N Gauge Forum

General Category => N Gauge Discussion => Topic started by: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 04:09:59 PM

Title: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 04:09:59 PM
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?  :beers:
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Newportnobby on June 20, 2017, 04:55:05 PM
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 :hmmm:
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dodger on June 20, 2017, 05:21:01 PM
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
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 05:21:17 PM
Mick,

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

@newportnobby (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264)
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Newportnobby on June 20, 2017, 09:11:47 PM
Quote from: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 05:21:17 PM
Mick,

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


Exactly those, David, as supplied by Barry M of this forum from that website.
@dannyboy (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=4209)
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 09:53:53 PM
Thanks for that - another expense  :doh: There is always something - it's what makes this hobby of ours interesting, (innit?).  :beers:
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 10:29:01 PM
Connectors ordered. Thanks Mick, (I think!).  ;D
@newportnobby (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264)
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Newportnobby on June 21, 2017, 10:11:52 AM
Quote from: dannyboy on June 20, 2017, 10:29:01 PM
Connectors ordered. Thanks Mick, (I think!).  ;D
@newportnobby (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=264)

Hope you find them as good as I thought, David. BTW - have you got any Tacky Wax as you'll need it?
@dannyboy (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=4209)
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dannyboy on June 21, 2017, 10:41:20 AM
Thanks for that Mick. I have some Tacky Wax ...... somewhere! All I have to do is find it  :hmmm:.  :beers:
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Newportnobby on June 21, 2017, 10:42:41 AM
Quote from: dannyboy on June 21, 2017, 10:41:20 AM
Thanks for that Mick. I have some Tacky Wax ...... somewhere! All I have to do is find it  :hmmm:.  :beers:

Firstly try that safe place - the man drawer ;D
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Bealman on June 21, 2017, 10:52:52 AM
All that comes out of mine are cockroaches.... it doesn't get opened that often  :-\
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Steven B on June 21, 2017, 12:03:36 PM
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.
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: dodger on June 21, 2017, 01:51:01 PM
Quote from: Steven B on June 21, 2017, 12:03:36 PM
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
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Barry M on June 22, 2017, 11:41:47 AM
Instructions for fitting for your info.

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/b088a201/files/uploaded/Corridor%20Connector%20Instructions.pdf
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Newportnobby on June 22, 2017, 12:19:18 PM
Quote from: Barry M on June 22, 2017, 11:41:47 AM
Instructions for fitting for your info.

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

@Barry M (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2806)
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms over your layout, Barry. Any chance of a fixupdate please?
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: martyn on June 22, 2017, 12:30:43 PM
There is a close up photo of LNER practice in 'Historic carriage Drawing;LNER' by Campling, and more distant photos in 'LNER Carriages' by Harris.
'Mk1 Coaching stock of British railways' by Parkin states that 'most' BR standard stock had centre gangways, but 8 vans for the Western Region service to/from Bristol and Newcastle had off set gangways, but were later rebuilt.

HTH

Martyn
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: Barry M on June 22, 2017, 01:07:22 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on June 22, 2017, 12:19:18 PM
Quote from: Barry M on June 22, 2017, 11:41:47 AM
Instructions for fitting for your info.

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

@Barry M (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2806)
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms over your layout, Barry. Any chance of a fixupdate please?

I'll do one imminently! Thank you for your interest!
Title: Re: Royal Mail Corridor Connectors
Post by: RichardBattersby on June 22, 2017, 06:17:06 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on June 22, 2017, 12:19:18 PM
Quote from: Barry M on June 22, 2017, 11:41:47 AM
Instructions for fitting for your info.

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

@Barry M (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2806)
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms over your layout, Barry. Any chance of a fixupdate please?

Seconded!  :thankyousign: