Maunsell Coaches - 2 new coaches

[Bob G]

I am always astounded about the knowledge there is out there.
Who would be a manufacturer these days with the right to reply that buyers expect these days!

[Mark Ellis]

I am always astounded about the knowledge there is out there.
Who would be a manufacturer these days with the right to reply that buyers expect these days!

The internet is a wonderful research resource

And we've endured so many decades of 6 compartment brake coaches, especially on the Southern Railway. When you think how close Farish's factory was to the Southern Railway line, it's amazing at how much they produced of the other 3 railways whilst ignoring SR.

Thankfully, Dapol is addressing that - and I can't wait to get my Olive green Schools class and 4 compartment brakes

[Paul South Midlands]

The new 6 car brake composite will also allow, with a bit of theatre or filing, the 2P sets to be deployed. These comprised a 6 compartment brake composite and a 6 compartment brake third.
On most of the sets a post 1935 frameless droplight brake third was used so no good but sets 25 and 27 used a pre 1935 brake third and brake composite.

These had a low window composite, but a high window third.

If you run the set with compartment side facing you then it looks authentic as only the wall gets to see the high windows on the brake third. alternatively you can do as I did and convert a brake third to a high window.

It was surprisingly doable, the only thing you obviously need is some clear perspex to replace the windows with. I'm not sure it would be so easy with SR or Crimson or Cream as it is with BR Green though.

There is also a four car set (brake third x 2, low window first and compo, that, by modifying a single brake third to high window you can obtain using the Theatre effect (ie remaining wrongly low window coaches facing away)


Given the interest in these coaches I would have thought production of a high window version would be worth Dapol looking into.

[Joel Dapol]

Hi Paul, I think you are right the high window versions would be great addition.

[Jeff Eastmond]

Beware the Pandora's box you might open there - you announce high-window Maunsells and there will be an argument over which of the three versions people want - and that's not the Restriction differences...

Probably the easiest to do would be the early high-windows to the same Diagram numbers as the low-window stock, effectively the only change was the high-window corridor side.

[Paul South Midlands]

Jeff. I was indeed referring to the 'early' high window versions that were, aside from the high windows identical to the low window stock.

That would allow 2P sets and all sorts of other combinations.

The later high windows were to all intents and purposes MK2 maunsells with radically different appearance inside and out. That would need designing from scratch to model.

[CeeDee]

Oh..... For a Bullied BCK!! "My Kingdom for a brake compo!!".... Please Dapol...... Please......

[Jeff Eastmond]

You'd have better luck contacting Farish (Bachmann) - they did the other Bulleids.

[Jeff Eastmond]

Dapol Maunsell production table and set applications, as requested by Mark Ellis earlier.

[Mark Ellis]

Thanks, Jeff

[CeeDee]

I have just rediscovered all my M King, 4mm drawings for Maunsell coaching stock including push pulls and buffet cars. Anyone They're pretty much blue prints showing all dimensions including one sheet on bogies. I used them to build my Maunsell Post '35 BTKs and buffets cars in N scale. If anyone is interested they could make me an offer via [email protected].

[Paul South Midlands]

Ceedee wrote:

Oh..... For a Bullied BCK!! "My Kingdom for a brake compo!!".... Please Dapol...... Please......

It is indeed a little disappointing that the other place have not expanded their range of Bulleids, The other place could easily modify the window inserts too to produce the small window versions but alas no sign of this.

I have got an example of both types of BCK by converting mk1s using BH or Etched Pixels etched sides. Should be able to do the same with a bulleid now which would look better.

[CeeDee]

I have managed to build a few BCKs using the old Bill Bedford etch brass sides, Farish bogies etc and they are pretty good if you don't look to closely(!) I would love Dapol to have a go at the Bullieids as the quality of their Maunsells is just amazing. Incidentally, I built the converted Tavern Sets, Bulleid 'shorties', a couple of BRCW sets, several standard 3-sets and three sets of the Mk1, non-corridor, lwb, 'suburban' 3-sets (originally ran on the Exmouth Branch). Some with more success than others. I know Dapol would make 'em sooo much better than myself or 'the other lot'!

[Matt Pinto]

Really looking forward to both these vehicles coming out. I will definitely be up for at least one 3-car set and a brake compo. Just for interest, here is a shot of 3-set 392 in its twilight years on the S&D.

[Jeff Eastmond]

...with what looks like a 1929 high-window SK as a 'strengthener' on the back...

392 was one of the sets (392, 395-399, 446) that had the internal buffers removed by 1934.

The photo also shows the varied approaches to the destination board fitting and rainstrip removal over the years. The destination boards on the low-window stock were mounted immediately above the cantrail, although I do have photos of 'ex-works' individual vehicles with them on the lower rain strip. On the high-window stock they were mounted on the lower rain strip and the other coaches were supposed to be changed to suit. Then came the requirement to remove the upper rain-strip, but it is not known how the request as phrased - it seems the works got confused with 392 and instead of moving the brackets and removing the upper rain-strip they moved the brackets to the upper rain strip and removed the lower one instead.

Which leads me to comment that the Dapol low-window stock in lined Olive Green may have the destination board brackets on the in the wrong place in that period...

EDIT: Further research has revealed that the early Maunsell stock only had one rain strip, that which would be referred to as the 'upper' rainstrip on two rainstrip-fitted vehicles. Certainly the 3-sets 390-399 (order E94) were only fitted with the one rainstrip, as the photo of set 392 above and an ex-works picture of CK 5142 (set 397) show. An ex-works photo of Pantry Brake First 7715 for the Southampton Boat train has two rainstrips (with the destination board brackets above the lower rainstrip), so the change was made at the construction of this batch (order E100), or before. An in-service photo of FK 7669 of the Newhaven Boat train (order A97) also shows one rainstrip, so it can be assumed that this and the previous orders (E95/E96 for sets 469/470) had one rainstrip. This just leaves the Kitchen Diner First and Dining Third coaches (orders E98/E99) as uncertainties - my digging goes on.

My comment above is therefore revised to: the destination board brackets should be above the upper rainstrip on the Dapol Maunsell coaches, and the lower rainstrip shouldn't be there...

[bathonian46]

Thanks very much to Jeff Eastmond for that extremely clear and helpful Dapol production list and set formation details! I've just joined because I saw that list as a 'visitor'!

Jeff, I have catalogue number 2P-012-352 in front of me as I'm typing this, and I can positively confirm that it carries the running number S4049S on the model and on the box-end label.
Hope this helps! Apologies if others have already given you this info!

Happy modelling! Richard

[Jeff Eastmond]

No, Richard, you're the first to give me that info and it is much appreciated.

Data table above amended and reloaded.

[Jeff Eastmond]

My bit of modelling this afternoon was getting the set numbers onto the lined Olive Green Brake 3rds - the main PITA was getting the numbers aligned round the back of the handrail...

[Zaphras]

Hi Andy

I notice your initial post for this topic on the 7th June you said awaiting decorated samples for these - is there any news about when the samples are likely to appear?

Martin

[Dorsetmike]

Or better still is there yet any target release date for the 4 compartment brake 3rds? (I'm 82 and not getting any younger!)

[Richard Dapol]

Hi, I am just putting together the final decoration details.
For the first run we shall be producing both Maunsell and BR(S) Green livery. The 3rd. brake will be offered in a 3-car set, (I do like the picture posted by Matt of a three car set no. 392 on the S & D), whilst the composite brake will be as a single. We hope to have decorated samples before the end of the year. Once approved and a production slot allocated they should be available during early second quarter 2017, and to round off this series some high window versions will be considered for the future

[Jeff Eastmond]

Aah, I get your thinking now.

Which still begs the question: how come a major change (size of corridor windows) doesn't warrant a Diagram change, but a relatively trivial one (two small vents over the lavatory windows instead of one) does???

[Joel Dapol]

HI Dorsetmike, we will sell them separately as well

[Jeff Eastmond]

Paul, sorry to ressurrect this old conversation, but I have been reviewing the 2P-sets in view of the imminence of the BCKs being produced, there was a discussion of the running numbers that would be applied to them (see later in thread).

None of the 2P-sets had low-window Brake Thirds, two of them had low-window Brake Composites. I have prepared a table with the numbers and origins of the vehicles of the sets (per p.97 of Gould), but it won't let me post it here, so I'll put it in a separate post at the bottom of the thread.

[Jeff Eastmond]

Pictured at the Open Day yesterday. Apologies for poor reproduction - taken with a mobile phone and through the display cabinet window.

Looking very good so far...

[JeremiahBunyan]

Looks good! Any more pictures Jeff?

[Joel Dapol]

I will try and post some more when I get the chance.

[JeremiahBunyan]

Thank you Joel!