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Hornby R40517

BR - MK1 Tourist - E4050 - Second Open Coach

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 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consisting of heavy steel sections braced with steel trusses, originally mounted on ‘BR1’ bogies, though these were superseded by a new cast-steel design from 1958 known as the ‘Commonwealth’ bogie.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 second class open coach from the Eastern Region.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

Hornby BR MK1 Tourist E4050 Second Open Coach is an OO gauge model of a British Railways Mk1 second class open passenger carriage. The model carries the Hornby part number R40517 and represents a coach from the British Railways Early Crest period.

The Mk1 was British Railways’ first standardised railway carriage design, with thousands constructed at the Derby, Wolverton, Doncaster, York, Eastleigh and Swindon works between 1951 and 1963. The design was also used on first‑generation diesel multiple units until 1974 and on non‑passenger vehicles such as parcel vans and full brake vehicles. Standard underframes measured 63ft 5in (19.33 m) and bodies with gangways were 64ft 6in (19.7 m) long, although some suburban and parcel variants were shorter. Initial units rode on BR1 bogies, later replaced by the cast‑steel Commonwealth bogie from 1958 and subsequently by the Swindon‑designed B4 bogie, which provided an improved ride.

This model is a highly detailed replica of an Eastern Region second class open coach, fabricated in steel‑panel bodywork on a wooden frame and mounted on the later B4 bogie type. It is aimed at collectors and railway enthusiasts seeking an accurate representation of the Mk1 coach in OO gauge.