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There are many types of express coaches used for express trains on the Main Line of the North Western Railway and other railways.

Notable Express Coaches

The following types of Express Coaches have their own separate pages or are listed on other pages:

The Buffet Coach

The Buffet Coach (also known as the Dining Coach) is a special coach often used as part of the Express. The coach serves food and drinks for passengers to eat during their journey.

Henry once shunted this coach hard enough to make its contents fly everywhere.[1]

Technical Details

Basis

The buffet coach is based on an SR Maunsell composite coach, albeit with broad windows on both sides, no corridors and a shortened body. In the model series, the coach also has a blank section in the middle of one side. While real Maunsell buffet coaches did exist, this coach does not appear to have been specifically modelled after them.

Livery

The buffet coach is painted in an identical livery to the Green Express Coaches. In the eighth series, the coach had the word "BUFFET" written on its sides in white lettering, though this is no longer the case as of the CGI series.

In the magazines, this coach is painted orange-brown with brown stripes, with "BUFFET CAR" written on its sides with black lettering, and a "HENRY'S DINER" banner on its rear. A brownish-red clerestory coach also appeared in the magazine story, Fast Food!

Appearances

Trivia

  • The coach's CGI model is identical to that of the regular Green Express Coaches externally, though features a different interior with tables and an aisle along one side.

Merchandise

  • Motorized (sold with Talking Gordon; discontinued)

Thomas' Special Coach

Thomas & Friends

Every day, after arriving at Tidmouth at 3:30 PM with the express, engines have to shunt a coach from the train into the bay platform for passengers wanting to travel to destinations on Thomas' Branch Line. Thomas, Annie and Clarabel then come from Knapford Junction to collect it. One time, Douglas accidentally forgot to shunt this coach for Thomas. Instead, he shunted the coach with the others into the carriage siding.

Technical Details

Basis

Thomas' Special Coach was going to be based upon an LBSCR Stroudley four-wheeled 3rd class composite coach.

Livery

Thomas' Special Coach is painted orange, the same livery as the Annie, Clarabel and the Orange Stroudley Coaches.

Appearances


The Royal Train

Thomas & Friends

This article is about the Sodor coaches. You may be looking for the Mainland coaches.

The Royal Train was the train that transported The Queen in the fourth series episode Paint Pots and Queens. Henry was supposed to pull it, but after an accident with some paint cans, Gordon was given the job instead.

In the twenty-fourth series episode, Thomas and the Royal Engine, Duchess's coaches are comprised of Pullman Coaches.

Technical Details

Basis

The coaches were based upon the SR Maunsell Coaches.

Livery

The Royal Train was painted dark red with white window surrounds, light grey rooftops, whitewall wheels and white buffers.

In the book, Busy Engines, the royal train is painted in the same orange-brown livery as the coaches seen in The Railway Series.

Appearances

Blue Express Coaches

The Blue Express Coaches are the blue counterparts to the green and red versions of the express coaches.

Technical Details

Basis

The blue express coaches are based on SR Maunsell coaches, albeit with no corridors and a shortened body.

Livery

These coaches are painted blue with cream window surrounds and black roofs. In the Golden Book adaptation of The Great Race, they appear with lighter blue window surrounds.

Appearances

Trivia

Merchandise

BR Mk1 Coaches

These are bogie coaches with corridor connections. They appear in books illustrated by David Palmer and Robin Davies.

Technical Details

Basis

These coaches are based on the British Railways Mark 1, built between 1951 to 1963.

Livery

These coaches are painted in the same livery as the Green and Red Express Coaches. There are also coaches painted in the maroon livery used by the Midland region of British Railways, with yellow stripes above and below the windows. Orange coaches have also appeared in the magazines

Appearances


GWR Collett Coaches

These coaches are non-corridor bogie coaches used on the North Western Railway. They appear in the books illustrated by David Palmer.

Technical Details

Basis

These coaches are based on the Great Western Railway coaches designed by Charles Collett dating between 1923 and the 1940s. One of the Special Coaches is an example of a later design.

Livery

These coaches are painted in the GWR chocolate brown with cream window surrounds livery. Old Slow Coach is painted in the same livery.

Appearances

Trivia

Merchandise

LMS Period 1 Coaches

These coaches are corridor bogie coaches originating from the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. They appear in the books illustrated by Tommy Stubbs.

Technical Details

Basis

These coaches are based on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Period 1 Coaches dating between 1923 to 1929.

Livery

These coaches are painted in the LMS maroon livery. The coaches in The Celebration Tour have the livery similar to those employed by the West Coast Railways.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Trivia

  • In the Model Series, the Special Composite Coach was made from a Gauge One LMS Stanier Period III composite coach.
  • In the Bachmann, the Green, Red and Special Express Coaches reused the same tooling as the pre-existing Bachmann Branchline LMS Period 1 Coaches.
  • In the Hornby merchandise range, the 2011 release of the Sodor Mail Coach reused the same tooling as the LMS Royal Mail Post Office sorting van.
  • According to the ERTL merchandise description of the Express Coaches, they "are similar to the passenger coaches used by the LMS in the 1950s".

Merchandise

NER Clerestory Coaches

These coaches are bogie coaches where the middle portion of the roof is raised above the roof. In the magazines, Gordon was once given a new clerestory buffet car used for fast food.

Technical Details

Basis

The Clerestory Coaches are based on the North Eastern Clerestory Inspection Saloon, no. 21661.

Livery

The Clerestory Coaches are brownish-red with green lining.

Appearances

Other Coaches

A white express coach with orange lining appeared in the magazine story, Splendid Sight. A grey express coach with an orange chassis appeared in the book, Thomas and the Big, Big Bridge.

In the Golden Book adaptation of The Great Race, some express coaches in two-tone blue are seen hauled by Ryan and Flying Scotsman.

Several different types of International Coaches have appeared in the Big World! Big Adventures! era of Thomas & Friends, with episodes taking place away from Sodor.

Several versions of SR Maunsell coaches appear in various alternate liveries throughout the Motor Road and Rail toy range.

Trivia

Merchandise

See Also

References



--- Dropped | * 1991-1994 maps only | ** 2014 map only
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