N Gauge Mark 2 Pullmans and other modified stock
Entry posted by anroar53
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Down the years there has been, and still is, a number of gaps in the availability of Rolling Stock in N Gauge. Fortunately things have been improving of late, but when I began to model the West Coast Main Line nearly twenty years ago it was a case of improvisation and making use of items then available. One of my first projects was the Mark 2 Pullmans for the Manchester and Liverpool Pullman services. There had been a plentiful supply of early Farish Coaches at the time, those that had the window strips as a removable feature. I had a surplus of Mark 3 coaches and decided to use these. It did mean cutting about 20mm out of the middle of the body and then joining the two sections together again.
With the window strips removed the new window and door droplight gaps were marked out, and fresh pieces of plasticard inset for the new bodyside. Before fixing the roof the interiors were added. Some moulded 1st Class seat interiors were obtained via the N Gauge society shop, and were modified to fit the new window spaces. The seating and tables were then painted. The Central window upright was made from single core wire cut and inserted into position. The Mark 3 roof sections had the roof detail sanded off, then cut down to fit the new bodyshell length.The body was then painted all over in Rail Grey first. The central window section was marked out with masking tape, and then the Rail Blue applied. When dry the doors were marked out with a fine black lining pen. To finish the roof sections were painted mid-grey, and Fox transfers were added to finish. The glazing was made with Humbrol 'Clearfix' applied with a small screwdriver.
The typical formation of the Pullmans were in sets of four coaches, Pullman Brake, Pullman Parlour, Pullman Kitchen, Pullman Parlour. The Manchester Pullman was two four car sets joined together with the Brake vehicles at the outer ends. The Liverpool Pullman was only part Pullman, consisting of a four coach set, with the remainder of the train usually made up of three mark 2a TSOs, a Mark 1 RMB, and a Mark 2a BSO. The formation was sometimes strengthened with one or two TSOs. The Liverpool Pullman, in this form, lasted until 1975, when it was discontinued.
Sometimes if a Pullman Kitchen vehicle was stopped for repairs it was sometimes replaced by a Mark 1 RK Full Kitchen. I have modelled this eventuality, the Mark 1 RK was made using TPM window inserts, which could be fitted into the early Farish Coaches.
The interior was not modelled, as it wouldn't be visible from normal viewing distances. The discolouration seen on the bodyside Grey band is from the liquid poly glue where it bonded with the Farish body uprights. Once the roof was replaced it doesn't show. A number of Mark 1 variants were modelled using the TPM insets, BFK, FK, FO, RKB, BSO, BSK, SLF and SLSTP.
Some of the other items that were slow in arriving were the early Mark 2s in Blue/Grey. Some NSE Livery ones appeared, with some Mark 2ds, all having the removable window strips. Again I replaced them all with TPM insets, which provided a few rakes of early Mark 2s, in the same way as the RK. Later, before the latest Farish Mark 2s arrived, I also made some that were Worsley Works Brass sides, stuck directly to early Farish stock.
Farish Mark 2 FK, with TPM insets. Next a converted Farish Mark 1 with TPM RU insets. Next Worsley Works Brass sided Mark 2 TSO.
Close up of the Mark 2 FK conversion. Seating made by cutting up leftover interiors of Farish coaches.
TPM TSO and BSO insets into Farish Mark 2 early bodyshells.
As I still had a few early Inter-City sets on the go I also made up some insets to model the early Mark 2 FKs which had appeared in lined maroon. These were a bit more fiddly as I hade to go over them in BR coach maroon. But when finished they looked quite smart. These make occasional appearances from time to time.
Corridor side
Compartment side.
A later conversion was to repaint some of the Farish Met-Cam Pullmans, turning them into the Blue/Grey FO version.
Repainted Met-Cam Pullman next to a standard 'Nightcap Bar' version.
Some BHE Brass sides stuck onto Minitrix bodyshells to make up some Sleeper stock long before the farish examples arrived.
A few more oddities.
Tribometer Test Train. Some Minitrix coaches with Worsley Works brass sides, and a modified Farish Box Van. Headed by an early Silver Fox resin bodied Baby Deltic.
Two more Research Department coaches, one was a Farish Met-Cam repaint as Test coach 'Wren', and a Brass sided Worsley Works Test Coach 'Prometheus' on a Minitrix coach body.
Finally a couple of Tool Vans, Worsley Works brass sides one on a Minitrix body, the other on a Farish body.
Although some of these conversions have been overtaken by commercially produced items I haven't replaced mine with the newer versions. They represent many hours of work over many years. They may not be on the Exhibition circuit any longer, but they will always have a home on my current layout.
Some more stories still to come.
Andy.
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