Accurascale have announced a new run of their extremely popular BR Mark 2B/ C Coaching Stock in OO Gauge - leading with new 'missing link' Phase 1 Mk2C vehicles!

With over 20 coaches available across a broad selection of formats, liveries, and eras, this release offers excellent opportunities for modellers to expand existing rakes or build new formations behind popular Accurascale locomotives such as the Class 50, 31, and 37. The Phase 1 Mark 2c has never before been offered in ready-to-run form, making this a significant addition to the BR coaching fleet. Accurascale once again delivers exceptional fidelity, matching previous Mark 2 runs in terms of detail and build quality.

Decorated samples have been revealed for this new batch, with the final models expected to arrive during Q3 2026.

The Phase I Mk.2c retains the basic window layout of the Mk.2b, featuring the large toilet window, but appears with various roof vent configurations: large 'G' style vents, smaller 'GM' vents, or in some cases, the later Mk.2c’s 'Roe-Vac' vents. Accurascale’s previous Mk.2c release focused on Phase II variants, which were exclusively fitted with 'Roe-Vac' vents and smaller 'air-con' style toilet windows.

Unlike the Mk.2b coaches, which were shared between the Western and Eastern Regions, early Mk.2c coaches were initially allocated solely to the London Midland Region. By the 1980s, however, they could be found on every region except the Southern, making them an incredibly versatile option for modellers.

Between 1989 and 1993, the introduction of ‘Sprinter’ DMUs across secondary services dramatically reduced the active fleet of Mk.2b and Mk.2c coaches. By 1994, most cross-country, TransPennine, internal Scottish, and Network SouthEast loco-hauled services had transitioned to DMUs, leaving only Mk.2c BSO 9458 in regular BR service—mainly running with Mk.2a stock in North Wales and the North West.

In 1996, a reprieve came when the newly formed South Wales & West franchise hired a small fleet of Mk.1 and Mk.2 coaches from Carnforth Railway Restoration Services (CRRES), a West Coast Railways subsidiary. This fleet replaced Regional Railways Mk.2a stock that had been reassigned elsewhere. The leased stock included:

• Mk.2b TSO 5453/78/91 and Mk.2c BSO 9440 in Regional Railways blue with a thin white pinstripe
• Mk.2b TSO 5463/87, Mk.2c TSO 5569, and Mk.2c BSO 9448 in West Coast Railways maroon
• Mk.1 TSO 99318/27/28 were used temporarily during refurbishment

Returning to mainline service in summer 1996, based at Rail Express Systems’ Bristol Barton Hill depot, these coaches ran services linking Manchester Piccadilly/Oxford Road, Birmingham New Street–Cardiff Central, Cardiff–Bristol Temple Meads, and Bristol/Westbury–Weymouth. They were primarily hauled by Class 37/4s, with frequent substitutions by Class 37/0s.

Following the takeover by Prism Rail's Wales & West franchise in October 1996, the Mk.2b and 2c coaches remained in service until September 1999. They returned again in 2001 under National Express-operated Wales & Borders, serving the Rhymney–Cardiff–Fishguard route until their replacement in 2004 by ex-Virgin air-conditioned stock. Afterward, the coaches returned to Carnforth, with many used in rail tours into the early 2010s.