Hornby Trains

Hornby O Gauge trains were first introduced in 1920. The product line was developed with varying levels of technical sophistication and relative costs associated. This meant that a child with 6 Shillings pocket money [£8.72 today], could afford to purchase a clockwork locomotive, tender, two Pullman coaches and a complete rail-set which could be infinitely modified. By contrast, a child with a significantly higher amount saved up could afford to purchase an electric version of the same locomotive for 5 Guineas [£152.55 today] in an elegant presentation box.

Later Hornby Dublo (00 Gauge) was made both 3 rail and 2 rail. It was developed so that model railways could be built in smaller houses as 0 Gauge took up a lot of space.

 

Credit: The Little Car YouTube Channel

Hornby 0 Gauge steam engine and coach donated to the FHHC

Here’s a link to a great Hornby 0 Gauge layout in operation via YouTube - Hornby 0 Gauge running layout

Hornby 0 Gauge Priness Elizabeth on display at the FHHC

A Hornby Railways Silver Jubilee Freight Set of 1976 vintage on display at Maghull’s FHHC.

This set dates from the ROVEX era and has been loaned to our Trust by Andrew of Maghull in January 2004

A Hornby O Gauge side-dump truck, purchased by our Trust and now on display at Maghull’s Frank Hornby Heritage Centre.

A working modern-day Hornby 00 Gauge layout at Maghull’s FHHC. It was constructed in 2022 via a generous grant from the P H Holt Foundation.

An 8F Hornby Dublo steam locomotive on loan to the FHHC in Maghull and on display there.

 BBC Timewatch - This link is to a BBC TV documentary about Hornby Trains. Broadcast 23 May 1989. Note this video is the first part of a longer documentary.

This certificate was produced in 1955 for a young Roy McBride who’d just joined the Hornby Railway Club. Roy lived in Maghull on Merseyside at the time but later emigrated to South Africa from where he sent our Trust this image of his treasured certificate in 2023.

Here is a 00 gauge model of a British Rail Class 56 diesel locomotive on display at Maghull's Frank Hornby Heritage Centre - No. 56 101

The significance is that it's only the 2nd loco to have 'Frank Hornby' nameplates fitted to it, the other being the well-known Class 86 electric loco which had its nameplates unveiled by Ken Dodd at Liverpool Lime Street Station back in the 1980s. A set of those very nameplates is now on the wall in our Heritage Centre c/o The Hornby Railway Collectors' Assn.

We are unsure how long 56 101 had the nameplates affixed but are delighted to have a Hornby Railways replica of it in our collection on a long-term loan. The model was produced by Hornby Railways but without 'Frank Hornby' nameplates. Our Trust has added them.

Maghull's Frank Hornby Heritage Centre now has this Hornby O gauge British Rail container on display. It came to us, in July 2024, in near mint condition in its original box. The container is actually a shaped block of wood with paper decals added.