BernardTPM

The H0 tram (4 wheeler) was rather later than the Santa Fe and Duke of Connaught, though they did an E1 tram around that time which was about 1:130 scale, very similar in scale to their Trolleybus in the 1 to 75 range.

It's Lion (it even has the unusual nameplate and is numbered D0260); AEI were part of the consortium that built it.

It has eight windows, so it's not a First Open but a dia.56 Second* Open (14 built) or dia.92 Restaurant Second* Open (21 built). * They would have been Thirds when built in 1951-2, reclassified Second in 1956. The SR 'Boat' Second opens to dia. 90 were similar, but with a door in one of the centre bays.

The panel to the right is surplus when looking at the side with the two fans. See top picture here.

That certainly sounds like it would be the Peco Perfecta kit. Other conversion kits were done for the kit in the '60s, with brass or cast chassis blocks.

Sorry, the Mk.2F roofs are different to the Mk.2D. That is why the ex-Airfix Mk.2D TSO has a different arangement to the Bachmann Mk.2F TSO. Both are correct for what they are. With Mk.2E the situation is less clear cut. Some do seem to have the Mk.2D style pattern, but some TSOs; certainly the 1972-73 built ones (5859-5907) have the Mk.2F arrangement; probably the FOs, also built 1972-73 (3221-3275) though there the difference is less obvious since they lack the staggered pattern that's on the TSO. Since various batches of the Mk.2E were built with both original deeper and later shallower door windows I thought the roof pattern may match, but I would need to do a more extensive survey to prove or disprove that. Most online photos are Mk.2F so research will involve digging out old books and magazines.

Ah! Betta Bilda 🤣

I see... Icy.

Apart from the different moquette 5777's interior is largely original though the veneer on the sides has darkened after many coats of varnish. The headrests were the blue colour, not the purple that's on some. The partition is correct. End doors would have changed between Mk.2d and Mk.2e when the toilets were altered so that TSOs could have 64 seats again instead of 62. The earlier arrangement (Mk.2b, c & d) is shown here. I will have to see if I can find anything in my old Modern Railways.

It wouldn't be the first time a Tri-ang chassis was used under a Farish body. In the late '50s S. French & Sons of Tolworth, Surrey used to advertise a Farish Merchant Navy on a Tri-ang Princess chassis, complete with spoked wheels, of course. They also sold re-chassied Farish Kings.

The interiors of the Mk.2e were 'standard' Mk.2 style: the blue moquette, black 'coffin' table tops, edged with wood. The roof patterns on Mk.2d and 2e were the same. The Mk.2f featured a revised air-conditioning system so have a different pattern. Their interiors were also different featurting a textured, off-white laminate in place of light wood for the internal sidewalls and Mk.3 style seats in the main (some TSOs still had Mk.2 pattern seats).

I remember Beatties in Holborn had some of these for sale in the mid. to late '70s. The power unit in them is very like the old 1950s design Tri-ang motor bogie.

Sounds likely then. I wonder if they kept the arm rests or not. I suspect not, though they may have left the partition between the saloons. Did they make one smoking and the other non-smoking?

What colour did they use on the First Class seating around that time (assuming circa early '60s to match the Trojan in Second)? Floor diagram of Trailer Composite on p.270 here.

1:120 would be about right for 3' 6" gauge on 9mm track.

C869 and C0978 (first two) show two early pre-TOPS Blue FYE variations well.

Oooh, a Death Wedge 2000 on the far left.

The Hall has a smaller boiler than a Castle but would suit a Star with the cab suitably altered.

Back to Chivers Finelines now.

There's quite a good side-on shot with clear view of the bogies here. The Tri-ang AL2 type are pretty close, I'd say, just 3mm short in the middle really. The big difference is where they tooled on the AL1 style bracket, top centre (which is actually attached to the body in real life).

Yes, that box art was rare, not to mention very odd! Your Jinty there seems to have received some extra red paint at some stage.

The motor used in the two singles (LOTI & Caley) were the same as used in the TT Britannia and Merchant Navy. The motors in the 0-6-0s, Prairie and Castle were shorter.

I think both these and the Shenfield units were all but identical when first built, save that a section of these had First Class seating.

Both changes done by Airfix, checking against some 1970s kit mouldings.

'Trojan' moquette, by the look of it.