Hornby J36, British Rail – Review.

The prototype.

Of the more than 20,000 locomotives in use at the turn of the 20th century, over one third were tender 0-6-0 types. In Scotland , the NBR decided to replace a number of older 0-6-0 locomotives. The J36 was known as the C class and was introduced in 1888. They were very successful locomotives, with over 100 being built by 1900. From 1913 the engines began to be rebuilt. A number served in France during WW I and were consequently renamed with tribute names.

The J36 was mostly used in Scotland for goods and passenger duties. They could also be seen in North Yorkshire. 123 locomotives continued into British Rail Service. Two were still in use in 1967, with only one being preserved.

The model

All images, the author. The model is available in a number of liveries. LNER, two original North British liveries and an early British Rail colour scheme.

In March 2019 “Maude” was released with TTS sound. This has a more elaborate North British livery. It is only available with TTS.

The model we look at here is the DC version of “Haig”, R3622 . It is available for £99, at the time of writing.

The J36 is quite a heavy model with a good flat black paint application. The boiler and firebox are made of die-cast metal as are other components. There is no boiler banding, only the running number and name are printed. The front windows are glazed. The safety valves are made of metal, while the whistle is not. The running gear is blackened and the wheel axle ends are realistic.

All the locomotives have sprung buffers . The detail pack includes the brake rigging, vacuum pipes and the front coupling. There are some tiny separately fitted parts at the front of the boiler. The smoke box door has a separately fitted dart.

Cab detail

The Cab detail is nicely painted although the gauges are not marked.

The internal valve gear is picked out in red and the reversing lever is made of metal.

The tender is well detailed with sprung buffers and a pre-fitted NEM coupling.

The verdict and running.

The model is good value for money at around £99. It is a smooth runner and the amount of die-cast is a bonus. The DCC socket is in the tender. You will need to remove two screws to get access.