Having just purchased a good number of various Bulleid coaches courtesy of a wonderful source I have been making these into various sets. Thanks must go to @Chris in Prague for his help in achieving this.

I have now been left with 5x Second Open coaches and as chris points out these were used with kitchen and restaurant cars plus brake ends.

So my plan is to use 2 brake ends that I have renumbered, one second open that is required for car 3 in the 5 set and using 2 other SO not needed in sets to create kitchen restaurant cars using the BH Enterprises kits.

Now do I buy the kit which presumably allows me to make a proper 4 sided coach and then glaze it myself or is hacking the sides out of the GF coaches the way to go? I've never built coaches, apart from a NGS Gresley brake but that wasnt etched sides so help and advice if anyone has done this conversion or if theres another way to do it rather then hacking up some very respectable coaches.

i would consult :


http://nebula.wsimg.com/3bca648b6ecbd726f85397a45941e554?AccessKeyId=8C7C2C110638425F2686&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Yeah I spoke with Bob this morning,  and I will speak with Ray over the weekend at TINGS, was just wondering if any forum member had done any conversions with the new GF Bulleid coaches to offer advice on dos and don'ts

Etched brass sides ideally are best used over a clear smooth sides as per those that BHE sell.
The most recent R-T-R coaches such as the Bulleids have much more relief detail than previous models so need more preparation work. The advantage of using an R-T-R coach is that it has (hopefully) the right profile to ease shaping the sides and the ends should be reusable plus the roof maybe with some relocation of vents, piping etc.

If you've got the R-T-R coaches already, Id suggest cutting the sides out down to the lower edge of the window line to leave as much of the existing side to stick the brass side onto.

Thanks @PLD, it's a bit daunting using a brilliant RTR coach to butcher but dont see much else as previous GF plastic coaches wont be useful with no tumblehome on the sides, so remove existing roof and cut down the side ends and at bottom of windows chop off, file flat below and stick new sides on, quick paint glaze and job done

we will see what happens!!,