Another cut-and-shut looming over the horizon?

The error is a mystery. It couldn't have been have been to suit the LMS coach as LMS Compos were longer so that was never going to be right anyway. Back in the late '70s/early '80s I had a go at correcting some of these coaches for a friend (around the time they introduced the correct 7' bogies). I made a third by combining the composite and brake third (the fact that the guard's compartment is basically the same as the normal compartment was handy!) and then used the left over parts to correct another composite. I think I modified the incorrect side of the brake third with left-overs too. Three coaches for the price of four... Still, a spare pair of 7' bogies that went under an older restaurant car model that i never did get round to updating.

"It couldn't have been have been to suit the LMS coach as LMS Compos were longer so that was never going to be right anyway"

I've just checked the Hornby website and the ghastly LMS coaches are still available in their Railroad range and are given as being 242 mm long.

The GWR coaches currently in "carmen/cream" livery (their spelling - perhaps someone with an operatic spin has been working on their site) are also given as being 242 mm long. So it could have been to re-use the interior. Only thing that makes sense to me.

Turning the compo into one with the correct spacing is going to require quite a bit of work. Both sides would need to be cut out as the windows will need to start nearer the ends and have bits spliced in. I tried comparing the model to the plans in Russells' excellent books and thinking given the compromises i've accepted in making the 70 ft stock and the other coaches I've bashed together from the Hornby coaches (see old RM web) i'll learn to live with it

Rovex

All of this generation of coaches shared a lot of components, particularly when they first appeared. On introduction in 1977 there was a Compo and Brake Third for the LMS, GWR and SR and a Compo and Brake Compo for the LNER. All shared the same bogies (a clip-in variant of the BR1 still used on their current Mk.1 range), floor unit, metal weight, glazing and two patterns of interior, a composite and a brake, the latter arranged to 'sort of' fit all the brakes despite the varied number and types of oompartments modelled. There were also some components shared over parts of the range: the GWR & SR shared coach ends and the lower part of the bodyshells (the roof part of the shell was different so they must have had interchangeable roof detail tooling). Later the LNER coaches gained Gresley bogies and after that the GWR coaches were given 7' bogies. Incidentally, both the new types of bogie slightly lowered the ride height compared to the old BR1.

The GWR Restaurant car and Gresley Sleeper obviously had new bodies and interiors to suit, but the other parts were still standard (and both gained the better bogies later).

Yes, correcting the Compo did require quite a bit of work to allow for the extra compartment length (i.e. the difference in length between a First and a Third) As far as I remember I took it off the ends but as I used two shells it wasn't necessary to take the sides off of the roof. Incidentally, I made the join lines down the door lines which saves a lot of filling if done right.