Brighton Belle to Golden Arrow?

[Capri_sam]

Hi all,

Apologies if there is a better page for this - I couldn't see where it would easily go! I've had an idea in my head that if I had a couple of the Brighton Belle coach packs, with some new decals they would make a passable and nicely detailed Golden Arrow rake. Given second hand BB coach packs go for around £90 and you can easily pay £20 each for the ancient Farish models, the extra £10 per coach seems worth it for the improved fidelity, wheelset, detailing and lighting.

I'd obviously need to fit pickups to at least one bogie for the lights, replace a coupling, get some decals and coach numbers made up and find some basic underframe detailing, but how passable (and workable) do you think that would be as a solution? Were there other significant differences between the 5BEL and standard pullman types?

The only stand out tricky parts I can see from a cursory image search is that the windows on the Belle are rounded, but square on the Golden Arrow. I think I'd have to let that slide - beyond my capabilities to fix! There are also some differences in the bogie patterns but I think I could 3D print an overlay for that.

[Southerngooner]

You are a braver man than I! At over £100 for three coaches, plus the parts to modify them, I think this would be project too far for me.....

The BB has no underframe structure where the GA does, plus the roofs are inset over the doors on the latter. Re-doing the lettering will be difficult but not impossible, but overall I would steer clear of such a conversion with prices as they are. If I could get hold of a cheap secondhand set (dream on.....!) then I might just be tempted, but to do it right would be a bigger task than you think.

Bon chance!

[Capri_sam]

I suspect you're right. It was just a thought having seen what the ancient Farish jobs are going for these days - it doesn't seem all that far off the Arnold coach packs!

[Southerngooner]

Funnily enough I've never seen the old Farish ones going for much, they always seem to be £10/£15 in bins of older stock at shows.