stuartp
Active Member
GER/BR CCT(E) from the spares box:
Some years ago, whilst rummaging in the cheap tat box under a stall at a show, I came across a Lima BR GUV. I like parcels train so although I already had a couple of these I bought it. It was in RES livery but nothing that a can of paint wouldn't cure, and it was only when I got it home and compared it to the others that I realised what was different - it had no windows. Still not a problem, I can cut four holes the same size if I concentrate, but a bit more involved than a quick respray so it went in the stash to await its turn. Then one day I pinched the chassis to build a BG with a set of Comet sides, and the remains went in the spares box.
Several years later I bought Railways in Profile No.6 by G Gamble - "BR Non-Passenger Rolling Stock". In it were a couple of pics of BR parcels vans built on ex-GER underframes - not of immediate interest to someone modelling the wilds of southern Scotland perhaps until saw that the pic of the ex-works CCT version had been taken at Millerhill, which was close enough for me. The end doors looked like BR GUV/CCT doors, very austere bodywork with very few twiddly bits to bog down the build (there are more than I thought as it turns out) and a suprisingly chunky purposeful look to the thing.
The prototype was a rebuild on an ex-GER coach underframe. As well as Gamble a photo of one appears in David Larkins' "BR General Parcels Rolling Stock" (Bradford Barton 1978). Combining the information in the two captions, a batch of vehicles was built in the early 50s on coach underframes released by the 1949 Shenfield electrification. Two types were produced, a van with plain ends and a pair of double doors each side, and a van with end doors and three double doors per side. Larkin describes the first batch as GUVs, being "... about the only correctly described vehicle of that type" whereas Gamble (who depicts both types in his book) describes them as PMVs, the 'PMV' branding being clearly visible on the pic to prove his point. The end door vans were classified 'CCT(E)'. The photos show a PMV in maroon at Cambridge in 1958, a CCT(E) in ex-works maroon at Millerhill in 1962 (the subject of this model) and another CCT(E) in battered crimson at Wisbech in 1969.
So the long abandoned BR GUV body came down from the loft for a good looking at. The GUV roof was clearly no use, the CCT(E) was a fair bit higher, and I reckoned it would be too narrow as well once I'd widened the body to create a slight tumblehome. That left the bogie and chassis. A couple of years ago, with a great deal of help from GER stalwarts Adrian (Buckjumper), Simon and Mike, I had some etched sides done by Bill Bedford for an ex-GER Cafeteria Car which had eventually found its way into ScR stock. I could copy the chassis of that (Bills etches are gorgeous but this is a bog standard 'layout' vehicle), and whilst pouring over GER carriage photos for that project it occurred to me that the GER bogie was similar in shape at least to the LNWR one. A further rummage in the loft produced a Ratio LNWR kit which was duly robbed of its bogies and buffers, resulting in this pile of bits:
After the meticulous research done for the Cafeteria Car (not by me), the research for this one consisted of looking at two photos, reading the captions, and making a lot of assumptions. The body was cut down to 54' over headstocks, what little raised detail there was was sanded off and cut outs made to clear the new windows, some sides were marked out in 20 thou styrene by matching up the bodyside features to the chassis and bogie features ("... left hand door hinge line just to the right of right hand spring hanger..." that sort of thing), and two large pieces of 15 thou clear styrene (Evergreen) were stuck to the GUV sides. At least the windows won't push in on this !
The Tri-ang BR Mk1 roof might not be exactly the right profile but it stands sufficiently above the end doors to look something like:
The white 20 thou sides were stuck to the clear styrene with double-sided sticky tape, time will tell whether this was a good idea or not but the intention was to avoid solvent buckling the outer surface. probably overkill with 20 thou.
The chassis was built up from Evergreen sheet, 0.7mm brass wire, fret waste and K&S strip for the footboards. Brake cylinders are Parkside I think, battery boxes and dynamo are Coopercraft.
Hinges, gutters, rainstrips, chalking panels etc are from microstrip and 10 thou sheet. The window bars were soldered up from wire and more fret waste.
The windows are actually a little deep. the bottom edges have since been filled in by 2mm - such is the joy of working without drawings !
Some years ago, whilst rummaging in the cheap tat box under a stall at a show, I came across a Lima BR GUV. I like parcels train so although I already had a couple of these I bought it. It was in RES livery but nothing that a can of paint wouldn't cure, and it was only when I got it home and compared it to the others that I realised what was different - it had no windows. Still not a problem, I can cut four holes the same size if I concentrate, but a bit more involved than a quick respray so it went in the stash to await its turn. Then one day I pinched the chassis to build a BG with a set of Comet sides, and the remains went in the spares box.
Several years later I bought Railways in Profile No.6 by G Gamble - "BR Non-Passenger Rolling Stock". In it were a couple of pics of BR parcels vans built on ex-GER underframes - not of immediate interest to someone modelling the wilds of southern Scotland perhaps until saw that the pic of the ex-works CCT version had been taken at Millerhill, which was close enough for me. The end doors looked like BR GUV/CCT doors, very austere bodywork with very few twiddly bits to bog down the build (there are more than I thought as it turns out) and a suprisingly chunky purposeful look to the thing.
The prototype was a rebuild on an ex-GER coach underframe. As well as Gamble a photo of one appears in David Larkins' "BR General Parcels Rolling Stock" (Bradford Barton 1978). Combining the information in the two captions, a batch of vehicles was built in the early 50s on coach underframes released by the 1949 Shenfield electrification. Two types were produced, a van with plain ends and a pair of double doors each side, and a van with end doors and three double doors per side. Larkin describes the first batch as GUVs, being "... about the only correctly described vehicle of that type" whereas Gamble (who depicts both types in his book) describes them as PMVs, the 'PMV' branding being clearly visible on the pic to prove his point. The end door vans were classified 'CCT(E)'. The photos show a PMV in maroon at Cambridge in 1958, a CCT(E) in ex-works maroon at Millerhill in 1962 (the subject of this model) and another CCT(E) in battered crimson at Wisbech in 1969.
So the long abandoned BR GUV body came down from the loft for a good looking at. The GUV roof was clearly no use, the CCT(E) was a fair bit higher, and I reckoned it would be too narrow as well once I'd widened the body to create a slight tumblehome. That left the bogie and chassis. A couple of years ago, with a great deal of help from GER stalwarts Adrian (Buckjumper), Simon and Mike, I had some etched sides done by Bill Bedford for an ex-GER Cafeteria Car which had eventually found its way into ScR stock. I could copy the chassis of that (Bills etches are gorgeous but this is a bog standard 'layout' vehicle), and whilst pouring over GER carriage photos for that project it occurred to me that the GER bogie was similar in shape at least to the LNWR one. A further rummage in the loft produced a Ratio LNWR kit which was duly robbed of its bogies and buffers, resulting in this pile of bits:
After the meticulous research done for the Cafeteria Car (not by me), the research for this one consisted of looking at two photos, reading the captions, and making a lot of assumptions. The body was cut down to 54' over headstocks, what little raised detail there was was sanded off and cut outs made to clear the new windows, some sides were marked out in 20 thou styrene by matching up the bodyside features to the chassis and bogie features ("... left hand door hinge line just to the right of right hand spring hanger..." that sort of thing), and two large pieces of 15 thou clear styrene (Evergreen) were stuck to the GUV sides. At least the windows won't push in on this !
The Tri-ang BR Mk1 roof might not be exactly the right profile but it stands sufficiently above the end doors to look something like:
The white 20 thou sides were stuck to the clear styrene with double-sided sticky tape, time will tell whether this was a good idea or not but the intention was to avoid solvent buckling the outer surface. probably overkill with 20 thou.
The chassis was built up from Evergreen sheet, 0.7mm brass wire, fret waste and K&S strip for the footboards. Brake cylinders are Parkside I think, battery boxes and dynamo are Coopercraft.
Hinges, gutters, rainstrips, chalking panels etc are from microstrip and 10 thou sheet. The window bars were soldered up from wire and more fret waste.
The windows are actually a little deep. the bottom edges have since been filled in by 2mm - such is the joy of working without drawings !
![IMG_0864[1].jpg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/17/17585-cd1ba3b4912154d7edd191e3bde5519e.jpg "IMG_0864[1].jpg"){kind=small}
![IMG_0859[1].jpg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/17/17583-a52492e715f9833a2d5853f526a5f59d.jpg "IMG_0859[1].jpg"){kind=small}
