NER Clerestory carriage kits

[john coffin]

The modern more easily available woods like Sapele, and Utile, have a somewhat coarser grain
than old growth Mahogany, and one will often see them used as window ledges etc, as well
as for furniture, but they are still less coarse grained than Oak!

Paul

[Graeme Leary]

Having started this thread much earlier this year I have been really interested in the range and depth of replies that has resulted.

However, and despite being lost down in the South Pacific I have taken the perhaps fruitless step of contacting both Hornby and Bachmann to see if the depth of interest in the sort of clerestory coaches in a typical set would have them consider adding these to their ranges. I am not entirely hopeful of a positive outcome but this has been prompted by my pre-ordering TMCs G5 of which there are a few photos showing this working the type of coaches in this sort of set.

I have also included in my email to them the set of a G5 working a Hexham to Newcastle train with clerestory carriages as provided by JASd17.

Maybe my optimism is ill-founded but I wonder if a few more appeals to these people from like minded NE modellers would have any effect - the more who ask the merrier.

Graeme Leary
New Zealand

[Wolf of Badenoch]

Did you get any reply from Hornby or Bachmann regarding the clerestory coaches ?

[Graeme Leary]

Apologies for delayed reply.

Both Hornby and Bachmann said they'd pass my query to their 'Research and Development (or something like that) departments so probably a 'no'.

Have also asked Hattons and TMC, with no joy and currently with Rails of Sheffield, pointing out these NER clerestory carriages are particularly suitable for their A5, due out sometime in the near future, as well as TMC's G5, due next year.

Can only hope they can see some merit (and sales!) in these important carriages.

Graeme Leary

[Daddyman]

Just in case it's of interest, I'm giving a talk on modelling NER carriages for the NERA on the 29th of this month. It's on Zoom and is open to non-members. I'll be focusing mainly on the LNER period, but there'll inevitably be a bit on the NER period too.
Sign-up link here:
https://ner.org.uk/whats-on/

[spsmiler]

Hello,

Just a thought but maybe one of the smaller manufacturers might be willing to do this for you.

On my mind is Isinglass / Thatcham Create who already sell many 3D printed LNER (and predecessor) passenger coaches.

Hope this helps,

Simon

[Graeme Leary]

Thanks Simon,

I did put the idea to Andy Egerson just over a year ago and he said it was 'highly unlikely'. I've also hopefully planted the seed of an idea with Accurascale, Rapido plus the larger retailers who frequently commission models for their own exclusive ranges. Not much luck I'm afraid but my forum and LNER Society contacts are telling me I should get a grip and learn to solder, then work on the etched brass clerestory kits that are available. That might be the only option.

And obviously no interest from Hornby and Bachmann who seem intent on producing models that, to NER/LNER modellers have little interest.

Graeme

[spsmiler]

Hello Graeme,

Most likely no-one sees models of the NER / LNER Tyneside Electric trains as being commercially viable. It might be that with financial sponsorship this situation could change, but there would either need to be a crowdfunding effort or someone who could afford to effectively give a manufacturer a blank cheque to do this.

Alas, I am not able to assist in either of those scenarios.

As for soldering and etched brass kits, I do not have that skill but might one day try to learn how to do this as there are some Micheal Edge NER electric locomotive kits that very much interest me.

Simon

[Flit]

Like a lot of other folks I'd love a D116 (or two) with a G6.
The D&S kit seems nowdays to only be available as photos of what other kit builders have made.

I don't know if anyone else is producing NER kits nowadays, apart from some etched sidesm but D&S NER coach kits are becoming harder to find and very much more expensive..

I've seen a magazine description that the D116 is just a converted D14 3rd.- with the obvious difference being the porthole ends.

D&S 171 is the Dia 14 kit, ... but does anyone make the coach ends separately that might allow this or any other kit to be converted to the D116 ?

I hope it makes sense, and I may well be miles off beam...but surely anyone making NER coach kits might want to add the option of coach end conversions to allow a D116 to emerge from its chrysalis..and it'd surely increase the relatively small market for NER coaches even a wee bit..

[mick b]

Worsley Works do a number of etched 4mm Body only NER Clerestory kits. He also sell replacement roofs for the D&S kits with plastic Roofs.

Langley do a dreadful 4mm Clerestory Autocoach. I have built one and I wouldnt touch another one , awful design and very overpriced.

[Graeme Leary]

Thanks to a good friend from Brighouse I managed to get D & S kits for d5 and d14 during a UK visit last year, which I have had built over here in the colonies.

I've just about finished rearranging the roof layout as the kit instructions didn't cover this point too well so referring back to old photos, supplied from Brighouse and various books I think I now have these just about right - possibly on the assumption that no modeller out here will know the finer points anyway!

Now ready to do the final paint job but unsure how the vents were painted. Somme b/w photos I have suggest they could be black or perhaps a very dark grey (ie they contract starkly with the white/off white of the roof); others suggest they might have started the same as the roof but have acquired a decent layer of 'grime' during work.

I also have Rails NER Autocar which has the vents quite definitely in Black but I would appreciate any thoughts on how to finish the d5 and d14 roofs.

Graeme Leary,
New Zealand

[mick b]

A very good thread here.

https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtop ... tory+coach

Note the roof layout re oil lamps which I was'nt aware before, most of mine are wrong. Too late to change now.

I paint mine Grey probably they were White at some point , Black might even be better.

I am daft enough to have bought another "cheap" Langley Auto Coach via ebay to have another fight with. This one will have the correct roof detail in due course.

[Wolf of Badenoch]

Pleased that Dan (D&S Models) is still supplying a good selection of his kits. Just received a number of NER coaches, both Elliptical and Clerestory along with a few NPCS kits.

So much better than silly prices on that auction site.

[Graeme Leary]

Thanks both, and for the Scalefour link too. That has given me a better idea of what to do roof colourwise.

And, I am going to tempt fate and redo my d5 roof as Daddyman's pics. His is as photos and drawings supplied to me from West Yorkshire.

And 'as we speak', my 2 x d18 kits should be somewhere in the air between the UK and NZ - then with my G5 I will have a faithfully replicated late 1930s Composition A 4 carriage Newcastle/Hexham set (which will also be an incentive to get my 'adapted' Hexham gantry signal cabin finished).

Graeme

[Daddyman]

And, I am going to tempt fate and redo my d5 roof as Daddyman's pics. His is as photos and drawings supplied to me from West Yorkshire.

I'm surprised. I've never seen a drawing showing the post-1908(ish) arrangement modelled on my carriages. I can supply dimensions for each vent and other roof features from my D.5 if you need them.

Re your vent colour question, what period are you modelling? I'm sensing LNER. The infamous shot of an ex-works D.53 at York in ersatz teak shows the roof in presumably lead oxide, and the vents and hoods in a darker colour, which could be black, or some sort of brown/red oxide/bauxite - they look a little lighter than the black ends and bogies.