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Six-wheel Coaches


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I am considering scratch-building some 19th-century GWR 6-wheel coaches.  These types seems somewhat neglected for modelling, partly, I expect, because of the difficulties of making the chassis negotiate relatively small-radius curves.  Since I have learned about the Cleminson chassis principle, I plan to use this technique to provide the necessary flexibility.

 

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I have obtained a lot of useful information from the coaches list on the Manchester MRS site at http://www.mmrs.org.uk/technical/GW%20coach%20numbers.pdf and from the list of 4mm kits at http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits4coacha.html but still have some gaps, especially in the pre-1880 period.

I believe that Lot 56 was the first lot to be built in the new carriage works at Swindon in 1872.  Does anyone know if there is a complete list of lot numbers from this date onwards (and earlier, if possible), similar to the list of locomotive lots at http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/lotnos.htm ?   

Any help will be gratefully received.

Mike

 

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Hi Mike

 

I'm on hiatus at the moment, bug I found a few links about cleminson chassis on here and other places. There's some info scattered about my thread from this page on http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63508-wainfleet-lincolnshire-and-the-mgn-6-wheel-coach/page-17 .

 

Mike Trice is busy building a 6 wheel coach on the Silhouette Cutter thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79025-a-guide-to-using-the-silhouette-cameo-cutter/page-12 which is looking great! You obviously don't need a cutter to make a coach, and the photos he's putting up there might prove interesting.

 

Cheers

 

Jason

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Many thanks for your response Jason.  in fact, I have just acquired a Silhouette cutter as an Xmas prezzie - inspired by your excellent thread!  At the moment, I'm assembling prototype information prior to starting modelling in earnest.

 

Mike

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Hi Mike

 

A number of these 6 wheelers are available as etched brass kits via the broad gauge society.  These are the IKB kits but with updated castings.  I have a few and plan to use the brassmasters cleminson underframe too.

 

I also have a number of LNWR 6 wheelers to build too and London Road Models provide their cleminson 6 wheel underframe as a separate kit so that is another source.

 

Peter

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I'm pleased to report that I have now found Richard Spratt's splendid website at http://www.penrhos.me.uk/ShortCoachesIntro.shtml

 

This site contains a mine of information about GWR short coaches and has answered all my queries so far.  I now know that the coach illustrated in my OP is to diagram U29, of which 12 were built in 1886.

 

Mike

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Also, try Worsley Works. Alan does a number of small GWR coaches in 4mm, and will generally, on request, scale up from his 3mm range. website http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/

 

The Lot Registers are at York. I'll have a look at my records when I get home, but I was concentrating mostly on wagons. John Lewis is your man for GWR coaches. He's a regular on the GWR elist, and very helpful, but make you enquiry specific.

 

Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...

The BGS/IKB kits are very nice, but be aware that the underframe is designed for EM/P4 and cannot be built in OO without serious modification.

 

The Slaters MR six-wheelers also had a Clemison underframe that was available separately. I don't know what the availability is through Coopercraft.

 

Adrian

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I modified the Hornby 6 wheeled Milk Van to EM, using a Slater's Cleminson chassis: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79126-lms-6-wheel-insulated-milk-van/

 

This is designed for 00 but the mod to EM wasn't difficult. Slater's do say that there is a EM version, but I don't know the current status (mine was obtained when Slater's still had the 4mm stuff). It is also designed for the MR Clayton six wheelers and the wheelbase is fixed.

 

All this to say that I think you would be better off with the Brassmasters chassis - far more flexible I think.

 

John

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All this to say that I think you would be better off with the Brassmasters chassis - far more flexible I think.

Thanks - I've reached the same conclusion and have a couple of Brassmasters chassis on order.  I need to adapt them to both 19' and 21'6" wheelbases, so their flexibility will be useful!

 

Mike

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I currently have a 6 wheel GWR parcel van on the go which uses a Brassmasters Cleminson chassis.  It is on a thread on here but I have not updated for a while as it has ground to a halt at the painting and lining stage.  I'll post some more images when I have got that far but the underframe went together no problem.

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I believe that there was also a 6-wheel variant of the Ratio 4-wheel compo.

 

Adrian

Quite a number of 6-wheelers had the centre pair of wheels removed, when they were downgraded to secondary services, so it's possible to see photos of the same bodies on different wheels.

 

Mike

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I believe that there was also a 6-wheel variant of the Ratio 4-wheel compo.

 

Adrian

 

Sorry for the delay – I had to dig out my old notes. There were only ever two 4 compartment compos built with 6 wheels: diagrams U9 and U10. All the rest had at least a luggage locker in the centre. Unfortunately both were quite old designs which meant that they had flat ends (no turn-under) without the horizontal moulding, U9 had arc roofs and U10 had similar but with a clerestory. They presumably had lower windows and deeper eaves panels than the later types so converting a Ratio kit would be a non-starter. The U9 at least had their centre wheels removed and were converted to workmen's 3rds at some date I don't have a note of!

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