This week I managed to finish off the BR MK1 CK coach lighting and detailing. This is third coach finished for the Charlton layout. The lighting is the Express Models lighting kit, designed to work off DCC. It is a relatively simple fix to get this into the coach, requiring the cutting down of the internal partitions.
Finished coach with the lights on.
The effect in the dark is realistic and adds a great dimension to running the layout.
The coach was taken apart and the glazing removed. The roof, coach sides, chassis/ends and bogies were all detailed individually. A three link coupling was added to one end of the coach. Then the body and sides were given an overall weathering wash applied with a paintbrush, with the majority of the wash brushed off. The sides, roof and chassis were then weathered using an airbrush, with various shades of roof dirt, weathered black, sleeper grime, frame dirt, rust and white added. The interior moulding was cut down and the seats were painted red, with a handful of passengers added.
Coach taken apart for detailing.
Three link coupling added at one end.
The painted interior.
When this was all complete, the glazing was glued back onto the coach sides and the roof/coach sides joined together. A small piece of plastic rod was glued to the join between the roof and coach sides and any holes filled with glue and glaze. This was then painted black in an effort to stop light bleed. The coach was reassembled with the lighting unit in place. This was a bit of a tight squeeze. The pick ups were added to one bogie and the connecting wires to the pick ups soldered on, once the bogies had been reattached. I drill a small hole in the bogie to feed the wires from the coach to the pick ups.
Pick ups glued onto the bogie. Note the hole drilled in the bogie to pass the pick up wires through.
The wires from the lighting unit trailing out of the coach.
Overall I am pretty happy with this coach. There is a tiny bit of light bleed which is really annoying - I either missed it with the paint or the tight squeeze has forced the joint a little. Either way, I cannot face taking the whole coach apart and it is only on one side, so I am going to live with it for now. It is not too noticeable but maybe in a few weeks I will take it back apart.
The interior and the passengers visible.
So this is now three coaches with internal lighting and detailing for Charlton. The three coach train is too long for the run around loop at Charlton, so it will necessitate some interesting manoeuvres, with a locomotive stabled in the siding. I am doing a show at East Grinsted in March - so I look forward to running this coach then. I might even get the BSK done in the meantime as well. I am currently looking at developing the locomotive fleet further and have a Heljan Hymek and Bachmann Class 43 to get on with detailing, so there are plenty of projects to keep me busy.
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