rovex

"It couldn't have been have been to suit the LMS coach as LMS Compos were longer so that was never going to be right anyway" I've just checked the Hornby website and the ghastly LMS coaches are still available in their Railroad range and are given as being 242 mm long. The GWR coaches currently in "carmen/cream" livery (their spelling - perhaps someone with an operatic spin has been working on their site) are also given as being 242 mm long. So it could have been to re-use the interior. Only thing that makes sense to me. Turning the compo into one with the correct spacing is going to require quite a bit of work. Both sides would need to be cut out as the windows will need to start nearer the ends and have bits spliced in. I tried comparing the model to the plans in Russells' excellent books and thinking given the compromises i've accepted in making the 70 ft stock and the other coaches I've bashed together from the Hornby coaches (see old RM web) i'll learn to live with it Rovex

Apropos of nothing in particular I was wondering why Hornby decided to model the 57ft GWR collett composite coach and get the compartment dimensions wrong. For those not in the know it is supposed to have four first class compartments and three third class. Now, whilst the division in the corridor side is in the correct place in the coach one of the first class compartments is actually the wrong size. Its got third class dimensions. It has occured to me that this coach shares the same chassis as the old (rather ghastly) LMS corridor composite. I wonder if the internal piece that represents the compartments was actually made for the LMS coach and rather than manufacture a new interior, the GWR coach was fiddled to fit the one already available. This would also explain the toilets at each end - yes I know the GWR coach has toilets at each end - but it doesn't have end vestibule doors and the interior is obviously meant for a coach that has. Well there it is - not exactly earth shattering and probably not news but it has puzzled me why a manufacturer would go out of its way to make a coach with such an obvious error. Hopefully Hornby will take pity on us Western modellers and give us some new state of the art coaching stock, I'd rather have that then a new all singing Castle (I seem to havea few of these already and have no intention of replacing them). Is it too early to start the New Year wishlist - hehe Rovex

I remember seeing this on the GWR Modelling site and thinking, what a great idea for a layout and secondly how good the shot under the canopy looked. Definitely an entry for the "How realistic are your models" thread - if anyone's going to start one. Well done Rovex

Thanks for that Mikkel rovex

Not the best quality photo, I think the enlarging hasn't done me any favours but then its difficult to know what to expect when you're trying to get fout foot of model carriages into one photo - but anyway I'm posting it for what its worth. Please excuse all the mess on the mantelshelf. Rovex

Not been upto much lately, but have given the latest two coaches an undercoat of grey primer, which is brilliant for showing where you need to do more sanding and filling . Added all the end details handles steps etc. I've got the underframes built (just need some more vacuum cylinders) and the interiors bashed together from Hornby remnants. The brake third just needed a luggage compartment building, the all third was made by cutting and splicing the four third class compartments from the brakes (you lose the guards compartment as its too large) and a further two compartments came from a spare composite interior. The photos show the coaches mocked up with bogies but these still need fitting. I'm gonna fit some new grab handles (etched ones from comet) but I'm wondering if I could make a jig up to make these from brass wire. I'm gonna fit flushglazing. When originally built these ran in rakes of seven, two brakes, two thirds, two composites and a restaurant car, and its very tempting to make another three coaches (i've already got two spare composites) however by the time I'm modelling, the original sets had long been broken up and it would probably be more interesting seeing these coaches mixed in with 60ft and 57 ft stock and whatever Hornby eventually decide to grace us GWR modellers with. So heres the photos Some rather fuzzy ones of the underframes and the interiors but I think they give you the idea of how the compartments were put together. The underframes themselves were made of 80 thou plasticard, edged by two strips of 20 thou. Running boards were added from more stips of 20 thou. Be careful with the glue - I'm always a little heavy handed and its easy to end up warping the whole thing. This is why I glued the compartments on with small dobs of superglue. In fact I used this for gluing the coach bodies together, its very good for filling gaps and gives a stronger bond then liquid poly. Now two of the all third and finally the brake third.. Oh by the way i didn't win the auction on ebay for the BSL kits of the 70 footers, but I did get a centenary all third (I've got the kitchen first car and third diner in store somewhere) and I also got the restaurant composite to go with the kitchen car in the Cornish Riviera stock. One thing you can say my passengers will be well fed. Rovex

Now thats a thought, i was thinking of somewhere a little more manageable - How about Birmingham Snow Hill Rovex

I have been a busy bee today and have got the carcases for both the 70 ft brake third and the corridor all third roughly cut out and glued together. The brake is made up from three of the Hornby 57 ft brake thirds - it could probably be more economically done, the only real difference is that the luggage compartment is bigger - having three sets of double doors and a greater space between them. However nothing has been wasted as the bits left obver from the compartments from two of the brake thirds where just right for the all third. On the corridor side I opened up the two small windows between the compartment doors and the guards door (does that make sense) One of the photos shows the various cuts I made for the brake third. Next job is filling and sanding, also the brake third ends will need squaring off as I believe that these had flat ends rather than bowed. The work never ends. It has suddenly occurred to me that with all this coach building I'm gonna have to have a lot of room to build a station big enough to handle all these cross country services - Oh dear rovex

Just thought I'd post a few more photos of the restaurant and corridor composite now they've had a coat of undercoat and the underframes have been put together.This is the underframe for the composite, the trussing is made from 60 thou square plastic strip. This shows the extension of the interior by adding an extra first class and third class compartment. both sides of the composite. the restaurant car underframes for both vehicles, showing the six wheel bogies on the restaurant car. Well today I'm gonna start of on the brake third and possibly the all third - if the cat will keep off the workbench Wouldn't you just know it, someone is selling all these coaches on ebay as old BSL kits. Rovex

As promised this is the link to my topic on the ols rmweb site http://www.rmweb.co....php?f=8&t=49301 Hope to post some pics soon of the underframes for the restauarnt car and composite. Have decided to build the restaurant car with six wheel bogies, using the bogies from the LMS 12 wheeler - got these as spares from East Kent Models - not accurate I know but more likely to run smoothly then me trying to build a kit of some and probably cheaper in the long run. Hopefully should have a few more Hornby 57 ft brake coach donors soon - purchased cheap on ebay, should allow me to have a go at the 70 ft brake and the third - which I think I've worked out how to do. Rovex

Heres the link you were asking for http://homepage.ntlworld.com/allan.tidders/GWRModelTrains/info-pages/GWR-index.htm Rovex

This is a continuation of my topic about GWR coaches and increasing passenger choice - (very topical - lol) I will try to put a link to the old topic when the sites back up and running - though at the moment I'm still trying to work my way round the new site - as a bear of very little brain I'm easily confused but as Basil Fawlty says "now we're in I'm determined to make it work". Anyway with the articulated suburban stock taking a back burner for a while, I'm trying my hand at the South Wales 70 ft stock. The first two examples are the composite restaurant car and the corridor composite (stock numbers to follow) the body shells are from Hornby originals and I'm going to try scratchbuilding the underframes as I feel this will be more robust then cutting up and regluing the old Hornby ones. The first couple of photos represent the body shell for the composite This requires two composite coaches and the insertion of an extra first and third compartment in the middle. The work also allows you to sort out incorrect spacing of the corridor windows. These next two photos are the body shell for the restaurant car. This was done by adding an extra window to each end, from a second restaurant car and then as the kitchen appears to be on the other side of the coah swapping the kitchen windows and the corridor windows around. I think the photos show where the cuts have been made. and finally I'm not bothering trying to upgrade the Hornby ends, I cut two many slices out of my fingers the last time I tried this, So I've just replaced them with plastic card and added the relevant details Obviously a long way to go, I also plan to try the 70 brake third and will then see if I have enough bits left over to try the all third - though this might be simpler to buy the Comet sides. Again inspiration copmes from Allan Tidders website GW Works linked to from the previous topic. Rovex