How Many Hornby A4's Have You Got

[NZRedBaron]

As an LNER fan I must admit to my shame, I don't have any A4's in my collection; I would like one, to be sure, but the Garter Blue looks so.... played out to my eyes- what I'd really like, is one of the ones that wore the short-lived 'Apple Green' liveries.

[Dominion]

If you want an LNER green one, Hornby have done Woodcock and Osprey in the high spec loco drive versions. Dapol Black Label did Golden Eagle, as did Bachmann. Golden Age also did some though I have not seen their LNER green one in the flesh.
 

Woodcock was the original model I was thinking of to add the roller bearings to, but then realized its change from green to blue predated the addition of the roller bearings. 
 

Silver Link was the other A4 to pull one of the 3 Roller bearing fitted tenders prewar and my model of that is in the Silver and Grey livery, so by elimination 4492 Dominion of New Zealand was the only A4 I had in blue to try the modification on. It is a bit crude but it gives a reasonable impression. I can’t undo it as I filed the original axle box covers mostly flat, but I can turn the tender around if I decide I don’t like it :-) 

[Jenny Emily]

I have 17, though a handful are the newest tooled Bachmann version. Add to that two old Hornby Dublo models from my childhood in a display cabinet. 
 

All bar one are in BR livery, and I think I’m making it my mission to ultimately have all 34 that got BR livery. 
 

Hornby (and Bachmann) don’t make it easy, with some A4s having never appeared in modern tooled standards (when will they issue 60016 Silver King??) Others appeared very briefly and can be a pain to track down. 

[Bucoops]

Just the one, Mrs Wembley. 

 

Some limited edition Mallard - not a 70th or gold plated or great whatever.

[M.I.B]

One - Dublo Sir Nigel.   In the Pre WW2 Light Blue Box. 

 

Got a re-mag a few years ago and still runs strongly.

[DougN]

I seem to have gone rather nuts on A4's recently... I had only 3 for a long long time of the latest Hornby model all in LNER livery. Then I purchased the lovely Silverlink in the 80th guise... But for some unknown reason as of Christmas last year I thought I should buy a Commonwealth of Australia which needed attention which wasnt listed by Hattons... Then for some unknown reason I have had them breeding on a regular basis. Now Quick silver and Silver king turned up Cheap but needing replacement drawbars and a couple of other parts I sourced. I then did a excel spread sheet of LNER appropriate livery that Hornby has done over the years. With the result that I now have or are winging their way to me all of the following:

 

Sir Charles Newton (LNER Black)

Mallard (Blue)

Sir Nigel Gresley (Blue)

Silver Link (Silver) 

Silver King (Silver)

Quick silver (silver) 

Commonweath of Australia (Blue)

Gargannay (Blue)

Kingfisher (Blue)

Woodcock (Green)

 

Now should 10000 in Blue be included in this list... Yes I think so. 

 

So strictly I have 10 at the moment but result of all of the above is there isnt that many left to collect. 

Empire of India (not yet released) 

Dominion of Canada (Great gathering)  

Sir Murrough Wilson (black)

Herring Gull (blue)

Great Snipe (blue)

Osprey (green gloss) - not sure about this one in gloss?

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by DougN

[Johan DC]

Well, I'm cured for the moment, my addiction for Garther blue/Black/Silver is (temporarely) over.

Don't mention my revamped love for A1's....

 

My A4's started with a wartime black Sir M. Wilson, weathered by Rails (for £100).

Then came Sir Nigel Gresley himself, in the Hornby Centenary set.

Followed by Mallard and Dominion of Canada, both Great Goodbye locos, for about £130 each, new from a Dutch shop.

Got another set (Queen of Scots I think) with Garganey.

After all this blue, I got Silver Link, it runs, but blew a couple of decoders, so on non-active fot the time being.

My latest Garther blue machine is Kingfisher, thanks to Dominion of this parish for the heads up, also in a nice set.

10000 is there as well, not sure wich name it'll get. 

 

I do have Commonwealth of Australia on pre-order, I'll need a spare loco for when the Coronation gets here.

 

 

 

 

[PeterH]

I have 4. Mallard and SNG in 1980s mainline condition and Osprey and Silver King in LNER period.

Edited May 23, 2023 by PeterH

[GNR Dave]

Still waiting for Hornby to do the post WW II LNER livery of blue, without vallances, stainless steel lettering  and re-numbering from 1 to 34. Don't care which member of the family they pick. Then my collection of LNER A4s will be complete. 1 grey, 1 green, 1 black, 1 blue with gold/red/black lettering and 1 Coronation livery.  

[DougN]

GNR Dave... if you start looking into the variations watch out for the tenders as there was 3 types, Non corridor, 1928 Corridor (Ex A1/A3's)  and the streamlined. Hornby have done a pretty good job though they are still missing the Roller bearing versions (I think there were 2, one with SKF bearings and another).  

 

I don't disagree that some post war in LNER blue with either numbering would be nice... though avoid Mallard with the small 22's as it looked sorry in every photo I have seen in that form. 

[Pint of Adnams]

Still none, but that may change later this year with the arrival of the LNER Coronation coaching stock set...

[Covkid]

None and not intending to change that stance

[HExpressD]

11 hours ago, Covkid said:

None and not intending to change that stance

Thank you for your gripping and valuable input.

 

I have 2 anyway

[cessna152towser]

None.  My only A4 is an old Wrenn Mallard, re-named and re-numbered as 60009 Union of South Africa.

[Covkid]

15 hours ago, Covkid said:

None and not intending to change that stance

 

3 hours ago, HExpressD said:

Thank you for your gripping and valuable input.

 

I have 2 anyway

Absolutely no problem.  Well someone did ask !!

[Philip Jackson]

Currently Sir Nigel Gresley in LNER Blue and Mallard in British Railways Express Blue. I'd like to get one of the Silver ones and one in LNER green

[JonathonAG]

On 23/05/2023 at 08:47, GNR Dave said:

Still waiting for Hornby to do the post WW II LNER livery of blue, without vallances, stainless steel lettering  and re-numbering from 1 to 34. Don't care which member of the family they pick. Then my collection of LNER A4s will be complete. 1 grey, 1 green, 1 black, 1 blue with gold/red/black lettering and 1 Coronation livery.  

 

Funnily enough, a friend thought the same.  Luckily, through the well known second hand resource, a cheap super detailed BR Green No. 60022 was sent my way for modification and full repaint.

 

The only downside is how glaringly washed out the Hornby attempt at Garter Blue is when posted alongside last night after completing.

 

 

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

I’ve got three:-

Mallard in pre-war Garter Blue

Seagull to match

Mallard in BR green l/c

 

I really need another 33, all in LNER pre-war liveries. I think I may have a problem...

[Hilux5972]

I have the Dublo Great Gathering A4’s on order. Have previously owned the Silver Jubilee Quartet. And currently own the Grey A4-esque W1.

[Trevor Hammond]

Not enough!

[The Badger]

I've always loved the shape of the A4, and up to a few years ago I bought a lot of them. I tend to group them into 3 categories; the original release with tender drive and chunky valve gear (1), the 'halfway house' version with finer details but tender drive (2) and the modern SD version (3). That I can remember, I have these:

LNER Silver:
2509 Silver Link (3), 2510 Quicksilver (2), 2511 Silver King (2), 2512 Silver Fox (1)

LNER Garter Blue:
4483 Kingfisher (3), 4485 Kestrel (2), 4491 Commonwealth of Australia (3), 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley (3), 4462 Great Snipe (3), 4468 Mallard (2), 4500 Garganey (3), 4902 Seagull (1)

LNER Apple Green:
4493 Woodcock

LNER Wartime Black:
4466 Sir Ralph Wedgwood (2), 4901 Sir Charles Newton (3)

BR Blue:
60024 Kingfisher (3), 60022 Mallard (1)

BR Experimental 'Purple':
60027 Merlin (3), 60028 Walter K Whigham (1)

BR Green:

60003 Andrew K McCosh (3), 60014 Silver Link (2), 60025 Falcon (3), 60010 Dominion of Canada (1), 60030 Golden Fleece (2), 60031 Golden Plover (1), 60019 Bittern [Double Tender] (3), 60020 Guillemot (3), 60021 Wild Swan (3)
 

[Ian Hargrave]

From No.7 + set,Xmas 1950 ( Selfridges,Oxford St. ) to Dublo BR Green 60007 this morning,yes I’ve had a few.

The latest being the best yet…IMHO.

 

[ColinB]

Unfortunately 41, I converted a lot of my ringfield driven ones to loco driven plus I like building them from bits.

[DougN]

Well the other night i had all the A4s out so lined them all up for a photo or 3 this one is the top view. 10000 is at the top of the shot with the orginal tender and coping around the tankfiller. I wouldn't mind seeing that on one of the silver 4 as fresh out of the works 

 

Finding a few strange goings on between my phone and attaching photos.. most appear to go upside down?

Any how heres some i like!

 

[Ravenser]

None. But then I don't own any Pacifics or even any 4-6-0s.

 

I don't have anything remotely like enough space to run big steam engines in anything even vaguely like a sensible manner. 

 

None of which is a reason why you shouldn't model the ECML. But it may be an explanation of why you can't..

Big Pacifics always were and will be "glamour" locos with a profile and a following way in excess of their numercial strength (Not that there aren't an awful lot of Bulleid Pacifics around.)

 

My only comment is that strictly , prototypically, you need at least two A3s for every A4 . Now that's a comment that really might get me stoned...