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Hornby R4888E

BR, Bulleid 59' Corridor Brake Third, S2850S - Era 4

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI 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

When Oliver Bulleid took over as Chief Mechanical Officer of the Southern Railway following Richard Maunsell's retirement, the General Manager and Board were already aware that the SR's mainline coaching stock lagged behind the standards set by the other three Railway companies.

In 1938, with the assistance of his Technical Assistant, L. Lynes, Bulleid began design work for new steam-hauled stock for the Bournemouth and Weymouth services, placing the order for fifty-four 57' 11" underframes with Lancing Works. With the onset of the Second World War, the supply of bodies for these was put on hold and it was not until 1944 before the orders for the bodies could be placed, the first of these being finished at Eastleigh Works in November 1945. Featuring a smooth, continuously curved bodyside, with small fixed windows above the door windows, the exterior was distinctly Bulleid in character and was a perfect match for his streamlined Pacifics and Light Pacifics.

However, the interim nature of the design was apparent in the retention of Maunsell's underframe and layout, with side doors providing access to each compartment. Two types of stock were built; a Composite of four First, and three Third Class compartments to Diag. 2316 and a Brake Third of five compartments, with a 22' long brake van to Diag, 2121.

The last coaches were withdrawn in July 1967, at the end of Southern steam. The first withdrawals started in December 1963, leaving just Sets 964/967/968/976 and 980 until 1965, when further withdrawals left just twenty loose coaches.

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.

Hornby model BR Bulleid 59' Corridor Brake Third (S2850S) is a OO gauge representation of a Southern Railway Bulleid carriage. It is finished in a pristine SR Green livery, coloured green, and measures 243 mm in length with a minimum curve radius of the second radius (438 mm). The coach carries the running number S2850S and bears the manufacturer part number R4888E.

The prototype was designed by Oliver Bulleid after he became Chief Mechanical Officer of the Southern Railway. In 1938 Bulleid and his technical assistant L Lynes began design work for new steam‑hauled stock for the Bournemouth and Weymouth services, ordering fifty‑four 57‑ft‑11‑in underframes from Lancing Works. Production of bodies was delayed by the Second World War and only resumed in 1944, with the first carriage completed at Eastleigh Works in November 1945. The design retained Maunsell’s underframe and layout, featuring side doors to each compartment and a smooth, continuously curved bodyside with small fixed windows above the doors. Two variants were built: a composite with four First‑class and three Third‑class compartments, and a Brake Third with five Third‑class compartments and a 22‑ft brake van.

The coaches entered service in the post‑war period and remained in operation until the end of Southern steam. Withdrawals began in December 1963, with the final units taken out of service in July 1967. By 1965 only twenty loose coaches remained, forming the last surviving examples of the Bulleid 59' Corridor Brake Third design.