LNER 1940-1950 Coaches used on branch lines in East Anglia?

[cnw6847]

I'm thinking of possibly modelling a ficitonal East Anglian branch line set roughly between 1940-1950.

 

Most of my books cover later periods.

I am just wondering what types of coaches were used on the branches in the late LNER period.

 

Thank you in advance for any info.

[Steamport Southport]

I would think by then they would mostly be the Gresley non corridor stock like Hornby make, with Thompson types appearing towards the end of the 1940s. There would possibly still be some Great Eastern Railway carriages around as well.

 

These are the Thompsons.

 

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/164374/Hornby_R4572A_Thompson_non_corridor_composite_88426_in_LNER_teak/StockDetail.aspx

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/164375/Hornby_R4573A_Thompson_non_corridor_third_class_82646_in_LNER_teak/StockDetail.aspx

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/164376/Hornby_R4574A_Thompson_non_corridor_brake_third_87019_in_LNER_teak/StockDetail.aspx

 

I don't think the Gresleys are currently available. But these are the type.

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/363481/Hornby_R4516_PO03_Gresley_non_vestibuled_suburban_third_class_3182_in_LNER_teak_Pre_owned_detail/StockDetail.aspx

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/363464/Hornby_R4517_PO02_Gresley_non_vestibuled_suburban_composite_32456_in_LNER_teak_Pre_owned_detaile/StockDetail.aspx

 

 

 

 

Jason

[31A]

The above, plus pre-Grouping coaches from almost any of the LNER's constituent companies!  Branch line trains in particular were a complete hotch potch of coaching stock styles at that time.  It's worth searching out one or two of Dr. Ian Allen's photographic albums, although they were published many years ago now.

[Flying Pig]

As the later pre-grouping designs were only 20-25 years old when withdrawals were interrupted by the war, there would be quite a lot of pre-grouping carriages in service up to 1950. Even with post-war replacement programmes, pre-grouping carriages are frequent in photos from the first half of the 1950s.

[Ravenser]

As the later pre-grouping designs were only 20-25 years old when withdrawals were interrupted by the war, there would be quite a lot of pre-grouping carriages in service up to 1950. Even with post-war replacement programmes, pre-grouping carriages are frequent in photos from the first half of the 1950s.

 

The last branches still running 6 wheeled stock seem to have received 50' GE corridors as a replacement - this covers Thaxted, Braintree and post war the Mid Suffolk

[cnw6847]

Thank you all for your help.

 

So I could do with one or two Hornby coaches.

 

Are there kits available for the pre grouping coaches?

 

Many thanks

 

Richard

[Ravenser]

Thank you all for your help.

 

So I could do with one or two Hornby coaches.

 

Are there kits available for the pre grouping coaches?

 

Many thanks

 

Richard

 

I believe any kits for GE coaches would have been in the now defunct D&S range. A very long shot is that the M&GN had some ex LNW corridor coaches, as produced by Ratio

[billbedford]

It is very unlikely that Gresley coaches would have been used in this time period. Photo show that most branch train were made fo ancient GE cache, especially clerestories, plus cascade NER and GCR stock.

[31A]

It is very unlikely that Gresley coaches would have been used in this time period. Photo show that most branch train were made fo ancient GE cache, especially clerestories, plus cascade NER and GCR stock.

 

 

Generalisations are dangerous; scrolling down the pictures on this page for example reveals several branch line trains which include Gresley designed coaches of various types:

 

http://www.davidheyscollection.com/page29.htm

[billbedford]

Generalisations are dangerous; scrolling down the pictures on this page for example reveals several branch line trains which include Gresley designed coaches of various types:

 

http://www.davidheyscollection.com/page29.htm

 

 

Yep, but the classic GE branch line train was made up of two coaches and there are none on that page.

[31A]

Yep, but the classic GE branch line train was made up of two coaches and there are none on that page.

 

 

OK, I just referenced that page as it was easy to link to it on line.

 

I have a large collection of books about East Anglian railways; here's a random selection which shows Gresley coaches in branch line trains.  A lot of pictures were taken towards the end of the 1950s, probably when enthusiasts took more notice and / or could afford cameras and film, but I have tried to concentrate towards the beginning of that decade as that seems to be the period the OP was more interested in.  Non gangwayed coaches in each case unless otherwise stated.

 

F6 2-4-2T 67230 leaving Saxmundham with the Aldeburgh train, December 1955 - Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd and Gresley Lav Composite, both as made by Hornby (sadly the F6 isn't!) (Celebration of Steam - East Anglia, Nigel Digby, p29).

 

Bury St. Edmunds, May 25th 1953 - E4 2-4-0 62783 leaving with the 1.50pm to Long Melford.  First coach only visible - Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd. (East Anglian Steam Gallery, Part 5).

 

South Lynn, August 1st 1953 - C12 4-4-2T 67374 on South Lynn-King's Lynn push pull shuttle - Gresley 8 compt. 3rd and 4 compt. Brake 3rd (Push Pull driving coach).  (Aspects of East Anglian Steam, vol.2).

 

Saxmundham (updated) - J15 65467 with an Aldeburgh branch train - Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd and Gresley Lav Composite (all vehicles including loco available from Hornby!).  (Doctor on the Line - an East Anglian Railway Album, Dr. Ian C. Allen).  Sadly Dr. Allen doesn't often give dates for his pictures, but could be the same coaches as in the first reference above.

 

Cockfield, July 1952 - F6 67237 on a Long Melford - Bury St. Edmunds train - Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd and Gresley Lav. Composite.  (Same book as above).

 

Witham (undated) - F5 2-4-2T 67192 leaving for Braintree.  First coach only visible - Gresley Lav. Composite.  (East Anglian Branch Line Album, Dr. Ian C. Allen).

 

Thorpeness Halt (undated) - F6 67230 on a Saxmundham-Aldeburgh train - Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd and Gresley Lav. Composite.   (Same book as above).

 

Aldeburgh (undated) - J15 65467 arriving from Saxmundham.  Gresley 4 compt. Brake 3rd, Gresley Lav composite, third coach could be a BR Standard non gangwayed coach (Bachmann).  (Same book as above).

 

Lavenham (undated) - E4 62797 on a Long Milford-Bury St. Edmunds train - Gresley articulated twin 5 compt. Brake 3rd + Lav. Composite.  ( (Same book as above).

 

The above is just a random sample, and I haven't mentioned Thompson designed non gangwayed coaches (as also made by Hornby), Gresle gangwayed coaches, or more exotic things such as the Gresley steel panelled non gangwayed coaches which were built for use East Anglia.  It doesn't include special trains, or through coaches from London, and I haven't included other secondary lines such as Norwich-Yarmouth / Cromer or Cambridge-Ipswich/Colchester as the OP did ask about branch lines, although the trains on those routes were often similar to branch trains, and could give an excuse to use other ready to run locos from the area such as D16, B12, B17, L1.

 

What I'm saying is, it is possible to make an East Anglian branch train of the 1940s-50s using ready to run items; in most cases the locos mentioned in the examples above could be substituted by a Hornby J15 without being incorrect, as long as you pick one which has train brakes.

 

Admittedly there were also lots of pre-Grouping coaches also still in use as well.  These would have to be kit built, and as has been mentioned the D&S range covers a lot of them.  Although no longer regularly in production, they are available from time to time and there is a separate thread about this producer in the 'Small Suppliers" section.  Likewise, the other ex Great Eastern loco classes mentioned above would have to be kit built and kits for some or all have been produced in the past; you would probably have to look out for them second hand (not sure whether the E4 is still in the Alan Gibson range?).

[adanapress]

I think I recall that the 1948-50s steam shuttle  Woodford (etc) - Epping was a Gresley non-corridor 57 footer modified with end windows and controls to be push pull.  This used to be in the excellent Ian Kirk range of kits,  and here are others that might be relevant.   In passing this was once derailed by blast when a Vampire jet taking off from RAF North Weald crashed in or adjacent to a slight cutting not far ahead of the train.

[jwealleans]

The D & S range is far from defunct and Dan has issued the GE 50' stock twice in the last few years. ex-NER stock, especially clerestory, is also in the range and many were cascaded to the GE area in the 1930s. GC is more problematic especially as Bill is reducing his etched range. You can't do much better than Steve's recommendation of the Dr. Ian C Allen volumes, though, along with the South Anglia collections by J D Mann.

 

To give you an idea of what's possible here are a couple of recent pictures of mine:

 

 

 

Working back from the loco, these are Comet, D & S, D & S, Bill Bedford (sides on Comet bits), Bill Bedford, D & S, MJT.

Edited June 12, 2018 by jwealleans

[Joseph_Pestell]

So much depends on whether the OP is wanting to model one of the more rustic branches - with no through trains - or one of the seaside branches that had trains/through carriages from London.