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A pack of 2 of Bachmanns' detailed models of the BR Mk.2A first class brake coaches painted in the all-over blue scheme applied to vehicles in use with the engineering departments. These two are finished as HST barrier vehicles, used to allow conventional stock and locomotives to be coupled to HST coaches, which have centre couplers only. Mk.2 stock was provided with both centre couplers and conventional side buffers as fitted to locomotives. Guards' brake coaches were usually chosen for use as barrier coaches as both a guards office and hand brake for securing the train in sidings were already fitted.
The Carflats to this particular diagram were built from 1964 to 1968.
This livery was designed to emulate or copy the advanced yet ultimately fruitless APT project. This livery would largely remain unchanged even after a further rebrand to Intercity Swallow, before the coaches would transfer into private ownership at the end of BR.
These Mk3 coaches include the provision for lighting provided by the R7305 Maglight lighting unit, as well as fully detailed interiors and metal wheels throughout. For the first time, these coaches also include our new Buckeye style magnetic couplings.
Following the privatisation of the Railway network, Mk3 coaches would find themselves in many colourful liveries, some harking back to the original blue and grey livery of times gone by.
The Mk3 coach is perhaps most iconic in its original production livery of the BR Grey and Blue. It is in this livery that the coach, as well as the matching Class 43 units would be introduced, before high speed rail services in the UK would be rebranded into the Intercity Executive livery.
British Rail's new corporate image liveries were developed in the mid-1960's. The familiar rail blue locomotives with blue and grey passenger coach livery, along with the InterCity express train marketing brand, became the standard livery from 1967.In the mid-1980's brightly coloured sector liveries began to appear, with principal expresses gaining a distinctive InterCity livery, while Network South East formed a coherent image for the commuter belt.The corporate style blue & grey livery has returned to use in the 2000s as heritage railways and mainline tour sets have been painted to match blue-painted preserved diesel locomotives.