The BIG Hornby Rocket

 

Since we had a look at the large scale Hornby coach last Friday, I thought it would be worth a quick spin around the matching locomotive today. 

Produced between 1976 and 1978, the 3 1/2 inch gauge set was one of the Margate firm's madder ideas - which is why I had to have one in my collection. The model appeared to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1980. Why this was marked by the production of a 1/16th scale model and not just a reissue of the Tri-ang model is a mystery. 

Powered by a gas tank under the tender barrel, the development of this model must have been an interesting challenge. It doesn't really have the model engineering chops you might expect for the scale, but there is some very clever stuff going on. 

For a start, the rods don't drive the wheels directly. Instead, they drive a hidden 2:1 ratio set of gears to slow the top speed and increase torque. As it turns out this was a good move since the model is notoriously under-powered. A review at the time suggested it would shift two coaches, but only in a straight line. 

Much of this will be down to the intended market. A model engineer who scratchbuilds a Rocket can usually be trusted not to blow himself up. This was pointed at the toy market, so needed a lot more care and safety features built in. 

The boiler only holds 2.5ozs of water (4.5 level tablespoonfuls), under the cladding, it's tiny. Around it is plenty of insulation, which if it got wet, was a pig to dry out and pretty much prevented any sort of operation until every trace of moisture had left. Getting it wet was easy if you overfilled the boiler through the filler under the dome. Measuring your liquid was pretty much essential.

Gas tanks are prone to splitting, but nowadays, metal replacements are available. Lighting the "fire" is achieved by holding a match under the firebox.

On the track, you give it a shove letting condensate clear. To reverse, hold the wheel and rotate the cranks 180 degrees. 

My model was bought from the Train Shop in Warwick back in 1993. It had sat on the shelf for a long while and wasn't in the best of condition. Paint had peeled in many places, my retouching at the time wasn't impressive. However, it was cheap and the only way at the time I could hope to afford what, to me, was a very desirable model. 

Nowadays, Rocket G100 sets, are still seen pretty regularly at shows and online. Prices are climbing, although I'm sure mine isn't an "investment" in any sense. Along with the coaches, it's a bit battered, but I don't really care.

Now, if you want a real investment, track down the static version offered as a kit by Hornby. These are properly rare. I nearly bought one in York once, but decided to pick a Caledonian Pug instead. Well, I could run it on my train set, and it was a very pretty livery...