How "Right" Are The Hornby Hawksworths?

[M.I.B]

How "spot on" are the Hornby Hawksworths - please excuse me - I am a long way from my father's stash of reference books, and don't have one of the models to compare.

 

I am not a "roundy roundy out of the box modeller", but at the same time, I still prefer Hornby couplings and can't paint eyebrows onto figures (because of dexterity issues).

 

I like being "approximately accurate" and prefer enjoying my models as opposed to dying on my sword for 100% accuraccy and perfection. No issues if you do ( I take my hat off to you) but each to their own.

 

I was considering saving for a rake comprising: Full brake, couple of firsts and a couple of thirds. Comments?

 

If I needed a restaurant car for this rake, can anyone make a suggestion? One of the Mainline Colletts with shirt buttons removed and Great (crest) Western instead?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Adrian Wintle]

I can't comment of the accuracy of the Hawksworths since I don't have any (too late for my period), but the only option for a RTR restaurant car is the ancient Hornby Collett - it is a reasonable representation of a diagram H33 restaurant compo, but only in pre-war state. The windows were rebuilt with sliding ventilators in 1938/39. You might do better using a Bachmann/Mainline Collett and Comet sides for an H57 Restaurant composite or the Comet H33 sides (which represent the 1939 rebuild) on a Hornby H33.

 

BTW. The Mainline C77 Collett Thirds are more accurate than the Bachmann ones - the tooling was unfortunately modified to reduce the window heights. The E159 Brake Compo tooling was not modified. I only say this as it might affect what you use as a donor coach if you go that route.

[rovex]

Like the last post I don't know enough to be able to comment on their accuracy, although there are sixteen pages of discussion on them on the following thread, http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/16765-a-look-at-the-hawksworths/

 

As to your proposed rake, I would suggest only one first and three thirds, or possibly a couple of composites with two thirds. Two full firsts would give rather an unbalanced train, especialy if the train is only five coaches long or six with a restaurant car.

[richbrummitt]

Depending on the period, location and purpose of the train there were quite a few (local/suburban) five coach 'sets' running about with no first class accommodation.

[Guest dilbert]

If the OP is looking to run prototype formations in GW colours, then this wouldn't be correct. Though the GWR had ordered lots for construction as early as 1946, the reality was that very few coaches were released into operations prior to nationalisation.

 

The GW livery details are quite accurate, these being based on photos some of which are in the GW Coaching tomes prepared by Jim Russell.

 

I have acquired some of these, but this is more for a fictive scenario where nationalisation did not occur - it could be that others have done something similar. In the end, it's your train set ... dilbert

[M.I.B]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

I have bitten the bullet and gone for 2 full brakes and one first. Piggy bank is now empty.

 

Collett restaurant and 3 thirds will follow. That's 6 weeks worth of "pocket money" earning, unless something comes along.

 

The second brake will be put in my rake of other brakes and a siphon to make up a nice mixed parcel train.

 

(King James II to haul the former and Yiewsley Grange in faded wartime black for the latter)