unlike most collectibles, they are something you can actually interact with. Build elaborate, all encompassing landscapes for them and spend hours - or in some cases, decades - meticulously refining and recreating history before your very eyes. In this article, we took a look at our model locomotives and broke them down to this definitive list. Did your favourite make the cut?

  1. Class D11/2 4-4-0 6401 'James Fitzjames' LNER Black

The last of the D11 class of LNER locomotives, this elegant model evokes the picturesque terrain of the highlands of Scotland. The LNER might have been famous for its 'apple green' locomotives, but in reality most of its locomotives carried black liveries for most of their time.

Perfectly detailed and impeccably crafted, though it might not be your go-to when it comes to model locomotives, there is no denying it’s beauty and we absolutely love it.

  1. GWR, 6000 'King' Class, 4-6-0, 6023 King Edward II

One for ardent train enthusiasts, this picturesque model of a King class locomotive was promoted as “the most powerful passenger locomotives in the country”. Initially, it was painted in the early BR express passenger blue livery, rather than the later standard BR Brunswick Green livery currently carried by 6000 King George V and 6024 King Edward I.

A marvelous depiction of a truly iconic locomotive. It is nigh on impossible not to fall in love with the details. If you’re a serious collector, you can’t go wrong with these!

  1. ROBINSON CLASS J11 (GCR 9J) 5954 LNER PLAIN BLACK

Bachmann are to be particularly congratulated on both the look and design of this beautiful model. Known as the pom-poms, allegedly because the exhaust note mimicked the sharp bark of the Boer War gun of that name. This is a medium sized 0-6-0, the type of goods loco built in many thousands to various designs between all the different UK railway companies, which plodded around largely unremarked and earned a huge proportion of the railway’s revenue moving the UK’s freight traffic. Brilliantly rendered when compared to photos and measurement of the key dimensions show this to be the case

These were admired locos, perceived to be ‘strong’ in the language used at the time of their introduction and very much able to punch above their weight, to which the model definitely nails that workhorse appearance. Any steam layout needs an 0-6-0 or three, so here’s an ideal candidate.

We hope you love the models we recommend! Send us your thoughts and let us know exactly which ones you love that should be on any future lists.