Blue Mk1 coaches

austinbob · January 17, 2018, 08:40:59 AM

Just spotted these blue Mk1 coaches on Rails eBay shop.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINITRIX-N-GAUGE-RAKE-6-BR-BLUE-MK1-PASSENGER-COACHES-11B-/132471635926?hash=item1ed7ecbfd6

They are marked with 'S' numbers. Does anyone know where these were used in real life?

BobB · January 17, 2018, 08:47:14 AM

The S prefix suggests they are for the southern region. The initial 4REP 4TC and 4VEP's for Bournmouth's electrification were blue rather than blue and grey so perhaps these mark 1's were for Waterloo to Exeter ?

austinbob · January 17, 2018, 08:50:09 AM

Quote from: BobB on January 17, 2018, 08:47:14 AM
The S prefix suggests they are for the southern region. The initial 4REP 4TC and 4VEP's for Bournmouth's electrification were blue rather than blue and grey so perhaps these mark 1's were for Waterloo to Exeter ?

Thanks for that Bob. Never seen this version of Mk1's before - interesting

AndyRA · January 17, 2018, 09:07:59 AM

Some of the plain rail blue Mark 1's operated between Tunbridge Wells West and Victoria, and I can remember travelling on a plain rail blue mark 1 between East Croydon and Victoria (Brighton-Uckfield-Victoria service) hauled by a rail blue 33. The plain rail blue livery was very short lived for Mark 1 passenger stock at the beginning of the rail blue era. The Southern decided to follow the Corporate directive to the letter that stock on secondary services should be plain blue. Not sure how many vehicles got the plain blue treatment, but most went to Blue/Grey after a very short time in plain blue.

Andy.

Bob G · January 17, 2018, 11:13:42 AM

They have a certain rarity value in collector's circles. They were only made by Minitrix Germany in ~1970 and should have German box numbers 2933 and 2936.
its rare for Minitrix coaches to be in the same boxes they came in though!
I sold my collection for around £21 each in 2014, so the price is right on the button.
I'd like Farish to do their Mk 1s in all over blue.

Bob

austinbob · January 17, 2018, 03:10:36 PM

Quote from: Bob G on January 17, 2018, 11:13:42 AM
They have a certain rarity value in collector's circles. They were only made by Minitrix Germany in ~1970 and should have German box numbers 2933 and 2936.
its rare for Minitrix coaches to be in the same boxes they came in though!
I sold my collection for around £21 each in 2014, so the price is right on the button.
I'd like Farish to do their Mk 1s in all over blue.

Bob

I found this set of blue Mk1's quite an interesting find so decided to see if I could get them. Managed to get the price down to £100 - result. Now looking forward to receiving them.

austinbob · January 17, 2018, 04:14:10 PM

Quote from: AndyRA on January 17, 2018, 09:07:59 AM
Some of the plain rail blue Mark 1's operated between Tunbridge Wells West and Victoria, and I can remember travelling on a plain rail blue mark 1 between East Croydon and Victoria (Brighton-Uckfield-Victoria service) hauled by a rail blue 33. The plain rail blue livery was very short lived for Mark 1 passenger stock at the beginning of the rail blue era. The Southern decided to follow the Corporate directive to the letter that stock on secondary services should be plain blue. Not sure how many vehicles got the plain blue treatment, but most went to Blue/Grey after a very short time in plain blue.

Andy.

Do you know of any other locos hauled these coaches Andy?

Bob G · January 17, 2018, 04:37:12 PM

Well done!
If they are in original condition they should have metal wheels and will clatter all over your layout. Who needs sound chips eh?

They could also have been hauled by green 33s, even ones with no yellow panels, as the coaches would have been painted blue in about 1966, and 33s didn't all get into BR blue until about 1968. Certainly green 33s hauled all blue 4-TCs before the TCs were repainted blue-grey and could run with the delayed 4-REP stock.

They may also have been hauled by Class 73s, but unlikely to have got behind 71s/74s on boat trains which would have been green coaching stock in the early 1960s (including Bullied SOs and green early Mk 2 FKs), then Mk 1 blue-grey stock starting from about 1967.

Bob

PS they are not the set I sold
PPS they would have cost between 99p and £1.01 (or the £sd equivalent) when they were made.
I know, because I used to get my dad to drive miles to get BR green ones at a 2p saving

austinbob · January 17, 2018, 04:59:01 PM

Thanks for all that Bob. I've got a green 33 so I'm happy about that. Although my layout represents a preserved line so rule 1 applies.

It's always a bit weird when you compare original prices from some time ago to current prices. You have to keep reminding yourself that wages/salaries have probably gone up in rough proportion.

AndyRA · January 17, 2018, 07:30:31 PM

Do you know of any other locos hauled these coaches Andy?

Probably only what Bob has already mentioned. The plain blue livery stands out still in my mind, the white numbering looked so 'brash' on the blue compared with what had been the more subdued gold/yellow numbers on the green stock. It was the one and only time I travelled on a Rail Blue Mark 1. My travels to/from East Croydon were not that frequent, and the next time I caught the service it had gone over to a couple of Blue/Grey Mark 1's and an odd one still in green.

Andy.

austinbob · January 25, 2018, 11:51:17 AM

Quote from: Bob G on January 17, 2018, 11:13:42 AM
They have a certain rarity value in collector's circles. They were only made by Minitrix Germany in ~1970 and should have German box numbers 2933 and 2936.
its rare for Minitrix coaches to be in the same boxes they came in though!
I sold my collection for around £21 each in 2014, so the price is right on the button.
I'd like Farish to do their Mk 1s in all over blue.

Bob

Coaches arrived today in Minitrix boxes, two marked 2933 but no labels on the others. All good condition and as described.
Very pleased with this purchase.

Bingley Hall · January 25, 2018, 03:00:12 PM

And from memory some of the early 4-CEP repaints were in plain blue as well.