Heljan 1215

British Rail Class 121 W55029 Great Western Railway Chocolate & Cream

Contents

Class & Prototype

The British Rail Class 121 single-car DMU operated for 57 years from 1960-2017, making it Britain's longest-serving diesel multiple unit. Built by Pressed Steel Company, just 16 DMBS power cars served Western Region branches including the Greenford shuttle, Henley, Marlow, and Severn Beach line. Distinctive "antler" exhausts curving around illuminated headcode boxes set them apart from similar Class 122 designs. Originally AEC-powered, the fleet was re-engined with Leyland 680 units during 1971-1980. Following privatisation, units worked for Silverlink on the Marston Vale Line before Chiltern Railways' remarkable 2003-2017 renaissance extended their career. Twelve vehicles survive in preservation. Available as models from Bachmann (OO), Dapol (OO/N/O), and Heljan (O gauge) in numerous authentic liveries.

No prototype found.

Operator & Livery

The Great Western Railway (1835-1947) was Britain's most innovative railway company, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with his revolutionary 7ft ¼in broad gauge system. Known affectionately as "God's Wonderful Railway" and the "Holiday Line," the GWR connected London Paddington with the West Country, Wales, and Birmingham through 3,800 miles of superbly engineered routes.

Renowned for its Brunswick green locomotives, chocolate and cream carriages, and engineering excellence centred at Swindon Works, the GWR pioneered advanced steam technology under chief mechanical engineers Daniel Gooch, George Jackson Churchward, and Charles Collett. The company's legendary locomotive classes—including Castle, King, Hall, and Manor—established performance standards that influenced British locomotive design for decades.

The only "Big Four" railway to retain its original identity through the 1921 grouping, the GWR maintained its distinctive corporate culture until nationalisation in 1947. Today, the company's engineering legacy lives on through extensive preservation efforts, heritage railways, and detailed model railway recreations that celebrate the finest traditions of British steam railway operation.