Southern Pride GW Coach?

[60526]

Can somebody identify exactly who's manufacture this coach is. It is a model of a GWR H28 Restaurant Car, not shown but it runs on BSL 6W bogies, the floor, ends and roof are plastic, the sides are clear plastic or perspex looking very much like Southern Pride and the sides are overlaid with the GW format/livery, unfortunately over time the side overlay has shrunk. I've never come across a SP GWR coach but then I'm an Eastern modeller. MAJ?

Charlie

[Oil-burner]

You are correct in thinking that the basic body is MAJ, and yes it does seem that some of the overlays shrink over time but, in my experience, not once they have been applied. Maybe a function of different batches of materials used in the manufacturing process as some do and some don't, even within the same type of coach. I had this issue with several MAJ kits a few years back but spotted it prior to fitting the overlays. With care and a degree of gentle heat the new sides can be stretched on application and if you are lucky (and the adhesive still has sufficient grab) they will stay stretched once applied. I have several 70foot MAJ coaches from an early version of a once highly regarded layout which must have been built almost 40 years ago that show no signs of shrinkage.

 

It is also sometimes possible to remove the sides after they have been applied which also stretches them sufficiently, however a) it is time consuming to lift them with out tearing, stretching them unevenly or creasing them and b) you have to work quickly to remove any remnants of adhesive from the clear sides before re applying. It's hit and miss whether there would be sufficient adhesive remaining on the sides to allow them to be re-fixed. 

 

Ken...

[60526]

Ken, thanks for the information and suggestions. Ironically, one of the ends was loose and has come off fairly easily, so I might consider shortening the coach to suit the overlay, sacrilege to some but I'm looking to see if this can be sold for club funds. It was at the bottom of one of our stock boxed along with a Mallard brass etched 70' coach and a Falcon Brass 6W fish wagon? I think that the club has had them for sometime but some perhaps didn't know what they were? I think that the overlays will have to be taken off anyway because I can see some air bubbles. I'll see how I get on.

Charlie