BR Mark 1 coaches - details of coach ends and toilet fillers.

[1965Nick]

Hello, I’m currently building in 2mm FS some Mark 1 coaches specifically a BG and a FO but planning on building more types. I’m trying to find details of the handrails on the coach ends along with the details of water tank fillers on the coach roofs (if they are what I think they are). Any help or photographs would be appreciated, Google searches have not really turned up much. I’m also interested in details of the FO interior- I’m building the first diagram for the FO - the one with no doors in the middle of the coach. I know some were fitted out as conventional opens and as restaurant first opens with loose seats to work with a kitchen car. 

[cctransuk]

10 minutes ago, 1965Nick said:

Hello, I’m currently building in 2mm FS some Mark 1 coaches specifically a BG and a FO but planning on building more types. I’m trying to find details of the handrails on the coach ends along with the details of water tank fillers on the coach roofs (if they are what I think they are). Any help or photographs would be appreciated, Google searches have not really turned up much. I’m also interested in details of the FO interior- I’m building the first diagram for the FO - the one with no doors in the middle of the coach. I know some were fitted out as conventional opens and as restaurant first opens with loose seats to work with a kitchen car. 

 

Not easy to find at an affordable price, but this is the 'bible' : -

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143575920835

 

Do you perhaps know anyone who owns a copy?

 

John Isherwood.

[Steamport Southport]

It is the bible. Keep looking as they do come up for a reasonable price of about £20 to £30.

 

Here's the Amazon listing to keep watching.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Railways-Coaches-Pendragon-Books/dp/0906899494/ref=sr_1_2?crid=13I6B8Y8K881R&dchild=1&keywords=british+railways+mark+1+coaches&qid=1610643608&sprefix=british+railways+%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-2

 

 

However the Supplement which has quite a lot of details and the drawings is currently cheap as chips from the HMRS.

 

Real bargain at £4.

 

https://hmrs.org.uk/publications/books/books-in-print/british-railways-mark-1-coaches-supplement.html

 

 

Jason

[HGR]

Note that because a BG has no toilet(s), there's no tank fillers on the ends. The other use served by the tank filler pipe is to act as a handrail for the end / roof access steps. So non-toilet ends have handrails instead of the filler pipes. They are made from the same steel tube / pipe as the fillers, but have flattened ends bolted to the body, instead of being mounted through flat brackets.

 

On a BG, there is also a short grab rail on the roof on the 'step' side in place where the tank filler pipe would otherwise be. In many cases, the grab rail was removed from the roof and the handrail on the step (left) side end panel cut back to just above its upper bracket when all but the bottom step were removed from the ends to keep staff away from the overhead line.