British Railways Kits

A highly detailed plastic model kit of the BR design shock absorbing open wagon.
Sock absorbing wagons were introduced in the 1930s to provide extra shock protection during shunting for more fragile goods. Springs were mounted alongside the solebars and a slightly shorter body was fitted, secured to allow longitudinal movement attached to and controlled by the springs, instead of the body being rigidly fixed to the underframe. Typical loads for shock opens would include bricks and earthenware products like sewer pipes.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Model kit building a detailed replica of the British Railways shock absorbing covered box van, complete with underframe details for the visible areas behind the headstocks.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Model kit to build a detailed replica of the BR Vanwide box van in original vacuum brake configuration.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Highly detailed kit to build a model of the standard BR box van.
These vans have had very long lives, built in the 1950s and remaining in service into the 1980s. Even today a significant number still serve as tool and stores vans on heritage railways, with examples to be found in most heritage freight trains.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Slaters Plastikard 7062 0 Gauge BR 12t Standard or Fruit Van with Plywood Sides

This kit builds a highly detailed model of the British Railways standard plywood sided ventilated box van diagram 1/213 with parts for the Fruit Van diagram 1/233

Slaters Plastikard 7067 O Gauge BR 13 ton Conflat Wagon

Kit to build a detailed model of the British Rail 4-wheel container flat wagon.
Glue and paints are required to assemble and complete the model (not included)

Slaters Plastikard 7069  O Gauge BR Lowfit Wagon Dia1/002

Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Kit to build a detailed model of the first design of BR box van intended for loading with palletised goods. Although these vans are well remembered due to their distinctive off-set doors the design was less than successful in service.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

Slaters Plastikard 7071 O Gauge BR 13Ton High Sided Open Wagon
Kit to build a model of the BR steel bodied merchandise open wagon.
Originally an LNER design these wagons were adopted as the standard BR merchandise open wagon. The steel body was much more durable than wood planks and lashing rings could be securely attached inside the body, easing the work of securing loads.

British Railways produced a range of standard wagon designs with the objective of improving load capacity and handling. Based on the late LNER design steel hopper wagons  the 21 ton coal hopper was one of the longest lasting designs with many wagons still in service up to the miners strike in the 1980s. The kit builds a model of a non-vacuum fitted wagon with a choice of plain or roller bearing axleboxes and transfers for early, late (boxed) and TOPS lettering.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Parkside O gauge kit PS112 LMS/LNER/BR Gunpowder Van Kit

Transfers included for LMS (post 1936 and wartime), LNER and BR wagons.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Model kit of the British Railways 12-ton capacity long wheelbase pipe wagon.
Designed to carry finished iron, steel and ceramic pipe sections for water/sewerage and drainage these long open wagons have found many more uses, with some being adapted with modern suspension and air brakes in the 1980s. This kit builds a model of one of the 350 wagons built in 1955 and fitted with vacuum brakes, these wagons being withdrawn from service through the 19070s and 80s.
The design was based on a LNER design and the kit can be modified to model the earlier design or many of the other batches of BR built wagons.
Supplied with transfers for early and later British Railways and TOPS era liveries.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Introduced by the LNER in 1937, later examples had all-welded bodies. BR also built some and uprated their capacity to 22 tons. Lasted into the 1980s, mostly in engineer’s use. Transfers for LNER, early and post-TOPS BR.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.
Intended to carry steel sheet or plates many sheet steel components could also be carried. The wagons proved versatile in service and often saw use as flat wagons conveying road vehicles and farm implements.

Parkside plastic model kit for the LMS/LNER/BR 21-ton Double Bolster Wagon.
Developed from the LNER plate wagon design these 21-ton capacity double bolster wagon were built for both the LNER and LMS. Later the design was adopted by British Railways as a standard type and around 2,400 were built in total. The last examples of these wagons were withdrawn in the 1970s, replaced by the new air braked wagon fleet. The kit is supplied with a pipe load, however the wagons carried a wide range of long loads including timber (planks) and lengths of structural metal sections. Two could be run together or with a low-sided runner wagon to convey loads longer than a single wagon.
Supplied with transfers for LMS, LNER and BR 1950s-1970s.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Parkside plastic model wagon kit for the BR plate wagon fitted with plate trestles.
This design of wagon allowed over-sized steel plates to be carried on a trestle mounted on the wagon. These wagons remained in service into the 1970s. Kit includes securing chains and shackles. Transfers for BR 1950s – 1970s.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

The all-steel construction sloped sided design was produced by wagon builders Charles Roberts & Co. in the mid-1930s as a private venture design. During WW2 a large number of wagons to this design were ordered by the government Ministry of War Transport to boost the rail wagon fleet in Britain and to supply wagons to France in support of the liberation of Europe. The European railways preferred to use larger wagons, so the small British supplied wagons were returned around 1950. Around 10,000 were taken into British Railways stock with withdrawals taking place in the 1960s. Some ended up private industry use.
Transfers supplied for BR lettering, metal wheels and 3 link couiplings. Additional parts to enable the vehicle to be modeled incorporating modifications made to the prototypes during their working life are included where appropriate.

A fleet of specialist wagons for industrial and building sand were constructed in the early 1950s. They were designed for emptying by tipper or grab. Withdrawal started in the 1970s, some lasting in Civil Engineers service into the 1980s. Transfers for early and post-TOPS BR.  Additional parts to enable the vehicle to be modelled incorporating modifications made to the prototypes during their working life are included where appropriate.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Built in their hundreds of thousands and seen all over the rail system, these are the wagons which replaced pre war wooden private owner wagons. With side and end doors. Easy to assemble from the correctly coloured injection moulded components. Kits include Transfers. Buffers are sprung and 3-link couplings are included on all models, while the BR wagons also feature working axlebox springs and moveable brake levers. Fine scale metal tyred wheels on pin-point axles supplied, spoked for the GWR wagons or 3-hole disc for the BR types. Fully illustrated instructions included.

This model kit is based on an early 16-ton steel mineral wagon with pressed steel end door, welded side doors and no top flap over the side door. This corresponds generally to BR diagram 1/102, a design built for the Ministry of Transport to replace old wooden wagons lost, damaged or simply life expired during WW2.

Literally just a steel box on wheels, these wagons were designed to be emptied by turning them upside down in a 'tippler' mechanism, hence there are no side or end doors. Easy to assemble from the correctly coloured injection moulded components. Kits include Transfers. Buffers are sprung and 3-link couplings are included on all models, while the BR wagons also feature working axlebox springs and moveable brake levers. Fine scale metal tyred wheels on pin-point axles supplied, 3-hole disc for the BR types. Fully illustrated instructions included.

British Railways constructed over 8,500 tippler wagons, nominally for iron ore. These wagons had no side or bottom doors and were emptied by being rolled over or later by mechanical grab buckets. The wagons were used for a range of basic mineral ores and for aggregates including roadstone.

These low sided wagons were used for carrying the heavy ingots of crude iron known as 'pigs' from the smelting furnace to the steelworks for refining into steel. Easy to assemble from the correctly coloured injection moulded component. Kits include Transfers. Buffers are sprung and 3-link couplings are included on all models, while the BR wagons also feature working axlebox springs and moveable brake levers. Fine scale metal tyred wheels on pin-point axles supplied, 3-hole disc for the BR types. Fully illustrated instructions included.

British Railways built 1,000 of these robust low-sided wagons to carry basic pig iron produced by blast furnaces for use in iron casting processes or further refining and conversion to steel. Later these wagons were used for carrying steel coils, lasting until the early 1980s.

Plastic kit to build a model of the BR standard design guards goods brake van. The kit can also be detailed as the earlier LNER design van, from which the standard design was created.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

This kit builds a detailed model of the BR meat van variant of the standard box van design diagram 1/250.
The distinctive covered meat van with its column of end bonnet vents and additional side louvre ventilators is a useful variation on the standard BR box van.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

This kit builds a detailed model of the insulated version of the BR standard box van design, lacking the end ventilators.
Supplied with metal wheels, 3 link couplings and sprung buffers

O gauge plastic wagon kit for the LNER and British Railways long wheelbase 12 ton insulated 'blue spot' fish van, LNER diagram 214, BR diagram 80.
BR built 1,000 of these vans based closely on the final LNER design they supplemented in service. Kit contains parts for oil or roller bearing axleboxes and transfers for BR livery. Supplied with sprung buffers, metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

13,645 of these hoppers were built, this kit representing one from the first batch of 409 built in 1936. Featuring riveted construction and LNER brake gear, many lasted into the 1970s. Transfers for LNER and BR. These finely moulded plastic wagon kits come complete with pin point axle wheels and bearings, 3 link couplings and transfers. This kit is supplied with pre-coloured moulded parts although painting can improve the appearance. Additional parts to enable the vehicle to be modelled incorporating modifications made to the prototypes during their working life are included where appropriate.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

New kit, currently expected to be released early 2020. Price to Be Advised

A detailed model kit of the British Railways all-steel welded construction 13 ton hopper wagons, based on an LNER design and representing diagrams 1/142 and 1/144. Built in the early 1950s the last of these unfitted wagons were withdrawn circa 1980.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

A well designed kit to construct a model of the BR engineers standard Grampus general materials carrier wagon.
Over 4,000 Grampus wagons were built from 1951 to 1959, based on the last GWR drop-side ballast wagon design with the addition of removable end panels, allowing extra-long loads like signal posts to be carried. The wagons have proven so useful that many could be found in use in 2000, and in addition to wagons used on heritage railways we would not be at all surprised to find some still hiding out in Network Rail engineers yards!
Etched region allocation plates are included, along with transfers for early BR and TOPS era lettering.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

Developed from the GWR 20-ton open wagon the BR 21-ton version was intended to be the standard coal wagon. The wagons never proved quite so popular with the domestic trade customers as the smaller 16-ton version and later hoppers too over many bulk coal flows. The 21-tonner remains a distinctive wagon of the early BR era, something different to the ubiquitous 16-ton minerals.
Parkside have a well deserved reputation for making excellent kits, producing an accurate model which remains easy to assemble well with only basic tools required.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

These large 24½-ton open wagons were intended to be the standard bulk coal wagons under the BR ideal stock plan, being the heaviest 2-axle wagons which could be granted near-universal route clearance. Where clearance wasn't available however was under the screens of many collieries. While the slightly lower 21-ton wagons proliferated this 24½ type was built in limited numbers and frequently made a nuisance of themselves by getting mixed in with the 21-tonners when going somewhere they wouldn't fit!
2,150 of this design were built in 1953 – 1956. Used to carry coal for steel works, power stations and engines sheds. Withdrawn by 1982. Transfers for BR 1950s – 1970s.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

A high quality plastic model kit from Parkside to build a model of the standard BR 16-ton open mineral wagon. Over 200,000 of these wagons were built during the 1950s.
There were many variations in detail just on the basic diagram 1/108 wagons, this kit is supplied with parts to build a model of a wagon with welded side and end doors and the basic Morton brake. Several variants can be constructed using the same bodyshell and frames with alternative brake fittings (not supplied, we recommend always keeping a box of the spare unused parts from the sprues when building kits as these can often these supply the parts for other conversions.)
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

A superb kit from Parkside to build the unusual 'SNCF' version of the 16-ton steel bodied mineral wagon with European type cupboard side doors.
6,000 were built at the end of the Second World War for service in France. They returned to the UK later in the 1950s and remained in use into the 1960s. Many were then sold into private industry use. Transfers for BR. Additional parts to enable the vehicle to be modelled incorporating modifications made to the prototypes during their working life are included where appropriate.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.

This kit models the 8 plank height version of the 1923 wagon with a steel underframe. These wagons were commonly ordered by collieries and coal factors and for use with less dense coals, where the extra height was needed for a full 12 tons load. The LNER owned a number of wagons built to this design for mineral traffic. The robust steel underframe many of these wagons lasted in service with British Railways into the 1960s, making this kit suitable for a range of liveries from private owners through wartime economy lettering and unpainted wood finish to BR grey.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings. Transfers for BR ex-private owner wagon lettering.