📢 Please take a minute to read this personal message from the creator of RailwayModels.uk

Bachmann 38-903

BR PFB Carflat Wagon Railease Yellow

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

Prototype Era
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Carflat Wagons allowed cars to be transported by rail, a practice that had started during the early twentieth century, but which became more common after World War Two as more families began realising the dream of owning their own motor vehicle. Many were built from old coach underframes that had had their bodies scrapped, with the type really coming to the fore in 1966 when British Rail launched its Motorail service, providing British holidaymakers with long distance train services where they could take their car on holiday with them, giving the convenience of independent transport whilst on holiday but without the long drive to get there.

This Bachmann Branchline model depicts a BR-built Carflat, which to all intents and purposes is a standard BR Mk1 coach underframe running on a pair of BR B1 bogies. The deck of the vehicle is planked, and low side railings are fitted to prevent vehicles from accidentally driving off the side. Unlike a Mk1 coach, the underside of the vehicle is not overly populated but still features the typical truss frame along with vacuum brake cylinders and, unlike Mk1 coaches, has hand brake levers.  

MODEL FEATURES:

• Bachmann Branchline OO Scale
• Era 8
• Pristine Railease Yellow livery
• Running No. RLS94401
• Accessory Pack
• NEM Coupling Pockets
• Length 270mm

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

Bachmann Branchline model BR PFB Carflat Wagon Railease Yellow, part number 38‑903. The model is in OO scale, representing the British Rail sectorisation era (Era 8) and is supplied in pristine Railease Yellow livery with the running number RLS94401. It measures 270 mm in length and includes an accessory pack, NEM coupling pockets and a hand‑brake lever detail.

Carflat wagons were introduced in the early twentieth century to permit motor vehicles to be conveyed by rail, a practice that expanded after the Second World War as private car ownership increased. British Rail formalised the concept in 1966 with the Motorail service, allowing holidaymakers to travel with their cars attached to the train. The real wagons were built on a standard Mk1 coach underframe fitted with BR B1 bogies, a planked deck and low side railings, and retained a simple truss frame with vacuum brake cylinders and hand‑brake levers.

The Bachmann model replicates these features, showing a standard Mk1 underframe without the extensive underside fittings of a passenger coach, and includes the characteristic low side railings and hand‑brake levers. The model is suitable for collectors and railway modellers interested in the post‑war British Rail freight and passenger services.