The standard shot of the locomotive, when it first arrived on the line in January 2011. Already amazing detail can be seen, from the crisp paintwork to the external handrails and leaf-springs found on and around the locomotive.

The nameplate and builder's plates are a tad unrealistic in this instance, but the rest of the locomotive pulls together so well you hardly notice. The plates below are actually legible, which is astounding. The outside driving rods are a nice addition and it's good to see that Bachmann made it work - my only fault now is that I have to keep this in mind when rebuilding the line - City of Truro is the widest engine on the line and must be accomodated as such.

The cabside features the numberplate (see previous annotations) as well as the cab step detail. The firebox is crisp and clean. An interesting feature is the cab footplate extension, which actually raises and lowers. This is great for realism.

The tender features a load of detail on the sides, including the GWR's crest which has been rendered perfectly, as well as the detail on the lower section. The lines are crisp and clean, and the overall detail is better than Hornby's representation of the same style of tender used on the Dean Singles. Interestingly enough, the tender is permanently attatched to the locomotive for two reasons: the first being that the DCC plug is located in the tender, and the other being that electrical current is drawn through the tender wheels for the first time in Bachmann's history - long a mainstay on Hornby models.

Inside the tender we find the coal load, and I have to say - the load looks bad because of the photograph quality, and not because the coal is depicted badly. This tender load really is as good as Hornby's when viewed in reality, and is decent indeed.

The cab features a number of levers and gauges faithfully depicted from the real locomotive, including a few external fittings like the drawbar and the reverser. The detail is not as good as other high-quality models out there, but it's not bad by any means. The only real flaw in the cab has to come from the size - so as the real No.3440's cab is small, so is this cab. This is not good as it is quite cramped for crew, but is good in the real depiction of this cab.

The front of the locomotive is exactly as it should be - plain, clean, and uncluttered. We see the smokebox door with lining out and some extra-detail bits fitted for the handles, as well as lamp irons and such fitted. One flaw in the design of the locomotive is in the extra-detail bits supplied in the baggie - the brake hose and chain coupler do not fit on the front if the hook-and-loop coupler is fitted as well.

Opening up the smokebox door...

...and using flash photography, we are able to see that Bachmann has added a smokebox interior for the first time in history. I tend to agree that this does look a bit generic for this engine, but it does look very nice, with some detail being utilized. Hopefully, this sort of interior will carry over to the other models in Bachmann's lineup.

More shots of the locomotive as it is. A real gem.

City of Truro is lined up with the Collett stock for her first run - but there are problems cabside with getting enough pressure up. Which engine will be able to assist?

Of course, I am fully aware that I will be crucified by both the Eastern and Western modellers for putting this pairing together, but I love both of these engines and they look alright together - both in Brunswick Green, with proper lining out... and it must be said that both engines are grand representatives of their respective regions.