4mm 'Toplight' coaches...

[LarryG]

If modellers polls are anything to go by, everyone loves a 'Toplight'! Me too. Now that I am modelling the early 1950's instead of the late 1950's there is scope to run a few of the earlier panelled Toplights. So I was delighted to see a few listed on Worsley Works website. Yesterday afternoon, I made a start on an E95 Corridor Brake Composite, and below are the etched brass sheets that come with the order. Extra ends were included to make a 'Slip' coach version and I noted they would build a slightly wider coach at the waist....

I will only be using the parts shown below plus droplights and door handles (the floor is one of mine), as I have my own solebars & footboards and underframe parts. A Comet Models extruded roof will be used...

 

[LarryG]

The end steps are rather clever and slot neatly into the ends...


No doubt everyone has their own method of forming the tumblehome...

The holes for the door and grab handles were drilled out, the G handles 'legs' bent at right-angles and then soldered in place from the back....

View from the back showing grab handle legs and lower hinges. Brass rod could be used for hinges and then squeezed flat with plain nose pliers...

The back of the handles were ground off to provide a flat surface for the door droplights....

The two coach sides fully detailed and ready for soldering to the floor and ends...

This close-up shows the door stops. The dimples on the back were punched out with an old compass pin. If I have a criticism, it is the inclusion of middle and top door hinge slots, but we are where we are....

 

[LarryG]

All experimentation and mistakes fall on one coach, which is okay if more are to be built afterwards, but this is a lone wolf. In short, if another were being built, it would have an overlap on the top of the side to take an MJT 'LNER' roof extrusion. Using a Comet roof meant lowering the ends and filing the topmost panelling off....

My own 22thou thickness solebars in place

Looking a bit more like a coach with full-length footboards added....

 

[76043]

No doubt everyone has their own method of forming the tumblehome...

Would you mind describing yours?
Thanks
Tony

 

[LarryG]

FORMING A TUMBLEHOME...

Masking tape was stuck to one side of a steel ruler to give it grip. The brass coach side is placed against the ruler as shown with the bottom half overlapping the ruler and a brass handled Kraft knife is drawn back and forth with pressure until a tumble home of formed. It is easier if the ruler is held against something firm like a screwed down piece of ½" X 2" timber.

Tumblehome in railway design
The inwardly curving portions of railway passenger carriages at the point where the carriage sides join the underframes is also called the tumblehome.

 

[76043]

Thank you Larry, much appreciated.
Tony

 

[LarryG]

I took a pair of GWR trussrod etchings and replaced the trussing with brass wire...

Bogies were from the 'Larriparts' range that I produced in the 1980's. I replaced broken cast tie bars with etchings...

Drying out in Halfords Acid No.8 etching primer. During construction, I fitted my own etchings such as door louvers and chassis. The trussing was bent during workbench handling but it will straighten out...

 

[LarryG]

I finished the Toplight last night before going to bed and took some photos in this mornings spring weather. I was undecided whether to paint it in post-war GWR double waist livery or not due to the raised panelling being almost like a knife edge ( it would have been easier to line out). But I really wanted BR red & cream and so here she is as. Only the roof and ends are weathered so far....

This shot shows the interior partition....

This cruel close-up shows the hammered glass toplight windows which was created by ruling several closely spaced horizontal lines on the face of the glazing and then sanding the back to reduce opacity....

Weathered and ready for service...

 

[LarryG]

Continuing the Toplight theme, brass sides from Worsley works for a GWR C32 Multibar corridor third have arrived. The remainder of the parts will be from my own etchings including a GWR chassis that I have shortened to suit a 57' body with tumblehome ends. New bogie centres also drilled. The next job was to punch out the door stops from the back of each coach side...

The basic 'box' with individual droplights soldered in plus 'T' door handles and horizontal grab rails at each end. The inside was ground smooth to remove obstacles to fitting glazing later on. As usual, a Comet roof was fitted...

 

[LarryG]

Trussrods were from a surplus Worsley works floor then I soldered on cross-members, which keep everything rigid. Pressed Steel bogies came from a scrap Bachmann Sunshine coach. The tension-lock couplings were moved back on the mounting plate as far they would go. The GWR was fitting fewer roof vents by 1920 and the V hangers had switch around ~ again. This is definitely one area one has to watch when building GWR coaches.....

To paraphrase singer Charlie rich, "Hey, have you seen the most tedious job in the word?" His song comes to mind every time I am faced with fitting forty or so Plastikard hinges to coach sides. Simulated hinges on this etch were half-etch, so I stuck rectangles of Plastikard in them....

 

[LarryG]

I have taken it as being given BR red & cream livery around late 1949, after which its number was transferred to the RH end around 1952 and given a regional suffix...

The dirt is quite ingrained by this time in areas where the cleaning brush missed...

Judging by photos, the GWR was not using rippled glass in its toplights after WW1, so I painted the back of the glazing with Humbrol dark grey wash, which is transparent....

The Diagram C32 coaches were built with 1914 Fishbelly bogies, but in later years some got 7' Plate bogies (eg: 3891) and some Pressed Steel as per my model...

The replacement droplight taken from a GWR liveried coach adds a bit of character...

Compartment side of No. 3892. I think it should be possible to build Diagrams C30 and C35 including rebuilt ex. Ambulance stock....

 

[LarryG]

A Collett 0-4-2T brings a Bala-Wrexham train into Carrog in the early 1950's. The coaches are Bars I and Multibar Toplight stock...

 

[Phil O]

Some great work there Larry and some useful information, as a bonus.

 

[mark seward]

lovely work just a quick question are your fishbelly bogies for sale?
also here a worsley toplight i did on to an old hornby bow ender as i got Allen to do the toplights in 4mm but it was just sides to start with

 

[LarryG]

Your Toplight 12-wheel diner interests me Mark. There were a number of similar-looking diners built at the time so I wondered which diagram your rebuilt coach is. I produced the American 6-wheel bogies in the 1982 Larriparts range.

The Larriparts range was sold to other producers over a period of years and so I don't know who holds the rights to them now. I wish I still had the Fishbelly, but at this stage of the game it is not worth me making new brass patters for casting. The only range I currently hold is that made in 2005 for my range of coaches, and even some of these are running out.

 

[Phil O]

Jeremy Suter of the Scalefour Society is in the process of producing fishbelly bogies, he's produced the etches after I saw the one he's doing for a steam railmotor. He just needs to get around to doing the castings.

GWR Fishbelly Bogie Instructions - Scalefour Forum.

 

[LarryG]

Interesting. but two whitemetal sideframes and a brass top plate would suffice for me.

 

[BrianH]

247 Developments have cast fishbelly sideframes in their range.

 

[LarryG]

247 Developments have cast fishbelly sideframes in their range.

Thanks. Probably my old 'Larriparts'.

 

[LarryG]

A real GWR Toplight on Fishbelly bogies, photographed in the yard at Llangollen some years ago. If the chassis and window bolections are up to it, wouldn't it be great if this could be completely rebuilt to become a working coach.