P2 is it the new flying scotsman

[jonathan3005]

The title of this thread might be confusing,However my point is this loco has become an over popular loco on many layouts and like mallard ,flying Scotsman and tornado before it. It has overpopulated Britain layouts unlike it a1 a3 and a4 cousins ( testament to LNER's loco department that after 80 years they remain the best Britain has to offer in loco stock) which were made in large numbers and a handful have been preserved  apart from tornado which is similar,however tornado and others that fall into this classification had a larger class quantity up until the end of steam and so can be forgiven within the right setting.However many of these classes still overpopulate Britain's layouts. Please do tell me if my concerns are true our if there is another way of looking on this argument with a lighter light.

 

Kind regards 

                    Jonathan

[Black Sheep]

The LNER's publicity were good, helped by their route to the north being a fair bit flatter than the LMS

 

Add to this the prestige of going from Kings Cross, traveling via York behind one of the stablemates of the fastest steam loco in the world. Their publicity department had it easy!

 

They captured and stuck in the publics imagination, helped perhaps by being sleek by design (the LMS streamliners were a casing added to a standard loco that was already at the loading gauge)

[Colin_McLeod]

Rule No 1 appllies to the population of layouts.

[Ian Hargrave]

Hello,Jonathan. I have to say that I am so impressed that you are enthusiastic about the pre-1968 era and the iconic locos you refer to in your post.Well,I don't think you need to be too concerned by the popularity of theP2.Remember that although only relatively few were constructed,they were Gresley engines,like the A3 and A4 and the product of one of our very finest locomotive engineers.During the1930's when they were built and when they ran,they were ,as you might say,cutting edge technology.That decade was the finest hour for British steam locomotive engineering..remember that Mallard broke the speed record for steam in 1938.

So you have to understand that for many rail enthusiasts,that era was their finest hour.The same is true for many present day railway modellers.If you haven't seen it,take a look at 'The Gresley Beat' layout if it's at an exhibition near you.That shows in brilliant miniature what the LNER was like at that wonderful time in railway history.I think there's a clip on YouTube.Google it if you can.There is also a flourishing LNER Society.It too has a website.

When I was a little younger than you,I remember seeing several of the P2 class,by then rebuilt as Class A2/2 at King's Cross.One of them was 60501 "Cock o' the North"....4-6-2 by then and not 2-8-2 as built as 2001
Don't worry ...plenty of time for that later.....just enjoy some wonderful models.
 

[jonathan3005]

Thanks Ian i have also seen the layout to which you refer and it is world class and yes gresley rest in peace created some wonderful locos however there are plenty of classes left to be used bachman do a good coverage including the v2,b2 and many lesser know locos that when compare are mostly far superior in numbers and the cost to manufacture when compared to the p2 which means locos such as cock of the north and the rest of the p2 class are a costly proper-gander tool less than a workhorse relying on non standardized parts unlike it cousins and most of the BR fleet during in the later part of its life.I would also like to add that Hornby unlike its competition jump on the money maker not the work horse a good example is bachman releasing freight and less glamours locos while Hornby rely on less class types ,more money makers like mallard and flying Scotsman while bachman aim at kingfisher and Robert the devil a good word for Hornby is a money crazed organization overpricing and relying on the name while bachman create a more varied fleet of locos and class types and put more of there money back into there organization.

[DavidR]

'proper- gander'. What's good for the goose.....

[Ian Hargrave]

Oh dear,Jonathan,you don't want to start the next war,do you?.All manufacturers need to make money and lots of it to make a profit,stay in business and produce new and better models. There have been price increases recently because the Chinese authorities have set a minimum rate at which the people who make these models must be paid and it is a lot more than it used to be.So we must pay more for Bachmann,Hornby,Heljan etc.

To correct you on a couple of points: Hornby have produced both an A3 "Robert The Devil" and an A4 "Kingfisher". ( a blue one and part of a set) and not Bachmann. Bachmann's A4 is thought by most to be not as good as the Hornby version.Both the Hornby A3 and A4 are fine models.

Try to remember that modellers needs are all different and manufacturers try to keep up with most of them.I think we do rather well out of it at the moment and far better than we used to.

Try not to be so uptight about it.Some people just might get a little upset.Just enjoy your modelling.

[jonathan3005]

i would like to apologize for the error in my last post however the price increases by Hornby do not reflect the increases in the minimum wage however i will hold my tongue on the issue in an attempt to not start a war and thank you for your support on this issue and helping me realize that i was on the brink of starting a war thank you.

 

kind regards Jonathan

[darren01]

What about a model of the HUSH HUSH?

[Legend]

What about a Model of Flying Scotsman to the same standards as P2 main range one ie Railroad model with improved lining, but most significantly £40 cheaper than the existing main range A3