Model Rail 287

[Dan Griffin]

The new issues dropped through my letter box yesterday and having had time to look through looks a good issue. the Layout Penmouth and model Lorry feature are particularly good. i do fear that the review of the Hornby Merchant Navy is going to make me part with more cash!

 

however i do find myself disagreeing with Chris' opinion on the Lion models, in his piece 'According to Chris'. this is always the first piece i read in the mag. 

 

Now i am not going to knock Chris, who is a member of this parish, as i have the upmost respect for him as a Gentleman and a modeller, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but to state that 'Hornby only need to make Lion couple to their L&MR stock' , i feel is short sighted, especially considering railway historians cast doubt on Lions authenticity as the actual loco from 1838. Would the existing Lion have worked with L&MR stock?

 

What about all the modellers, like myself, who have been waiting for a Lion for years, only to find it couples to one set of stock? The would cost sales, as no one would pay good money for a loco (ornament) that would not couple to their rolling stock, unless of course Hornby included 00 gauge rope to allow a coupling that would 'tow the queen Mary!"

Un-prototypical it maybe, but i would require a model of Lion to couple and haul a couple of MK1's or indeed a Loriot wagon and Toad.  

 

I have no doubt that both models, if they both go ahead, will be fine models of a great loco. I have Pre-ordered the Rapio pack as it offers more than Hornby. 

 

I just feel it should have been a bit more impartial, especially for a magazine that has such a large circulation, and that the parting line, 'perhaps leave lion to Hornby' has a slight unneeded sting against Rapio to it. 

[Hroth]

Regarding Lion, we'll just have to see what Hornby come up with.  It makes sense that they provide the coupling system that Rocket uses so it can couple with the coaches and wagons currently available for Rocket.  As has been well rehearsed, that stock is largely conjectural, built by the LMS.

 

Given that Lion is over 180 years old and that it played many roles in its lifetime, it's not surprising that its a bit of a bitsa, rather like what remains of Rocket.  Historians are happy to accept what remains of Rocket AS Rocket, so I've no problem with accepting that Lion as we see her now IS Lion. However, it was originally a "luggage" engine, so more mixed traffic than express, though that means it would be more likely to pull the rolling stock Hornby is currently producing, rather than Rocket.

 

Back to those couplings. Rainhill Rocket wasn't designed to have a universal coupling system and as the model is so small and light, there's no reason to infilct TL couplings on it.  However Lion has proper buffer beams, etc so there should be no problem with NEM sockets and TL couplings, perhaps organised in the same way as the Hornby Sentinel 4wDM. That has a NEM socket and a replaceable buffer beam segment, so something similar for Lion, allowing both TL and "Rocket" couplings might be an approach that Hornby could implement.

 

We'll just have to see!