Mike G's Workspace.

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
I'm in the throws of building D1845 which is a corridor compo. Unfortunatley, the building instructions gave gone AWOL - no idea how, I'm usually very tidy. Anyway, I've searched my books for this diagram and none have pics or info on this type of coach. I've also gone to the Wizard site and the info that was available on the old Comet site, isn't on Wizard - which is a real pain in the a@@e ! I need to know which end the train gear went, passenger or brake end. If a kind soul could furnish me with this info I'd be very grateful.

Have a great weekend all. Mine won't be so great, as Wales are playing England and I'm expecting a bit of a thrashing!

Stay safe

Mike
 

Dave Holt

Western Thunderer
Mike.
I can't find any photos or drawings of your specific diagram, but every brake coach I have seen has the alarm gear at the opposite end to the brake compartment. The notes in Jenkinson's drawings book states "Train alarm apparatus was only fitted to one end of LMS carriages.....brake ends rarely, if ever, carried this equipment."
Larry G has vast knowledge about LMS carriages, so he may be able to give a more definitive answer.
Dave.
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
So, having swallowed Saturdays result, blind French referees and all - but the better side did win - here's where I am with the latest coach. Hinges, stones ventilators and train gear to go on the body and of course, build the bogies. I've sent for some MJT cast bogie sides, the set that came with this were hopeless.

Stannier Corr compo D1845.jpg

The reason you can see part of the chassis is because the body isn't screwed down on to it. When it is, you can't see any of it.

Stay safe

Mike
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
Were these Comet bits, Mike? Their castings can be more than a bit *hmm*. I have a hankering for a retired Slip coach (they were used on Somerset branches) but the prospect of having to replace half the castings does put me off somewhat.

Adam
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Comet's D1845 brake first should have narrow luggage doors, the same width as the passenger doors. This kind of thrown things out a little, but a scale size ducket would help matters. Train alarm went at the passenger end. The roof rain strip at the luggage end was a shorter arc than you have modeled and it stopped just beyond the luggage doors. The rain strip at the other end was straight and ran at an angle to dispel water.

There were seven additional roof vents on the corridor side. Three were above the three leading large windows roughly in line with the leading corner of each window. The other three were in line with the back corner of the fourth window, the passenger door centre line and the ducket centre line. The 7th vent was opposite the one on the compartment side.

The bogie at the luggage end had a full length stepboard on the corridor sideand a shorter one between the horn guides on the opposite side.. The ends were heavily riveted.

A double-frame batterybox support existed on the compartment side (the verticals were angled slightly) but it carried a later style regulator box with no 'X' on the front. All the Stones vents were of the long type of which there were six.

WEB LMS coach.jpg
 
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Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
Adam
Yes a Comet kit - which I'm now a bit worried about. Most of the castings are pretty good except for the bogie sides. I suspect that's an age and wear thing.

Larry
Thanks for all that information. The rain strips I can alter, what I'm surprised at, is how prominent they are from the roof. And also that the longer rain strips, they aren't equal on either side,that's something I really missed. I also have some filing to do with the length of the roof, the roof is almost flush with the ends. But the thing that really jumps out at me are the battery box supports. They aren't straight, as you say they are angled. I'm sure I've built one of these before, I'll have to look at my photos and now I'm wondering if this purchase from Ebay is of an older kit as I don't remember having to alter these. Thank you so much for the photos they're really helpful. The guards windows having security bars is another thing I'd missed. Not sure I can do anything about the riveting on the ends though.
I'm very grateful to you for taking the time to comment.

Mike
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
A parcel arrived from North Wales this morning - thank you Larry - and theres a fair bit of re-work to do. The guards look outs are in the wrong place and wrong type. The ends have to be changed or in this case over laid, as the steps are in the right place to be able to fit them. So the existing battery box, well in fact the whole middle of the chassis has to be redone. I've already added the missing vents from the corridor side and altered 2 of the 4 rain strips, that were also wrong. I've also installed the hinges on the doors.

Stannier D1845 rework.jpg

So a fair bit of work to do, which, I'm really going to enjoy as I'll have a closer to prototype coach at the end of it. Also my cosmetic bogie sides from MJT also arrived, so it'll be on with the soldering iron and crack on.

Stay safe

Mike
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
It probably goes without saying that if you snip the tops of the upright on the batterybox holders, they can be re-set at an angle. You might find the early rounded corner duckets useful for a Period I coach. As an aside, ducket sidelamps started to be removed around 1934.
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
Larry
That's really useful info about the guards duckets.

I've managed to sweat the ends on, gives the coach a completely different look. I added more solder to the sides as there was a join visible between the end and side, then filed back the excess. Even adding the additional ends will still mean that the roof has to be filed back to get it to look like anything approaching Larry's photos above. I think I'd have a coach that looked like nothing that ever ran if it weren't for the help I've received. I am sincerely grateful.

Stay safe

Mike
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
After a few days decorating at my daughters, progress has continued on the coach.

Stannier D1845 end.jpg

Stannier D1845 Uframe.jpg

Now the underfame actually looks like the real thing.

Stannier D1845 vents.jpg

The vent over the toilet window had to be bodged, as it was longer than the vents on the main windows, but it doesn't show too badly. It looks a very different beastie now than it did a week ago. I do like how the new ends have added a lot more to the apperance of this model. The roof ends have also been filled down to look a little more like the photo above from Larry. It all needs a jolly good clean now and I must remember to put the other rain strips on!

Stay safe

Mike
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
When I produced the very similar all-steel D1730, I strayed from my usual 12 thou or 15 thou metal thicknesses and etched the sides on 22thou brass. Actually they were half etched leaving door stops, door handles, bodyside strips and external window frames in relief so that the sides were really 11 thou thickness. One of the prominent features of the LMS Period II stock was the deeper than usual eaves panel...
WEB LMS D1730.jpg
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
Larry
What a beautiful finish to that coach! I do miss your coach builds, but completely understand the reason why they stopped. Thanks for posting the picture. What was the purpose of the grey rectangle on the guards door? I've seen these on various coaches over the years - and in many cases have added this feature to my coaches, but never understood their purpose. I had always assumed (and we all know what assumption is...) that this was just part of the livery.

Mike
 

Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
The body work is now completed. I now have a coach that resembles the prototype, it's not completely accurate, but I can live with the small compromises made.

Stannier D1945 finished.jpg

Stannier D1845 finished 1.jpg

It's had a good scrub and rub down with a damp radio times (actually a fibre brush) and I'm just settling down to build the 9" ft bogies. The only part I'm not looking forward to is lining the single yellow line at the top of the coach that passes underneath the vents on both sides. The rest should be fairly straight forward. Next up will be my LMS 3P engine - the Mike Edge kit. This engine was stationed at Pontypool road (true). In my time line for Hengoed it ran frieght through to Llanciach (false). It never did, but I need an excuse to build this lovely kit.

Stay safe

Mike
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
On blood & custard as well as BR maroon, lining in the cantrail varied on the Period I and II coaches and so it is best to study photos. Added obstacles on the All-Steel vehicles were the raised strips above and below the main windows. Sometimes the lining was on the strip and sometimes above and clear of it. All my prototype photos are currently out of bounds in the attic so I cannot help there.
 
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