Early GF Suburban. What's the Date!

[Roy L S]

Actually, ignoring couplings (of which Farish went through several types before returning to sprung ones as they'd started with in 1970) there are two patterns of bodies and two patterns of underframes on the pre=BR coaches. The one in the flock box is the early pattern. If you look round the windows there's a radius right round them, a 'soft' edge as it were. Some time in the late '70s all four bodies were retooled with a thin raised frame, like the bolection mouldings used on LMS Period II and Maunsell coaches (quite appropriately given the body patterns) round the windows as seen here: http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/20048869/aview/1376467357470_IMG_2454.jpg This coach also has the later underframe with smooth solebars - the early coaches are again as the flocked box example. The change of underframe happened after the change in windows so there are examples about with the early underframe and the later body. Interestingly the later underframe has separate, plug-in trussing whereas the earlier chassis is in one piece.

I stand corrected, we live and learn!

Many thanks for the info Bernard.

Regards

Roy

[BernardTPM]

I noticed when I was rebuilding some and had to make sure I spliced the same patterns of bodies together so they didn't look odd! 

[dodger]

Thanks for that Bernard, it must have been the first style of body shell I saw. At least I managed to find a later style version, even if it had non sprung couplings.

Dodger