Rufuskins' Workshop Other Coaches

In this thread I will concentrate on the referenced stock in the title, and in the first instance I will be repainting the Bulleid 59ft Coach sets in BR liveries. I did start these using my understanding of their green livery, and I will look to finish these on an ad hoc basis when taking a break from the the LYR and LNWR modelling.
However I am not clear as to whether these coaches ever carried the "red and cream" livery and/or maroon livery, and hence would be grateful for any guidance here? I will of course "root" about on the internet and check with the relevant groups on line.

My research so far seems to indicate that by about 1956 about 70% of Southern Region carriages had been painted in "red and cream", at which time the regions were allowed to use their own colour schemes. Obviously in this instance green was the chosen colour.

The usual BR paint policy was every 7 years so the short Bulleid, built in 1945/6, would have been due for repainting  from 1952/3.

However after nationalisation all coaches would have has the SR lettering painted out and BR numbers applied and any blemishes touched up and the coach re-varnished. This would put back  the repaint date.
BR green was used from 1957 and many coaches,  probably the majority of the short Bulleids,  went from SR green straight to BR green.

The only SR coaches to recieve maroon were a few transferred to the Western region in the 60s due to boundry changes.

I would paint a set in blood and custard just because I like it.

Ian
Many thanks for the information, and I'll continue with the current repaints in BR(SR) Green. I'll then do them in "Red and Cream", and people can then decide whether to download.

Whilst I have done very little in this area of the workshop I have been experimenting with colours for the textures for the Bulleid coaches in BR livery. I may also review the current sets to see if they need any additional tweaking.

Now that South East Steam is clearly showing on the horizon I am looking to complete the BR livery for the Bulleid "shorties". I can then run them on this route; admittedly they were never used in this area but with MSTS one can always bend the rules!

For a change I have decided to make up two SR Maunsell coaches that were used in Push-Pull sets 600 to 619. I understand that they were used in the Central and South Western Section in the years 1959 to 1964. I'll be using Mike King's book as a main reference source together with a book by David Gould.

In addition to the Maunsell coaches, I intend to re-visit the 59ft Bulleid coaches.

The 59ft "shorties" are in the process of being revamped.

Mmm . . . despite the Mike King books I have had great difficulty finding a number of dimensions for the Maunsell coaches, and in particular the following:-
1. Width of carriage at cornice level.
2. Width of carriage at chassis level and radius of curve from the 9ft width to the chassis.
3. Radii for the roof section.
I shall have to get the trusty scale ruler out and apply some best guestimations, which I'll call compromise! Let's hope I've not missed something obvious!

Scan the end elevation from the book and make an ace file.

Then make a  box with maximum hight and width and texture it with the ace.
This is easier and more accurate than using the TSM  background.

Use this as a background to make the curved sides and roof.
No need to measure. Just model to the drawing on the box.

Use the same method to size and position the underframe bits.

If you get the basic box accurate everything else will be accurate.
I use this idea (not mine I have to add) to get an accurate roof curve on my wagons.

But why make Maunsell coaches that have already  been done when what we realy  need are the Hawksworth Coaches?

Thank you Ian for the suggestion and method, which I'll have a go at later today.

I guess that you are right in terms of the availability of Maunsell coaches, but you have to remember that I'm doing all of this modelling for my own sake - call it selfish if you like. Just because someone has made a model of a particular piece of stock shouldn't preclude someone else from having a go at making the same; even if it's not as good as the first. In my opinion positive encouragement to others to have a go should be the order of the day. Potentially negative comments and remarks on aspects of that attempt should be made by PM to prevent embarrassment and discouragement.

Once I get my head round the end profile of the Hawksworth coaches, modelling of which I keep putting off despite help and suggestions from others, who knows?

I'm still looking at how I shall develop these models.

I have amended the heading to this thread as other carriage models are being considered, namely a Push Pull set for SR plus SECR carriages and possibly some GNS carriages.

I have started to pull together dimensions for some proposed SE&CR Carriages. Dimensions for the bogies are somewhat sketchy, and I anticipate some degree of scaling and compromise!

I now have a spreadsheet with all of the main dimensions for the SE&CR carriages, although I still need clarifications on the variation in window dimensions for First and Third compartments. I have a S/H copy of David Gould's book on order, which I hope should help to answer this. As is usual livery colour may not be exact but I hope will be representative.

I suspect that I have too many balls in the air, but it's difficult to see me ever getting bored with one ball when I have given myself plenty of options. Every so often I try and create a decent Hawksworth roof profile, but so far even my idea of compromise acceptance has not been satisfied!

Been trying some alternative colours for liveries. I've also joined the SECR Society to see what additional information I can gain.

I've got a dimension for 3rd class windows in SE&CR carriages and possibly 1st class, but despite joining the SE&CR Society it's not been easy! (You'd think it was a straightforward question with a relatively simple answer?) I can only think that drawings from that period have not survived? Perhaps I'm going to have to rely on my trusty scale rule again?

I still can't believe that it has proved nigh on impossible to find outstanding window dimensions for the SE&CR carriages!
I've joined the SE&CR Society and asked questions with minimal to no response!
I've joined the SE&CR group on Facebook, but their only suggestion to date is that I travel 270 miles to the Bluebell Railway and measure actual coaches!
I really am now dependent upon scaling off drawings in Coutanche's book, which hopefully will at least look right!

Right in the absence of any further offers of help to find dimensions for the SE&CR carriages, I have decided to adopt a single window width of 16 inches to all compartment windows, and other window dimensions (toilets and corridor) will be found using my scale ruler. Obviously appearance will then be based on a significant amount of compromise, and the final "product" is unlikely to satisfy the purists! If these see the light of day then Danny's South East Steam route might be suitable to run them on?

At long last I have some window widths to allow me to develop the SE&CR carriages, although at this moment in time it will only be the odd hour as I need to concentrate on the LNWR wagons and coaches.

If these see the light of day then Danny's South East Steam route might be suitable to run them on?

Alec, if these coaches eventually "see the light of day" then let me know if you want a few SE&CR locos to go with them. I won't make any new models but should be able to tweak and reskin any existing models such as the H, C and D1 Classes.

The H, C and D1 and E1 are excellent models, and it would be a treat to see them in Southern livery or, in the case of the H and C, in SECR livery. Recent locomotives from Danny have also been quite outstanding. Roderic

Unfortunately I might not be able to devote as much time to TSM over the next few months, as I need to be supportive of my wife after she was diagnosed with breast cancer today!

Very sorry to hear the news. Fortunately, treatment is much more effective these days. Very best wishes to you both.
Roderic

Hi Alec,

So sorry to hear of your wife's diagnosis. As Roderic has said, treatment is so much better these days. My thoughts and best wishes are for the both of you at this difficult time.

Stephen

Thank you Roderic and Stephen for your kind wishes.

As per my posts for the other areas of the workshop, I am also weighing up what can be done here. I have SECR basic dimensions and a not unreasonable colour scheme so I could progress these a little. I will also spend a little time assessing both Hawksworth and Bulleid/Maunsell coach projects.
The key word is time and in particular time management because I rarely have long enough periods to make significant progress. It's amazing how time flies once you do start something, especially when part of the time is trying to remember where you're at!