Graham Farish N Gauge 371 -742 BR 'Western Pullman' 6-Car DEMU BR Grey & Blue

Graham Farish N Gauge 371 -742 BR 'Western Pullman' 6-Car DEMU BR Grey & Blue

The Graham Farish N Gauge 371-742 BR 'Western Pullman' 6-car DEMU in BR Grey & Blue livery is a model train that replicates the real-life train that ran on the Midland and Western regions in the 1960s. The Midland Pullman sets were operated from 1960 to 1966, running from Manchester Central to London St Pancras in the morning, filling in a journey from St Pancras to Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, and returning in the evening to Manchester. 

In 1966, the West Coast Main Line was electrified, and faster electric-locomotive-hauled Pullman services were introduced, making the diesel sets surplus to requirements on the Midland Main Line. The sets were then transferred to the Western Region in March 1967, where they gained the reverse corporate Blue & Grey BR livery associated with Pullmans of the era. Cab front apparatus was also added to enable multiple working between South Wales and London Paddington. 

To utilize the displaced Midland sets, a special operating diagram was drafted, which saw the train split at London and work independently to Oxford and along the Berks & Hants during the day before pairing back up for an evening working back to Wales via Swindon and Bristol. 

The ex-Midland Pullmans were sadly withdrawn early in May 1973 after only 15 years of service. Although they saw some use to off-region destinations, chiefly as Football Specials, their opulent Pullman origins made this duty seem somewhat out of place. Nonetheless, the 6-car set is a seriously impressive train that any train enthusiast would love to add to their collection.