HORNBY R40027 DRS, Mk1 Restaurant Buffet, 1657-Era 11 Coach, Blue

The standardized railway carriage design built by British Railways, the Mark 1 coach, was introduced in 1951 and could be found across Britain's railway network, continuing to be produced until 1963, and even later in the form of multiple units and non-passenger stock. Mk1 coaches were built in various places, including Derby, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Swindon, Wolverton, and York, and most had 63ft 5in long underframes with 64ft 6in long bodies, although some were built shorter to be used on tighter curves where large overhangs would otherwise have prohibited running.

The introduction of the Mk1 coaches in 1951 was attributed to a reduction in the number of fatalities on British railways since 1955, due to their steel build, strong underframe, and buckeye couplings, making them far safer in the event of an accident. Mk1 coaches started to be withdrawn from widescale service in the 1990s, although in some regions, particularly in the south, Mk1 base multiple units continued to be used well into the 2000s.

Network Rail continues to use modified Mk1 coaches for various departmental duties, and rail tour operators continue to use Mk1 coaches on specially organised services. The Mk1 RB, a Mk1 Restaurant Buffet coach, contains a kitchen and a serving buffet counter, as well as seating for 23 passengers.

The first phase of building British Railways' Mk1 catering vehicles followed the traditional pattern of dining that had been catered for since Edwardian times, with large Kitchen Cars preparing multiple course dining for consumption in both First and Third Class Dining Cars. However, during the early 1950s, it became apparent that social patterns regarding rail travel catering were changing, a direct consequence of WWII attitudes towards dining.

The catering department of British Railways was experiencing a demand from travellers for cheaper and lighter meals and was seeing an increase in social drinking that was not related to dining. This change in dining patterns meant that the use of a Buffet vehicle, rather than a full Kitchen Car/Dining Car combination, was sometimes a better option, and the third phase 1957-62 Mk.1 building programme provided many of BR's vehicles with buffet facilities, not just in addition to full meal provision, but also replacing it. Propane gas units were used for gas cooking, reducing the reliance on electric power, which, in turn, allowed for a smaller dynamo and battery.

The Mk1 coaches were produced in 1:76 Scale / 00 Gauge, with a livery of DRS and operated by DRS in the present day (2014 on).

product information: