Gosh, another year where my intentions to increase my rate of posting have got away………..

Whilst work and home life have intruded, I have still managed to get some modelling done; including a rake of NER coaches for John James for which i do get something in return in due course.

The rake had a pair of three compartment thirds, of which this is an example:

All of the coaches were constructed from D&S kits on my Miscellany Models Fox bogies with replacement roofs formed of nickle silver sheet. I find that the plasticard offering in the D&S kits to be their weakest point. The problem with this is that if you make your own roofs i find you might as well also cut out the section below the clerestory – it makes a huge difference for the coach to be illuminated from above. The issue is, that there is a lot of work in these roofs – I found that for each there was 15+ hours of work just in the roof!

Also in the rake is an all third, which is probably my favourite of the build as it feels quite “pure” and also wihtout the problems of the composite…….see below…….

The rake only needed a modicum of first class accomodation made up from a composite diagram 7. Alas, this had a challenging problem that needed to be overcome, with the clerestory side pieces. These were much shallower than those on the other kits orwith the ends supplied in this kit. In addition to being obviously incorrect given the inconsistancy but the frames around the glazed lights were stunningly delicate. I regret persisting with this, i should have just drawn up some replacements in CAD and popped them in the next etching order.

However, i solved the problem by soldering a flat strip, 1.5*0.5mm along the base. in theory it should be to both the top and bottom but that was not realistically possible and I decided life was too short. After much fighting, cussing, fighting, screaming and more fighting, I did get it there, as I hope you can see.

I was asked to do these as gas lit coaches and therefore there is a bit going on below, as one might say.

As the coaches were quite long lived, they went through many detailed changes. for anyoen who is contemplating building some, I would heartily recommend reading David Addyman’s notes on how he built his in the Scaleforu Forum https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=7210&p=101662&hilit=ner+coaches#p101662 David’s coaches are modelled in the 1930s, so have different lighting arrangements, footsteps, bogie spring dampers and sides to the clerestories. Lots of things to be aware of if you are doing something similar.

At the end of this rather mammoth build, I had four coaches that i was rather proud of. They look rather fine on John Wright’s Benfieldside viaduct.

I am also pleased that i do not have to paint these; i am still looking for my lining mojo. I had it as a teenager, but have grown shy of lining. Maybe something for the Christmas break?

In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures of the newly restored NER coach 818 at Kirby Stephen, courtesy of the Beamish website. Does’t she look magnificant? I really must get up to see her.