When we decided to take the plunge into the great unknown that was British TT:120 gauge, we chose the delightful Class 122 “bubble cars” as our starting point. We felt they were a particularly useful and cost-effective addition for modellers to the scale—being a complete train in themselves and something that could inspire dozens of layout possibilities.
Of course, as a small company at the time, Capex (capital expenditure) was a key consideration—especially when tooling for a gauge that few had any experience with. With that in mind, some compromises were made to keep costs under control during the initial development phase.
However, things have changed since those early, brave announcements. For one, pre-orders for our TT models have been excellent, and we must extend our thanks to the British TT:120 modelling community for their support.
Additionally, becoming part of Accurascale and receiving further backing has allowed us to expand our tooling budgets in ways that simply weren’t possible before.
One area where this is particularly evident is the front headcode box. The Class 122s were well known for these large indicator boxes when first built, lasting through to the mid/late 1970s.
Many of these were later plated over—sometimes rather crudely—before eventually receiving a neater, flush panel finish that created a seamless front end. While we were initially able to produce the model with a plated-over front, this approach wasn’t suitable for all liveries.
So instead, we revisited the design and tooled a second set of cabs, which will now feature a more accurate and visually appealing front end.
This new flush front will be present on the BR Blue/Grey and Regional Railways liveried examples in the first production run.
Before these smoother finishes were introduced, many bubble cars displayed a much cruder plated-over appearance, as seen in the image below. This was particularly common during the BR all-over blue era.
We’ve refined this area too, introducing an etched component to achieve a much thinner and more accurate plate profile. Below you can see a before-and-after comparison, modelled on a Regional Railways unit (which also demonstrates how the livery has been corrected). The original thickness is shown on the right, with the final corrected version on the left—a massive improvement.
This plated finish will be applied to the BR all-over blue bubble cars only.
We’re especially thankful to our factory partner in China, who designed and tooled the new flush ends in record time—minimising delays and keeping production firmly on track. Their expertise and can-do attitude have really shone through here, as making changes on an active production line is typically a big no-no. In this case, they made an exception, sharing our commitment to producing the very best models possible.
This is our first impression in TT, so we have to make it count.
As mentioned on social media, we are also actively developing our own plug-in solution to convert from DCC to HM7000 control, following the withdrawal of the proposed “Peachy Bridge” standalone accessory. We anticipate this will retail in the £7–£10 range, with more updates coming soon.
With production now underway, only a limited quantity of stock remains available. Don’t miss out on our first TT model—pre-order yours below. It’s now almost £75 less than the original RRP thanks to direct selling, with those savings passed directly on to you, the modeller.
Pre-Order Your TT Class 122 Bubble Car Today!
