History is made at the Great Gathering in York
On 3rd July history was made in York as the world’s fastest steam locomotive, Mallard, was united with its five surviving sister engines in the National Railway Museum’s Great Hall, a spectacular international family reunion sponsored by Hornby Hobbies Ltd.
Two of the streamlined giants were repatriated from North America and are fresh from a complex cosmetic restoration which has seen them transform from sixties shabbiness to the glamour of their heyday.
As the Museum’s 75-day countdown to the anniversary of Mallard breaking the world steam speed record finally reached its end, pilgrims from all over the world including Canada, the US and Australia were amassed to celebrate Mallard’s achievement and witness a sight never-seen-before which fulfilled the dreams of rail fans everywhere.
Hornby’s Executive Chairman Roger Canham said: “With our layouts and locomotives in miniature we already fulfil the dreams of model railway lovers, now with this sponsorship we are giving our support to an event which will fulfil the dreams of rail fans across the globe. We already know that interest in Mallard 75 and July’s ‘Great Gathering’ is immense – our sets of six A4s were completely spoken for soon as this amazing Hornby Collection in association with the National Railway Museum was announced.”
Check out Hornby's Great Gathering collection here or view Corgi's Rail Legends collection which includes all six locomotives from the Great Gathering
It can be argued that the LNER Class A4 locomotives were Sir Nigel Gresley's finest achievement. From the sleek aerodynamic lines to the evocative chime whistle, the Class A4 locomotives were thoroughbreds through and through! Designed specifically by Sir Nigel Gresley for the LNER express services these magnificent locomotives were speed related monsters from the day they first appeared on the tracks.
Built in Doncaster, with the first of the Class being outshopped in 1935 these locomotives continued right through to the end of steam, however by then many were being used for freight service. Just 6 of this 35 strong A4 Class avoided the scrap man’s cutting torch. 'Mallard', the holder of the World Speed Record for Steam Traction became part of the National Collection. 'Dwight D. Eisenhower' became part of the National Railroad Museum in the United States while 'Dominion of Canada' was shipped to Canada to become an exhibit at the Canadian Railway Museum. 'Union of South Africa', 'Bittern' and the designer’s namesake 'Sir Nigel Gresley' became privately owned. Over time all those locomotives based in Britain, except 'Mallard' were restored to operating service and are now a major attraction wherever they are seen in steam.
For many the thought of ever seeing two A4 locomotives together at any one time was probably the best that they could ever wish for but to have all six together was an impossible dream. That is, of course, until July 2013 when, thanks to the organisational strengths of the National Railway Museum, all six remaining LNER Class A4 locomotives will all be brought together at the Museum in York. This will be a moment in history, a moment that will never be seen again and in celebration of this most momentous occasion Hornby will be producing a six locomotive collection entitled 'The Great Gathering'.
This unique collection will feature a limited edition of only 500 units each of the six locomotives in their respective liveries as seen at the National Railway Museum. These locomotives, each with etched nameplates will be released over the year and those who collect all six will be entitled to claim a specially commissioned glass display cabinet so that the models can be seen as a complete collection. The distribution of the collection will be strictly controlled and allocated with only complete sets of the 6 locomotives being released to retailers and distributors alike, therefore it is strongly recommended that a firm order is placed with your retailer to ensure that you reserve each of the 6 locomotives as they are released. For this collection to be totally unique each of the six locomotives as they are released will all receive the same numbered certificate and to ensure that this occurs the specific certificates will be sent to the relevant retailers individually.
There will be a small number of complete Great Gathering collections for sale on the Hornby website once the full collection is available. Please sign up to our newsletter for the latest information.
'The Great Gathering': A truly unique collection, just 500 of each locomotive; each locomotive in each collection having the same numbered certificate; and finally a display case to house this exquisite assembly