Wickham Green too

... as did the Irish 'A' class Co-Cos ..... though re-equipped with GM engines.

Certainly not twelve cars at that date - probably no more than eight as all suburban units were three-car when link-and-buffer connections were standardised. The LSWR sets & earliest Western Section Southern units were on 'short' frames and the two-car trailer sets on assorted lengths so that story is unlikely to be true unless it applied to the longest possible eight car formation at the time.

Come to think of it, a train with commuters and with the lights on would imply a winter's rush hour when the windows are likely to be closed .... windows are likely to be seen open either a) outside the peaks when the train's relatively empty ( lights off during daylight / on after dark ) or b) on a balmy June evening when the office workers are heading home ( no lights - except in tunnels ) ................................... and don't forget the windows are more likely to be open in the 'smokers' !

Sorry, I'm only stating that most people would take 1st January to be the date of "grouping" even though the Caley joined its group at a later date ....................... perhaps we should start a thread on 'The True Meaning of Grouping' ??!?

OK, I know some of the independent Companies were latecomers to the party - but I think most people would accept the date of "grouping" to be 1st January.

Yes and no - the mention of 'just before grouping' would refer to earlier Cars operated by the Caledonian whereas the 'K' type ones arrived in May '23 just after grouping. Beware the drawing I've seen published a couple of times and purporting to be a typical 'K' type underframe : it's from one of this series so has 'conventional' buffing and drawgear together with Westinghouse brake fittings - definitely atypical !

The non-gangwayed ( some later gangwayed ) Hampshire, Berkshire & Oxted DEMUs did, indeed have buckeye couplers - but the Hastings units were also DEMUs, of course, and had gangways within unit. The majority of non-gangwayed Mk1 electric units off the Southern also had buckeyes between and within sets ( 501s the obvious exception ). Pete wasn't quite right to say "the LMS never bothered" as the three wartime Royal twelve-wheelers were fitted with buckeyes and Pullman gangways. Like the GWR trial, many years earlier, these coaches had buffers that hinged down rather than retracting as we're used to. ( I wonder if Mr.Stanier had found these in the back of a Swindon store room ? )

Trouble with that - on Mk 1 windows anyway - was that far too often 'click' became 'press - swear - bang - swear again - bang harder + reluctant click' ................ and that would take a fair chunk out of your twenty second dwell time at London Bridge - so further swearing might ensue !

NOPE ....... like all S.R. units at the time these had internal slide-locks so passengers didn't have to lower the windows to get out - they lowered the windows for ventilation ( or for photographing another train, of course ) !

..... but I'm not sure about the top half of the box !

About as likely as anyone ever doing a L.& Y.R. class 21 !

It would be a bu**er to polish the glazing, though ........ I'll stick to 4mm !

"Will any nervous travellers please avert their eyes now."

While you have that van off the layout, might I suggest you swap the shoe/pushrod mouldings so they work correctly ??!? .... as fitted, both levers and vac cylinder are arranged to pull the brakes off ! ( easy mistake )

A conventional four-shoe Morton brake would have been fitted to these - effectively two additional shoes and their linkages parallel to the unfitted type.