Suitable coaches

[Shadow.Monk]

Hi all.

I own a A1 and A4 in wartime black, so obviously going for a ww2 theme. What coaches are suitable for these 2 locomotives for the time? Thank you :)

[Postman Prat]

 Gresley teaks

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Depends what livery your A4's are in, but generally A4's are in LNER livery, so LNER Teak Coaches will do the job perfectly.

[81F]

You could probably justify some other companies pre nanionalisation coaches as troop trains or other through workings. Possibly also trains of evacuated children though as this took place early on in the war I'm not sure wartime black would have been widespread then.

 

I would also suggest some suitable freight wagons as even express passengers were put to use on such lowley workings as the need arose. an LNER brake would be a must (preferably with NE in small letters above the number. As to freight wagons any of the big four's stock could be used again go for the small letters above the number although some of the large lettered variety would have survived.

 

Airfix military vehicles also make interesting wagon loads if you can get a suitable wagon to put it on, perhapse a bren gun carrier or jeep on a flat wagon or Matedore on a Lowmac/Loriot P.

[81F]

 Just remembered no resturant cars or Pullmans as I think they were taken out of service during WW2.

[LCDR]

 As you quite clearly say your locos are in WW2 wartime black livery this puts them firmly in the mid War period through to the end (1942 - 1946). This was a period of austerity hence the black livery and the coaches would be of Gresley origin  in the varnished teak livery, but starting to show signs if weathering. If you wish to be authentic do not be tempted to run Thompson or BR Mark 1 carriages, the former were not introduced until 1946 and the latter 1950.

 

There would also still have been a fair bit of pre-Grouping stock around, especially East Coast Joint Stock, but as no-one yet makes these ready to run you will need to consider scratch or kit building these if you want them..

[81F]

 There is always the Ian Kirk range of plastic coach kits from Coopercraft which might broaden your range also you could use the short Hornby Clerestory Coaches. However the later are not models of any particular prototype but at least have the feel of an ex-NER or ex-GCR coach.

 

[Shadow.Monk]

Thanks for the info guys.

This morning, I forgot where, I read that only 2 a4 locomotives were in wartime black livery, 4499 and 4901. Can anyone please confirm if this information is correct?

 

Thanks :)

[Postman Prat]

 Hi Shadow Monk

 

I should forget that 'scource of information'. All 35 A4s were painted in wartime black livery

[LCDR]

 As too were the non-streamlined Pacifics and V2s, B1s,  B17s etc, etc. . From about 1942 no green or blue repaints were done until 1945. The same applied on all the other railways although the GW did use plain green for some. The LMS Duchesses looked horrible in plain all over black.

 

On the Southern the new Merchant Navy Pacifics 21C1 to 21C7 were turned out in green at first but 21C8  to 21C20 left Eastleigh in black. and the first 7 were painted black all over by 1944. Also by 1944 all the first batch had lost their 'Widow's Peak' so by the time the SR started painted them green again the front end had been completely redesigned.  So Hornby's models of 21C1 Channel Packet and 21C3 Royal Mail with the 'Widows Peak' front end in lined Malachite existed in this form only from  August 1941 until August 1943 for 21C1 (Hood fitted August 1943, painted black January 1944),  and October 1941 until May 1943 for 21C3 (painted black May 1943, hood fitted January 1944) (21C1 underwent quite a few minor changes of appearance between introduction and 1942 while they sorted out the livery)

 

When clean the wartime black with sunshine lettering could look smart, but unfortunately few locos were cleaned, and a dirty loco looked awful. (The LNER and Southern both adopted a form of sunshine lettering the Southern's was green shaded, the LNER shaded red.)