Flying Scotsman/Pendennis Castle Australia Twin Pack

Flying Scotsman/Pendennis Castle Australia Twin Pack

1:76 scale model produced by Hornby. This model is ready-to-run straight out of the box and would make a excellent addition to any model railway collection.

Features:

• Analogue DC Model
• This model mainly operates in Britain
• Decorated in LNER company markings
• Best suited to 438mm radius curves

Details

Flying Scotsman

The LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman is arguably the most famous steam locomotive in the world and an absolute must-have subject for British model railway collections. Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built at Doncaster Works in 1923, it was originally part of the early A1 series before being named after the prestigious Flying Scotsman express service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. It entered service on 24 February 1923 and was renumbered 4472 shortly after receiving its iconic name.

Flying Scotsman quickly became a flagship locomotive for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), representing the company at major exhibitions and hauling the inaugural non-stop London–Edinburgh express in 1928, thanks to an upgraded corridor tender that allowed crew changes en route. On 30 November 1934, it became the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at 100 mph, cementing its place in railway history.

Pendennis Castle

GWR 4079 Pendennis Castle is one of the most celebrated members of the GWR 4073 “Castle” Class, built for the Great Western Railway by Swindon Works and completed in February 1924. Named after Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, it was the seventh Castle locomotive and was designed to haul the heaviest express passenger trains on the Western Region with elegant streamlined performance and strong hauling capability.

Early in its career, Pendennis Castle earned distinction in 1925 when it was lent to the London & North Eastern Railway for performance trials against rival Pacifics, where it demonstrated impressive speed and efficiency hauling long express services, outperforming larger locomotives over challenging gradients. It was even displayed alongside the legendary 4472 Flying Scotsman at the British Empire Exhibition as a top express locomotive of its age.

After decades of service with the GWR and later British Railways, Pendennis Castle was withdrawn in May 1964 with over 1.75 million miles to its credit. It was bought for preservation and later spent nearly two decades in Australia under private ownership before being returned to the UK in 2000. Following an extensive restoration at the Didcot Railway Centre, it steamed again in 2021–2022 and now operates on heritage lines.