Stevenson Coaches

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Mark Tatlow
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Stevenson Coaches

Postby Mark Tatlow » Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:16 pm

I stumbled across news that the Stevenson Coaches range has been acquired by Squires Tools.

I am not sure whether they will sell them at shows but there are now listings for portions of the range on ebay and the listing suggests that they are introducing much of or all of the range:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384206387129 ... Swoa9gu0y3
Mark Tatlow

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Horsetan
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Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:24 am

Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Horsetan » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:30 pm

Mark Tatlow wrote:I stumbled across news that the Stevenson Coaches range has been acquired by Squires Tools.

I am not sure whether they will sell them at shows but there are now listings for portions of the range on ebay and the listing suggests that they are introducing much of or all of the range:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384206387129 ... Swoa9gu0y3


That and SE Finecast.
That would be an ecumenical matter.

Daddyman
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Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2017 1:09 pm

Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Daddyman » Fri Jun 18, 2021 7:44 am

I'd never heard of them. Were they any good? I see they do a beaver-tail observation car, which I imagine is very hard to do well.

Mark Tatlow
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Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:24 pm

Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Mark Tatlow » Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:24 pm

Daddyman wrote:I'd never heard of them. Were they any good? I see they do a beaver-tail observation car, which I imagine is very hard to do well.


Largely.

Etched sides and underframes, often with cast ends (but you can substitute etched ends from 5522 or Comet) and bogies. So of their time I suspect that the dome glazing to the beavertail would be a real challenge mind........!

I am not certain of the full range; a few LNWR toplights were what I was after plus I know they did a good selection of LMS TPOs and TSOs. I don't think that was the end of the range, just of what had caught my eye in the past.
Mark Tatlow

Daddyman
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Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Daddyman » Sat Jun 19, 2021 7:43 am

Thanks, Mark. As long as the etched sides were decent, I could probably do something with the bits that are less so.

It could probably be converted to the wedge-shaped one if push came to shove (the real ones were after all).

If google images is anything to go by, no one has ever built one...

petermeyer
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Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby petermeyer » Sat Jun 19, 2021 8:17 am

There seems to be quite a price hike. The ones I bought from the previous owner at shows in the North not so long ago have a price ticket of £28 on the boxes! Some prices have almost doubled! I have an LNWR 42' corridor composite on the go at the moment.

The other LNWR carriages that were with 247 Developments seem to have disappeared from the market though there was some duplications with the Stevensons range.

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Jol Wilkinson
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Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Jol Wilkinson » Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:07 am

The Stevenson Coaches range have a somewhat dark and mysterious history, going back to Brian Badger , Dave Gillott and others in the West Midlands group of modellers that included Ralph Jackson (Jackson Evans), Errol Surman (247) and Barrie Jones (Modellers World) amongst others, AFAIK. Pete Waterman may also have been part of it.

The etched sides and other bits appeared under various labels possibly including JE. Brian Badger supplied kits under his name and these may have become the Stevenson Carriages range. I have built examples of both and the instructions looked identical. Paul Barker took over the Stevenson Carriages range (as well as Millhome Models locos kits a bit later) and these are what have become part of Squires collection. They appear to be marketing them through Facebook and Ebay.

When Gary Wells took over the 247 range he was able to supply the parts that Errol Surman had previously supplied and would make up complete kits on request. When the 247 range was acquired by Brian Mosby, the current owner, the carriage items disappeared from sale, possibly still the property of Errol Surman.

These are best described as "mixed format" kits, etched sides, interior corridor partition, brake gear, cast w/m sides, battery boxes and bogies, extruded aluminium roof, paxolin strip floor, Barrie Stevenson produced the range as he acquired it, adding a couple of LNWR kits in the same format (but with 4mm overlength cast resin clerestory roofs). The casting could be variable quality and it was a disappointment that etched ends weren't included, as in the JE etched side /end carriage packs. No other improvements were made to the kits to bring them more up to date. A kit for the more experienced modeller and, providing the castings are good, can be turned out as a nice model with a bit of effort. They are quite heavy so a set of decent etched bogie frames are a must, adding the thinned down castings for the detail for good running.

petermeyer
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Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby petermeyer » Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:48 am

Jol,

How much would you have to take off the cast bogies? I would think you might need to keep them substantial to have the weight low down where you need it.

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Jol Wilkinson
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Re: Stevenson Coaches

Postby Jol Wilkinson » Sat Jun 19, 2021 11:32 am

Petr,

from memory you have to file off the bolster and frame end mountings and then just thin down the backs of then side fremes a bit. They still end up quite heavy.

I originally used MJT compensated etched bogies but now use the Brassmasters version as I prefer the centre bolt mounting.

Jol


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