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
The Mk1 was BR’s first standardised design of railway carriage with thousands built across BR’s carriage works in Derby, Wolverton, Doncaster, York, Eastleigh, and Swindon between 1951 and 1963. The design was also used on first generation Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) until 1974 and for non-passenger stock such as parcel vans and full brake vehicles.
The new coaches gradually replaced older designs inherited from the ‘Big Four’ at nationalisation in 1968 and were used on all British Railways regions. The standard underframe length was 63ft 5in (19.33m) with gangwayed bodies 64ft 6in (19.7m), though suburban coaches and parcel vans were shorter.
Coaches were either fully open or were corridor coaches with seating compartments. Bodywork was of steel panels on wooden frames, with a separate underframe consisting of heavy steel sections braced with steel trusses, originally mounted on ‘BR1’ bogies, though these were superseded by a new cast-steel design from 1958 known as the ‘Commonwealth’ bogie. Later examples utilised a Swindon-designed ‘B4’ bogie which gave a much-improved ride and was adopted for use on Southern Region Mk1 Electric Multiple Units (EMUs).
This is a highly detailed OO gauge scale model of a brake second corridor coach from the London Midland Region.
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Hornby BR – MK1 Corridor – M35125 – Brake Second Coach is a highly detailed OO gauge scale model representing a British Railways Brake Second corridor carriage from the early crest period. The model carries the manufacturer part number R40515.
The prototype Mk1 was British Railways’ first standardised railway carriage design, with thousands built at the Derby, Wolverton, Doncaster, York, Eastleigh and Swindon works between 1951 and 1963. The design was also employed on first‑generation Diesel Multiple Units until 1974 and on a range of non‑passenger stock such as parcel vans and full brake vehicles.
Standard Mk1 coaches had an underframe length of 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m) and gangwayed bodies measuring 64 ft 6 in (19.7 m). Suburban coaches and parcel vans were slightly shorter. The bodies consisted of steel panels on wooden frames, mounted on a heavy steel underframe reinforced with steel trusses.
Originally fitted with BR1 bogies, the Mk1s were later equipped with a cast‑steel ‘Commonwealth’ bogie from 1958 and subsequently with a Swindon‑designed B4 bogie, which provided a markedly improved ride quality and was later used on Southern Region Mk1 electric multiple units.
This Hornby model reproduces a brake second corridor carriage as used by the London Midland Region, offering collectors an accurate representation of the historic British Railways Mk1 design.