Hornby R40537 BR 'Tavern' Kitchen and Buttery Car & Composite Restaurant - "At the Sign of the Dolphin" Twin pack

Expected Delivery October 2026 (Subject to Change at Manufacturer's Discretion).

This expertly detailed and colourful Southern Region Tavern Car twin pack offers modellers a unique set of restaurant cars, which feature intricate paint and print application, crisply moulded details, and interior lighting. This latest release includes Tavern Car No. S7894 and Composite Saloon No. S7835, and both are decorated in Crimson & Cream livery and named ‘At the Sign of the Dolphin’.

Model Specification:

• Highly detailed models of KB and RCO Tavern Cars
  
• Defined bogie mouldings
  
• Detailed roof mouldings
  
• Separately fitted underframe and gangway end equipment
  
• Moulded interior
  
• Interior Lighting
  
• Kinematic NEM coupling mechanism
  
• Accessory Pack
  

Tooling:

• Original condition Tavern Car without side beading
  
• Original condition Composite Saloon with high windows and without side beading
  

Livery:

• BR Crimson & Cream
  
• Faux-pub exterior painted on Tavern Car
  
• Accurate colours and fonts
  
• Era 4
  

History:

This ‘Tavern Car’ pair was introduced in May 1949 consisting of vehicle Nos. 7894 and 7835. The brickwork and timber effect applied to the outside of the Tavern Car was removed from the ‘Dolphin’ in March 1951, while the Composite Restaurant Car was rebuilt with full depth windows in April 1951 – the last to be converted – as the high-level narrow windows were unpopular with diners. 

Tavern Car No. 7894 continued in service from 1951 paired with Composite Restaurant No. 7833 which had been paired with the ‘White Horse’ from new. Repainted from BR carmine and cream into Southern Region green in mid-1957, the ‘Dolphin’ remained in service until withdrawn in January 1968.