Model Railway Forum

The actual loco you have is the 2013 Hornby Collector Club Loco 0-4-0 Southern 3102 - R3213. If you are a member of the Hornby Collector Club you get a "free" loco every year as part of your membership. This was the 2013 offering. The same loco, but with different liveries, has been offered on a number of occasions. It is not DCC, but a decoder can easily be fitted. BB

Thanks for that, BB. I checked out the collector club - very interesting and I quite like the idea of a free little 0-4-0 each year!

There have been lots of fictitious locomotives from Hornby (and Tri-ang before them) which used the 0-4-0 chassis. One of the very first (after the Steeple Cab) was Nellie which was loosely based on a LSWR S14 type built originally for working Motor Trains. (A kind of lightweight passenger train consisting of a small locomotive and one or two coaches operating in pull & push mode) there was a very similar type of class C14 which outlived the S14.

Triang's model Nellie was not 100% accurate, for one thing it was depicted as inside cylinders whereas both classes had outside Walschaerts valve gear.

All the S14s were sold during World War 1, many going to Munitions factories. Some of the C14s lasted in the Southampton area until the late 1950s, shunting in the docks or sleeper depots.

There have been a plethora of types using a variety of mechanism including clockwork, and electric, most of which were freelance, play set types in self coloured plastic.

Of the more 'serious' 0-4-0s have been the Caledonian Saddle Tank, The Holden Side Tank, The class D side tank, a diesel shunter incorrectly described as North British, and a Barclay diesel shunter. and a rare 'Swedish' diesel shunter. All are not exact models, but are excellent inexpensive toys.

And just for fun, most of them have 7mm narrow gauge conversion potential. Guess what this one used to be before it became "Smallbrooked".

0.4.0 Heaven on Steam Trains to Sovereign Street. Eight Calder Railway engines.
Glencairn

All eight now have 'smoke'.
Glencairn

Another Triang Steeple cab electric.
This one in red - I am not sure if this is a genuine Triang model or the starter set version with a working pantograph rather than the plastic dummy fitted to other red versions but I have seen photos of othe red ones with working pantograph so who knows it may be real !
It came from a model exhibition last year and was very cheap but works well .

It looks good. They may not go for a lot, but those versions are actually harder to find, but I guess it is like busses. One may see none for ages and then three come along at once!

I'd guess those steeple cab locos are based on the DB E69 shunting locos... i've got a model from Piko.



I wasn't aware that tri-ang made these, but i'll have to look out for them as they'll make easy conversions to SSLidJ locos.

I'm also on the hunt for one of these...
https://images.app.goo.gl/8vxNQCoUHJSDvAHdA

as they are already swedish, and just need lick of paint!