Oxford Diecast 76INV002

AC Invacar Pale Blue (Hubnut) 76 Scale model.

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

Manufacturer description

WC (“Took”) is a 1972 Invacar Model 70 – the final flowering of the remarkable invalid carriage series of vehicles, produced after the Second World War until 1977. 

This 1:76 scale model is based on the Model 70 which was produced by both AC and Invacar Ltd as the government wished to reduce the number of different invalid carriages that were available during the 1960s. Invalid carriages were provided to individuals via the National Health Service.

The mechanical package includes an Austrian Steyr-Puch horizontal, four-stroke flat twin of 493cc, which sends its power through an AC-designed gearbox, which uses an American Salsbury [note Americanised spelling] continuously variable pulley system similar to those you can find on modern scooters. This means a simple ‘twist and go’ driving experience – you push down on the handlebars to stop, though different driving controls, including steering wheels or tillers, could be specified to suit the disability of the driver.

Safety concerns led to invalid carriages being replaced by the Motability scheme in 1977, which offered normal cars with hand controls instead, but such was the outcry at the time that those who already had invalid carriages were allowed to keep them – until 2003! At that point, the scheme finally came to an end and the  government ordered all of the invalid carriages that it owned to be scrapped.

 TWC survived, because scrapyards soon got fed up with the deluge of invalid carriages, and so TWC and a group of friends, were abandoned in a field in Sussex, where they were forgotten for some 14 years. In November 2017, Ian Seabrook of the HubNut YouTube Channel rescued TWC and set about getting this extraordinary piece of motoring history back on the road, having long been fascinated by these unusual machines. Since returning to the road in March 2018, TWC has travelled from Wales back to the Invacar Ltd factory (no longer trading, but the gentleman now running a garage in the building served his apprenticeship at the factory and looked after them for many years) in Essex, has driven through the centre of London, been around the Goodwood Motor Circuit and also slowly climbed up the famous Shelsley Walsh hillclimb. She once managed to attain 70mph on a downhill section of the A23 in Sussex, an experience Ian describes as ‘entirely terrifying.’

A great little item which is 1:76 (00) scale, so suitable for Hornby layouts.  You can find out more about TWC the Invacar by visiting www.youtube.com/HubNut 

Catalogue listing

Oxford Diecast AC Invacar Pale Blue (Hubnut) – 1:76 scale model.
Manufacturer part number: 76INV002.
The model represents the British Rail Blue livery used before the TOPS system was introduced.

The kit is a replica of the 1972 Model 70 Invacar, the final version of the government‑issued invalid carriage produced from the post‑war period until 1977. It features a 493 cc Austrian Steyr‑Puch horizontal flat‑twin engine driving an AC‑designed gearbox with an American Salsbury continuously variable pulley, providing a simple “twist‑and‑go” control system.

Invalid carriages were supplied via the National Health Service and were withdrawn in favour of the Motability scheme in 1977. One example, known as “TWC”, was rescued from a Sussex field in November 2017 by Ian Seabrook of the HubNut YouTube channel and returned to running condition in March 2018. Since then it has been driven to the former Invacar factory in Essex, toured central London, visited Goodwood Motor Circuit and attempted the Shelsley Walsh hill‑climb, reaching about 70 mph on a downhill stretch of the A23 in Sussex.

The model is produced to 00 (1:76) gauge and is suitable for Hornby railway layouts. Further information about the real Invacar and the HubNut restoration videos can be found on the HubNut YouTube channel.