OO Gauge GWR Toplight Mainline & City Coaches

New GWR Toplight Mainline & City Coaches the perfect companion to the Dapol 61xx

The first order for these coaches was placed in 1915 but due to the First World War they were not built until 1920. The second batch was completed in 1921. Six sets of coaches were produced with a set comprising six coaches. The coaches were close coupled and constructed with a steel body rather than the traditional wooden paneling. Due to the restrictive loading gauge of the London underground tunnels the carriages are 7 inches lower than other contemporary carriages of the time. This enabled them to travel directly to Aldgate and Liverpool Street, on the Metropolitan Underground system.

The coaches were originally used for commuter traffic from the likes of Reading and Windsor into the City of London. At the start of World War 2 this service was curtailed. However, after the Second World War and into BR days the coaches could be found on services much further afield.

The coaches started to be removed from revenue earning service  in December 1956 and all had been removed by December 1957. There was only one significant change made to the design during the lifetime of the coaches which was the removal of one roof ventilator from each compartment.

1n 1958 two brake third coaches and one all third coach  were converted into workmen's coaches for the miners service between Glyncorrwg and North Rhondda Halt, this was a former branch line of the South Wales Mineral Railway. The main changes were the addition of an extra window in the end of the guards luggage area and a fitting of a gong to the same end of the coach.  This makes coaches 3755,  3756 and 3910 the last three coaches in service. 3755 is fully preserved at Didcot Railway Centre with 3756 being partially restored.

All Third GWR Toplight Mainline City Coach EP

The Dapol Model

Dapol will be producing an all third, composite and brake third coaches which are the perfect companion to the Dapol 61xx Prairie 2-6-2 just released. 

The Dapol OO Gauge GWR Toplight Mainline City coaches will have the following features and details: 

• Highly accurate injection moulded body with bolection window mouldings and frosted Toplight windows
• Separate metal door and commode handles
• Wire end hand rails and separately applied end communication details
• Correct number of roof ventilators depending on the prototypical period being modelled
• Highly detailed chassis with vacuum tanks, battery boxes and brake linkages all to a high degree of fidelity
• 9ft bogie bolster with dicast side frames and split axles for electrical pick up
• Highly detailed interior with period specific decorations being applied

Composite GWR Toplight Mainline City Coach EP

Technical Specification

As well as an impressive selection of aesthetic details the coaches will have an impressive technical specification which includes the following features: 

The Dapol OO Gauge GWR Toplight Mainline City coaches will have the following features and details: 

• Kinematic couplings with NEM pockets including special coupling bar to give close coupling
• Coaches are capable of negotiating R2 radius curves
• Sprung metal buffers
• Internal lighting and directional tail lamp.  Can be optionally DCC fitted with a six pin decoder such as the Dapol Imperium Four
• Working directional tail lamp on the Guard end of the brake third carriages
• Heavy Diecast chassis

Third Brake GWR Toplight Mainline City Coach EP

The Devil Is In The Detail

In the image below is a view of the coach ends. The luggage compartment end of the All Third Brake coach can be seen to the right which is fitted with a directionally operated lamp – this lamp is not removable.

Coach End View 

The roof ventilators have been exquisitely modelled and are all fitted separately to the roof. The roof included on the EP models is that of the earliest livery. Later liveries will have one less ventilator on each coach compartment.

Correct Period Specific Number Of Roof Ventilators To Be Applied

The Roof unclips easily to give access to the highly detailed interior. First Class compartments can be seen in the image below. The seating in Third Class compartments did not have armrests. This allowed for more passengers to be accommodated in each compartment. 

You can also see a small plug sticking up through one of the luggage racks, this is to provide electrical pick up to the lighting PCB (not currently fitted).

Coach interior – Third Class seating will be without arm rests

The detail continues as you work your way down the body sides of the coaches. The commode handles are made from individually formed pieces of wire that are fitted to the model. The door handles are made from etched brass and the prototypical “T” shape can be clearly seen in the photograph below. The windows either side of the door have bolection beadings moulded into the body sides. The toplight windows are yet to receive their frosting effect, the remaining windows need polishing.

Correct profile door and Commode handles

The under frame of the diecast chassis is not left wanting for detail either with braking apparatus, including the vacuum tanks, battery boxes and more on show. Some of the brake rigging is yet to be fitted to the underside and will be visible in decorated samples when they arrive.

Some Brake Rodding still to be added to the EP

The rivet detail is still to be added to the 9ft bogies but you can already get a feel for how much detail is going to be on show. The side frames are diecast to provide electrical connectivity from the wheels to the wiring housed inside the coach body for the factory fitted lighting.

Proposed Models & RRP

Dapol will be producing six coach sets, each in a different livery which will include two All Third coaches, two Composite coaches and two Brake Third coaches. The coaches will be available individually at a RRP of £60.00 per coach. 

The coaches to be produced are listed below with some accompanying provisional artwork that is currently available for your viewing pleasure. Further artworks will be released once we receive them from our graphics team.

Coach Set No. One

• 4P-020-001               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson Third Brake 3747 Set 1
• 4P-020-002               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson Third Brake 3748 Set 1

• 4P-020-011               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson All Third  3901 Set 1
• 4P-020-012               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson All Third  3902 Set 1

• 4P-020-021               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson Composite 7901 Set 1
• 4P-020-022               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Crimson Composite 7902 Set 1

Coach Set No. Two (Currently awaiting artwork)

• 4P-020-101               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream Third Brake 3749 Set 2
• 4P-020-102               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream Third Brake 3750 Set 2
• 4P-020-111               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream All Third 3903 Set 2
• 4P-020-112               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream All Third 3904 Set 2
• 4P-020-121               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream Composite 7903 Set 2
• 4P-020-122               GWR Toplight M/Line City Lined Chocolate & Cream Composite 7904 Set 2

Coach Set No. Three

• 4P-020-201               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream Third Brake 3751 Set 3
• 4P-020-202               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream Third Brake 3752 Set 3

• 4P-020-211               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream All Third 3905 Set 3
• 4P-020-212               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream All Third 3906 Set 3

• 4P-020-221               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream Composite 7905 Set 3
• 4P-020-222               GWR Toplight M/Line City Twin City Chocolate & Cream Composite 7906 Set 3

Coach Set No. Four (Currently awaiting artwork)

• 4P-020-301               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton Third Brake 3753 Set 4
• 4P-020-302               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton Third Brake 3754 Set 4
• 4P-020-311               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton All Third 3907 Set 4
• 4P-020-312               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton All Third 3908 Set 4
• 4P-020-321               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton Composite 7907 Set 4
• 4P-020-322               GWR Toplight M/Line City GWR Shirtbutton Composite 7908 Set 4

Coach Set No. Five (Currently awaiting artwork)

• 4P-020-401               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown Third Brake 3755 Set 5
• 4P-020-402               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown Third Brake 3756 Set 5
• 4P-020-411               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown All Third 3909 Set 5
• 4P-020-412               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown All Third 3910 Set 5
• 4P-020-421               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown Composite 7909 Set 5
• 4P-020-422               GWR Toplight M/Line City All Brown Composite 7910 Set 5

Coach Set No. Six

• 4P-020-501               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Second Brake 3757 Set 6
• 4P-020-502               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Second Brake 3758 Set 6

• 4P-020-511               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Second 3911 Set 6
• 4P-020-512               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Second 3912 Set 6

• 4P-020-501               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Composite 7911 Set 6
• 4P-020-502               GWR Toplight M/Line City BR Maroon Composite 7912 Set 6

Interior Artwork

The coach interiors will have two decoration versions applied representing the early and late decoration styles of the prototypes. The artwork for these can be seen in the images below: 

The recomended retail price of these models is £60.00

Progress

The design team have received the Engineering Prototype (EP) models and are in the process of reviewing these very carefully. Artworks are being generated by our graphics team and will be reviewed by the team in due course.

We expect to receive decorated samples for the first three liveries Q2 2022 and production for these to be completed towards the end of Q3 2022. There is a planned three month gap between the first and second phases of production and we would anticipate all production to be completed by the end of the year. 

Phase one of production will comprise coach sets one, three and six, the second phase of production will see coach sets two, four and five being produced.

Toplight Corridor coaches are currently in design, we look forward to being able to tell you more on this project later on in the year.

Pre-Order At Your Preferred Dapol Stockist NOW!