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The Royal Mail has issued an eight-stamp set marking more than a century of Hornby Model Railways.
Founded by Frank Hornby, whose first clockwork Hornby Series trains appeared in 1920, the company began producing models of real British locomotives in 1929. For many railway enthusiasts, Hornby became a parallel record of railway history — preserving classes, liveries and eras long after the originals had disappeared from the network.
Each stamp in the new issue features a specially commissioned photograph of a Hornby model locomotive spanning a broad sweep of railway history:
- No.1 locomotive, GNR (1920)
- Princess Elizabeth, LMS (1937)
- 4MT tank locomotive, BR (1954)
- AL1 electric locomotive, BR (1963)
- InterCity 125 High Speed Train, BR (1977)
- Merchant Navy class locomotive, BR (2000)
- Bournemouth Belle Pullman cars, BR (2009)
- Experimental ‘Hush-Hush’ locomotive, LNER (2021)
The range moves from early 20th-century steam through British Railways standards and early electrification to the High Speed Train and modern preservation-era favourites — reflecting the breadth of subjects that have attracted both modellers and trainspotters over the decades.
An additional four stamps, issued as a miniature sheet, focus on Hornby’s heritage, featuring classic packaging, catalogue artwork and promotional material from different eras. The sheet is set against an illustration of a London, Midland and Scottish Railway locomotive in steam.
Royal Mail worked with model railway historian Pat Hammond on the issue.
The stamps and a range of collectable products are available to pre-order here.
A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps costs £21.30. The stamps go on general sale on 19th February from Royal Mail and from 27th February in selected Post Office branches.
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