Books on NER Coaches

[Wavey]

Apologies if this has been covered before. Has there ever been any publications or published articles on NER carriages?

[65447]

Not my usual area (the GE is) but I've recently started researching the carriages built to NE designs for the LNE and allocated to the GE Section. As a result I've come across several articles by Clive Carter in various issues of British Railway Journal that cover/include former NER coaches:

12 Summer 1986 LNER Coach Cascading in the 1930s
13 Autumn 1986 Follow-up correspondence to above
32 Summer 1990 NER Push & Pull Coaches
34 Christmas 1990 NER Gangwayed Coaches
35 Winter 1991 Follow-up correspondence to above

David Jenkinson's book British Railway Carriages, Pendragon also includes various references.

I presume that you've asked the NERA?

[richard]

The NER's "NER Record" has a volume (vol.2 iirc) on coaches and wagons. Lots of pictures plus text.
I find the coach section more useful than the wagons: The wagons usefully include pre-NER and livery information, but when it comes to actual wagons, I think Tatlow has better coverage.

I think the NERA still have some stock available.


Richard

[Bill Bedford]

Apologies if this has been covered before. Has there ever been any publications or published articles on NER carriages?

NERA publishes the complete NER diagram books for both carriage and wagons. Unfortunately they don't give any numbering information.

[Wavey]

Thanks for the information everyone. I think I will make some purchases from the NERA!

[65447]

NERA publishes the complete NER diagram books for both carriage and wagons. Unfortunately they don't give any numbering information.

Bill,

Do you happen to know to what standard the NER diagrams are? The LNER ones were always accepted as being much better than the other companies, and I know that the GER diagrams were very basic.

TIA.

[richard]

The NERA diagram books I have for the wagons are very basic general outline diagrams.

Considering the superior detail on the chaldron diagrams that I have seen from elsewhere, I think they might have been intended merely as a quick reference; and better detailed drawings probably existed (the Ken Hoole Centre is probably the place to look if you need them)


Richard

[Bill Bedford]

Do you happen to know to what standard the NER diagrams are? The LNER ones were always accepted as being much better than the other companies, and I know that the GER diagrams were very basic.

They are usually a good representation of the body. Details of underframe, running gear and roof furniture are sketched in.

[scottiedog]

Isinglass do a number of detailed drawings for the NER Worsdell and Raven Gangwayed coaches built from 1908 onwards. Check their website for further information. For a history of these coaches see the article in The British Railway Journal No 34 ,Christmas 1990. A new range of 4mm/1ft scale kits of the Wordsell built coaches is currently under developement, for release, hopefully, next year.

The drawings in the NERA books are best described as "outlines" but are a useful guide to the numerous types of coaches built by the NER.

I can provide numbers, and some additional historical information e.g date and numbers built, for the Low Roof, Clerestory- Roofed, Elliptical - Roofed and Corridor Lavatory, bogie, non gangwayed coaches.

[Bill Bedford]

A new range of 4mm/1ft scale kits of the Wordsell built coaches is currently under developement, for release, hopefully, next year.

Is this from a professional kit designer who could be expected to have a good sense of who will be viable, or just another amateur who hasn't looked to see what is already available?

[barry rhys]

...a good sense of who will be viable...

A good sense of who will be viable for what? For making the artwork? For producing the etchings? Isn't a kit designer just as likely to be making the artwork himself (or herself)?

A new range of 4mm/1ft scale kits of the Worsdell built coaches is currently under developement, for release, hopefully, next year.

Is this from a professional kit designer who could be expected to have a good sense of who will be viable, or just another amateur who hasn't looked to see what is already available?

It almost appears that you think that the person must be one of these types or the other.

But maybe the person is a professional kit designer who doesn't have a good sense of who (or what) will be viable?

Then again, maybe the person is an amateur kit designer (I assume that your expression "just another amateur" refers to amateur in kit designing - wow, it almost sounds (of course, only to my ears) as if you're being disparaging to any non-professional kit designers who have the impertinence to try such a thing) who has looked to see what is already available, and has decided to produce an alternative range of types similar to those already available, maybe on a competitive basis or maybe just to recover his or her initial outlay. Maybe as an amateur, not having to earn a living from their kit designing activities, the person will be able to sell the coach kits at a price more accessible for those modellers who are currently reluctant or unable to purchase etched coach kits due to their relatively high price, compared with, say, scratchbuilding from plasticard.

Or maybe the person is none of the above. I certainly have seen many extremely high quality etches designed by amateur kit designers, along with some pretty dire ones designed both by professionals and amateurs. Have you not? Maybe it would be not unreasonable just to wait and find out?

Neil

[Bill Bedford]

But maybe the person is a professional kit designer who doesn't have a good sense of who (or what) will be viable?

Let's just say that two kits for NER corridor stock have recently come up on ebay. These had preformed bodies & lost wax castings, however they sold for less than you would expect a new kit to sell for. The inference is that there just isn't a market for them.

[billdonald]

Apologies if this has been covered before. Has there ever been any publications or published articles on NER carriages?

Sorry for the delayed response - just spotted the query!

All of the respondents seem to be unaware of Chris Bishop's works in this area, namely NER and LNER coaching stock history. Chris takes up where the late Micheal Harris left off and take the detail down to individual vehicle level. Thus we have physical info, renumbering history - ideal for the period modeller - and disposal date. The 8 volumes cover each type of NER - 1 volume - and LNER/ECJS vehicles - 7 volumes - through to Thompson designsand BR period. Clearly a work of this magnitude is not 100% complete, but it's as good as it gets for us rolling stock historians, and it covers passenger as well as non-passenger coaching stock.

If anyone wants to see a specimen page, or a listing of each volume by content, I'd be happy to post one here. And naturally, I have no connection with these books other than as a customer.

He doesn't have an Internet presence or email, so his contact details are:

C.J.G.Bishop
24 Highfield Lane
CHESTERFIELD
England S41 8AU

Hope this is interest to readers.

Bill Donald
Dublin, Ireland

[timlewis]

If anyone wants to see a specimen page, or a listing of each volume by content, I'd be happy to post one here.

Yes please. I'm completely unaware of this work (seems like evrybody else is too!). Are the volumes 'published' as such, or are they one-off items held by Chris Bishop.

[coachmann]

Just a thought : North Eastern Design on Anglesey produces a range of NER non-corridor coaches, mostly RTR.