Hornby / Lima / Dapol / Airfix Mk2 coaches

[M. Matthews]

Does any body know if the coach bodies for these coaches are interchangeable?

More specifically, I want to take the body of a Mk2a Hornby / Lima coach and fit it to the chassis of an Airfix / Dapol mk2d coach.

Looking for a direct fit rather than having to make modifications to them.

Many Thanks

[Going Spare]

If I remember correctly, Hornby Mk2a coach bodies were secured to the underframe by cut-out slots in the ends fitting around horizontal lugs on the ends of the underframe and a screw passing upwards through the coach from the underframe to a capture in the roof.

I doubt whether the other manufacturers used this arrangement.

[JJ73]

Hello M. Matthews - I would be interested to see (in photos is poss please????) your Airfix Mk2 Carriages b/c my late Dad when I was 8 yrs old bought me my 1st 3 Train sets - 2 of them were Lima & the 3rd was a Airfix B. R. Diesel Mix Freight Train Set Code 54055-7 & I've never seen what a Carriage looks like what is made by Airfix!!! many thanks 🤔🚂

[81F]

Hi M. Matthews,

Looking at my Lima and Airfix Mk2s I would say they are not compatible. Firstly the Airfix coach is looks as if it is about 3 or 4mm longer over the buffer beams. I would also suggest that the body clips are likely to be in different places and of different types.

Can I also confirm that the Hornby Mk2s you are talking about are an ex-LIMA product rather than the original Hornby-Triang which had a centre door, but more pertinent to your query, has the two slots in the ends of the body and two screws that pass upwards through the body to the roof as Going Spare describes.

Also, from a prototypical point of view the under frames on my Airfix Mk2Ds look quite different to those on my Lima and Hornby-Triang models.

Principally the arrangement of battery boxes on the LIMA and Hornby-Triang models are very similar while the Mk2Ds have the air-conditioning units that would not be present on the Mk2a.

I will post some photos shortly (which may take time to be passed by the Moderator).

[81F]

Below are the promised photos hope they help.

[81F]

@ JJ,

I hope the photo shows you what an Airfix Mk2d looks like. However, the only Airfix passenger train with the Mk2d I have seen close up only contains the brake versions!

Other Airfix coaches were the GWR Centenaries, B sets and Auto coch as well as the Siphon G and H, all later made by Hornby. They also made some LMS suburban and Stannier corridor coaches. These were later made by DAPOL in ready to run or kit form. I think the Stannier ones may have been available in Blood and Custard as well as LMS maroon.

However I think Airfix only made the GWR ones in GW chock and cream or BR Maroon. The blood and custard versions that can be found being made by the later manufacturers who bought the tooling after Airfix stopped making model railways.