Hornby - R3860 BR, Merchant Navy Class, 4-6-2, 35012 'United States Lines' - Era 4 - OO Scale

Hornby - R3860 BR, Merchant Navy Class, 4-6-2, 35012 'United States Lines' - Era 4 - OO Scale

Conceived in 1937 when Oliver Bulleid became Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway, the Merchant Navy Class represented Bulleid's vision for a quick accelerating, mixed traffic 4-6-2 locomotive, equally capable of hauling passenger services (such as the Golden Arrow and Atlantic Coast Expresses), or freight workings, to a speed of around 75mph. 

Mainly designed from the Brighton Works Drawing Office, under C.S Cocks, Bulleid, always aware of the practical applications and costing implications ensured that the best design practices of the time were applied to the new locomotive. Like his mentor, Nigel Gresley, Bulleid was a technically arrogant CME, an advocate for locomotives being driven hard and to brisk schedules and this materialised in his design ideas.

Locomotive 35012 entered service with the Southern Railway in January 1945 with the palindromic locomotive 'number' 21C12. It would gain its more conventional number under BR before being rebuilt by the nationalised operator in February 1957, making it one of the first examples to be rebuilt. The locomotive would go on to serve under BR, mainly on the former Southern region before being withdrawn in April 1967. United States Lines would be scrapped in Newport shortly after.

The Hornby Merchant Navy is fitted with a powerful five pole motor and a large flywheel providing excellent performance. The locomotive if fitted with a fully detailed cab, tender pickups, NEM pockets front and rear and a 8 pin decoder socket.