We do make every effort to offer items through the club shop to enhance the enjoyment of our hobby, one the most significant to date being the live drive unit.

Many of us are fortunate enough to have more than one loco or more than one type of loco and would like to have more, but not necessarily the same again. We have decided to offer some limited edition locos that we hope will enhance your collection and may build value over time.

This is not a new locomotive build, but a change to those that are already out there. We as a club do not have the resources to build a live steam loco from scratch but we can offer some that Hornby did not, using an existing Hornby loco as a donor.

The first of these limited editions will be based on the Hornby live steam A4 pacific. As many of you will know the A4’s appeared in up to seven different liveries. At the time of nationalisation in 1948, British Railways wished to standardise the liveries of their mainline express locomotives and one of the liveries they tried became known as “experimental purple”.

Four A4’s carried this livery from 1948 through to 1950. They were 60024 Kingfisher, 60027 Merlin, 60028 Walter K Whigham and 60029 Woodcock and we plan to offer up to, but no more than 35 of these locos.

Why 35? Two reasons:
1. Only 35 A4’s were built originally.
2. By limiting the number, we hope to increase desirability and therefore value over time.

So how will it work?
We have engaged Warren Haywood to paint the loco and tender bodies. Warren has been building and painting models for over 30 years and produces work of excellent quality.

Should you wish to have one of these unique models, you will need to donate a loco, either a Dwight D Eisenhower or a Golden Fleece. This is the most cost efficient method as there are no valances to remove and the wheels are already black. You could use a Mallard body, but will need to cut off the valances and change the wheels from red to black.

In addition to the livery change, each loco will be issued with a limited edition certificate authenticated by Richard Hallam our club president and inventor of the OO live steam system.

All you need to do is decide which of the four names you would like and source a donor loco. If you don’t have one the club may be able to help with that so please get in touch.

The cost of the conversion of your loco along with a limited edition certificate is £295 plus postage. A deposit of £150 is required at time of order.

I’m more than happy to answer any questions and give any help needed. To make a purchase please contact me in the first instance to discuss your requirements.

Contact details are Nigel Hoskison
email: sales@oolivesteam.com
Telephone : 07546 432062

Don’t delay only 35 will be available.