The Humberston Amendments

After much deliberation as to how good a job I could make of it, I removed the drop-frames in the windows from the ex-Ashover coach. Using a 0.5mm drill bit a hole was drilled in each corner of the frame and with a new blade in the craft knife I carefully cut around the edge of the frame. This removed the frames quite cleanly and any tidying up was achieved with an emery board and one of my home made sanding sticks.

Some reconstruction work was required to create the LCLR style frames. It's nowhere near the amount of reconstruction the real thing has received! The more I look at photos the more I can see how the non-platform side of the coach currently in use at Winthorpe is in effect totally new, replacing the side removed when the coach was used as a stand at a sports ground. As such the model will never fully replicate the prototype, but I can live with that.

Having removed the moulded drop-frames I replaced them with a representation of the LCLR window frames. I've made an allowance to semi flush-glaze by leaving a 20 thou recess at the back of the new arrangement, to achieve this another brass template was created to assist. The new pieces started with the sill cut from 10 x 30 thou Evergreen strip, then the inner beading from fine strips cut from 5 thou Evergreen sheet. A further strip of 5 thou material has been added across the top of the side to represent a strip that on the prototype is attached to the roof. This is supported over the doorways by a strip of 30 x 60 thou styrene reduced down on one edge.

The end windows had a new insert along the bottom edge from 10 x 20 thou strip. I've also added lamp brackets at both ends in the LCLR position, and representations of the bolt heads on the corner post from 0.5mm styrene rod. On the side with doorways further slices of rod represent the fixings at the end of the handrails (removed at the moment to be reinstated after painting). I've also added a representation of detail to the base of the brake handle using an EDM Models bolt head/washer and a slice of larger plastic rod.

I have opted not to alter the tiebars and to accept this as a compromise, I've also decided not to add air brake pipes etc, these were only added in the 1980s and I can only find evidence of this vehicle having an air brake pipe at one end whilst at Humberston, but both ends at Winthorpe. As these details are a bit ambiguous I have left them off, but they could be added at a later date if required.

Colin