Coach bogie

Mike, looks impressive. so how long does it take you to build such a carriage? - I have a few Worsley Works carriages in my stash too. Peter Answer from 3 planks thread I soldered and glued the E40 together in two days while my wife was working away in Canberra - no interruptions! it will take me a week to paint having to leave each colour to dry for a day or so before continuing. plus an evening to fix in grab and door handles. It is why I have several projects on the go. Coaches with recessed doors take an additional day. I have built several Worsley using the Hornby clerestory as a basis which only takes and evening to get to this stage. The C16 below is what the Hornby clerestory should look like. The Bettabitz and Hornby C15 both represent the coach, as built. It only lasted a very short time in their condition before being rebuilt to an all 3rd, then again taking out the centre toilets to make another 3rd compartment (3rd class passengers did not need 4 toilets!). Again an evening to make. Mike Wiltshire

I feel I need to highlight that the Kernow bogies are fitted with heavy duty axle boxes. These axle boxes were designed heavy vehicles such as 70 ft Dreadnoughts, Concertinas rail motors, and bogie bolsters wagons etc that carried extra weight. They were not commonly used on siphons and shorter toplights, where the more common and familiar OK GWR OK axle boxes were used. Once the Collett heavy duty bogies started to appear many coaches were rebogied and the Fish belly and Americans with the heavy duty axle boxes were pooled and reused. I suggest you check photographs to see where they were redeployed. I only have only found two siphon images and a couple of toplights showing them being used. They were clearly being used but not in great numbers. Heavy duty axle box General service OK axle box This is the only image I have of an early siphon with the Heavy duty axle boxes. Note the rod truss underframe. Mike Wiltshire

For those wo are not aware there is a 6 wheel tricomp , still around. until recently, I could take a short trip to Shildon to see. It has now been passed on to Didcot. Mike Wiltshire

Bogies are Mallard/Blacksmith from stock (soon to be available again from Mark Seaward), though Dart castings can supply their version(2428 &2556), Dean Vac cylinder set (3909) gas tops (2945) all from Dart castings. Gas cylinders from stock though Dart can supply (3007) or from Wizard (MT340) who supplied the buffers (MT378). Wheels and bearings from Alan Gibson + Bachmann couplings. Gas piping from slaters microstrip.

To me it is an E39 'Falmouth coupe'. It has the correct 6 compartments, though there is a window missing from the guards compartment, though many unrecorded alterations happened. The GWR had several different diagrams of this type of coach.(E45, E48, E72, E75) They were the through coach of choice and went all over the country. Some of the E39 types were converted to slip coaches but the Lime Street image is before conversion to slip diagram F6. It would have end gong, pipework and long vac tanks to the roof to be slip. There was a complex corridor arrangement to allow the three classes access to a toilet but not each other. The idea was a self contained coach, without corridor connections to separate from the rest of the train. This idea lost favour, into the 1920's , with the abolition of second class and the need for more than one coach on some journeys as demand increased due to the 'working class' had better conditions and longer paid holidays. The 1925 corridor stock made these coaches redundant. There are many Eric Treacy images of LMS pacifics hauling GWR brake composites out of Liverpool which had became the new cross country coach of choice. Mike Wiltshire

I needed a break from building 70 footers. As one of the etches was out I decided to build it. Mike Wiltshire

I do have to defend the 60 year old Triang chassis. I am still using them. Coach building is my thing but I do need locomotives to pull them and rtr, as good as they are, struggle with the heavy coaches I make. I still use the indestructible B12 chassis in Wills/SEF Hall, Saint and Star kits- they were designed to take them and with the heavy Wills body, will haul 15 kit builds without slipping. My Gem 56XX is still running on a bushed Triang Jinty chassis 55 years after it was converted by my father. I have also used Comet, Proscale and Perseverance chassis but I can have a Triang chassis running in far less time. of greatest importance - they work, especially if they have new Neodymium magnets and/or received a Scalespeed overhaul. When running I defy anyone to identify which has which chassis (apart from the RG4 whiner). This one has the special Markits axles to fit without using bearings. Mainly trains connecting rods and brake gear. I still have another Wills Saint to build. I was going to use a Comet Hall chassis but recently picked up a Triang B12 with Green wheels with a very clean X04 for £20. I already have the Triang/Romford axles and Neodymium magnet in stock. Mike Wiltshire

Dunkirk does get around. The location filming was Rye for the John Mills film (1958), and, more recently, Redcar became Dunkirk in Attonement (2006). Mike Wiltshire

There are several videos on Youtube that are well worth watching. The background scenery is superb. You forget it is a model. https://www.youtube.com/@kingswearinp414/videos Mike Wiltshire

Beer and Co Image and description here. Mike Wiltshire https://kingswearinp4.weebly.com/goods-stock.html

I think it is easier to agree to disagree. History shows that 4 and 6 wheeler designs were phased out and bogie designed coaches used to this day. The ride quality was a major factor with bus competition taking away customers. Mike Wiltshire

Only two coaches rather than four to gas up, check the vac brake system, emergency brake, heating pipes, coupling condition etc. less staff hours. Usual time and motion applications the railways loved at the time. Mike Wiltshire

In later years they were being used as separate vehicles. Mike Wiltshire

The E40 pair was cheaper to maintain and could run at higher speeds on the mainline and for passengers, a much more comfortable ride. Having ridden on a metropolitan four wheeler at speed, I can see why they the four wheelers were replaced with bogie coaches. Built up Worsley etches. Mike Wiltshire

Pic of the etch here. Makes up into a nice pair of coaches. They are where the B set idea came from. Mike Wiltshire