checkrail

Also shows off your neat tracklaying and meticulous point rodding to perfection - and a new angle on your well constructed signals. Very nice.

Another two of 6801 Aylburton Grange, one of my favourites. I also like the bloater behind the loco - not my work but spotted on the second-hand shelf of a local model shop just after I started the layout. Old Parkside Dundas kit I think. John C.

Thanks Darwinian for useful info. D'you know, looking at photos I thought that might be the case, or at least that they'd stopped cleaning them!

Now 5041 meets Aylburton Grange coming the other way with a west-bound parcels train. John C.

Lurking near the back of Tiverton Castle's train for some years has been another old Hornby clerestory. It's had a bit of titivation so far, but nothing drastic. This one will get the treatment in due course, though I may take a break from clerestories for the next coach project. John C.

Everyone - well, most of us - like a Castle, so here's Tiverton Castle on an eastbound express. I did hint that the C16 clerestory might make a re-appearance. It's been pressed into service as a 'swinger' on this express, providing extra 3rd class accommodation for returning holiday-makers at a busy period. (Holidays? Busy periods? What were they?) John C.

Yes, one wonders. So many books about the GWR talk of the innate conservatism of the travelling public and their resistance to innovations, e.g. lack of direct access to compartments from platform, corridor sides with only three doors, open plan seating. As for our generation I guess when we were younger we wanted to sit in the latest, snazziest carriage, but now, on a preserved railway, head for the oldest thing we can see, rather than some boring superannuated BR Mk 1. Yes, sometimes it seems that the GWR had one rule for coaches - never put two of the same together. An exaggeration of course, but the initial concepts of uniform suites of stock - S.Wales 70 footers, 1929 CRE stock, Collett bow-enders, even Centenary stock - never seemed to last longer than first contact with operational reality. We all have different modelling philosophies and priorities, but I'd rather have trains formed of a mixture of coach types - kit-built, converted, bodged - of varying quality of detail, rather than immaculate uniform rakes of Hornby or Bachmann Collett stock. I'm not too bothered if a battery box is in the wrong place, or the paintwork doesn't stand up to a magnifying glass, or even if a door is in the wrong place. For me it's always about impression, atmosphere, flavour across the piece. There are different kinds of accuracy.

Lovely neat work there. What's the actual diagram of that one?

Last few of the M-set for now (though not necessarily of the C16!). The 'evening sunlight' effect in the second photo is unintentional - it's from a workbench-side lamp I didn't realise I'd left on. And if you think there's a bit of glazing in the first one falling inside the coach, so did I. Close examination and a prod with a cocktail stick revealed it to be just a shadow. Next stage with this M-set will be to replace the Collett bow-end compo with a Slater's E88 toplight, then this train's done. John C.

A few more closer views. (Brave of me I know!) Good to know one's not alone when addressing the challenges of coach building. I've also discovered that posting pics on RMweb on completion is part of the snagging process. For instance, the first pic below showed me that the nearest door T-handle had turned and needed securing. The second showed that the clerestory had sprung up at one end. The culprit was the springy clear inverted u-shape Hornby used for glazing, exerting downward pressure on the roof. The clerestory has been removed, and is now on the workbench while I cut two separate 4mm wide strips of clear plastic to re-glaze it with. (Hate glazing - can't see what I'm cutting! And my steel rule slides around all over it. Many a cut finger that way.) The third cruel close-up pic shows the very nice Shapeways Dean 10 ft bogies in their later guise without footboards. I bought the type that's a direct replacement for the Hornby item, with the same type of split spigot. However, on first fitting them not only did they ride a bit high but they careered off the track at every curve or bit of pointwork while the coach wobbled from side to side. They're made of a much more brittle material than Hornby's plastic so the inevitable happened. I had to use main force to pull them back out, breaking the spigots in the process. So at the moment the coach just rests on the cut down stumps of the spigots. This has solved the riding high issue as well, so the coach buffer level is right again, while a couple of bits of microstrip as stabilisers at the sides of the bogie stretchers has stopped the lateral wobble. This photo also shows the door hinges which had slightly intimidated me. In the end I used little pieces of microstrip, dipped in cyano and pushed through the hinge slots from the back. When set hard they were sliced off flush at the back, and not quite flush at the front (all before priming & painting of course!). The middle ones got in the way of waist lining a bit so I wouldn't bother with those in future, but the others do add something now I know they're there. But to be honest it's only since doing them that it's occurred to me that the Bettabitz/247 Developments D29 I made recently had no representation of door hinges at all and I hadn't even noticed. John C.

'Official' pictures of C16 clerestory corridor third in late 1930s condition. with footboard and bogie steps removed, electric lighting installed, and painted in 1934 > livery with shirtbutton totem and no third markings on doors. Original donor vehicle Hornby, brass sides from Worsley Works (thanks to Mike @Coach bogie for heads up about this addition to their catalogue), replacement ends by Keen Systems with scissors gangway and floating endplates, replacement bogies (no footboards) from Shapeways (thanks to @gwrrob for info on these), transfers by Fox (thanks to Phil @Harlequin for number series). John C.

That's such a good pic. Like the ground level view, and the way you've placed the auto train to conceal where the main line disappears.

Here's trusty old workhorse Winslow Hall again, on a Plymouth-bound stopper. The third vehicle in the 4 coach M set is a C16 clerestory third, commissioned into service today. As with most coach conversions it took me about four weeks, two to build it and two to rescue and restore it from my errors, mishaps and other challenges. More photos of this coach currently in processing. John C.

I didn't know cars could catch it.

Makes a massive difference already.

Well, Rails & Hornby call it an N!3, but isn't this actually an N16 of 1937 vintage sporting a livery that it never carried? Looks nice though.

Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to see more of this.

Maybe they kept the same numbers when the central lavatories were replaced by another compartment and they were re-designated from C15 to C16?

Thanks for this tip Mike, but I started this conversion from the top down and by the time you posted I'd already added etch to the clerestory side, having drilled and filed a suitable slot in the blank plastic above the former lavatory compartments. Not sure I'll bother with the separate ventilators on the clerestory, but I'll add them to the coach side. Yep, having fun. Btw, nothing on C16 in the Russell vols, just a bit online via Penrhos and a Slinn drawing. Do you know the number series, or of any photos of C16s in service? John.

Next up will be a C16 third, using Worsley Works sides. In many ways this should prove more straightforward than the D29: the bolections are already catered for in the etch; there's no guard's lookout, guard's handrails or steps to worry about; no luggage grilles either; and I'm going to paint it in the post 1934 livery with the roundel and no 'third' designation on doors. What could possibly go wrong?! Well, for a start I'm going to have to use and glaze the brass clerestory sides on this one. (Didn't bother with the D29 - they were as near as dammit.) I've also noted little slots or holes for the door hinges. At three per door that's 48 hinges. Phew! John C.

That toplight looks really good Rich. Love the weathering - what techniques did you use?

@KNP's acquisition of a conflat and GWR furniture container over at Little Muddle reminded me of my own ancient specimen. Like Kevin, I reckon the chain (all I found in the spares box a few weeks back) might be a bit heavy (and I haven't bothered with turnbuckles or screwlink fastenings etc. - beyond my skill & patience I'm afraid). And there's no chain on the other side - I didn't have enough. But I've been meaning to show it here ever since Bob @81C gently chided me some months back for running a train with an unsecured container. John C.

Last two of the D29 for now as 4908 heads towards the tunnel. I've mentioned lining earlier, but the basic painting needed a bit of care. Spraying with cream from a Railmatch rattle can was easy ('cos it was a Railmatch rattle can that actually worked!) but the brown (Railmatch again) had to be brush painted. Once again it's the panelling that causes the problem. If the upper side is masked, and the tape is applied in line with the bottom of the bolections it invites upwards seepage of the brown, if sprayed. I suppose one could spray the brown first, then mask up to the bottom of the bolections (much more straightforward), but I don't know how many coats of cream it might take to cover the brown. Incidentally, I think perhaps the cream looks a little too clean, and that a bit of light weathering might bring out the relief panelling better. Just have to be careful not to ruin it. John C.

Showing the compartment side now, here's the D29 on an eastbound stopper, in the charge of 4908 Broome Hall. (Must have somehow got turned round on the triangle at Laira?) It's been an interesting conversion to do. My MO once again was to fettle and decorate the sides first, as per a PC coach kit. I just didn't fancy trying to get the glazing in afterwards, especially the luggage grilles and corridor side handrails, so I just kept checking for clearance at every stage. There was nothing in the instructions about forming a tumblehome but I did it anyway, using two lengths of bullnose skirting board as per the Comet Coaches manual. New to me were the door handles on their little 'pads' or bases. I stuck them onto a piece of double-sided tape and primed, then painted them brown, while doing the coach sides. When dry I rubbed a fine abrasive stick over the raised bit to reveal the brass handle, and stuck the bases to the coach sides. The grab handles were a surprise too, having no little prongs with which to attach them to holes in the coach side. Once again I stuck them to some tape, then polished the brass before sticking them on with cyano. For these jobs I used Deluxe Roket Odourless which is claimed to be 'non-blooming'. So it proved - it's v useful stuff. (This is my first use of it, but my second bottle. The first one went solid before I opened it, so I think the lesson is not to leave it in the loft over winter. Same goes for Railmatch paints btw.) John C.

I too seem to remember having to hack bits off the internal partitions to get the roof to fit. Got some more to make, so will be revisiting Memory Lane sometime this year. Btw Rich, I've just PM'ed you with Slater's gangway instructions. John C.