EFE Rail E43002

Daimler Fleetline DMS146 London Transport Route 267 Hampton Court Stn

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

Prototype Era
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)

Manufacturer description

Daimler Fleetline DMS146 London Transport Route 267 Hampton Court Stn

The Daimler Fleetline DMS had its origins in a nationwide move towards One-Man Operation (OMO) buses in the late 1960s and early 1970s, replacing the tried-and-tested ‘driver and conductor’ crews that had been the staple for many years. London Transport (LT) was no exception, and as such began to explore the benefits that OMO might bring by trialling Leyland Atlanteans and Daimler Fleetlines. It was the latter that would go on to form the basis of an all-new London bus – the DMS.

The first of the new DMSs entered service in January 1971 working on Routes 95 and 220. They were powered by Gardner 6LXB engines and bodied by Park Royal Vehicles, with full OMO considerations included. Passengers would enter through a set of double folding doors at the front, opposite the driver, and immediately pass through an Automatic Fare-Collection (AFC) turnstile (located over the nearside front wheel arch) to gain access to the seating. Exit was via a second set of doors located centrally on the nearside of the body.

Building on the popularity of the ‘Routemaster’ tag, London Transport named the new type the ‘Londoner’, but it never caught on, and they were simply referred to as Fleetlines or DMSs. A total of 2,646 would be built between 1970 and 1978; the design evolving during that time, culminating in the B20 type. However, the DMS was never popular with passengers owing to the slower boarding times caused by the AFC equipment, and they proved equally unpopular with garage staff, so much so that the first started to be withdrawn the year after the last was delivered.

Our new models represent those built in the first batch, identified by the narrower position of the headlights. This example is DMS146, another ‘open’ rondel DMS, but this time carrying the white band applied to later examples in this batch, which helped break up the wall of red. The model is depicted as working a Route 267 service to Hampton Court Station.

The new models are based on EFE Road’s updated Daimler Fleetline DMS tooling and feature the early style front end for the first time on an EFE DMS model.

• Colours/details of final model may vary from illustration
• Authentically detailed die-cast model from EFE Road
• Complementary to OO scale model railways (1:76 scale)

Catalogue listing

EFE Rail Daimler Fleetline DMS146 – model rail replica, part number E43002, produced for 1:76 (OO) scale model railways.

The model represents a Daimler Fleetline DMS bus as it appeared in the early 1970s, painted in the British Rail Blue (TOPS) livery. It depicts vehicle DMS146 operating on London Transport Route 267 to Hampton Court Station, a service that ran in the period following the introduction of One‑Man Operation buses in January 1971.

Based on EFE Road’s updated Daimler Fleetline DMS tooling, the replica features the early‑batch front end with narrower headlights and the later‑stage white band that broke up the red bodywork. The bus is faithfully detailed as a die‑cast model and is intended to complement OO gauge railway layouts.

Colours and minor details of the final model may differ from illustration. The model is an authentic 1:76 scale die‑cast representation suitable for use with British model railway collections.