Hornby 2024 GWR SR LMS LNER Coaches

LNER "The Coronation" express train brake third and kitchen third articulated pair coach pack.
Articulating two coaches together allowed a wide gangway between the coaches, giving a more spacious feel to the interior.

LNER "The Coronation" express train open first class articulated pair coach pack.
Articulating two coaches together allowed a wide gangway between the coaches, giving a more spacious feel to the interior.

LNER "The Coronation" express train open third and kitchen third articulated pair coach pack.
Articulating two coaches together allowed a wide gangway between the coaches, giving a more spacious feel to the interior.

LNER "The Coronation" express train brake third and open third articulated pair coach pack.
Articulating two coaches together allowed a wide gangway between the coaches, giving a more spacious feel to the interior.

One of the most novel features of the 'Coronation' was the inclusion of a specially built streamlined observation car, often affectionately named the 'beaver tail' observation car. Two were built, with one being used for the up service and the other for the down service. Passengers couldn't reserve a seat in the observation car, instead a fee was charged for the use of the carriage by the hour. In reality the streamlined shape of the roof severely limited the views out the back of the carriage. In 1959, long after the 'Coronation' service had ceased, British Railways rebuilt the observation cars with a new un-streamlined end which featured much larger windows and a new seating arrangement to significantly improve the view with the cars being used on the famously picturesque west highlands line.

Royal trains have always been a consideration of railway operators, and this included in the early days of the railways. One of the first royal coaches dates back to 1842, and still exists to this day. In 1840, the widow of King William IV became the first member of the British Royal Family to travel by train, and with the decision that this may become a regular occurrence, a special coach was built for her travel two years later.

Queen Adelaide, the aunt of Queen Victoria, would receive this coach in the same year that Queen Victoria would take her first journey by rail, becoming the first British monarch to do so. Queen Adelaide's Saloon, coach number 2, was constructed at Euston works who built the underframe and then combined it with a body built by a coach builder, also based in London. The coach built nature of this saloon led to it resembling a horse drawn carriage of the time. The coach was built by the London and Birmingham Railway.

In the style of an old horse-drawn carriage, our Royal Mail coach model emulates mail travel from the 1800s. It sports an L&MR red and black livery. A crew figure (coachman) can be seated at the back of your layout to perfectly replicate the scene. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings and a coachman figure.

To suit a member of the Royal Family, the coach was finished in an elaborate red livery with gold-plated handles and a hand-painted coat of arms insignia on the exterior panels. The bodywork was completed by Hooper, who was later known for its connections with luxury car manufacturers, Rolls-Royce and Daimler. ‘Queen Adelaide’s Saloon’ is the oldest surviving royal carriage and is housed at the National Railway Museum in York.

A regal coach suited for a Queen, this L&BR coach is a perfect replication of the preserved example. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings.

The second class open topped coach sports an L&MR brown livery. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings.

As travel time by railway was superior to that of road travel by coach, coach companies sought new ways to compete, leading to mail coaches and stagecoaches being loaded onto the 'open carriage waggons' for onward travel to places such as Liverpool or Manchester. These connecting, or 'branch coaches' were to become the antecedent for the Branch Line railways of the future.

This flatbed wagon comes complete in a vibrant L&MR green livery. The accessory bag contains two chain couplings.