We're delighted to let you know that our NEW & EXCLUSIVE range of Dapol Black Label OO Gauge GWR Diagram Q13 Inspection Saloons have now arrived in stock imminently here at Rails of Sheffield!
This newly tooled range brings this oft-requested vehicle to OO Gauge in super detail for the first time - available in one of seven liveries charting the various colours the type was seen in over the years including GWR chocolate & cream, BR blue/ grey, BR Intercity, BR ScotRail and preservation era liveries.
As part of this new range we're delighted to bring to the market another special 'Railway Icons' release in tandem with our friends at the National Railway Museum/ Locomotion Models - showcasing an example as preserved on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Being part of the Black Label range, these vehicles feature unbelievable attention-to-detail and an immense specification including a plethora of separately fitted parts both inside and out, a heavy diecast chassis and a full lighting package too!
In Stock Now
Railway Icons Special Edition
Enhance your Saloon with Crew Figures!
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Product Features
Warm White Interior light bar
18 pin DCC socket
Directional red/warm white lamp fitted at 1 end
Stay-alive capacitor
Plug-less light bar connection
Light switches for DC use
Several different body and end variations
Removable roof to allow further detailing
Separately fitted cables, wipers, lamp irons, horns & gong
Open windows with separate moulded curtains
Gloss metal-like paint finish
Diecast chassis
Cosmetic pipes and coupling fitted on 1 end
Sprung buffers
NEM sockets
Highly detailed bogies with separately fitted details
Blackened DOGA spec. wheels
EM & P4 compatible
Separately fitted detailed chairs, tables and luggage racks
Accurate blue interior base and white ceiling
Prototype Information
Whereas most Inspection Saloons were converted from older vehicles, the Q13 were purpose-built examples. They were shorter than most other coaches built around the time, standing at 52ft long.
Although designed by the Great Western Railway under the tenure of then CME, F.W. Hawksworth, the Diagram Q13 saloons didn’t enter traffic until shortly after the Nationalisation Act of 1948.
7 of the type were built at Swindon works in 1948 with many characteristics of the later GWR coaches.
Inspection saloons, otherwise known as Engineer’s Saloons, were used as a means of assessing the track and infrastructure over a large area in a relatively short amount of time. This necessitated large windows on both ends of the coach. They weren’t fitted with any controls other than a vacuum brake and speedometer. But they were even fitted out with kitchens.
All 7 examples have been preserved and restored to working order. They are very popular being used as observation saloons for a small supplementary fare. At the time of writing, they can be seen at the following railways:
- 80943 – Dean Forest Railway
- 80969 – Severn Valley Railway
- 80970 – Great Central Railway
- 80972 – Severn Valley Railway
- 80974 – North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- 80975 – Llangollen Railway
- 80976 – Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway (on loan from the West Somerset Railway)