There's Always More '2c' - Additional Mark 2c Coaches Announced!

Warbonnet · February 21, 2023

A couple of weeks ago we dropped our initial batch of 10 Mark 2c coaches in iconic blue and grey BR livery. It's the first time these coaches have been produced in OO/4mm scale in ready-to-run format and they have certainly gone down a treat, with pre-orders absolutely flying out the door.

However, some modellers suggested other liveries from different eras that they would like to see. So, to paraphrase Blue Peter; Here's some we made earlier!

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR MARK 2C COACHES

Network Southeast

BFK 17132 With 'West of England' Route Branding

NSE TSO(T) 6500

Our first Mk.2 production run includes Mk.2b TSO and FK in Network SouthEast-livery, perfect for operations on 'The Mule' (Waterloo-Exeter) as well as other South Western division loco-hauled trains.

However, these formations are not complete without this pair of Mk.2c coaches, which provide much required brake and catering services on these trains. TSO(T) 6500 was the first of 30 TSO converted in 1980-1 to provide 'third level' food provision and roughly a third of the fleet was based at Laira for these trains. Meanwhile, BFK 17132 wears the attractive West of England route branding designed for NSE by Edward Pond.

Intercity Scotrail

SK (ex FK) SC7551

BSO 9446

Just ahead of Model Rail Scotland it is appropriate to reveal a pair of our phase II Mk.2c coaches with a north of the border theme. While none of this Mk.2 sub type received the iconic ScotRail livery, many vehicles allocated to internal Scottish services did gain appropriate branding.

One of the highlights of this new announcement is Corridor Composite SC7551, one of five FK converted in 1985 for Glasgow-Edinburgh to Inverness services and this wears blue/grey with Inter-City ScotRail branding. Also included is BSO 9446, which carries the ScotRail lettering only.

Intercity

BFK M17130

While many pressure ventilated Mk.2s were still allocated to the InterCity sector in the mid 1980s, repaints into the new 'raspberry ripple' livery were rare. A requirement for BFK vehicles for charter and special train services saw a number of coaches outshopped in the operator's colourful paint scheme with the bulk of the pool drawn from the Mk.2c contingent. Wolverhampton Oxley's M17130 could also be found in WCML and cross-country IC services.

Regional Railways

TSO 5554

BSO 9458

The remaining Mk.2b and Mk.2c coaches were marked for withdrawal by the early 1990s but a small fleet did gain Regional Railways, mostly former Provincial-liveried vehicles freshened up with new branding. Longsight TSO 5554 and BSO 9458 were usually found on North Western loco-hauled services from Liverpool and Manchester to Blackpool, the famed 'club trains', with the brake coach notably being the last member of the 250-strong Mk.2c to remain in service with BR.

Provincial With Transpennine Branding

TSO 5614

Provincial-liveried 5614 is one of two TSO allocated to Heaton depot in the 1980s-early 1990s for Trans-Pennine services. These were regularly mixed with Mk.2a and Mk.2b TSOs, Mk.2a and Mk.2c FKs and Mk.1 brakes behind Peaks and Class 47/4s on the North Wales and Liverpool/Manchester to Newcastle/York/Scarborough routes.

West Coast Railways

TSO(T) 6528

BSO 9440

West Coast Railway's eclectic fleet of Mk.2s includes a range of vehicles that are unique survivors on the main line in the privatisation era, particularly its Mk.2b and Mk.2c examples. TSO(T) 6528 is still operational today and was recorded as recently as March 2022 on the main line. Its colleague, 9440, is one of just two Mk.2c BSO to have escaped the scrapman, and both returned to WCR for charter use after extensive use on the South Wales & West loco-hauled services in the late 1990s.

The Model

Our Mark 2c coaches build on the research from our Mark 2b coaches, with both variants surveyed together as we embarked on creating a wide reaching and flexible tooling suite for these missing links in the Mark 2 coach family. This was achieved using surveys of numerous surviving vehicles around the UK along with works drawings and even a partial 3D scan to ensure that the characteristic tumblehome and shape of the ends is as accurate as possible.

The survey extended to the interiors with particular attention being paid to differences of interior layout, seating styles and areas like the TSOT across the range.

A perfect complement to our Mark 2b range which is currently in production, we kick off the 2c range with 10 differently numbered coaches in the iconic BR Blue/Grey livery. The Mark 2c was quite varied, with Tourist Second Open (TSO), Corridor First (FK), Open First (FO), Brake Corridor First (BFK) and Brake Open Second (BSO) formats. In the 1980s four further types were introduced, SK and SO (declassified from first class), Corridor Composite (converted from FK for Scottish Region services) and a mini buffet with trolley space, known as TSO(T). All nine of these versions feature in our tooling suite.

Common Features:

Highly-detailed OO Gauge / 1:76.2 Scale Models on 16.5mm track
Extremely fine exterior rivet detail on roof and coach ends
Separately-applied etched metal and high-fidelity plastic parts, including handrails, brake/steam heat pipes, ETH cabling and sockets, footsteps, dummy drophead knuckle coupler, and roof vents
Prism Free Glazing
Pre-painted etched metal water filler covers provided for customer to install
Fully-detailed underframe with numerous separate parts, pipe runs and accurate differences between versions
The most accurate B4 bogies ever produced, with provision for re-gauging to EM or P4 (18.83mm) gauges
Blackened RP25.110 profile wheel-sets with 14.4mm back-to-back measurements, and 26mm over pinpoints
Different buffers for retracted and non-retracted positions
Accurate interiors with characteristic 'winged' headrests, separate metal interior handrails on the brake and corridor vehicles and fully-detailed guard's compartment
Correct height NEM standard coupling sockets with mini tension lock couplers and kinematic close-coupling
Easy conversion to Kadee-compatiable knuckle couplers
Full lighting package, including
magnet 'wand' controlled interior lighting
'Stay-Alive' capacitor in all coaches
Minimum Radius 438mm (2nd Radius Set-track)
Coach Length: 269mm

These coaches are primed for production and will begin once the Mark 2b production run is complete. They will arrive in stock in Q4 2023 and are the same great price of just £59.95 each and 10% off when you order direct via the Accurascale website.

You can spread the cost using our flexible payment terms over 6 months or less, depending on your requirements when ordering direct via our website. Just click on the basket at checkout and follow the simple steps.