GCR clerestory coaches
Some years ago I wrote up construction of a Perseverance GCR 50ft clerestory composite in BRM (November 1988 - see Articles Index for more details). Here are the pictures, plus the never-used constructional ones that also showed the 3rd brake. I have also added some more prototype views.
The ends have the wrong profile: here they are being corrected with extra brass soldered on and then filed to the correct outline - it makes a big difference!
And here's the result, well worth the fix! Adding train alarm gear on one of the ends helps too. :-)
General view of the chassis reworked with the fixtures in the correct place.
A closer view of the underframe with a bogie in place. The black area is Plastikard to fill a hole where small parts had been etched. The battery boxes have had backs added. The brake gear is a combination of brass and ABS and MJT parts. The wrongly-etched and unused parts on the floor are clearly visible.
A blow-up of one of the bogies showing the modifications and use of brass strip.
General view of the 3rd brake almost ready for the paint shop. The ducket (made out of Plastikard) has yet to be added. Roof, body, interior and chassis are separate units for ease of painting.
The composite finished in post-1908 varnished wood livery. These coaches were panelled in mahogany, hence the rich, dark colour.
The 1st class end of the composite with a well-to-do passenger looking out of the window. The frosted glass lavatory windows were a delicious part of these kits.
Ex-GCR clerestory lavatory composite No E580E at Malton in 1955.
Ex-GCR clerestory 3rd No 5131 at Banbury in 1949, part of a train that has worked down the Banbury Branch from Woodford Halse.
D11 No 5503 Somme near Sheffield in the early 1930s with a Marylebone-Manchester express made up with fully roof-boarded Gresley 61'6" stock plus, behind the tender, a strengthener for which an ex-GCR clerestory composite has been used. Being a semi-open design, access to lavatories would have been assured, but not to the restaurant car! There are several pictures of this kind of working, almost certainly in summer.
Other GC models are here:
