Shamrock Finescale is for genuine 0 Gauge model railway enthusiasts and collectors. They provide a very high quality range of fine-scale 0 Gauge, ready-to-run, manufactured models. Our UK-based commissioning and design team possesses extensive model, mainline and heritage railway knowledge and practical experience.

The company has unique access to rail and travel history experts, so the designs for our carriages and freight wagons are derived from rigorous and authoritative research. What’s more, we cover wagon loads of rail periods! Not just the inter-war golden age but right up to present-day operations.

Knowing that every genuine model railway enthusiast has an individual approach to their collections. While Shamrock Finescale manufacture an impressively wide range of products, all meticulously designed around specific themes, each line is subject to a limited production run. Combined with a complementary range of models, this provides a truly bespoke mix-and-match service.

Shamrock Finescale brass-constructed models have a unique look, feel and character which stand them apart. It’s a quality we’ve attained by designing and manufacturing to exacting standards. Needless to say, every product operates faultlessly straight from the box, providing many years of trouble-free enjoyment.

The first finescale carriage and coach programme will be Bulleid stock. Straddling the Southern Railway and British Railways eras, Bulleid carriage stock provided a most distinctive post-war steam and later with diesel/electric hauled image. Two, three, four, five and six-car carriage sets – initially set in fixed formations designed to minimise maintenance and to facilitate rapid service turnarounds on Southern’s intensive passenger routes – were introduced to the most prestigious expresses. On the routes to Southampton, Bournemouth, and Weymouth and to Exeter and the West Country they were highly visible. Together with individual stock for loose working, they provided passengers in the post-war austerity laden years with modern, up-to-date, and comfortable train travel.

One of the defining characteristics of the so-called Bournemouth six carriage sets was an extended skirt where the carriage side body continued down over the solebars. This was a particular feature of sets – nos: 290-300 – which helped define the sleek lines of modern services to one of the country’s favourite holiday resorts. Yet Bulleid stock could be found across the Southern network, as well as much further afield. And perhaps indicative of just how highly the carriages were valued by Southern Region railway management. Aside premier trains, different three-carriage sets were included on many cross-country, regional and local trains across the south and southwest of England. Many received a makeover in the 1960s to compensate for the loss of Mk1 coaches required for the third rail electrification programme as far as Bournemouth. They remained on first line duty until the end of steam in July 1967.

Our new Bulleid coaching stock will be offered covering four main livery styles:

• Southern Railway era (Bulleid post-war malachite green)
• BR blood and custard (Carmine and cream)
• BR Southern Region green (Southern Region coach green)
• BR maroon (carriages transferred to Eastern, North Eastern and Scottish regions).

One of the first Bulleid carriage sets to appear nos: 770-793 were built between December 1946 and November 1947 made up of 24 specific sets of three-coach trains comprising two semi-open brake thirds and a composite corridor. They remained in green livery throughout their working lives, initially in light malachite green, and then later appearing in dark malachite (BR green) when they came in for routine maintenance and sprucing up, In BR’s blood and custard days, it was quite usual to find both sets of liveries attached to mainline expresses. Sets no: 770-793 provided accommodation for 24 first-class and 120 third-class passengers.

Many sets were destined for the west of England line accommodating war-weary visitors on trains heading to Devon and north Cornwall’s tourist meccas, and thus becoming a defining fixture of the multi-portioned Atlantic Coast Express (ACE). Destinations – typically Seaton, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Plymouth, Torrington, Ilfracombe, Bude and Padstow – were lastingly linked to the ACE and serviced by connecting trains of Bulleid stock; such places were added to the rail travel lexicon. In addition, many of the three-coach sets serving rural and coastal communities would be identified by their respective carriage side boards that were 2ft long and 6” deep and printed in BR maroon or green.

Brakes were the most numerous of the Bulleid carriage categories – over 200 of them were either constructed in various forms for fixed sets or for loose working. Most brakes either in semi-open or composite forms operated as permanent sets. However, by the mid-1950s as the numbers of BR Mk1 stock increased, many Bulleid built brakes could be found in loose working appearing all over Southern metals often in mid-carriage formations alongside other Bulleid, Maunsell and Mk1 stock. The Bulleid three-coach sets no: 770-793 have the smaller 10¼ inch vent windows based on diagram 2123.

Carriage and Coach Specifications

• Meticulously researched using original drawings, image material and examples of preserved and modified stock
• Beautiful hand-made solid brass fine scale soldered construction ensuring superb body detail
• Switchable interior LED lighting
• Working LED taillight on brake carriages (with on/off switch)
• Finished in long-lasting and robust oven baked satin paint
• Coach nameboards commemorating famous expresses
• Ball bearing mounted axel boxes for free running bogies
• Solid stainless steel disc wheels with back-to-back set at 29.2mm
• Conversion pack for coarse scale Hi Rail wheels set at 27.5mm
• Three coupling types: Carriages come with standard Kadee style couplings. Conversion packs for screw link drop or alternative buckeye couplings are available.
• Removeable bodies for the fitting of figures.

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