Which MK1 Restaurant car should be produced next for N gauge?

[montyburns56]

While it's useful that Farish have made nice models of the MK1 RMB & RU, there are so many variants of  the MK1 Restaurant/Buffet cars that I think that it would be nice if a manufacturer produced one of the other variants. I know that's it's quite a minefield as I believe that some of them were cosmetically modified over their lives so I'm not sure exactly which one would be best to in order to cover the longest life/numbers built etc?

 

I think that the ones not produced  so far are the RB, RBR, RFO and RKB. It would be nice if the more knowledgeable members could list how many were built of each type, just to give us a guide as to which one would be best to manufacturer.

 

 

 

[Padishar Creel]

Hallo,

The RFO has been produced by Graham Farish. The RFO had no catering facilities and was the seating area (dining room) for the full kitchen stock of KB/RKB. 

The RF has not been produced.

 

es grüßt

pc 

[The Pilotman]

I’ve got some Farish RMBs (blue/grey and InterCity), one RU and one RFO (both blue/grey) so I doubt very much I’d be buying another coach with a red stripe. In fact, I didn’t even know there were any other types. 

[Davexoc]

Just looking through Longworth and there are 35 different diagrams of Mk1 catering vehicles.

There were also RSO, RUO, RE, RG, RF, RFB, RKB, RB(K) and then a whole load of ROYs for the Royal Trains...

So yes, a minefield....

[Mike Harvey]

When I was involved in the catering provision on a group of loco-hauled InterCity services, we used to diagram Mk 1 catering vehicles by coach number such was the variation inside the cars even when they were nominally identical. This dictated what they could produce. Catering needs varied considerably by route.

[Padishar Creel]

Some of the RBRs were converted from RUs. Only the window pattern of the kitchen side were altered, the other side remained unchanged.

Millfield Models converted two Farish RUs for me, one stayed BlueGrey, the other was resprayed to InterCity. Here a pic of the BlueGrey. I am very happy with the result.

es grüßt

pc 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Padishar Creel
Uploaded 2nd pic, found on the web, all credit to the photographer

[montyburns56]

7 hours ago, Padishar Creel said:

Hallo,

The RFO has been produced by Graham Farish. The RFO had no catering facilities and was the seating area (dining room) for the full kitchen stock of KB/RKB. 

The RF has not been produced.

 

es grüßt

pc 

 

Right, I didn't realise that Farish had produced an RFO nor that an RFO and RF are different. Oops!

[montyburns56]

1 hour ago, Padishar Creel said:

Some of the RBRs were converted from RUs. Only the window pattern of the kitchen side were altered, the other side remained unchanged.

Millfield Models converted two Farish RUs for me, one stayed BlueGrey, the other was resprayed to InterCity. Here a pic of the BlueGrey. I am very happy with the result.

es grüßt

pc 

 

Yeah, the problem that I fear for any manufacturer making a new Restaurant Car is that some of them were altered making it even harder to pick one that is commercially viable.

[John M Upton]

The RFO (essentially a Open First with red stripe and an earlier design omitting centre door limiting it to a very small batch) were very poor sellers when they were released, they hung around for years after all the other blue/grey Mk1's had been released and were being sold off for as little as a tenner sometimes.

 

I bought three if I remember rightly for parts donors and bashing into other types.

[PaulCheffus]

Hi

 

RKB diagram 25 for me but not on your list. Current plan is to cut up some coaches to make one but I have plenty of other higher priority projects to do first.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[montyburns56]

37 minutes ago, PaulCheffus said:

Hi

 

RKB diagram 25 for me but not on your list. Current plan is to cut up some coaches to make one but I have plenty of other higher priority projects to do first.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

Ahh, I did actually mean an RKB. I'm beginning to think that I should just delete the poll and start again. 

[DaveArkley]

22 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

 

Ahh, I did actually mean an RKB. I'm beginning to think that I should just delete the poll and start again. 

And include some pre-nationalisation options (I'd love some LMS 12 wheel catering stock).

[Roy L S]

The problem with any catering vehicle, but especially a restaurant car is that you will not even need one in every express passenger rake you possess. This makes the RMB more useful and viable for a manufacturer as it will be used in a greater number of trains. This is also doubtless the reason we haven't seen Thompson or Stanier catering vehicles - they just wouldn't sell enough.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Roy L S

[montyburns56]

31 minutes ago, Roy L S said:

The problem with any catering vehicle, but especially a restaurant car is that you will not even need one in every express passenger rake you possess. This makes the RMB more useful and viable for a manufacturer as it will be used in a greater number of trains. This is also doubtless the reason we haven't seen Thompson or Stanier catering vehicles - they just wouldn't sell enough.

 

I'm aware that restaurant cars aren't the best sellers, but it's just that it's a bit annoying if you want to model a specific train and the exact type isn't available as RTR. The poll is really just to see which one would be the most popular if someone did decide to make another one.

[montyburns56]

2 hours ago, DaveArkley said:

And include some pre-nationalisation options (I'd love some LMS 12 wheel catering stock).

 

Well the trouble is that they are even more of a niche item. At least the MK1's were used across the various regions.

[acourtrail]

The diagram 24 RB/RBR (1644 - 1760 number series) would be the easiest to do, because the windows and doors stayed the same throughout their lives (at least until the modern day charter operators got their hands on some of them).  They carried maroon, Southern Region green, chocolate and cream, blue and grey, the three main intercity liveries (executive, swallow and white roof).

 

Some later on got blood and custard, LNWR and pullman liveries when they ran in charter trains, but even those could be done using the standard version tooling because when they had the saloons converted into storage space, the unwanted windows were just painted white.

[Padishar Creel]

On 14/08/2023 at 17:37, montyburns56 said:

 

Ahh, I did actually mean an RKB. I'm beginning to think that I should just delete the poll and start again. 

 

I would guess that the RB/RBR would still top the poll. Very widely used on services, long life etc.

It seems to have been a success for Hornby

 

es grüßt

pc 

[DaveArkley]

3 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

 

Well the trouble is that they are even more of a niche item. At least the MK1's were used across the various regions.

Niche? London to Edinburgh, both directions, every day? 

[melmoth]

46 minutes ago, DaveArkley said:

Niche? London to Edinburgh, both directions, every day? 

 

Yep, that's niche. A bit like the Brighton Belle, quite a limited range of operation.

[davebem]

Another vote for the RBR, these are what I need for my Class 50 + mk2 rakes.  I like the converted RU posted above though, given me some inspiration.

[montyburns56]

57 minutes ago, davebem said:

Another vote for the RBR, these are what I need for my Class 50 + mk2 rakes.  I like the converted RU posted above though, given me some inspiration.

 

My thought was that an RBR would best, but I didn't want to prejudice the poll by mentioning it. Plus like a lot of older modellers I have fond memories of the Mainline 00 version.

[Padishar Creel]

18 hours ago, davebem said:

Another vote for the RBR, these are what I need for my Class 50 + mk2 rakes.  I like the converted RU posted above though, given me some inspiration.

I swapped the wheelsets from the CW ones to the sets for the B4 which reduces the height and in this way the roof is the same height as Dapol MK3s and Farish MK2Fs

 

es grüßt

pc 

[montyburns56]

Now that Bachmann have announced an OO scale RB, we should see an N Gauge version as some point in the future. Having said that I wouldn't hold your breath as I'm still waiting for them to downscale their MK1 POS Stowage van.

[woodenhead]

2 minutes ago, montyburns56 said:

Now that Bachmann have announced an OO scale RB, we should see an N Gauge version as some point in the future. Having said that I wouldn't hold your breath as I'm still waiting for them to downscale their MK1 POS Stowage van.

Possibly more chance of the RB than a P.O.S stowage van (oh you didn't mean that P.O.S 🤣).  It might be a POT.

 

Would hope that any OO item being done right now would have a corresponding N gauge version designed even if not immediately tooled.  And more use for an RB, and FO and a BSO than a POT.

[The Pilotman]

19 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

I'm still waiting for them to downscale their MK1 POS Stowage van.

Who knows; the summer announcement is on Wednesday. Only three months ago nobody knew about the LMS twins and yet some people now have them running on their layouts. If anyone’s listening, a 25/3 or a skinhead 31 would also be welcome 😉

Edited April 29 by The Pilotman