Close Coupling

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Proto87Stores

Close Coupling

Postby Proto87Stores » Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:37 pm

Image

Just checking on my (Gosh) 65 year ago memories. These (prototype) coaches would have been coupled with screw couplings and the buffers would always have been in contact. Or even slightly compressed by the couplings. Is either or both correct? For freight wagons, using 3 link or instanter couplings, would the buffers have always been simialrly in contact there also?

All answers or corrections appreciated.

Andy

PS Did Stratford actually repaint their teak Gresley suburbans a separate "brown" colour rather than the early BR standards red and maroon above after nationalization? I don't remember seeing the red in the 50's and I'm not sure about the maroon. Of course the heavy smoke deposits didn't help.

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grovenor-2685
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Re: Close Coupling

Postby grovenor-2685 » Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:57 pm

Proto87Stores wrote:Image

Just checking on my (Gosh) 65 year ago memories. These (prototype) coaches would have been coupled with screw couplings and the buffers would always have been in contact. Or even slightly compressed by the couplings. Is either or both correct?

Yes, the couplings were screwed up to get the buffers very slightly compressed.

For freight wagons, using 3 link or instanter couplings, would the buffers have always been simialrly in contact there also?

No, the three links left a gap of several inches, with no adjustment the gap was essential to allow coupling and uncoupling. Instanters in the long position as for 3-link, tipped into the short position the gap would be reduced substantially.

PS Did Stratford actually repaint their teak Gresley suburbans a separate "brown" colour rather than the early BR standards red and maroon above after nationalization? I don't remember seeing the red in the 50's and I'm not sure about the maroon. Of course the heavy smoke deposits didn't help.

Others will know better but I suspect that only applied to repaints before the standard red was introduced, but many were probably scrapped before getting the BR red let alone the later maroon.
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Keith
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Will L
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Re: Close Coupling

Postby Will L » Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:10 am

Proto87Stores wrote:,,,PS Did Stratford actually repaint their teak Gresley suburbans a separate "brown" colour rather than the early BR standards red and maroon above after nationalization? I don't remember seeing the red in the 50's and I'm not sure about the maroon. Of course the heavy smoke deposits didn't help.


The LNER did repaint older teak coaches a Teak brown colour so Stratford would have done that, Michael Harris's "Gresleys's Coaches" says York kept on painting them that colour until 1952. He doesn't mention Stratford.

Proto87Stores

Re: Close Coupling

Postby Proto87Stores » Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:10 pm

Just a quick interruption _ since I can't post to other areas of the forum. Cal-Scale was acquired by Bowser. They don't seem to offer the cast scale couplings any more. However a far better alternative is Sergent Engineering, who offer scale couplings that actually work.

Andy


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