Hornby announce first part of their 2025 00 gauge range and includes Bulleid Tavern Car sets – A round up of new SR/BR(s) items

Hornby have today announced the first part of their forthcoming 00 gauge range for 2025. Hornby have advised that their announcements will focus on items that will be delivered within 12 months, so as last year there is a possibility of  further announcements to come during the year.  There is also likely to be a separate TT-120 update later .
The headline news for Southern Region (and some Eastern Region) modellers is the announcement of the Bulleid Tavern Car coach dining sets. The new SR / BR(s) relevant announced items are detailed below, with their planned release dates in [ ].
Apart from the Bulleid Tavern car sets the only other new tooling for 2025 are GWR Saint 4-6-0s and already announced GNR J13/LNER J52s, however, there are in total 137 new livery items across Railroad range, train sets and packs, steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and wagons announced.

New BR Southern  Region Bulleid Tavern Cars

Eight pairs of Tavern cars were built at Eastleigh between April and June 1949. They took the form of a Diagram 2663 kitchen/buffet car paired with a Diagram 2664 composite diner. They followed the form Bulleid introduced on the ‘Bognor’ buffets with windowless dining cars to improve customer turnover.

The Tavern Car sets initially saw use on the Southern Region with the Atlantic Coast Express and also away from the SR on the Master Cutler, White Rose, Norfolkman, South Yorkshireman and the Liverpool to Harwich Boat trains.

The Diagram 2663 Kitchen and Buttery cars contained an inn style bar / counter area, side seating area, kitchen, pantry and a staff compartment. Fake leaded lights were applied to the top light windows in the bar area the only windows in the public area of the coach. The inside was styled to look like an English Inn with mock beams, paneling and the outside painted with imitation English bond brickwork over the crimson with mock half-timbered beams on the cream.
The name of each Tavern was displayed using vitreous enamel panels on a duck egg blue background affixed to each side of the vehicle.

The coaches were officially described as Kitchen & Buttery cars but soon became known as ‘Tavern Cars’. Although they lost the external brickwork and beam paintwork from the crimson lake and cream livery and were painted in BR(s) Green from 1957 they retained their inn signs until being rebuilt from June 1959.

The Diagram 2664 Composite diner sat 24 First and 40 Third class passengers in two saloons. The third class seating was arranged in the standard 2 + 2 loose chair layout the first class diners faced each other with their backs against the sides of the coach. This was convenient for the stewards but did not afford the diners much privacy. The first class saloon only had three sets of top lights on each side whilst the third class had four sets on each side. The windowless composite diners were rebuilt from June 1950 onwards.

Due to customer complaints, especially the patrons of the ‘Master Cutler’ the six pairs had returned to the SR by October / December 1949. The Diagram 2664 Composite dining cars were then rebuilt from June 1950 as Diagram 2665 Composite dining saloons, with the fitting of nine standard large windows and standard transverse 2 +1 seating 18 First and 36 Third Class. They remained paired with the Diagram 2663 Kitchen and Buttery cars until the later were also rebuilt from June 1959 into more orthodox Kitchen/Buffet cars that became Diagram 2668. The kitchen and buttery cars  gained seven standard large windows on the corridor side and two standard large windows on the non corridor side of the saloon area. The saloon area gained 2 + 1 seating for 11 persons.

They remained in service until withdrawal between 1965 and 1968, with four of sets lasting until just a months before the total demise of Bulleid loco hauled stock on the Southern Region.

The two twin packs being initially released, RRP 139.99 and due December 2025, are as follows:

• R40470 BR Kitchen and Buttery Car Diagram 2663 No. 7892 The White Horse, and Diagram 2664 Composite Diner  No. 7833 in Crimson and Cream as running between April 1949 and October 1950 (when the Composite diner was rebuilt).
• R40471 BR Kitchen and Buttery Car Diagram 2663 No. s7893s The Jolly Tar, and Diagram 2665 Rebuilt Composite Diner sallon No. s7834s in BR(S) Green (with side ribs) as running prior to the Kitchen and Buttery car being rebuilt in June 1959.

New SR / BR(s) locomotive / EMU liveries

• R30391 BR, A1X ‘Terrier’, 0-6-0T, 32659 BR lined black early emblem as carried from March 1950 and May 1951 when she was running on the Kent & East Sussex Railway between Rolvenden and Robertsbridge . A web exclusive only available from www.hornby.com [June-25]
  
• R30411 BR, Class T9, 4-4-0, 30338 BR lined black early emblem as carried between August 1950 and September 1958 [Dec-25]
  
• R30410 SR, Class T9, 4-4-0, 302 SR post 1931 Maunsell lined green livery as carried between May 1932 and November 1940 [Dec-25]
  
• [Edit: Item Now Cancelled] R30412 SR, Class S15, 4-6-0, 836 SR lined black without smoke deflectors and flat sided bogie tender as carried between being built in December 1927 and October 1928 (although should an ‘E’ prefix) when she was paired with a Urie flare topped tender. She later gained a 6 wheel tender in 1937
  
• R30401 BR, Merchant Navy Class, 4-6-2, 35013 ‘Blue Funnel’ [now 35015 Rotterdam Lloyd] in BR Express Passenger Blue as carried between August 1950 and October 1952 (although technically should have the original style cab not modified as shown, I have been in discussion with Hornby about this, so identity will be amended to 35015 Rotterdam Lloyd)  [Sept-25]
  
• R30447 BR, Class 423, 4-VEP EMU 7712 Train Pack BR Blue as carried between 1967 and 1972 [May-25]
  
• R30448 Network South East, Class 423, 4-VEP EMU 3193 Train Pack as carried between 1987 and 1994 [May-25]
  

New SR / BR(s) coach and wagon liveries

• R40464 BR, Maunsell Diagram 2401 High Window Brake Composite, S 6673 S BR crimson and cream as carried between April 1956 and August 1958. Part of Set 179 [Oct-25]
  
• R40463/B BR, Maunsell Diagram 2102 High Window Brake Third , S 3732 S BR crimson and cream as carried between April 1956 and August 1958. Part of Set 179  [Oct-25]
  
• R40462 BR, Maunsell Diagram 2301 High Window Composite, S 5665 S BR crimson and cream. Part of Set 222 [Edit it now appears that set 222 did not actually received crimson and cream, going straight from varnished BR numbered malachite to BR(s) in 1958, I am discussing this with Hornby]  [Oct-25]
  
• R40463/A BR, Maunsell Diagram 2102 High Window Brake Thirds , S 3752 S and S 3753 S BR crimson and cream. Part of Set 222 [Edit it now appears that set 222 did not actually received crimson and cream, going straight from varnished BR numbered malachite to BR(s) in 1958, I am discussing this with Hornby] [Oct-25]
  
• R60287 SR, Cattle [sic] Wagon (truck) No. 53698 to Diagram 1529 introduced in april 1930 and in pre 1936 large lettered SR Brown livery [June-25]
  
• R60288 BR ex SR Cattle [sic] Wagon  (truck) No. S52297 to Diagram 1530 introduced october 1947 and in [sic] BR Brown livery [June-25]
  
• R60279 SR Express Dairies Box Van No. 48323 [Apr-25]
  
• R60289 BR 20T Brake Van allocated to Southern Region No. 950792[July-25]

Hornby Railroad

Hornby Railroad sees the introduction of an ex LSWR ‘inspired’ B4 0-4-0t, that has been created to replace previous life expired tooling but fit an existing chassis (and hinted at in the Hornby: A Model World TV programme a couple of years ago). Remember this is a Railroad model to serve a purpose.

• R30379 SR, Class B4, 0-4-0, No.96 ‘Normandy [Jan-26]
  
• R30380 PO, Class B4, 0-4-0, No.96 ‘Shepway Steel Works’ [Jan-26]
  

A number of Class 73s are also included within the Hornby Railroad range

• R30431 BR, Class 73, Bo-Bo, 73132 in BR Blue large logo livery [Aug-25]
  
• R30432TXS Railroad Plus Network South East, Class 73, Bo-Bo, 73128 ‘Kent and East Sussex Railway’ HM7000 TXS Sound fitted [Aug-25]
  

Update on previously announced items

• R30140 BR M7 Class 0-4-4T – Identity change – now amended to be  30038 in lined malachite green with Gill Sans yellow ‘British Railways’ lettering this was previously announced in 2022 as being 30244 (with cream Gill Sans lettering) to be correct within the tooling suite available – now due Feb-25.
  Note: 30038 ran in this livery between September 1948 and December 1952 whilst allocated to Nine Elms and from January 1951 Feltham.
  
• R3731 BR H Class 0-4-4T 31177  – announced 2019… now due Feb-25
• R3763 SR, ‘H’ Class, 0-4-4T, 1552 with non shaded lettering but shaded number, as per reference picture that Hornby have based the model on taken at Nine Elms on 29/8/1948- announced 2020… now due May-25
• R3860 BR Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 35012 United States Lines in malachite green with wedge shaped cab, Gill Sans BR numerals as carried between March 1949 and January 1951 – announced 2023 now due Jan-25

Railway 200

During 2025 whole railway industry are taking part in the Railway 200 celebrations that are taking place marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
Hornby are also announcing a number of items to mark the Railway 200 celebrations with more to be revealed later in the year.

• R30442 Rail 200 Southeastern Class 395 – 4 Car Train Pack 395015 [Apr-25]
  
• R40447 Railway 200, Southeastern, Class 395 ‘Javelin’ 2-Car Coach pack [Apr-25]
• R30445 Birth of the Railways, 200th Anniversary Train Pack – contains Lion, Rocket and Locomotion models [July-25]
• S&DR 200th Anniversary, R30388 0-4-0 Locomotion No.1 – 1925 [May-25]

The full Hornby 2025 range can be found on the Hornby website here . You can also view and pre-order items from retailers such as Kernow Model Rail Centre here…