📢 Please take a minute to read this personal message from the creator of RailwayModels.uk

Revolution Trains RT-OO-CAR4-402A

Quad set Cartic-4 car carrier - MAT-Transauto blue (set A)

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

Prototype Eras
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)

Manufacturer description

The iconic 4-car articulated Cartic-4 car carriers were built between 1966 and 1972 and lasted until the mid-2000s. The Cartic-4 car carriers were developed jointly by BR and Ford and adopted a radical design at the time for freight stock – comprising a permanently coupled four-part vehicle in which the inner cars were linked via shared bogies on articulated joints. The majority were built for private vehicle transporters MAT, Silcock & Collings and Tolemans, however some were also built by BR and used to launch its Motorail brand in 1966. This offered motorists the opportunity to take their car on holiday with them, with an extensive network of services between cities including London, Birmingham and Sheffield and Scotland, the South West and North Wales. Once Motorail stopped the Cartic-4s were used to transport cars around the country both in block flows from factories to delivery points and in Speedlink flows to dealers.

All of our models feature:

• Quad pack of Cartic-4 wagons (each individually numbered and with prototypical livery variations) in BR blue livery in as built condition (ie no side mesh/screens or roof) - suitable for Era 6/7
  
• NEM kinematic close couplers
• Choice of set numbers – set A or B (each quad set will feature different numbers)
• Each quad set measures 840mm over buffers

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

Revolution Trains Quad set Cartic‑4 car carrier – MAT‑Transauto blue (set A)
Manufacturer Part Number: RT‑OO‑CAR4‑402A

The model represents the British Rail Blue (pre‑TOPS) period. The original Cartic‑4 car carriers were built between 1966 and 1972 and remained in service until the mid‑2000s. They were a joint development by British Rail and Ford, using an articulated design with four permanently coupled vehicle sections and shared bogies. Most were supplied to private vehicle transporters such as MAT, Silcock & Collings and Tolemans, while a number were operated by British Rail for its Motorail service introduced in 1966. After Motorail ceased, the wagons were used for block and Speedlink car‑haul traffic across the United Kingdom.

The set contains a quad pack of Cartic‑4 wagons, each individually numbered and finished in the as‑built British Rail blue livery, without side mesh screens or roof fittings. The liveries match the prototypical variations for the era (Era 6/7).

Each wagon is equipped with NEM kinematic close couplers. Two versions of the quad set are offered – set A and set B – distinguished by the numbers assigned to the wagons. The overall length of the quad set, measured over buffers, is 840 mm.