Hornby P2

[Dick Turpin]

Well Hornby has decided to do what so many have long said would be unlikely and produce a P2 – 2001 Cock o’ the North no less. Not only that but in two detail and price ranges though I realize some areas of this have proven controversial. However, it would be a rare LNER enthusiast that said he wasn’t excited by the news, and I personally feel very positive about the news and what it means for the future of modelling the LNER in its glory days.

It has been said elsewhere that it might be good to have a dedicated P2 thread to concentrate the various discussions on the subject, particularly once we begin to see some developmental evidence and discussion warms up. I also find it very interesting to hear from those who do not model the LNER but are considering buying one for whatever reason, the numbers of whom will increase I predict as the model nears release date and beyond.

We should be experiencing some fevered P2 excitement this time next year and I hope it will be all extremely positive, but until then it’s time to dig out the Yeadon’s and other material, pour a nice glass of single malt and contemplate the future. Merry Christmas to all readers and contributors to this thread.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Dick Turpin

[forest2807]

A little of my old man's passion for all things LNER and Gresley seems to have been passed down to me despite my overwhelming preference for the corporate blue era - I'll definitely be buying one of these majestic locos! Very excited! (But not as excited as my Dad....)

Edited December 22, 2012 by forest2807

[Grasslands]

My pre-order is in. Really looking forward to this one. Was there only ever one livery carried by this version?

[paul2001]

Pre ordered mine from the Liverpool emporium. Good excuse not to finish the Pro scale one I've got tucked away somewhere. Personally I'm really excited about this bold move by Hornby. I don't see how "design clever" can muck this one up to much unless they try to mould the ACFI piping!

[sulzer27jd]

Before my time period, but I will be unable to resist this. Might even adventure as far as using some of the railroad version for other liveries, BR Blue and Green, would have looked great.

[Grasslands]

Before my time period, but I will be unable to resist this. Might even adventure as far as using some of the railroad version for other liveries, BR Blue and Green, would have looked great.

 

Now, there's an idea! BR Experimental Purple

[bluex5]

I'm tempted to do a BR Green late crest using a railroad one as well! Pure "what the hell" purchase but we all need the odd one of those...

[Dick Turpin]

I don't see how "design clever" can muck this one up

 

No, let's all hope it won't. We don't want this to end up being dubbed "Cock-up o' the North"!

 

Just the one livery I'm afraid. Still, when the finished full sized replica materialises, the A1 trust can experiment a bit, experimental blue might have suited it.

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

As an LNER enthusiast, with a particular interest in the East Coast Main Line in the 1930s, I'm tremendously excited by the P2. I know it only made occasional appearances running out of King's Cross, but it'll add variety to the passenger trains I plan to run - when I get round to actually building a layout...

[sulzer27jd]

My father-in-law fired regularly on the P2's and had a great respect for them and their pulling power. There was one of them though which didn't raise steam as well as the others. Apparently a fault in a casting, that only became apparent when it was stripped down for major works. Being an LNER man out of Dundee Tay Bridge he sang the praises of the Peppercorn A2's and the Gresley V2's, but he claimed the P2's were the finest machines ever built.

 

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it in model form and hope Hornby go on to do the other body style.

[Allegheny1600]

IMHO - this has got to be the most exciting development for the British model steam loco fan for many, many years.

I think (hope) that Hornby are now venturing down a brand new path, akin to where Heljan took us with their limited production diesel prototypes, only with steam locos.

Exciting times ahead!

John E.

[Dan Hill]

If anyone can find a suitable 4-6-2 chassis to fit a Railroad P2 body and paint the body and tender Garter Blue then add stainless steel letters and numbers (or silver painted letters and numbers) then you have the cover picture loco on the front of Robin Barnes book 'Locomotives That Never Were'. I quite like the ideas that other posters have come up with about different livieries.

 

I'm quite excited by the P2 and have the full spec version on pre order also coming from Liverpool along with 6 Preserved A4's, 60163 in BR Blue and 71000. Despite coming from deep Southern territory (and only about 15 miles from the old Brighton Works) I have a great fondness of the locos of the GNR and LNER especially Sir Nigel Gresley's.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Dan Hill

[Anglian]

Although I won't be buying one I'm very excited about seeing the model. As a general observation I think it bodes well for the future of the hobby that Hornby are producing the P2 in that it gives hope for other exotica. I'm very pleased to see it being offered in two levels of detail.

[melmerby]

Talking of limited number, shortish life prototypes:

Maybe Hornby might like to do 10000, before and after re-building.

 

Then they can add LMS 6399 "Fury" for good luck and follow that with 6202, and then the "Great Bear"

 

Keith

[edcayton]

I would have thought that, with both "Princess" and "Duchess" in their current range, the obvious choices for Hornby are the Turbomotive, both in original and the beautiful rebuilt forms.

 

However, this topic is about Cock o'the North. I don't see where it fits in the Railroad range until the replica gets built (is there an eta for this yet?), but as I said previously when this happens it will out-Tornado Tornado!

 

Ed

 

...muttering Great Bear, Whitelegg baltic tanks, Leader, LBSC Remembrance, P1, Hush Hush, GE Decapod, Big Bertha etc etc

[69843]

Why did I have to start scratchbuilding #2007...

 

Seriously though, this will be an interesting one to watch. With only one livery in that form, it doesn't offer much variety, but is shows Hornby are willing to stick their neck out and offer something different, and will hopefully lead to the other 5 (for now...). I'll most definitely be getting one of the top range ones to compare to my aforementioned scratchbuild in progress of the A1SLTs one.

 

BTW, how about BR Mixed Traffic lined black? Anyone?

Edited December 28, 2012 by 69843

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Meanwhile at Barwell, they could be going for the knock out blow: there are two P2s proposed for build, and the Doncaster group have sensibly gone for the far better looking final development of the type with the Bugatti front end treatment. I'd give good odds that this would comfortably outsell 'first thoughts'. That's the one I want in BR livery: but green with 9MT on the cab side sheets.

Edited December 28, 2012 by 34theletterbetweenB&D

[Guest Max Stafford]

I was with you up until you went green, Mr34! Blue for me! ;-)

 

Dave.

[Dick Turpin]

 far better looking final development of the type with the Bugatti front end treatment

 

...in the eye of the beholder my son...

Edited December 28, 2012 by Dick Turpin

[gc4946]

I'm warming to the possibility of owning a P2.

The now-closed branch to Corstorphine, outside Edinburgh, was worked by Pacifics post-WW2 on the heaviest-used 0830 service to Edinburgh, see this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65603-j83-lnerbr-branch-line-operations/ post #7

Further images of the station are on RailScot's website http://www.railbrit.co.uk/location.php?loc=Corstorphine%20Branch

By extension of that, I can imagine a P2 doing a similar fill-in duty with corridor stock on the same branch pre-1939. I don't know if this actually happened, but anything's possible in model form.

Although I only have room for a small branchline terminus, what a sight it could be for sore eyes when it hauls a 3-coach corridor set rostered alongside its more likely regulars in my collection, D49, N2 and V1.

[Dan Hill]

I must say I prefer the design Hornby (and the A1 Trust) have gone for which is 2001 and 2002 as built. Its for me one of the most beautiful locos built. I'm a big fan of Gresley and his locos but I'm not keen on the rebuilt P2's, the 2 streamlined B17's and the hand full of A4's in Apple Green as for me it doesn't seem to suit them.

[melmerby]

I must say I prefer the design Hornby (and the A1 Trust) have gone for which is 2001 and 2002 as built. Its for me one of the most beautiful locos built. I'm a big fan of Gresley and his locos but I'm not keen on the rebuilt P2's, the 2 streamlined B17's and the hand full of A4's in Apple Green as for me it doesn't seem to suit them.

I wonder whether the "A4" fronted version is considered to look (to the layman) too similar to the real A4s and would have less impact with the general public than the original form?

IMHO general public interest has a lot to do with successful steam train operations.

Operating the P2 on the main line is the only way the cost (about £5million at the last estimate!) could be justified & to a certain extent re-couped.

 

Keith

[Dick Turpin]

I wonder whether the "A4" fronted version is considered to look (to the layman) too similar to the real A4s

 

Maybe to a small extent, but the eye is immediately drawn to the eight coupling wheels and amazement usually results. Once the original P2 has been done (to a very high standard and sold in numbers beyond expectation) a second phase of production featuring the Bugatti nose will repeat the already high sales of phase one.

 

This will have course demonstrated the viability of pre-nationalisation prototypes by then so Hornby will have already have revealed it's plan to follow on with the production of large Great Northern atlantics.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Dick Turpin

[Allegheny1600]

large Great Northern atlantics.

 

YES PLEASE!!!

Are you listening, Mr Kohler?

[BR60103]

Is there any reason that Hornby couldn't do a limited release of "what might have been" or even "what should have been" with a P2 in nationalization livery (~ies)? As long as it is carefully labelled as fanciful.