Mr Grumpy

[OzzyO]

I painted my lamp today, I haven't any red rod or glazing material for the front lens, so red paint will have to suffice for now.
View attachment 79086

I'm sorry to say but I think that some thing is wrong with your tail light, it looks like a goods train tail light, in that it can be hooked over the rear coupling of a train.

IIRC most passenger train rear lamps could (should) only be fitted on to the lamp brackets at the rear of the train and did not have the provision for hanging them from the coupling hook like a goods train one had.

Lot of reasons why the goods train would need to have the "cover" of the rear light when the brake van is removed for shunting and some of the train is still on the main line, lamp on the back wagon (hook).

OzzyO.

PS. not using my main puter so I'm a bit hissed off about this as this one is a bit of Vister (Crap) and it takes all day to do any thing.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

I'm sorry to say but I think that some thing is wrong with your tail light, it looks like a goods train tail light, in that it can be hooked over the rear coupling of a train.

IIRC most passenger train rear lamps could (should) only be fitted on to the lamp brackets at the rear of the train and did not have the provision for hanging them from the coupling hook like a goods train one had.

Lot of reasons why the goods train would need to have the "cover" of the rear light when the brake van is removed for shunting and some of the train is still on the main line, lamp on the back wagon (hook).

OzzyO.

PS. not using my main puter so I'm a bit hissed off about this as this one is a bit of Vister (Crap) and it takes all day to do any thing.

Hi OzzyO,
I'm not sure I understand what your saying, as the coach also has a lamp bracket over the left hand buffer?

 

[Bob Reid]

One and the same BR tail lamp Ozzyo...
glc - kx suburban non-corridor coach farringdon c73 JL by John Law,

Mk1's like all the others having two brackets at either end for a (removable) tail lamp of the exact design David Parkins supplies...

The BR Tail lamp at the Great Central Railway by Official Midlands Railway Photography, on Flickr

And if need be you can hang it on a wagon drawhook without it flapping about all over the place...

[Edited to include a more "appropriate" photo]!

 

[OzzyO]

OK boys you got me, that's the trouble with doing things from memory, I had in my head that the tail light on passenger trains did not have the handle that could be hooked over the coupling hook (for some reason).

OzzyO.

 

[Stoke5D]

OK boys you got me, that's the trouble with doing things from memory, I had in my head that the tail light on passenger trains did not have the handle that could be hooked over the coupling hook (for some reason).

OzzyO.

Bob's second photo shows the standard BR Tail Lamp that was knocked out by Swindon tin shop latterly before the adoption of the flashing battery powered version. This was used on both Passenger and Freight as the tail lamp. Obviously an unfitted freight (eg. Class 9) would have the required two black side lamps that show red towards the rear and white towards the front mounted on the brake van as well. They are quite different.

The reduced width section on the handle really works to stop it swinging if you have to hang the tail light on a draw hook.


Andrew

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Bob's second photo shows the standard BR Tail Lamp that was knocked out by Swindon tin shop latterly before the adoption of the flashing battery powered version. This was used on both Passenger and Freight as the tail lamp. Obviously an unfitted freight (eg. Class 9) would have the required two black side lamps that show red towards the rear and white towards the front mounted on the brake van as well. They are quite different.

The reduced width section on the handle really works to stop it swinging if you have to hang the tail light on a draw hook.


Andrew

I wondered why the handle narrowed at the top
Now I know
I have a black WR example kicking around. I'm sure the handle is parallel and curved at the top, but I haven't seen it for years.....

 

[Bob Reid]

Hopefully this commode handle drawing will help Richard...


This pretty well covers all the variants from the original brass (once highly collectable in the Finsbury Park area apparently) to polished stainless steel, steel with a plastic coating, with the main body hollowed out or solid in section and with or without a step on the mounting lugs to clear the later anti-corrosion mouldings.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Thanks very much Bob, that's just the job! I can set to and form up my handles now
Another (daft?) question....why are they called commode handles??

 

[Bob Reid]

It always sounded like a line out of "Carry On at Your Convenience" but perhaps just derived from the latin for Convenient! - BR seemed to apply it to any of the body handrails - I suspect like many of the terms used it was just adopted from the horse "Carriage Building" industry that went before...

 

[Mr Grumpy]

It always sounded like a line out of "Carry On at Your Convenience" but perhaps just derived from the latin for Convenient! - BR seemed to apply it to any of the body handrails - I suspect like many of the terms used it was just adopted from the horse "Carriage Building" industry that went before...

Thank Bob,
We're these items always left in bare brass or (thinking of ease of painting ) were they ever body coloured?

 

[Bob Reid]

All of the brass ones were just left bare - the first things to be removed and amongst the last to be refitted after painting!

 

[Mr Grumpy]

All of the brass ones were just left bare - the first things to be removed and amongst the last to be refitted after painting!

Ok....it looks like lots of masking or I glue them on after painting

 

[Heather Kay]

Or use a scratch pen to clean the paint off later…

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Or use a scratch pen to clean the paint off later…

I tried that on the handles on my thumper, and managed to take more paint off the body side than the handles
I must try harder....I must try harder!!

 

[Steph Dale]

I tried that on the handles on my thumper, and managed to take more paint off the body side than the handles
I must try harder....I must try harder!!

Or put a piece of cereal box card behind the handle to protect the bodyside?

Steph

 

[Mr Grumpy]

I did use heavy duty masking tape, but tended to catch the body where the handles are attached.
I would prefer to solder them on, so I'm happy to give it another go

 

[Stoke5D]

I wondered why the handle narrowed at the top
Now I know
I have a black WR example kicking around. I'm sure the handle is parallel and curved at the top, but I haven't seen it for years.....

That's probably one of the aforementioned Brake Van side lamps, which aren't supposed to be hung on the draw hook.

The picture is from an auction site, so hopefully they won't mind. There's various flavours but this is typical. Note the lamp bracket sockets are on the side. The lamp is clear this end and will have a red aspect on the rear face. As I said, you're supposed to be able to view it from both front and rear while on the vehicle. As you can imagine, the white light shown forwards can be seen from the loco. cab (either side, as there's two of them) and thus the crew can be sure the brake van is still with them and the train is complete. Very important for an unfitted train. Sorry if everyone already knows this, or doesn't care...

Andrew

 

[Mr Grumpy]

That's probably one of the aforementioned Brake Van side lamps, which aren't supposed to be hung on the draw hook.

The picture is from an auction site, so hopefully they won't mind. There's various flavours but this is typical. Note the lamp bracket sockets are on the side. The lamp is clear this end and will have a red aspect on the rear face. As I said, you're supposed to be able to view it from both front and rear while on the vehicle. As you can imagine, the white light shown forwards can be seen from the loco. cab (either side, as there's two of them) and thus the crew can be sure the brake van is still with them and the train is complete. Very important for an unfitted train. Sorry if everyone already knows this, or doesn't care...

Andrew

Thanks for sharing, I love finding out about all this stuff!! I cant get access to the lamp for a couple of weeks, but I'll dig it out and post a photo. From memory, it certainly doesn't look in as good shape as the one above!

 

[Stoke5D]

Thanks for sharing, I love finding out about all this stuff!! I cant get access to the lamp for a couple of weeks, but I'll dig it out and post a photo. From memory, it certainly doesn't look in as good shape as the one above!

Thanks.

I do think having an idea of how it all works (or worked in this case) can lead to better modelling because then you know what should be there and why. This applies to both rolling stock and infrastructure.


Andrew

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Due to outside influences, I'm not getting too much time in the workshop, but in the limited time I have, I have got the handles fitted out on one side of the coach. The coach really needs a good clean, but will have to wait until all the other bits and bobs are attached