7mm On Heather's Workbench - Dean Triplets

Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I seem to be spawning workbench threads of late. My personal modelling has always been of the butterfly nature, with shelf queens aplenty. The variety of stuff I'm currently working on is purely down to the work I've been commissioned to do. It's just mildly amusing to me that most of it seems to be of Great Western in origins!

This latest commission came to me from the client I built the 5700 pannier for. I delivered his loco myself, and while we sat and mattered over coffee, he asked me if I'd like to consider taking on some coaches he'd bought at his club's bring and buy. Something was said about "breathing my magic" on them. Who was I to refuse?

While all three kits were from the same manufacturer, they were in different stages of build. The first one I was shown was not a fine example of the breed, seemingly glued together with passing acquaintance of the instructions, and then painted with household emulsion via a 4in brush. You will have seen this if you have read the thread I started on stripping models.

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Here it is after a day of stripping parts and paint. It's a Slater's 7C07 Diagram T34 brake third. It is now in a state where I can begin to repair the damage caused by the builder, and by me disassembling it.

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This is a 7C05 Diagram V5 full brake. As you can see, the chassis and carcass are complete, with just the ironmongery and detailing to fit. The demon decorator hadn't reached this one!

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Finally a 7C06 Diagram U4 First/second composite. This hasn't been started, apart from some fettling of castings.

Anyway, the plan is to build all three coaches to the same standard, sprung buffers, decent couplings, painted in early 1930s livery with a light weathering. On the face of it, this isn't going to be a lengthy job, and rather handily coincides with the broad gauge commission, so I will be learning about how Dean coaches are supposed to go together as I start to build the broad gauge versions. I can also hone my GWR coach livery skills on the Slater's models, which will be handy.

While I have stripped the bodied coach, I probably won't begin proper construction for a spell. I want to crack on with that RMB, and make some progress on the 10001 diesel, before i commit to the triplets.
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I felt it was time for a little progress on this build, so I dug out the unbuilt U4 1st/2nd composite for some styrene solvent abuse.

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The sides, ends and roof have been fettled. The underframe is well under way, with the brake rigging on the compensation units to do when my eyes let me focus that closely. The plan, if there is one, is to get all three coaches to more or less the same level of buildedness with a view to squirting paint at them all at once.
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
This morning's shenanigans involved some brass knitting and finger singeing.

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All the brake rigging appears to be in place. Some little deviation from the instructions was found to be required concerning the fitting of the etched safety loop cradle. Both had to be adjusted to allow the pull rod to clear the axle, as well as actually sitting so the folded "feet" touched the suspension base plates.

I read the instructions through closely, several times, and nowhere did they explain how to retain the compensated suspension unit on the chassis. There is an etched plate, which fixes to the chassis, with folded up lugs which obviously fit in slots in the main unit. That far I could work out. Only by looking at a completed model did it become stupidly obvious that the lugs need to be bent slightly to retain the suspension unit. Let's just call that a senior moment on my behalf, though if I couldn't work it out the instructions really should explain it!

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Anyway, the underframe is on wheels, with just the footboards and headstock gear to fit. I have castings for the gas cylinder fittings, but again nothing to explain where they go. I think I shall spend a while studying some books this afternoon.

Before that, though, lunchtime, followed by a quick visit to a friend over the other side of the Medway Towns.
 
flexible_coupling

flexible_coupling

Western Thunderer
Heather, just for my info as I'm considering buying a pair - could you tell me the length over buffers of one of those coaches (assuming they're the same length across the family)?
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
flexible_coupling said:
Heather, just for my info as I'm considering buying a pair - could you tell me the length over buffers of one of those coaches (assuming they're the same length across the family)?
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There are four kits in the Slater's range of GWR Dean 4-wheel carriages - with some different lengths of body - so hopefully Heather can put up the lengths of the kits in her possession.
 
Wagonman

Wagonman

Western Thunderer
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Wagonman said:
Don't forget most of the coaches in these photos still have flat flame gas lighting – single pipe. By 1930 would probably have been fitted with double pipe (if not fitted from new). I don't have my reference books to hand...
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The difference between flat flame lighting and incandescent lighting is covered in an article by John Lewis in BRJ, I think part one is in issue number 16. Conversion from flat flame to incandescent started in the Edwardian period and the conversion was recorded, in the carriage registers, for many of the four wheel vehicles - along with the introduction of steam heating as these vehicles were built without same.
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
While the form of lighting the coaches ought to have had in 1930 is fascinating, I - and the client - will be happy that all three coaches more or less match in features.

I have to admit I don't know the difference between single and double pipe, or even if it would be visible. Is this something that would show at the end of the coach, with the lighting control gear?
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Heather Kay said:
I have to admit I don't know the difference between single and double pipe, or even if it would be visible. Is this something that would show at the end of the coach, with the lighting control gear?
Click to expand...
Flat flame is the original and single pipe version, all lights either on all of the time... or off all of the time. Guards were required to ensure that carriages with flat flame burners had the lights lit before dusk or before entering a tunnel. So the identifying feature of this type of lighting system is a single gas pipe up the end and along the roof. I wish I knew if there was a gas control valve on the carriage end... I have not seen a photo which proves one way or the other.

Incandescent mantle is the later version with two gas pipes per lamp. The larger diameter pipe is for the main burner whilst the smaller diameter pipe is for the pilot light. Gas to the main burner is switched on/off by the fitting on the end of the carriage. The pilot lights are alight all of the time so there is no control valve on the coach end (control is from a fitting on the solebar).

If a carriage had gas lighting in the 1930s then the probability is that the coach would be incandescent burners with two pipes up the end and along the roof.
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The gas pipework seems to have resolved itself, which is excellent. Thanks everyone!

The question of steam heating now arises. Photos of coaches at the end of life, or in departmental service, show a steam pipe. Whether it was proper heating, or just a through pipe, matters little really. What is the verdict on fitting steam pipes for these coaches in 1930s condition?

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While we ponder heating or no heating, attention turns to fitting springs and axle boxes. The instructions, as is so often the case, have failed to keep up with box content progress. I shall show my workings later, if I am successful.
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Another thought: would the second class sections have been demoted to third?

I ask for a friend… ;)

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I wasted a while last night trying to work out how to fit the moulded springs into the cast hangers. On the reverse of each hanger, a badly-moulded slot had been cast, and I was trying to get the moulded spring dropper thingy to fit into it.

With a fresh brain after a reasonable night's kip, I realised I could probably just trim the moulded spring dropper thingy off and no-one would be the wiser. Oh, wait…

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Here are the cast hangers fitted, the spring placed according to as many photos as I could clearly see such things, and the axle box moulding in place. All this is effectively hidden in the murk surrounding the footboards.

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I spent the rest of the day trimming and folding the footboards. There must be a way to bend long etches like these so they don't assume a gentle banana shape, but the technique currently eludes me.

If I survive this evening's meal, I shall attach the footboards to the underframe. Then I'll sort out some draw gear and the buffers, and then get some paint splashed about.
 
Dog Star

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
The GWR abandoned second class, in stages, in the 1900s. I recollect that the last part of the pre-group GWR to offer second class was in the Northern Division - somewhere here I have a weekly notice which details the change from 1st / 2nd / 3rd to just 1st and 3rd.
 
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