31 January 2025
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Ahead of its Spring 2025 announcements, Bachmann Europe Plc revealed that it is adding two new coaches to its range of Bulleid Coaches, produced as part of the Bachmann Branchline OO Scale range.
The two new vehicles depict the Diagram 2406 Brake Composite Corridor (BCK) and the Diagram 2017 Third Open (TO) and engineering prototypes have now been received for both models.
The first 63ft 5in. corridor coaches designed by Oliver Bulleid, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway (SR), were introduced in 1946 and in-keeping with SR tradition, most of the new Bulleid coaches were marshalled into semi-permanent sets. Following Nationalisation in 1948, British Railways continued to build coaches to Bulleid’s designs and the first D. 2406 BCK was in fact not built until 1948, becoming the last type to be built with the shallower 10¼in. window ventilators.
Whilst some D.2017 TOs had been built by the Southern Railway, the majority were built by BR and these were built with the deeper 15in. window ventilators as depicted by the new Branchline models.
The Diagram 2406 BCKs numbered 40 examples, all built at Eastleigh, and these would all be allocated as ‘Loose’ coaches initially, rather than being formed into fixed sets. As loose coaches the BCKs would be used to strengthen sets at peak times, or included in trains from which they would be detached part way through a journey. The Atlantic Coast Express is a prime example of the latter, whereby as many as six BCKs heading for alternative destinations might be coupled to the main set upon departure from London Waterloo, and then progressively removed during the journey to then be hauled as part of a local or branch service, or simply as a single coach, to their final destination. The majority of the Diagram 2017 TOs were also allocated as loose coaches to be used as strengtheners or to be split from a train mid-journey.
Being built so soon after Nationalisation, the BCKs were outshopped in SR Malachite Green but with BR markings, whilst the TOs appeared from new in BR’s Crimson and Cream livery which had been adopted in 1949. In 1956 the Southern Region gained permission to return its corridor passenger stock to green and the Bulleid Coaches were quickly repainted into BR (SR) Green livery, whilst 1956 also saw Third Class travel abolished, resulting in the Third Opens being reclassified to Second Opens (SO).
Both coach types were amongst the Bulleid Coaches that were transferred away from the Southern Region in the late-1960s, in exchange for Mk1 coaches to be used for conversion into multiple units. As a result, examples of both the BCK and SO could be found operating on other regions and in doing so some were repainted into BR Maroon livery before their eventual withdrawal.
The two new models are built to the same standards as the existing Bachmann Branchline Bulleid Coaches, with a wealth of detail including separately fitted components such as roof vents, lamp irons, toilet filler & overflow pipework and the portrayal of a complete vacuum pipe-run between the sockets at each end of the vehicles. The bogies incorporate electrical pickups, brake details and footsteps as appropriate whilst authentic interiors are also included along with full underframe gear.
Several variations have been built into the tooling suite to allow accurate models of both coach types to be produced over the course of their working lives. These include the original smooth bodysides or with the later strengthening ribs added, and twin or single handrails aside the luggage compartment doors on the BCK.
Below the solebar, the original centrally mounted vacuum brake cylinder or later pair of offset cylinders can be modelled, along with Bulleid or BR Mk1 pattern battery boxes and dynamo.
Livery samples for the initial models have now been received and details of the first BCK and TO models to be produced, along with further Bulleid Coaches, will be included in the Spring 2025 British Railway Announcements.
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