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Have you ever seen a piece of rolling stock that was so unique that you had to wonder how it came to be? Or maybe a vehicle that is fascinating in both service and design? Well, the British Railwaysu2019 Class 419 motor luggage vans surely tick all these boxes. These good-looking vehicles are now immortalized through Bachmann Branchlineu2019s Class 419 Motor Luggage Van Models at OO scale. Let's check them out!
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Bachmann: Branchline Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans Hearns Hobbies
Have you ever seen a piece of rolling stock that was so unique that you had to wonder how it came to be? Or maybe a vehicle that is fascinating in both service and design? Well, the British Railways’ Class 419 motor luggage vans surely tick all these boxes. These good-looking vehicles are now immortalized through Bachmann Branchline’s Class 419 Motor Luggage Van Models at OO scale. Let's check them out!
The History of The Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans The British Rail Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans (MLV) were built between 1959 and 1961 to provide additional luggage carrying capacity for boat trains. At the time, there were 10 single-car MLVs created to operate on the newly electrified Kent Coast line from London to ports on the South Coast, which were connected with cross-channel ferries. Each MLV was fitted with two sets of batteries that were charged by a motor generator during operation on the third rail electrified lines; this enabled each vehicle to work independently and away from electrified routes, which made them particularly useful when they reached the ferry ports in the south. It would detach from the train and travel to the dockyard to load the luggage directly onto the ship, where it would then be added back to the London end of the train for the return journey.
It was used on the docks until boat traffic decreased, and then it was used for other services, such as carrying parcels and mail, or in departmental use, where it served as tractor units on electrified lines. They were gradually withdrawn from the tracks in 1994 but stayed in service until the early 2000s. Remarkably enough, eight of the ten original MLVs are in preservation, with only two of them lost to time.
What is Inside Bachmann: Branchline Class 419 MLV The Bachmann: Branchline Class 419 MLV at OO scale has a finely detailed body shell and chassis fitted to the models. They are excellent reproductions of the MLVs, and just like the real thing, they know how to pull their own weight when placed on the tracks. Although it might be just one vehicle, the powerful five-pole motor and flywheel are enough to provide plenty of traction if you ever need it to haul additional stock. These models are sound-fitted, so you can enjoy sound effects when operating on analog control or DCC straight out of the box. Its ESU Loksound V5DDC Sound Decoder has twenty-six different functions, and those functions will surely be a delight to explore. The model has no strong buffers, but you do get hoses. The windows have wipers and mesh details, and you can see a bit of interior detail through them. The model looks the part of a secure vehicle, which is a really great detail considering the MLV transports mail, luggage, and bank documents. It has a guard compartment and rich underfloor details. Though the kit does not come with a driver figure, there is also a provision on the cab compartments where you can put a driver in.
Because the MLV is essentially a single motor model, it is driven on only one side, however this doesn't mean it has no couplings. The kit comes with NEM couplings alongside other accessories. With the NEM couplings, you can attach the model to trains and other rolling stock and make connections with it. It has peculiar directional lights that don't appear to be lights but illuminate both the front and the back of the MLV.
