Although not up to modern standards the Hornby Princess Coronation Class Locomotive – City Of Nottingham( R.2383) is a good runner and can be had for £80 – £100. So is it a good model? This version dates form 2004 – 2005.
Fact file
- Issued 2004/5, weathered only
- 5 pole motor
- Sprung buffers
- Cab detail
- Sells for – £80 – £100 boxed, DC
The prototype.
The Princess Coronation class was a development of the Princess Royal Class with added streamlining. A further five were build without the streamlining. Coronation referred to the coronation of George VI in 1937. The un-streamlined versions became known as Duchesses and were designed by Stanier, in 1938. They had a single chimney and no smoke deflectors. Stanier thought that the streamlining was a bit of frippery!
Another four Duchesses appeared in 1944. Originally meant to be streamlined, they were put in to service without the streamlining, due to the extra maintenance costs. This batch had double chimneys and smoke deflectors.
City of Nottingham was built in 1944 and withdrawn in 1964. London Midland Region locomotives carried a maroon livery from the late 50’s.
The Model – Hornby City Of Nottingham
Cab detail is very basic, with no painted detail. It is a good moulding and would benefit from careful painting.
The service sheet is here. There is a can motor in the locomotive.
The running gear is nicely detailed and the weathering not too overdone. However the body is a plastic moulding.
This is still a gorgeous looking model for the price. It has flush glazing and some detail on the tender. Also, the hand rail is separately fitted and the lining is crisply printed. Additionally, running board detail is excellent.
The smoke box door has separately fitted details and some fine printing. The buffers are also sprung.
The safety valves and whistle are separately fitted metal pieces. The overhead wire Warning panels are present.
The weathering on the tender adds to the realism and the underframe detail is lovely. You get a removable coal load and the tender ladder is a fine piece. The minuscule printing, at the back of the tender, is legible. Finally, this is great model for the price considering that the modern version costs upwards of £200!
Running the model
Slow speed running is amazing. The motor is very quite and she can easily pull ten coaches. You can’t go wrong with this model. It has lovely detail and a low price on the pre-owned market.
There is an earlier version of this model, R.577, from the early 1990’s. This locomotive is positively crude in comparison. It had a ringfield motor in the tender. More to come on that one!
