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Bachmann 31-265A

Class 419 MLV S68002 BR (SR) Green

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 4 (1948 to 1956) British Railways Early Crest
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest

Manufacturer description

The Bachmann Branchline Class 419 Motor Luggage Vehicle (MLV) is back for Summer 2022 and these versatile, go-anywhere units provide an attractive modelling proposition if your tastes are Southern in nature! Finished in BR (SR) Green livery as No. S68002, this MLV is the perfect counterpart to the Branchline Class 410 4BEP and the Class 411 4CEP Electric Multiple Units (EMU), allowing you to create prototypical train formations. The Branchline model combines a finely detailed bodyshell with a chassis that sports a plethora of separate components – representing the various equipment fitted to the underframe of the vehicles, along with excellent reproductions of the bogies. Although comprising just a single vehicle, the powerful five pole motor and flywheel will provide plenty of traction if you ever need your model to haul additional stock.

 

MODEL FEATURES:

• Bachmann Branchline OO Scale
• Era 5
• Pristine BR (SR) Green livery
• Running No. S68002
• Accessory Pack
• NEM Coupling Pockets
• Powerful 5 Pole Motor with Flywheel
• Directional Lighting
• Equipped with a 21 Pin DCC Decoder Socket – recommended Decoder item No. 36-557
• Length 270mm

 

CLASS 419 MLV HISTORY

Ten single car Motor Luggage Vans (MLV) were built between 1959 and 1961 to provide additional luggage carrying capacity for boat trains operating on the newly electrified Kent Coast line from London to ports on the South Coast which connected with cross-channel ferries. They were designed to be fully compatible with units that operated services on the stretch of the South Eastern network between London and the Kent ports, principally 4CEP and 4BEP units (later Class 411 and 410 respectively).

Each MLV was also fitted with two sets of batteries which were charged by a motor generator during operation on the third rail electrified lines - this enabled the vehicles to work independently and away from electrified routes which was particularly useful upon reaching the ferry ports in the south. The MLV would be detached from the train and could then traverse the dockyard to enable direct loading of luggage onto the ship, with the vehicle added back onto the London end of the train for the return journey.

Originally numbered S68001-S68010, with the implementation of TOPS (Total Operating Processing System) the MLVs were designated Class 419 with numbers in the series 419001 – 419010. When renumbered, the units retained their original numbers on the bodysides (albeit without the ‘S’ prefix) and the last four digits of the new TOPS number were applied to the unit ends.

As boat traffic reduced, the vehicles saw increased use on other services, particularly carrying parcels and mail, or in departmental use where they served as tractors units on electrified lines. Their use on mail traffic saw two examples (Nos. 419001 and 419004) receive Royal Mail livery, however this livery made the units obvious targets for thieves and No. 419004 was the subject of a robbery in March 1989 whilst working a Brighton to London Bridge service. Withdrawals commenced in 1994 and all had been retired by 2004, although remarkably only two examples were lost – the other eight having been preserved.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

Bachmann Branchline OO‑scale model of a British Rail Class 419 Motor Luggage Vehicle, reference S68002, presented in pristine Southern Region green livery. The kit is built to the 2019 range specifications and is supplied with a livery that matches the original prototype.

The model measures 270 mm in length, runs on a Bo‑Bo wheel arrangement and includes a 5‑pole motor with flywheel, directional lighting and a 21‑pin DCC decoder socket (recommended decoder 36‑557). It is fitted with NEM coupling pockets, an accessory pack and a 2nd radius minimum curve of 438 mm. The chassis reproduces the underframe equipment and bogies of the original vehicle.

The real Class 419 MLVs were constructed between 1959 and 1961, ten units in total, to provide extra luggage capacity for boat trains on the newly electrified Kent Coast line. They could operate independently of the third‑rail system using batteries charged by a motor‑generator, allowing them to move on dockyards and re‑join the train at the London end. Numbers were originally S68001‑S68010 and were later re‑numbered under TOPS as 419001‑419010.

Withdrawals began in 1994 and the class was fully retired by 2004, with eight examples preserved. The Bachmann model offers a detailed representation suitable for Southern‑type railway layouts, compatible with Class 410 4BEP and Class 411 4CEP units to recreate authentic train formations.