LMS Coach Conversions

[carlislecitadel]

HI,

I've been saying for ages I would try and post some pics of conversions I have started recently. They are nothing much but may be of interest to some folks out there. The bulk of them are conversions of Mainline LMS Period 1 stock, the CK and BTK, in to other diagrams. I am working on three TKs, a 4 compt BTK and a CK with 4 firsts and three 3rds as opposed to the standard P1 CK of 3 firsts and 4 thirds. The TKs are a fairly straight forward cut and shut operation using 5 compartments and the toilet from the Mainline BTK and 3 compartments from the CK. The toilet from the CK needs to be trimmed to fit. On the corrdior side the blanked off panel that hid the dividing door on the Ck needs to be removed and changed into another window. I have just used plasticard strip to roughly reshape it and will file it down later.

I'm also converting a CK that was taken in to ambulance service, and then into a postwar BG, just as per the real thing. I am aiming to make it look as it did in the early 60s hence the missing and plated over panelling.

The conversions are only at the initial stages and still have to have the buffers and ventilators replaced etc. I've only added pics of some of the all thirds and the BG at the minute.

I have more conversions underway using Gibson sides, again early stages, but I'll try and post pics tomorrow. As much as anything else this is to try and spur me/shame me on in to trying to get them to the next stage.

[coachmann]

I admire your hard work using the cut & shut or kit-bashing methods, but have you never considered removing the sides completely and gluing a pair of etched brass sides to the roof and ends. That way, the world is your oyster.

[carlislecitadel]

Hi Coach,

I do actually have the Comet brass sides for an all third but have earmarked them for another project for UTA coaches which were the same sides but a foot wider. I am also not convinced that brass sides are deep enough for a wooden coach. As I will be running these in rakes with my existing Mainline coaches I felt a uniform appearance in terms of mouldings and window depth was better than a variation. Where I do have to use brass sides, I will try and use these coaches in rakes with not panelled stock or stock of a different design so that these differences are not as readily apparent. It is also giving me practice at cut and shut operations on these coaches for other versions which are not available in brass. The D1751 CK is currently underway and I believe there are no sides for it on the market and I have to do the P1 BCK that is not done by Comet.

 

I have added some pics of the sides I bought from David Geen loosely attached to more Mainline coaches. I know some of them are currently sitting the wrong way round on their underframes. These are lovely etches but very thin compared to the Comet sides. They are also flat so I tried to form the tublehomes by running the top of a knife handle down the coach. It is definitely something that takes a lot of practice and I do not think i have it quite right. I will probably add plasticard to inside of these to give them strength but the thought of doing it around all those windows is offputting. Some of the underframes will require modification with regard to the truss rods as they are shallower on most of the Midland 57' designs.

 

I am using the sides cut from these to do the cut and shuts on the LMS stock and will also use them on some shorter Midland stock. I will hang on to the MR brake coaches for my own layout but the MR TKs and CKs are destined to be painted as UTA coaches, the ones that were transferred to the NCC in 1942 to replaced stock lost in the blitz. Bill Bedford also does etches for tehse and I will use one of his for an LMS coach on my layout. However when the two sides are placed together the two makes are not identical even though they are supposed to be teh same diagram. I'm not sure which is correct but the Geen kits (possibly Gibson originally?) are cheaper and comes with ends as well. The only thing is you have to buy them as apack of 6 - two diffent brakes, 2 CKs and 2 TKs, but as I am using the TKs and CKs it is not a problem.

 

The CKs can also be converted in cafeteria cars which the NCC built. Again they would be a foot wider and have different interiors, but the exteriors are identical except that the recesses for the door handles were flush on these designs. Similarly the TKs on the NCC were the same as a standard LMS design bar the width and thats where I will be using the Comet sides.