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Revolution Trains RT-OO-CAR4-414A

Quad set Cartic-4 car carrier - Silcock Express livery with side screens (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 – Silcock Express livery with side screens (set A) is a model railway offering that replicates the British Rail blue‑liveried Cartic‑4 wagons as originally built. The set carries the manufacturer part number RT‑OO‑CAR4‑414A and represents the period before the introduction of the TOPS classification system, i.e. British Rail blue.

The real Cartic‑4 car carriers were produced between 1966 and 1972 and remained in service until the mid‑2000s. Developed jointly by British Rail and Ford, they featured an articulated four‑part design with shared bogies on the inner vehicles, allowing permanent coupling. Although most were built for private vehicle transporters such as MAT, Silcock & Collings and Tolemans, a number were owned by British Rail for its Motorail service, which ran from 1966 and enabled motorists to travel with their cars on routes covering London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Scotland, the South West and North Wales. After the Motorail programme ended, the wagons continued to convey cars in block flows from factories to delivery points and in Speedlink services to dealers.

The model set includes four individually numbered wagons, each finished in the prototypical British Rail blue livery without side mesh or roof, suitable for the Era 6/7 operating period. Features comprise NEM kinematic close couplers and the option of set A or set B, each providing a different numbering scheme. The complete quad measures 840 mm over the buffers.