Hornby Railroad+ Class 37s arrive, led by BR Police sound model

Hornby has turned its latest Railroad+ Class 37 drop into a value test as much as a stock refresh, and the BR Police 37093 is the loco doing the loudest selling. The OO Gauge batch has arrived with new Swietelsky and British Steel liveries, but the Police edition is the one that immediately changes the conversation: DCC sound fitted, a roof-mounted working blue light, and an authentic siren built into the project.

Rails of Sheffield listed the non-sound Railroad Class 37s at £94.99, while the BR Police sound model came in at £149.99, with an offer price of £134.99. That keeps Railroad+ firmly on the affordable side of Hornby’s Class 37 line, where the appeal is not jeweller’s-level finesse but a locomotive that looks the part, runs hard, and costs less than the fully dressed showcase pieces. Hornby says Railroad models are built with fewer delicate detail parts and more durable detailing, with handling in mind for beginners and existing collectors alike.

That practical spec is what gives this release its edge. Hornby says the Police 37093 is fitted with HM7000 sound and is designed to run on second-radius curves or greater, which matters on tighter OO layouts where every millimetre counts. If the locomotive is going to spend its life switching a yard, hauling a mixed freight, or taking the main line at exhibition pace, the Railroad+ treatment makes more sense than a fragile shelf queen.

The prototype has the kind of pedigree that still makes a Class 37 roster worth building around. The class, originally the English Electric Type 3, saw 309 locomotives built between 1960 and 1965 at Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns. That broad, long-lived service record is why a Class 37 fits so many eras and operating themes, from BR blue through modern freight to preservation.

The Police livery gives 37093 its extra pull. It is tied to the British Rail television advert where a Class 37 was shown stopping a speeding HST power car, and that temporary promotional paint scheme has become one of the class’s most recognisable oddities. In that context, Hornby’s Railroad+ version lands in a useful sweet spot: durable enough to run, distinctive enough to collect, and priced low enough to justify as a fleet purchase rather than an indulgence.