The all-steel ‘K’ type Pullman coaches were introduced by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1928. Built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, they first saw use on the LNER’s ‘Queen of Scots Pullman’, and later the Great Western Railway’s ‘Torquay Pullman Limited’, the Southern Railway’s ‘Bournemouth Belle’ and other named trains. While they were withdrawn from British Rail service in the 1960s, 11 have found second lives on heritage railways or as part of the Belmond British Pullman.
Ellis Clark Trains promises high levels of decoration with brass sides and moulded ends to each vehicle. The coaches will additionally feature a hand-painted finish, interior decoration, working table and ceiling lighting, compensated metal bogies with roller bearings, detailed chassis and underframe and more.
33 individually numbered coaches are to be produced, along with an unnumbered example for all five types of coach. In addition, packs of coaches are set to be produced with a ‘Queen of Scots’ pack available with six or ten coaches, ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ with eight coaches, ‘Bournemouth Belle’ packs with four or five coaches and a Keighley and Worth Valley Railway two-coach pack. Small improvements have been identified on the paintwork and interior, which will be implemented before production.
Individual coaches are priced at £399, with a multi-buy offer of £375 each when purchasing three or more vehicles. Multi-coach packs are priced between £795 for a two-car pack to £3,750 for a ten-car pack, with initial deliveries anticipated in late 2024.
◘ Visit www.ellisclarktrains.co.uk for more information.
