Graham Farish Mk1 Maroon Coaches,

[tunneroner61]

Try this brilliant site http://www.ngauge.org.uk/index.php

Pictures of the different Farish Mk1 builds, catalogue numbers, livery details and running numbers.

[Newportnobby]

That is one I use a great deal. Most useful site.

[Steven B]

Check where the couplings are located. Mk1 Pullmans (which were never done pre Blue-Ribbon standard) and Mk2F's excepted all the other "Blue Ribbon" coaches from Farish have body mounted ones with close coupling mechanism and NEM pockets. Anything dating back to Poole era tooling (including early Chinese produced models) will have the coupling on the bogie.

Steven B.

[PLD]

If you have any boxes with said coaches a yellow stripe and a 4 digit number will indicate early poole farish. The more modern tooling has 6 digits. I did find this article a help https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/140512-how-to-know-the-difference/

Not quite that simple unfortunately... A four-digit number is Poole made, but there were at least two distinct styles - those with the separate window inserts and fully printed on a clear shell.
Six-digit numbers are post Bachmann takeover Chinese made, but that includes Chinese production of the older types (sometimes with improved printed detail) as well as Blue Ribbons types.
To be honest, all you need is a clear photo, and the difference is obvious. (roof, underframe, bogies, end details all give aways)...

[crewearpley40]

Yes Pld I knew it's not that simple, I saw others posts including Martyn' s at #14and I was trying to express myself when rudely interrupted. I knew the post takeover period models had 6 numbers  , poole era had 4 numbers. I was trying to find photos but would have suggested that idea

[Newportnobby]

as well as Blue Ribbons types.

Note please the correct term is 'Blue Riband' like as in the biscuit

[Bealman]

Can't get them here - actually maybe you can... I don't buy biscuits all that often

[belstone]

Check where the couplings are located. Mk1 Pullmans (which were never done pre Blue-Ribbon standard) and Mk2F's excepted all the other "Blue Ribbon" coaches from Farish have body mounted ones with close coupling mechanism and NEM pockets. Anything dating back to Poole era tooling (including early Chinese produced models) will have the coupling on the bogie.

Steven B.

Just to complicate things further there are two different leaf-sprung bogies on the Poole designed, Chinese made Mk1s.  At some point the tooling was reworked, the later ones have more convincing sideframe detail and the coupler pocket a bit closer to the bogie pivot for closer coupling.  I didn't spot this until I started fitting MTL knuckle couplers to some Chinese Mk1s to get rid of the huge gap between coaches.

Richard