Royal Mail Corridor Connectors

[dannyboy]

I have a number of Royal Mail/Rail Express carriages. I have looked at dozens of pictures on t'web but can not find what I am looking for  . Would a rake of these carriages have corridor connectors or, being non-passenger carrying, not bother? If they were fitted, anyone point me in the right direction of some decent photo's please, or, throwing the net wide, any other sources of information? 

[Newportnobby]

David,
I have half a dozen Farish 374-901 Royal Mail coaches and they have corridor connectors, as do the Farish 0787 Royal Mail BGs I have. I could be wrong but I seem to remember the connectors are a bit out of the ordinary and not everything could be connected to them on the prototype

[dodger]

If my memory is correct pre-nationalisation mail coaches used suspension gangways (LMS/GWR type) mounted off centre on the coach end to prevent them being connected to the passenger section. Mk1 mail vans had pullman gangways in the centre and coupled to other stock fitted with pullman gangways.

Dodger

[dannyboy]

Mick,

Did you fit the corridor connectors yourself - something like this? http://www.mbmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk/

@newportnobby

[Newportnobby]

Mick,

Did you fit the corridor connectors yourself - something like this? http://www.mbmodelrailwayproducts.co.uk/

Exactly those, David, as supplied by Barry M of this forum from that website.
@dannyboy

[dannyboy]

Thanks for that - another expense  There is always something - it's what makes this hobby of ours interesting, (innit?). 

[dannyboy]

Connectors ordered. Thanks Mick, (I think!). 
@newportnobby

[Newportnobby]

Connectors ordered. Thanks Mick, (I think!). 
@newportnobby

Hope you find them as good as I thought, David. BTW - have you got any Tacky Wax as you'll need it?
@dannyboy

[dannyboy]

Thanks for that Mick. I have some Tacky Wax ...... somewhere! All I have to do is find it  . 

[Newportnobby]

Thanks for that Mick. I have some Tacky Wax ...... somewhere! All I have to do is find it  . 

Firstly try that safe place - the man drawer

[Bealman]

All that comes out of mine are cockroaches.... it doesn't get opened that often 

[Steven B]

Back in the days of the big four (LNER/SR/GWR/LMS) there were two main types of corridor connection - Pullman and British Standard (BS). The Pullman type was used by the LNER and the SR. The BS by GWR and LMS. The Pullman type was used on British Rail Mk1 coaches

If vehicles of different types were to be coupled (e.g. a LMS Stanier coach to a BR Mk1) then an adaptor was needed. These were a faff to fit and so where different vehicles were used they'd be coupled to matching corridor connections where ever possible. A rake of Stanier and BR Mk1 would have all the Staniers together and all the Mk1s together, rather than say Stanier-Mk1-Stanier-Mk1.

TPO vans had corridor connections, although in the early days they were offset to one side. The idea being that this was more secure - they could be added to a normal passenger train and the public wouldn't be able to gain access to the TPO vans. A small number of BR TPO vans were built with an offset corridor at one end, and a centre corridor at the other to allow earlier vans to be used with later built vans where a centre corridor was used.


TPO vans (e.g. the Farish POS sorting van) were used on TPO trains where there was a need for the sorting staff to take bags of mail from one vehicle to another; The corridor connections would therefore need to be made. Similarly where BGs are included in the train, the corridor connections would be connected and the doors unlocked.

Pre-sorted post and parcels were carried in vans without corridor connections (e.g. Mk1 GUV, CCT). If a parcels train were made of a mix of corridor connections and standard vans then where applicable the corridor connections would be made so the guard would have access to neighbouring vehicles.


Happy modelling.

Steven B.

[dodger]

Back in the days of the big four (LNER/SR/GWR/LMS) there were two main types of corridor connection - Pullman and British Standard (BS). The Pullman type was used by the LNER and the SR. The BS by GWR and LMS. The Pullman type was used on British Rail Mk1 coaches


Happy modelling.

Steven B.

The SR post office vans had offset suspension (BS) gangways.

Dodger

[Barry M]

Instructions for fitting for your info.

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/b088a201/files/uploaded/Corridor%20Connector%20Instructions.pdf

[Newportnobby]

Instructions for fitting for your info.

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/b088a201/files/uploaded/Corridor%20Connector%20Instructions.pdf

@Barry M
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms over your layout, Barry. Any chance of a fixupdate please?