Citadel's Workbench - Carlisle in late Victorian times

[Compound2632]

On 02/09/2024 at 10:28, Citadel said:

It does make me realise though that I'm not sure what the colour of the carriages should be - is it brown rather than red?  When the Midland took ownership of the carriages were they repainted in crimson?

 

Photographs show that the elaborate lining was retained, the only change being to substitute MIDLAND for PULLMAN in the eves:

 

 

[Embedded link to catalogue thumbnail of MRSC 64298]

 

This is drawing room car number 8, originally Pullman parlour car Albion of 1876, photographed before it was converted to a picnic saloon in 1894. The ex-Pullman cars were generally withdrawn from express passenger trains to save weight during the coal strike of 1893; they were then very carefully stored with a close eye being kept on the inside and outside condition. As far as I can tell, the entered picnic saloon traffic in the same external condition. So I think they were never re-painted but re-varnished sufficiently often that the original paintwork did not degrade. My doubt is about those cars that were used for motor-train experiments in 1906-8. The fancy lining-out isn't convincingly visible in photos but the word MIDLAND is still in the previous position on the eves; they don't look very shiny, so I suspect they were still in the original finish, but had been allowed to 'go'.

[Citadel]

Have spent the last couple of days building up the 42' Diners from the test etch, here's one of them:

 

 

Biggest show in town here is the clerestory roof.  John Redrup sent me some of the machined wooden roofs he had made for the 45' Family Saloon kit but these are only 8' wide.  First step was to cut them carefully along each side of the clerestory and let in thin wooden strips to make them wider.  Still have the etched sides to superglue to the clerestory moulding.

 

For the ends used the same technique that @Jol Wilkinson had designed into the 45' Family Saloon (they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery)

 

 

The roof slips inside the carriage sides / ends - here is it being put in place:  

 

 

Still need to fit a plasticard strip to hide the interface between the carriage sides / roof but pleased with the end result:

 

 

Quite enjoyed the woodwork, will be good practice for the Midland Pullmans 🙂

[Compound2632]

12 hours ago, Citadel said:

Still need to fit a plasticard strip to hide the interface between the carriage sides / roof but pleased with the end result

 

The gutter. I can't find a good photo. The 30' 1" carriages book?  Anyway, you knew that.

Edited September 6 by Compound2632