Chrismontgomery8 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum and I have recently started modelling in 2FS, apologies if this subject has raised before I did a quick search but nothing came to light straight away (Man Look) So for those of you out there in the know, I am looking to see if I can find how good/bad RTR BR Mk1 coaches are when compared to an Etch built coach, from what I can see so far there isn't a great deal of difference in cost, the only impact it has really is the amount of time it takes to build an etch kit compared to buying one off the shelf. Any help would be greatly appreciated, images would be welcomed if available. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethashenden Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I have no personal experience with them specificity, however, the kits will be 1:152 whereas RTR will be 1:148. This will have an effect on how they look with other models. If you're mostly using diesels or converted RTR steam then the RTR coaches are probably better, they'll match each other. Or, if you're mostly using kit/scratch built locomotives then the kits will match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted April 20, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20, 2015 (edited) Hi Chris, In terms of accuracy, finish and available range Farish Mk1s are excellent IMO, so a fair bit will come down to the quality of the kit (which did you have in mind?) and your skill at putting it together and painting it. Also there's the question of scale as explained by Gareth. So I'm not sure a "definitive" answer to your question is possible. Why not get hold of a Farish Mk1 and decide for yourself? Cheers Ben A. (N gauger who dabbles in 2mm) Edited April 20, 2015 by Ben A Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bécasse Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Another issue to consider is how many of these coaches you are going to run together. One coach trains formed of Mk1 BR stock were pretty rare, the normal minimum was probably a 3-set (BTK,CK,BTK) and that was more common on the Southern than elsewhere. Getting a rake of similar scratch/kit-built carriages, especially flush-sided ones, to look good together is surprisingly difficult, even for very skilled modellers, whereas the task is much easier when you use good proprietary ones like the modern Farish vehicles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrismontgomery8 Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks very much for the replies guys, I think the way forward is to buy some RTR for the time being as my loco's are or will be converted RTR items, in which case it makes sense to do the same with the coaches, with the possibility of adding missing detailing as I see fit later down the road. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Higgs Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 As designer of the BR Mk1 coach kits available from the Asssociation, here is my two-penneth. The kits were created before the current incarnation of Farish Mk1s, and its quite probable they would never had been done if the Farish ones had existed at the time. The RTR models are excellent, and really the only points I would fault them on is that the flush glazing does look a bit prismatic as it is quite thick, and that the bogies stick out further than they should because of the long pinpoint axles used by RTR manufacturers. On the first point, not much you can do, and it's not as bad as the Dapol equivalents - I really don't like my one Dapol Manusell for this reason. For the second, you can always fit Assocaition bogies if you want. The last point where I might still use a kit is for consistency. If you wanted to build a Mk1 coach not in the Farish range from a kit, you will struggle to get it to match the RTR ones. Farish have not left many gaps in the range, and I have also thought about etching coach sides with window holes into which the Farish window glazing could be fitted. If you were planning to build a large range of pre-nationalisation coaches from kits, then I might consider building Mk1s also from kits, just to get a matching looking set of stock. Especially so if the other coaches are to 1:152 scale. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John57sharp Posted September 14, 2017 Share Posted September 14, 2017 Thanks for this info, I was going to ask a similar question, so I'll just ask whether there is anything further to add given that the last update was over 2 years back? Cheers John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mmKiwi Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Here is an example of a converted Farish MK1, part of a 10 coach set for The Cornishman. It has had a respray on the roof and under frames, some weathering, coupling blocks and N gauge couplings removed and replaced with micro trains z scale knuckle couplings 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted October 3, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 3, 2017 Here is an example of a converted Farish MK1, part of a 10 coach set for The Cornishman. It has had a respray on the roof and under frames, some weathering, coupling blocks and N gauge couplings removed and replaced with micro trains z scale knuckIMG_7088.JPGle couplings Those couplings look good. What is the minimum radius that you can operate with them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Higgs Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Here is an example of a converted Farish MK1, part of a 10 coach set for The Cornishman. It has had a respray on the roof and under frames, some weathering, coupling blocks and N gauge couplings removed and replaced with micro trains z scale knuckIMG_7088.JPGle couplings The roof and underframe respray makes all the difference. I doubt if I know anyone who could line a kit-built coach to the standards that Farish achieve. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mmKiwi Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Hi - I run them on the minimum radius curve of 600mm, there are no issues with the couplings Those couplings look good. What is the minimum radius that you can operate with them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 2mmKiwi Posted October 12, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted October 12, 2017 I have also added joining concertina gangways to my coach along with name boards and passengers. I think that with a few modifications the Farish coaches allow consistency to be achieved on a long rake. 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John57sharp Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 They look a treat on that bridge. Cheers 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nick_bastable Posted October 12, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 12, 2017 I have also added joining concertina gangways to my coach along with name boards and passengers. I think that with a few modifications the Farish coaches allow consistency to be achieved on a long rake. that looks really good please start a thread and with luck there will be some more photos of the layout? Nick 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Nig H Posted October 14, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2017 Here is a pic of a Farish mk1 and below it one of my coaches built from Bill Bedford sides, for comparison. If I wasn't a coach nut, I'd stick with the latest Farish coaches. Nig H 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coal Tank Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Yes more photos of your model Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingers Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Here is an example of a converted Farish MK1, part of a 10 coach set for The Cornishman. It has had a respray on the roof and under frames, some weathering, coupling blocks and N gauge couplings removed and replaced with micro trains z scale knuckIMG_7088.JPGle couplings Just picked up on this thread and am impressed by the improved look of the coach by taking couplings off bogie and body mounting. Which particular type of coupling did you use and is there a chance of a couple of photographs showing the underside. I dropped a PM but thought I'd cover bases. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jim T Posted February 4, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2019 Just to pick up on that, 2mmKiwi, how did you do the window frames on the CK please? Looks fabulous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mmKiwi Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Hi Jim, The windows are just stock and have had no modifications. Steve 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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