Stoke Courtenay

[AlfaZagato]

Good luck on the Mainline coaches.  I've been looking myself lately.   Auction site pricing is silly.   Being in the states, I sadly have no other recourse.   I hope you fare better.

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, A Murphy said:

they seem to always be made up of whatever came to hand and whatever was attached from connecting services, thus P1 and later P2 vehicles, mixed in with ex-LNWR and occasionally ex-Midland vehicles

Indeed, that seems to be the case.  Amusing to read recently in another thread that the GWR (in pre-grouping days I think) had an instruction that only stock of the best type should be used on other companies' lines.  This "showing off to the neighbours" attitude doesn't seem to have been reciprocated!

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, A Murphy said:

they seem to always be made up of whatever came to hand and whatever was attached from connecting services, thus P1 and later P2 vehicles, mixed in with ex-LNWR and occasionally ex-Midland vehicles

Indeed, that seems to be the case.  Amusing to read recently in another thread that the GWR (in pre-grouping days I think) had an instruction that only stock of the best type should be used on other companies' lines.  This "showing off to the neighbours" attitude doesn't seem to have been reciprocated!

[checkrail]

Notionally, i.e. in my head, this 7 coach train is made up of 3 coaches from Manchester London Road, 3 from Liverpool Lime Street and a brake compo from Birkenhead.  From what I read I think that 3 coach portions on this type of service might be more likely formed of 2 brake 3rds and a compo, rather than the brake 3rd, third and compo of my sets.  But it was largely determined by the coaches I had available.  Besides, 1) Hornby don't do a Stanier compo, and 2) I had a nice new toplight 3rd I was eager to deploy.  Might come back to this train for more work in the future.

 

In the meantime, more photos.

 

 

 

John C.

[The Fatadder]

 

Cant comment on the 1930s, but do have plenty of data on the 1947 services including LMS stock, so for the shorter portions there was a fair bit of variation.  LMS coaches are in red 

0645 Bristol to Penzance (conveying LMS portion from the north)

Sorting Van L22, BCK, CK, TK, TK, BTK, BTK CK,TK

 

1450 Manchester – Plymouth

BTK, TK, TK, CK, CK, BTK, BTK, CK, CK, TK, TK, BTK

 

1535 Liverpool – Penzance

BCK, BCK, BTK, RC, CK, BTK  (restaurant alternated between GW and LMS), I think the rest of this service from a GWR perspective must have either terminated at Newton Abbot or gone on to Kingswear.  But I havent made a note of that.

 

1830 Paddington – Plymouth (picking up an LMS portion at Bristol)

BTK, CK, TK, BCK, BTK, CK, BTK

[checkrail]

2 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Cant comment on the 1930s, but do have plenty of data on the 1947 services

V useful info. Thanks Rich

[checkrail]

One unusual thing I noticed about the two Hornby Stanier coaches I bought were that the bogies were different at each end of the coach.  Mid-way along the bogie sideframe at one end are two pairs of double rows of vertical rivets; at the other two vertical reinforcing steel struts.   Anyone know what that's all about?

 

 

Yours,

Puzzled of Stoke Courtenay.

[gwrrob]

50 minutes ago, checkrail said:

 

Puzzled of Stoke Courtenay.

 

I'll have a butcher's at mine John and report back.

[Jamie]

1 hour ago, checkrail said:

One unusual thing I noticed about the two Hornby Stanier coaches I bought were that the bogies were different at each end of the coach.  Mid-way along the bogie sideframe at one end are two pairs of double rows of vertical rivets; at the other two vertical reinforcing steel struts.   Anyone know what that's all about?

 

 

Yours,

Puzzled of Stoke Courtenay.

 

Hi John, Hornby seem to have produced both the rivetted and welded variants of the LMS bogies, and you've got an example of each.  

I'm pretty sure they've always issued their coaches with matching bogies at each end, but I dare say stranger things happened on the prototype.  The books lead me to believe the LMS built coaches with each type of bogie concurrently.

 

[The Fatadder]

5 hours ago, checkrail said:

In the meantime, more photos.

 

That photo comes in handy for a question, what did you use to hide the base of the Dapol signals?  And did you do it per or post installation?

 

im in to minds as to whether I want to be able I remove them, (which means having a finish that isn’t attached to the surrounding scenics)

[St Enodoc]

18 hours ago, checkrail said:

the old Mainline/Bachmann period 1 vehicles instead.

As I mentioned before, they will need a good deal of work to bring them up to the standard of the Hornby Staniers.

[checkrail]

12 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

what did you use to hide the base of the Dapol signals?  And did you do it per or post installation?

Rich, I let the bases into cut-outs in the bottom layer of dense foam underlay (the track sits on cork on top of that) and blended it in with the local ground cover (ash, earth powder etc.).  They're removable in an emergency - I'd just have to undo the plastic nut under the baseboard, disconnect the wires and break through the ground cover with a craft knife or similar.  But  I'm pleased to report that in almost five years I haven't so far had to do this.  

 

 

I didn't allow for the signals when planning the cutting and embankments, so those signals reside in little reinforced dugouts in the slope.  I've seen evidence of similar prototypes.

 

 

John C

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

As I mentioned before, they will need a good deal of work to bring them up to the standard of the Hornby Staniers.

Yes, I guess so.  But might make a nice future project after I've had a break from coaches?

[checkrail]

13 hours ago, Jamie said:

Hi John, Hornby seem to have produced both the rivetted and welded variants of the LMS bogies, and you've got an example of each.  

That would explain it (and how meticulously accurate of Hornby to provide two bogie variants for the same pattern of coach!).

 

It just may be that of the two coaches I recently bought (a third and a brake third) one came with the rivetted type, one with the welded, and that I've inadvertently swapped a couple round while I had all four bogies off the vehicles.

[Mark90]

11 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Yes, I guess so.  But might make a nice future project after I've had a break from coaches?

I was thinking about getting a couple of these to tart up to add some variety to my Hornby Stonier stock, so I'd be interested to see what improvements you'd make, John. 

[The Fatadder]

10 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Yes, I guess so.  But might make a nice future project after I've had a break from coaches?

I was going to suggest sticking with the period 3 coaches for now and then replacing them with something more suitable (be that more kits or tarted up Bachmann Period 1s) at some point in the future (once the more interesting GWR coaches are complete). 

 

11 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Rich, I let the bases into cut-outs in the bottom layer of dense foam underlay (the track sits on cork on top of that) and blended it in with the local ground cover (ash, earth powder etc.).  They're removable in an emergency - I'd just have to undo the plastic nut under the baseboard, disconnect the wires and break through the ground cover with a craft knife or similar.  But  I'm pleased to report that in almost five years I haven't so far had to do this.  

 

I didn't allow for the signals when planning the cutting and embankments, so those signals reside in little reinforced dugouts in the slope.  I've seen evidence of similar prototypes.

 

John C

Thanks, I think its going to take a little more thinking in that case as I havent got anything to really cut them into.  I think the answer is going to be chamfering the edge of the base plate and then blending in with a little plaster before covering with the top covering.   I think I am running out of excuses to put off getting the signals wired up (at least to a temporary panel)  

 

I made exactly the same mistake on the embankment coming into Brent, and went for the same solution!   

[checkrail]

Another day, another north to west express, this time behind 5000 Launceston Castle.  Meanwhile 5557 sits in the branch loco spur ready to run round the train it recently brought in from Earlsbridge.

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

4 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

was going to suggest sticking with the period 3 coaches for now and then replacing them with something more suitable (be that more kits or tarted up Bachmann Period 1s) at some point in the future (once the more interesting GWR coaches are complete). 

Think that's exactly what I'll do.  Love your last bit in brackets - we're not biased are we?!

 

Re the signals I guess you've seen my 2016 thread 'Improving Dapol GWR signals'?

 

 

[The Fatadder]

2 minutes ago, checkrail said:

Think that's exactly what I'll do.  Love your last bit in brackets - we're not biased are we?!

 

Re the signals I guess you've seen my 2016 thread 'Improving Dapol GWR signals'?

 

 

I have, though I probably need to re read it.  I recall Following it while adapting a square post distant that I had bought in error into a Home with sight board.  Thankfully the other two signals being installed in the first batch are both round post (though I think I’m right in saying they need to have the posts painted white)

 

edit: I meant to add, what colour have you used for the track weathering?  I’m not entirely happy with the shade I’ve used so far.

Edited February 16, 2021 by The Fatadder

[checkrail]

2 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

I meant to add, what colour have you used for the track weathering?  

I started off with the intention of painting the track and then ballasting it (Carr's ballast) before toning it all down a bit.  But I made such a mess of my first attempts at ballasting that once I'd chipped it all off I'd chipped most of the paint off the sleepers as well! So i resorted to spraying the whole shooting match with Halford's grey primer before misting with various other browny-grey colours from rattle cans.  (I seem to remember that Humbrol 29 had a role, as did some brushed-on Precision paints track colours - weathered sleepers, rusty rails etc.)  Rail sides were painted with Precision sleeper grime.  (Precision 'rusty rails' was far too orangey and glaring - subtle is best. For more on this see my 2 Sept 2016 post on p5 of this thread.

[The Fatadder]

Thanks, I think I will try adding a little grey into my brown mix that I’ve used so far and see how that looks.   If not I think you’ve given a good fallback 

[gwrrob]

17 hours ago, gwrrob said:

 

I'll have a butcher's at mine John and report back.

 

My bogies on the all third.

 

[checkrail]

Some more of the N to W express.

 

Had to laugh at this one which seems to show a strange antique headlamp atop Launceston Castle's smokebox!

 

This is better.  Got rid of the view of the purlin too.  Wish I could get those modelu loco lamps to stand up straight.  Think the holes have got a bit worn - must make up some more.

 

The Castle has a purposeful look as it hurries round the bend - just like me.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

6 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

My bogies on the all third.

Which suggests that the third had the rivetted type so by a process of elimination the Hornby brake third had the welded type?  I now have two hybrids!

[KNP]

To get my Modelu lamps to stand up straight I push a very tiny amount of blutac in the base slit and that seems to work.

 

The power of cloning, purlin/light gone but not the strange headlamp