Hornby OO R30559 BR Castle Class Spitfire 5071 90th Anniversary
Hornby's detailed OO gauge model depicts 5071 in its original form, with a smart green livery. It also features sprung metal buffers, NEM tension lock couplings and a 21-pin socket, ready for upgrade to HM7000.
This locomotive entered service with the GWR at Newton Abbot in June 1938, initially named ‘Clifford Castle’, but this was changed to 'Spitfire' during the Second World War following the aeroplane’s pivotal role in the Battle of Britain during 1940. It then spent most of its career shedded in the West Country, though after nationalisation, it had spells in the late 1950s at Gloucester and Worcester. The locomotive was fitted with a double chimney and four-row superheater in June 1959, before moving to St. Philip’s Marsh, Plymouth in February 1962, from where it was withdrawn in October 1963.