Today we add yet another 00 scale model review to the Loco Model Reviews Page.  This one is a very important addition – a type is of LMS origin, that could be found almost anywhere on the UK rail network doing almost anything asked of it!  Without further ado, let’s look at Hornby’s super-detailed version of Stanier’s highly successful “Black 5”.

Class: Stanier Black 5 (5MT)

Use: Mixed Traffic

Region: Midland/Scotland

Era: 1934-1968

Preserved examples:

4767 (BR 44767) George Stephenson – North Yorkshire Moors Railway
4806 (BR 44806) Kenneth Aldcroft – Llangollen Railway
4871 (BR 44871) – East Lancashire Railway
4901 (BR 44901) – Vale of Glamorgan Railway
4932 (BR 44932) – West Coast Railway Company
5000 (BR 45000) – National Railway Museum
5025 (BR 45025) – Strathspey Railway
5110 (BR 45110) – Barrow Hill Engine Shed
5163 (BR 45163) – Colne Valley Railway
5212 (BR 45212) – Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
5231 (BR 45231) The Sherwood Forester – West Coast Railway Company
5293 (BR 45293) – Colne Valley Railway
5305 (BR 45305) Alderman A. E. Draper – Great Central Railway
5337 (BR 45337) – East Lancashire Railway
5379 (BR 45379) – Watercress (Mid-Hants) Railway
5407 (BR 45407) Lancashire Fusilier – East Lancashire Railway
5428 (BR 45428) Eric Treacy – North Yorkshire Moors Railway
5491 (BR 45491) – Great Central Railway

Manufacturer: Hornby

Motor: 5 pole Loco-drive

Power: Heavyweight

DCC options: 8 pin dcc ready/fitted/sound

Locoyard Review

Detailing:

4.5/5

Good cab details although surpassed by more recent releases (see above).  Rivet details, lamp irons, boiler fittings, opening cab roof and good valve gear make this a nicely detailed model.  On close inspection, it has much better detailing than Hornby’s Railroad version.

Outline/Looks: 5/5

The shape and character of this popular prototype are well captured very well by Hornby.  The type has a slightly austere appearance, if a little more elegant than the BR standard class 5MT which is conveyed well in Hornby’s model.

Finish/Decoration:

4.5/5

A model of a black 5 is never going to be produced in elaborate liveries, as it is by definition black!  That said, black is not an easy colour to pull-off on a model and can often appear plastic-looking or grey.  This reviewed version’s black was good however with very nice lining.  The too-common moulding split line on the top of the boiler was visible, although no worse than most models (see below).

Running Qualities:

5/5

It is an excellent runner – quiet, smooth and unlike Bachmann’s BR standard 5MT it has pick-up’s on the tender making it much more reliable in operation.

Relative Power:

5/5

Again, this is streets ahead of Bachmann’s BR standard 5MT and has no trouble with almost anything you ask of it.  Like the prototype, it is go-anywhere do-anything model – well done Hornby!

Specification:

5/5

Every option available you’d expect on a modern model – DCC ready/fitted/sound versions, sprung buffers, NEM couplings.  Older models are not all DCC ready, so be careful if buying second-hand.

Value:

3.5/5

This is an excellent model, so you expect to pay a little more than average and Hornby’s super-detail Black 5 does cost more than most equivalent mixed traffic models.  In fact, it is hard to find a Black 5 for the same or less money than Hornby’s newer and better detailed B1 or B17 classes!  The cheap Railroad version means that the super-detail version’s hold their value; meaning that second-hand bargains are few and far between.

Overall Locoyardometer Score: 4.6

This is an older model that is looking quite expensive, but that aside it is nevertheless an excellent model that massively out-performs Bachmann’s BR standard 5MT.  Although it’s not a Southern prototype, it is likely to be regular runner here at locoyard!

Detailometer 4.5, Outlineometer 5, Finishometer 4.5, Motorometer 5, Powerometer 5, Specometer 5, Valueometer 3.5, Locoyardometer 4.6