[Noggins Friend]

Having recently acquired 6 of these and having modified them by fitting Hornby's close fitting couplings as supplied with the maunsells and fitted corridor connectors from Modellers Mecca at Wall Heath, they look fantastic. Am I right in thinking that Hornby have not as yet produced a full brake version. These were everywhere in the 50s/60s often sitting in sidings or on centre lines in large stations. I would love one.

 

[34C]

Hornby made a rather bizarre selection of vehicles for their five Gresley coaches. The buffet car was a very sensible choice, but they could really have done with end vestibule side corridor third brake, first and third in place of the side door vehicles as these lasted longer in BR traffic; and the ubiquitous and widely travelled full brake instead of an uncommon sleeper. (Bachmann in their range of Thompsons did include a full brake - one of the rarest LNER full brakes, about as common as Hornby's sleeper!) Perhaps no one at Hornby realised how long the Gresley full brakes lasted in traffic all over the BR network.

The simplest solution are the Ian Kirk kits now available from Coopercraft. These come in 61'6" and 52'6"corridor and 51' non-corridor types, and also from Coopercraft the Mailcoach Thompson Matchboarded full brake. You can also graft a Gresley roof onto the Bachmann Thompson full brake, to produce a passable Gresley steel panelled 61'6" full brake. Rather than bother with the floppy kit bogies buy Bachmann's 'Thompson' (actually Gresley) pattern bogies.

 

[Noggins Friend]

Thanks 34. Another question. I have purchased some Bachmann Thompson bogies. I have been buying Thompsons on ebay but many of them have old plastic wheels and I had hoped to replace the bogies so that they had the more modern couplings. I have found though the new bogies have raised platform around the area where the screw attaches to the coach, this means that they run about 3 mm higher than those without new bogies. Any ideas?

 

[34C]

Completely clueless on that one. All the packs I have bought of 36-006 and 36-006A were exactly the same in form in this respect as the bogies on the Thompson coaches. 36-006A has the metal wheels and small coupler. Sounds like the pattern has been modified, have Bachmann used this bogie under a different vehicle I wonder?

Is it possible to cut away the upstand around the screwhole, and rework the area to match that of the bogies on the coaches?

 

[Noggins Friend]

I do not think so. The raised bit is hollow. It you cut it away, there is nothing the capture the screw

 

[34C]

In that case, if you want to use these bogies nothing for it but to cut away what is unwanted, then modify with plasticard and butanone solvent to replicate the original bogies. (You will need butanone or 'Plastic Magic' rather than mek-pak or polystyrene cement to get a strong enough bond to the waxy polymer Bachmann use for their bogies.)

Alternatively, can you transfer the wheels and new couplers to the old bogie frames after the original moulded on coupler is cut away?

 

[Noggins Friend]

The ones I have are 3006A. The profile is different from the ones as supplied on the later coaches with smaller couplings.