As ‘Sprinterisation’ started to bite from the mid 1980s, the Mk.2c fleet was increasingly sidelined with many examples withdrawn or sold abroad. This proved to be a boon for the departmental businesses which engorged themselves, primarily as brake force runners, and most retained their original livery until they were finally retired several years later. The First Opens, mostly declassified as Second Open coaches by 1984, seemed to be particularly popular and of the 18 built, seven became departmental coaches, while six were sold for use in Ireland/Northern Ireland. One of the most widely travelled of the BR survivors was DB 977390 (ex-M6410/M3164), which became a QXA brake force runner for the Civil Engineer’s Mobile Track Assessment fleet in early 1987 and usually operated with DB 977339, a former Mk.1 BSK, and either BR High Speed Track Recorder coach DB999550 or the London Underground’s own track recorder vehicle TRC 666. It was one of just two Mk.2c to gain the MTA red stripe embellishment on its standard blue/grey livery. It later moved to Crewe and became part of the depot’s electric locomotive test train, complete with plated bodyside windows. Incredibly it survived the disbanding of this formation and was acquired for preservation, eventually coming under the custodianship of Eastern Rail Services, who kindly allowed Accurascale to survey the almost completely intact BR-period interior of this vehicle as part of the Mk.2 project. It now resides at Great Yarmouth and will eventually be restored to its original external condition.

Never before produced in ready-to-run form in any scale, accurascale is excited to reveal the latest addition to its eagerly-anticipated range of 4mm/OO gauge Mk.2 coaching stock, the late-style Mk.2c variant with their characteristic small 'air con'-style toilet windows. Famously designed to be retrofitted with air-conditioning equipment, a modification that never took place, 150 vehicles were built at Litchurch Lane, Derby, in 1969-70 to five designs (out of 250 Mk.2c in total), primarily for the London Midland Region: Tourist Second Open (TSO), Corridor First (FK), Open First (FO), Brake Corridor First (BFK) and Brake Open Second (BSO). In the 1980s four further types were introduced, SK and SO (declassified from first class), Corridor Composite (converted from FK for Scottish Region services) and a mini buffet with trolley space, known as TSO(T). All nine of these versions will feature in our production.