Railways Group
Phoenix kits and general sales
The Southern Railways Group Sales List
A combination of the COVID Pandemic and the ill health retirement of our Caster means that we have been unable to order new castings for some time. Stocks of some items are very low while a few are already out of stock, eg coach end castings for 'Ironclads' and bogies suitable for 'Ironclads' ie 'Dreadnought' (SCB3 etc) and Warner 'VS' (SCB4 etc). Also we do not have the full range of castings to make up complete sets of undergear for EMUs.
Please see the Sales Catalogue and email sales@srg.org.uk to enquire into availability.
Phoenix coach kits are successors to the 4mm scale BSL range, using a combination of cast white metal ends and fittings, and aluminium sides. Detailing components available separately include plastic and etched brass items.
Owing to various factors – e.g. developments elsewhere in the model carriage market since Phoenix (then BSL) started in 1968 and broken or worn tools which no longer give acceptable results etc. – production of new sides is largely suspended at the moment while we review how to proceed in the future. In the meantime feel free to ask; we may still be able to help you. Further, Phoenix kits occasionally appear on e-Bay so the notes covered by these pages are being retained.
While the majority of the Phoenix range of coaching stock kits are Southern vehicles, the range also includes GWR, LMS and LNER kits.
Demonstrations of the construction of Phoenix kits have appeared in a number of publications, for example Chapter Five “Assembling a pre-formed metal kit – A Southern Railway ‘Ironclad’ Brake Third“, in Stephen William’s book “The 4mm Coach – Part Two – Working with metal kits”, published by Wild Swan.
Note: These Kits are only available in 4mm Scale.
Photographs of completed kits can be seen by clicking on those Descriptions which appear in underlined coloured script.
Phoenix coach kits have been used as a basis for producing exhibition standard models at Pendon museum.
The notes on the coaching stock kits have been retained to provide modellers with an overview of the historical context and to direct readers to sources for further information specific to the prototype
LSWR/SR/BR 'Ironclad'
For prices, brief historical notes about the Ironclad coaches and the types of bogie fitted to them, click here
SR/BR 'Thanet' Corridor Coaches
When the SR was formed very little corridor stock was inherited from the SECR, yet there was an urgent need for modern stock on the Eastern Section. At 9'-0" the 'Ironclads' were too wide for some routes in North Kent so Maunsell and Lynes (see later) produced a design that was the same length but reduced in width to 8'-6" (Restriction 1). Like the 'Ironclads' they had British Standard gangways and screw couplings (whereas the subsequent 'Maunsell standard' stock had Pullman gangways and buckeye couplers). The 'Thanets' displayed certain SECR details, perhaps the more noticeable being the 'L' shaped commode handles.
For those requiring more information we would recommend "An Illustrated History of Southern Coaches" by our member Mike King (OPC 2003) and "Maunsell's SR Steam Carriage Stock" by David Gould (Oakwood 2000) both of which have chapters on the 'Thanets'. Also recommended are the drawings made by Mike King, to whom application including an SAE should be made.
Only three types of 'Thanets' were produced as listed below:
An unlucky group of coaches, out of seventy-seven 'Thanets' built, nine were lost in accidents or through enemy action in WW2. Early set formations were fluid, but by 1928 there were eight sets made up wholly of 'Thanets': 4-sets Nos 388 & 425, 6-set 423, 7-sets 424, 460, 461 & 463 and 8-set 462, plus many loose examples. The 6, 7 & 8-sets (except 463) had, in addition, a first, later composite, Pullman inserted to provide refreshments. These eight sets survived until 1959 but the length and composition varied over the years, and non-'Thanets' appeared in some in the later years. Further details may be found in 'Appendices to the Carriage Working Notices' held in the SRG Library or in SRG Data Sheets. Others were 'loose' and in 1946 some thirds were formed in two car sets 331-3 with SECR Wainwright birdcage corridor brake composites for Ashford-Hastings services.
SR/BR Maunsell
The listing of Maunsell passenger stock is arranged in approximate order of body styles and construction dates. For prices and brief historical notes about the Maunsell coaches click here. Please note that £poa indicates a kit that is either not currently in stock or has non-standard features, price available on application.
SR Bulleid Steam Hauled Coaches
For prices and brief historical notes about the Bulleid coaches, click here
SR/BR Electric Multiple Units
For prices and brief historical notes about Southern Electric Multiple Units etc, click here