[Wayne Rite]

Paul's right, Hornby will supply you with conversion sets to bring the early Pullmans up to the latest standard, however there is one modification which I feel is mandatory. As the cars come (they were allways Pullman Cars not coaches) the gangways are the same as fitted to the Gresly coaches, in a word Horrible! and that the gangway doors don't come down to the bottom of the gangway. Roger Keen of Keen Systems makes a modification kit for the Pullmans whic addresses the problem of the older style coupling and correct gangways with sprung end doors.
I have fitted them to four cars so far and instead of using Kadees between cars I have been using either the Roco coupling or Hornbys very close copy which is actually longer. this means the gangway ends are in contact on the straight and move apart sufficiently to allow the vehicles to negotiate complicated point work and less than ideal curves. Plus the cars look better with the Keen gangways fitted.
The Devon Belle cars are fitted with the latest type coupling gear so can utilise the Roco style coupling within the rake and use a NEM shanked Kadee on the outer ends, or there is a Bachmann coupling in their Ezy range which has the standard US style coupler head and jaw which mates with the Kadees, it dosen't have the flexibility of the Kadee (no head sidesway movement but the Hornby Close coupling mechanism seems to cope with this.)

Anyway, have a go at keeping the close coupling, if you rub some powdered graphite into the parts it's amazing how smooth it becomes!

 

[Wayne Rite]

After I read my last post, I realised there was one other modification I made on the Pullman Cars. As they come, the side buffers are beautifully sprung, but in use the real thing were retracted when coupled using the buckeyes, the buckeyes kept them together and the sprung diaphragm plates had springs top and bottom to keep the cars apart. The Buffer shanks had saddles to make them extend when coupled to a loco, loco's with buckeyes came much, much later so the train was always coupled using screwed couplings and the side buffers extended. Incidentally Roger Keen makes alternate parts for the buffers as well, have a look at his website.

I utilised Hornbys buffers by pulling them out gently and removing the tiny springs (save them for another day), and then I put the merest skerrick of Super glue in the raised part of the shank and pushed them back into the stock. If you done it right it will be retained but can be be undone by a gentle tug with your finger nails.

I give the buffers a weathered finish as they are for all intents and purposes superflous whilst the cars are in a rake, but needed to be extended if the car was to run with British Standard gangways (LMS or GWR type)

As an aside, I once watched the B4 'Normandy' attempting to couple two cars together in the platform at Sheffield Park, the loco would nudge Fingle against the other car which because it didn't have it's brakes applied, took the nudge and then started to roll off down the track to Horsted Keynes, someone jumped into the other car (a BR MK1 example - the name escapes me) and pulled the comminication cord and brought the car to rest. There then ensued several attempts to couple the cars together to the obvious chagrin of the Station Foreman, as the loco crew drew Fingall further and further back and then charged down on the MK1 to make the couplings engage. At about the fifth attempt with Normandy skidding behind Fingall the two engaged with the audible sound of smashing crockery and swearing of the Station Foreman, the loco uncoupled and ran off leaving the two cars in the platform, the Station Foreman yelled at the crew to come back and take the offending vehicles out of his (blanking) station and they replied that they were dangerously low on water in the boiler and had to get to a water column fast. It was at this point my lift came and found me and took me back to my parents place, so didn't see the outcome but the whole saga was half an hour of pure slapstick worthy of the Keystone Cops!