West End Workbench

[James Brodie]

Dear Jonathan, is there a photo in these 25 pages of your GE Reastaurant coach please also do you know has anyone done a GC restaurant car and painted it in tourist stock colours? There was an ex NER version in green/cream the GC version and an ordinary Gresley purloined off the GE. I would love to do these variations incidently I work in 0 gauge but still enjoy looking at 00 model coaches.
Jim Brodie.

[Bill Bedford]

Dear Jonathan, is there a photo in these 25 pages of your GE Reastaurant coach please also do you know has anyone done a GC restaurant car and painted it in tourist stock colours? There was an ex NER version in green/cream the GC version and an ordinary Gresley purloined off the GE. I would love to do these variations incidently I work in 0 gauge but still enjoy looking at 00 model coaches.

-- Go on then

I can supply the etchings.

[jwealleans]

Jim, I would have suggested Bill if he hadn't beaten me to it. He can probably give you chapter and verse on the vehicles involved as well. I'm certainly not familiar with them.

My Restaurant Car... well, I forgot to photograph it at Taunton, then took it down to the club last night to photograph and forgot the camera. I'll take one on the WB later. The interior still isn't finished, but externally it's there.

[Edit] - Here you go, Jim.



I failed to find a photo of this side so the window blanking is (hopefully intelligent) guesswork.

[Atlantic 3279]

Another finely executed model JW, even if it is sitting atop "Peco girders" and portrays a prototype that doesn't, in my purely personal opinion, rate as elegant.

[jwealleans]

Thank you Graeme, that's very kind. I'm not sure I'd call these coaches elegant either. The 50' stock is better looking IMHO and a rake in varnished teak behind a blue Claud must have been impressive. What they are is characterful and certainly stand out among the Bachmann Mk. 1s and Hornby Gresleys.

I spent last night playing with resin spots, returning some of the rivet detail to the replacement buffer beams on the Sentinel. I did this after priming partly to see them better and partly because I think they stick better- they do have a habit of falling off if you don't prime over them fairly smartly.



Here it's broken down ready for a coat of Halfords Grey which is now curing in the airing cupboard. In the harsh eye of the camera that roof vent stands out. It's at an angle across the body (higher at one side than the other), which I thought initially was just poor etching but then on studying photos decided might be how they were. It looks like poor modelling, though. I'm not convinced the ends should be open like that either: back to Yeadon this weekend and the filler may have to come out.

I ought to mention that Thurston next appears at Warley, so if any of our readers manage to survive the hike from the car park, avoid being trampled to death in front of the box shifters and are not too badly maimed by the backpacks and specially sharpened elbows, please come and say hello if you can find us.

[AndyRush]

I'll take a break from playing with HO German (just helping out, you understand!) to come and look at your ferry vans...

Andy

[jwealleans]

Cheers, Andy, I'll look forward to meeting you.

I thought you all might like a look at this: not my work, but that of Craig Thompson, a colleague in the Ormesby group. It's for the same fish train as the GC van and was built from the photo and dimensions in the 1998 Tatlow. A fine effort for what I think is his first scratchbuild. (is that right, Craig?)

[Atlantic 3279]

Oh yes, I love it I've fancied doing one of those for a while, and thought it might have to be a full scratchbuild. The vehicle is clearly related to other fish van designs of the era, but I'm not sure that a viable number of the panels of the available kits would actually transfer directly to that version

Do we know how many of these vehicles were built and where they usually operated? I'm just wondering if a scratch built master and some resin copies would be an attracive idea.

[2512silverfox]

Graeme

50 built to Dia 37 in 1926. Some had open spoke wheels and some 3H disc.

I have drawn one but not yet built it. It does not accommodate any of the existing kit parts (above the underframe).

Nick

[cthompson]

Hi folks, just joined LNER forum this week. You're right Jonathan, the fish van is my first attempt at scratchbuilding. Not having a detailed drawing to work from I guess I've used the project to develop some skills in the field rather than to produce a highly accurate model. The spaces between the upper planking are too wide and it's inevitable that the outside framing won't be quite right. Nevertheless I'm pleased with the finished result.

I've since gathered that drawings for this diagram do exist at the NRM (reference 2556), having based my model on educated guesswork! I think a batch of resin casts sounds a good idea. I'm sure a couple more of these at Ormesby would look the part.

Craig.

[jwealleans]

Welcome aboard, Craig. Did you use the ABS ends from the 10T kit for sizing? I remember you looking at them at one point. The brake gear was the Mainly Trains etch, suitably altered? Bill B's sprung W irons as well, IIRC.

Graeme - if you're looking at resin components, I'd probably take a couple off your hands.

[Atlantic 3279]

Thank you again Nick, and welcome Craig!

Regarding use of kit panels, now that I 've had my copy of Tatlow out again, and switched on my brain, I realise that there is (or has been) a kit that would contain the correct ends and the correct doors, although two sets of doors are of course required. The donor kit would be the Adrian Swain/ABS/Keykits model of the early LNER fish van with outsdide framing, louvres, and 9 foot wheelbase. It was certainly available at one stage, at least, with the correct early pattern of axleboxes. The sides save for the doors would still have to be scratchbuilt. One set of ends and two sets of sides, if available, would be useful. Two sets of underframes could perhaps also be spliced to create the 14 foot wheelbase. Alternatively a Parkside long wheelbase underfame could be tinkered with, although as standard that wouldn't give the right axleboxes, just the right brake rigging.

Who knows if it is possible to reliably get these kits these days? I'd heard last year that it was rather difficult, possibly owing to health problems of some sort affecting Mr ABS.

[Atlantic 3279]

Whilst you pipped me to the post on the ABS connection Jonathon, I though it still relevant to submit the above comments.

[jwealleans]

I think we talked through some of those options when Craig first decide to tackle this. Adrian Swain has had some health problems, I understand and while you frequently see his components in use I'm not sure whether that's because he is still able to supply or because so many people have them hoarded. Some of his doors are available as separate components but I don't think that extends to the fish vans. I think we may have concluded that the problems in trying to bond plastic components to whitemetal ones made it an easier task to build for scratch. In these days of Archer rivet transfers I'd probably just use Evergreen strip rather than Parkside solebars as well, unless I had them left over from something else.

Axleboxes were either ABS or MJT - Craig will have to remind me.

[cthompson]

Yes indeed, I used the ABS ends provided by Adrian Swain. I looked at using the sides but concluded (I think for the very reason you mention Jonathan) that it wouldn't be feasible. Scratchbuilt solebars, brake gear from a variety of sources and Bill Bedford sprung W-irons completed the underframe and associated equipment.