Oxford Diecast 76DB003

Model of the York Bros. Duple Britannia by Oxford at 1:76 scale.

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

Prototype Eras
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Only the third release on the 1:76 scale luxury Duple Britannia coach, York Brothers of Northampton follow on from the illustrious Wallace Arnold and Bartons versions which comprised numbers one and two in the series.

The history of Duple goes back to 1919 when the bus and coach bodybuilding company was funded by Herbert White in Hornsey, London. In the ensuing years, it survived two world wars, amalgamations with other companies and relocation to both Kegworth and Loughborough. The Duple Britannia belongs to the era following this decentralisation when the company became known as Duple Motor Buses (Midland) Limited, Manufactured between 1956 and 1962, It was based on its immediate predecessor the Elizabethan with underfloor engine chassis but with modified vertical pillars. Duple lasted exactly 70 years until 1989 when the Duple body designs were sold to the Carlyle Works of Birmingham.

Highly detailed in every respect, our flat fronted Duple Britannia is registered TBD 1 and the destination panel below the windscreen indicates it is heading for the British Coach Rally 1959 which was held in Brighton. Fitting therefore that the rear of our coach has the letters HMS Brighton printed under the rear window. Decorated with a bright blue lower body and a smoky blue upper body and roof, the roof lights and front roof windows are coloured in light grey with silver surrounds.  The coach features the two windowed passenger door on the nearside with the driver’s door placed higher on the offside.  

The interior floor and seating are moulded in smoke grey with a black dashboard and steering wheel. Outside trim is mostly silver or chrome plated and the wide radiator grille is masked black with the Britannia name etched above, the AEC winged badge and the Duple name below.

York Brothers were a local coach tour company established in 1924 based in Cogenhoe just outside Northampton and as printed on the side of the coach, their company address appears to have been 1 Derngate, Northampton. Their main business comprised school contracts, local bus services as well as private hire. We also see the coach seats 41 passengers with a maximum speed of 30 mph.  The rear also tells us that the York Bros operation centred round Northampton, Kettering, Rushden and Wellingborough. In 2008 the company became part of Bowen Travel Group.

Our 1:76 scale Duple Britannia proudly displays the York Bros logo and comes on a plinth, clear lid and Oxford Omnibus wrap.

Catalogue listing

Oxford Diecast Model of the York Bros Duple Britannia, 1:76 scale (part number 76DB003). The model represents a British Rail blue coach in the pre‑TOPS period.

It is the third 1:76 scale release of the luxury Duple Britannia coach, following earlier Wallace Arnold and Bartons examples. The original Duple Britannia was built between 1956 and 1962 by Duple Motor Buses (Midland) Limited, a descendant of the Duple company founded in 1919.

The die‑cast coach is liveried in a bright blue lower body with a smoky blue upper body and roof. Roof lights and front roof windows are light grey with silver surrounds. The destination panel indicates a service to the British Coach Rally 1959 in Brighton, and the rear window bears the letters HMS Brighton. The vehicle carries the York Bros logo; the side panel shows the company's address at 1 Derngate, Northampton. It is marked as a 41‑passenger coach with a maximum speed of 30 mph.

The model includes a plinth, clear lid and an Oxford Omnibus wrap. Exterior trim is chiefly chrome‑plated, with a black‑masked radiator grille, the Britannia name etched above, the AEC winged badge and the Duple name below. The interior features smoke‑grey flooring and seating, a black dashboard and steering wheel.