Model railway carriage, 1:12 scale sectioned, London, Midland & Scottish Railway Dining-Kitchen car, 1932.

This is a model of a first-class restaurant-kitchen car, made to scale 1:12, of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company.

The practice of providing eating facilities on a moving train was begun in Britain by the Great Northern Railway in 1879 and spread widely once the 'continuous corridor' express train made its appearance ten years or so later. The dining cars became more and more lavishly appointed and they became an important selling feature for railway companies. In order to provide a smoother ride, the carriages were often placed on six-wheel bogies rather than the usual four. Occasionally, schedules were arranged so that trains could run at a steadier pace while the soup course was being served.

The LMSR promoted its services extensively during the 1920s and 1930s, one way being to display finely-built models of their latest rolling stock at exhibitions around the country. They commissioned this model of a first-class restaurant-kitchen car from the famous model-building firm of Bassett-Lowke Ltd. of Northampton. The prototype was one of six built at Wolverton Works in 1932 under the general direction of Sir Henry Fowler.

The model came into the ownership of the British Transport Commission in 1948 and was transferred to the Science Museum ten years later.