Lionheart’s Mk 1s
2021 marks 70 years since introduction of the British Railways Mk 1 carriage design and Lionheart Trains has just delivered the first of its all-new ‘O’ gauge ready-to-run models. MIKE WILD finds out if these could be the definitive version for 7mm scale.
The British Railways Mk 1 carriage design is a signature of the steam age. The first were built in 1951, 70 years ago this year, with the last of the breed being completed in 1963, although Mk 1 based multiple units were built until 1974.
The standard carriage design was BR’s first all-new post-nationalisation passenger vehicle type. The range encompassed corridor and open vehicles, catering cars, parcels vans, post office vehicles and specialist vehicles such as bullion vans and Carflats. The mainline stock was 63ft 6in long while parcels vans and suburban carriages had a 57ft 0in chassis length.