Hornby's new BR Departmental 'Salmon' wagon which features an updated tooling is arriving next week!

This new edition of this popular model depicts this vehicle type in later service in the striking BR Departmental yellow colour scheme. The model benefits from an updated tooling featuring separately fitted crane modules. The 'YFB' variation was fitted with hand-operated cranes which were used to lift and load heavy lengths of rail during track relaying work. This popular new edition is set for release in March 2026 and is available to pre-order right now!

Other, more 'traditional' versions of these bogie flat wagons are available to order right now covering various eras of operation.

The LMS, beImage courtesy of Paul Bartletting the largest of the Big Four railway companies, was behind a great number of freight wagons, including some of the first large bogie flat wagons. British Rail, when they took charge of the UK national rail network chose an aquatic theme for their freight wagons, and as such the LMS bogie flat design would come to be called the Salmon.Salmon wagons were designed to carry lengths of rail and later, track panels. 

The 65 foot length of the wagon enabled them to easily carry standard 60 foot lengths of track and consists of up to ten of these wagons would be connected to enable the transportation of even longer lengths.Batches of these wagons, totalling 894 examples, would be constructed between 1949 and 1961 with a further batch built in 1983. 

Almost all of these batches would see a rebuild at various points in time with items such as the bogies and bolster positions changing and the addition of rail cranes and end bolsters on some variants. Each different variant would receive a different TOPS code.

YMO Salmons were the first to be classified by BR. YMOs were unfitted as per the earlier LMS counterparts Many YMOs would see their bolsters removed entirely to enable the transportation of pre-built track panels.