Category:Hornby No1 locomotives

The Hornby No.1 line of model locomotives represented a central almost-constant strand running through the history of Hornby gauge 0, from the first 1920 "The Hornby Clockwork Locomotive" to the last gauge 0 locos made by Hornby, the No.50/51 models.

Evolution

The Hornby Clockwork Train quickly evolved into The Hornby No.1 Locomotive when Meccano Ltd.'s Hornby Trains and Zulu Trains ranges were merged under a single brandname. The Hornby Loco had a single flat-topped splashguard over the rear drivewheels, a feature that was inherited by the No.1 loco.

The 1927 versions of the No.1 loco now had proper loco numbers on the sides, the steam domes were painted to match the bodywork instead of being brass-coloured, and the curved-fronted, flat-topped splasher panels were now extended forwards to cover both wheels.

Although the design was continuously tweaked and adjusted, the next obvious cosmetic change didn't happen until after production restarted following WW2, when the range was restructured. The main Hornby Series rolling stock became the 50 Series range, with the No.1 loco becoming the No.501 loco, which could be easily distinguished from the earlier pre-1957 production by its semi-matte paintwork.

Finally, in 1954, the Hornby gauge 0 locomotives bowed out with the No.50 and No.51 locomotives (in black, and green, respectively), which returned to the more traditional gloss paintwork.

Further Reading

• Peter Randall, The No.1 Loco Meccano Magazine July 1978, pages 94-95