Brighton belle from Lima Pullman LITS coaches

[grahame]

I've been bashing away at attempting to make an N gauge Brighton Belle from LIMA coaches. I've extended the sides down,

re-arranged the windows and scratch-built the cabs. Progress has been slow and there's still lots to do, but today I started

to try and add some detail on the cabs and it's now starting to look vaugely like a Brighton Belle;

 

 

 

 

 

Progress has been reported in more detail in the N'spirations magazine;

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/62295-nspirations9-advance-info/

 

G.

[Steadfast]

Interesting project Grahame, an unusual subject!

Are the Lima carriages very common? The same concept could be used for a modern day VSOE Pullman with its ex Brighton Belle vehicles

 

jo

[Southernboy]

Hello Grahame,

 

I've seen hints of your work on your Brighton Belle on the Yahoo N Gauge Group, and have been looking forward to seeing more ... and I have to say from your pictures above it is coming along exquisitely, especially around the cab-fronts/cab-roofs - not easy I know - very neat work indeed.

 

I have a few questions:

 

Are you going for BR livery or Pullman?

 

What are your plans to motorise?

 

Will you number and line the carriages - and if so - what will you use for transfers?

 

Yikes! - and I've just clocked the grab-handle by the motorman's door - what did you use? Fuse wire?

 

Similarly, the door frames around the guards compartment look to be scribed (??) - may I ask what tool you used to scribe them if that's the case?

 

-----------------------------

 

I have to say a couple of years back I wondered about 'cutting-and-shutting' to make a 5-BEL myself, and it looked like so much work that I thought an etching would probably be more straightforward - so much admiration to you for having gone ahead and done it! I appreciate the amount of work that must have gone into this

 

----------------------------

 

Ok - finally - can I buy the relevant editions of 'N'Spirations' directly rather than through eBay? I'm just a good old-fashioned SAE person!

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[SRman]

That's not half bad, Grahame. It certainly looks like a Brighton Belle and nothing else to me! I'll look forward to seeing further progress too.

[oldknotty]

I did a set using the old OO Pullman coaches a few years back and Dibbers cast fronts , came out pretty good i thought :-) Yors look very nice let's have more pics as you move along please .

martin

[grahame]

I have a few questions:

 

Are you going for BR livery or Pullman?

 

What are your plans to motorise?

 

Will you number and line the carriages - and if so - what will you use for transfers?

 

Yikes! - and I've just clocked the grab-handle by the motorman's door - what did you use? Fuse wire?

 

Similarly, the door frames around the guards compartment look to be scribed (??) - may I ask what tool you used to scribe them if that's the case?

 

Ok - finally - can I buy the relevant editions of 'N'Spirations' directly rather than through eBay? I'm just a good old-fashioned SAE person!

 

 

It'll be in the later blue/white livery - hense the attempt at a head-code box rather than stencil display. That'll save the need for loads of special transfers - the cars aren't named but all have Brighton Belle in white on the sides. White lining is available so I might only have to commission the simple lettering.

 

Scribing was done with a scalpel blade (#10A IIFC) finally turning it sideways to thicken and clean out the line a bit.

 

Handrails are .31mm wire available rom Eileens.

 

Motoring will be a class 158/170 chassis.

 

Problem areas are going to be buffers and vents.

 

Unfortunately I'm sold ouit of N'spirations8 although the NGS shop may well still have some. N'spirations9 is available as a fixed 'Buy it now' price on ebay so it's cheaper for you than having to send an SAE. Alternatively you can order and pay using PayPal directly to my email to avoid ebay. N'spirations10 is curently being finished and hopefully will be sent off to the printers soon.

 

G.

[Southernboy]

Thank you Grahame, very helpful indeed.

 

Mark

[RJS1977]

Interesting project Grahame, an unusual subject!

Are the Lima carriages very common? The same concept could be used for a modern day VSOE Pullman with its ex Brighton Belle vehicles

 

jo

 

Does the VSOE still have ex-Belle coaches, or were they swapped as part of the project to restore a Belle?

[Colin parks]

Hi Grahame,

 

Just come across this topic. Very nice work on the BEL. It must be like micro-surgery adding all the cab detailing. What will you do about glazing?

 

All the best,

 

Colin

[Joseph_Pestell]

Really nice. Having done all that work, wouldn't it be a good idea to make some moulds and cast a few in resin?

[grahame]

 

What will you do about glazing?

 

 

I'm just going to have to glaze from inside - it won't be flush glazing but no worse that the original coaches and like many N gauge coaches still being used.

 

G.

[grahame]

Progress is slow and this is as far as I'm likely to get before Christmas.

 

I've now got to spend some time buying cards and Xmas presents and those sort of so called boring festive time things.

 

 

 

G.

[c2c]

Looking really good Graham it's a project I to am also working on, although having said that you are miles ahead of me!

 

I had a surprise when I visited Bernard of TPM last week and guess what? He has made a 5 carriage set himself its motorised and ready for paint!

 

Like you Lima donor coaches were used.

[Colin parks]

Progress is slow and this is as far as I'm likely to get before Christmas.

 

I've now got to spend some time buying cards and Xmas presents and those sort of so called boring festive time things.

 

 

 

G.

 

"Progress is slow"?! This unit didn't even have rolling chassis (is there a plural of this word?) last week. Goodness me Grahame, how fast do you usually make models then?!

 

I must say the 5 BEL is looking very neat. I went on the Brighton Belle in the months before withdrawal. It rode like a pig - drinking hot tea was very risky. Make sure your unit bangs from side to side as it hurtles along.

 

All the best,

 

Colin

[BernardTPM]

Trouble is the one I'm doing has been ready for paint for two years

[c2c]

Trouble is the one I'm doing has been ready for paint for two years

 

Hi Bernard, thanks again for the roof drawings your a star!

[grahame]

I did once ask in a previous thread, but I would be grateful if anyone could suggest something suitable for the buffers and roof vents which seem rather unusual and quite unique to the Brighton Belle.

 

TIA.

 

G. 

[Southernboy]

Did you manage to find a solution to your roof vents Grahame?

 

If not, I noticed BernardTPM seems to have come up with something on the N Gauge Forum - the picture towards the end of the page:

 

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=1137.0

 

I can't find pictures that are particularly clear on roof fittings - but some of Etched Pixels offerings look to be a similar sort of shape: 

 

http://www.ultima-models.co.uk/catalogue/comp-roof.html

[BernardTPM]

I used what B.H.Enterprises were optimistically selling as N gauge Torpedo vents. They're way too big for that, but about right for the bulky vents on the Belle units. The shape isn't too bad either, but they probably should be a little flatter on the tops. Still, guess it doesn't matter now.

I will have to look for a Plan B.

[Etched Pixels]

I can't find pictures that are particularly clear on roof fittings - but some of Etched Pixels offerings look to be a similar sort of shape: 

 

http://www.ultima-models.co.uk/catalogue/comp-roof.html

 

Nothing remotely like them I'm afraid, and the stuff  nearest is out of stock and likely to stay so for some time. Currently got very little time to deal with Ultima stuff beyond getting orders as I'm looking after a family member recovering from cancer surgery and now going on to chemo...

[BrassMonkey]

Hello,

 

Firstly, apologies for digging up an old thread.

 

I'm in the process of doing the same thing, (though 6 or 7 years later) and came across this topic on a web search. The pictures are no longer available, but has anyone done anything similar?

 

I too have used Lima CIWL coaches (some bought for literally a couple of quid at TINGS) and incorporated, Worsley Works etched sides (extended slightly) and cab ends. Planning on angling the coach ends as the Lima ends are flat.

 

It's a project that I'm hoping to complete over the next few months (family permitting), and I want to see how well it will turn out!

 

Cheers,

BM

[BrassMonkey]

Forgot to add... I will be using my Arnold "Belle" as a reference.

[BernardTPM]

Here's one fo the driving cars I did for my (still unpainted) unit.

 

 

It uses the cab and bogies from the del Prado Brighton Belle model, though the middle trailers use modified Lima BR1s. Somewhere I think I might have other pictures. If not I will dig the model itself out and take some new ones. The power is in the middle coach (a Kitchen car). Just to be different I was going to paint it in the BR Corporate Pullman 'Reverse' Grey/Blue livery, like a few of the Golden Arrow coaches got.

[BrassMonkey]

Hi Bernard,

 

That's really good! I managed to acquire a couple of Del Prado Belles from Ebay, but was a bit uncertain about cutting them up as I thought that they weren't actually that good when I received them. However, it looks like they can be used (especially the bogies) quite effectively, so I may have a go at butchering them and grafting bits on here and there to get the desired result.

As previously mentioned, the Worsley Sides are very good, but ever so slightly too short foe the LIMA coaches, so I have had to extend them with an extra 4mm of brass here and there.

Would be great to see some more pics, and it would be very interesting to see the reverse corporate livery. I remember Lord & Butler of Cardiff doing something similar with the Western Pullman's.

 

BM.

[Gibbo675]

Hello,

 

Firstly, apologies for digging up an old thread.

 

I'm in the process of doing the same thing, (though 6 or 7 years later) and came across this topic on a web search. The pictures are no longer available, but has anyone done anything similar?

 

I too have used Lima CIWL coaches (some bought for literally a couple of quid at TINGS) and incorporated, Worsley Works etched sides (extended slightly) and cab ends. Planning on angling the coach ends as the Lima ends are flat.

 

It's a project that I'm hoping to complete over the next few months (family permitting), and I want to see how well it will turn out!

 

Cheers,

BM

Hi BM,

 

Here are photos of my OO gauge version of the Brighton Belle made from cut and shut Hornby Pullman coaches with scratch made underframe details. I have retained the Pullman bogies for the motor cars and used adapted BR Mk1 bogies for the parlour cars. It is not currently motorised as I have not got around to it yet as with the paint job.

 

Years ago I admired the Wren Model when it was in the catalogue during the 1970's but my dad couldn't afford it so forty years later I have built my own.

 

 

Gibbo.