Blue Pullman

Peter,

It doesn't, to the best of my knowledge, exist as a PC font.

But despair not! I have done all the hard work for you and designed the definitive Blue Pullman transfer sheets. The lettering has been digitally traced from close-up photos of the original.

These sheets have been designed using original Metro-Cammell source material and include lots of lettering that I hadn't realised existed until I gained access to works photos.

As I am building my long-promised and fabulously expensive Midland Pullman from Kitmaster kits, you may be assured that nothing less than spot-on transfers will suit me, so they are as accurate as is humanly possible - for me at least!

See

If you need a scale which is not listed, let me know - I may well be able to help.

Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

Acording to "Blue Pullman" by Kevin Robertson and published last year, the wording was in "shaded, Egyptian slab-serif lettering". Unfortunately, Mr Robertson does not say what the size of the lettering was. On a related subject I, too, have an unmade Kitmaster Midland Pullman six-car set which - one day - I hope to get round to building. What power plant are you using, or intending to use? Hope the first paragraph helps the discussion, and thanks in anticipation of replies to the second.

David Costigan

Thanks for the information, both of which I will follow up.

I'm buying some 2nd hand Hornby models and am planning to swap the powerplant with a new C110 5 pole engine, with suitable modifications to the ex Hornby chassis and re-glaze the windows (I might end up using a unpowered trailing car for the power car). As my model railway is set broadly east of Manchester in the period 1957-63, a 6 car Blue Pullman would be almost suitable. However, the Hornby models were based on Western Pullman stock, so I need to partly repaint, add "Midland Pullman" to the lead/trailing coaches and renumber.

PETER

"Peter Tomlin" wrote

However, the Hornby models were based on Western Pullman stock, so I need to partly repaint, add "Midland Pullman" to the lead/trailing coaches and renumber.

PETER

Peter, Tri-Ang, Not Hornby ! Also don't forget to remove the black panel at the side of the guards doors - A destination blind. I suggest gentle scraping with a craft knife to remove the rim. (This is for the power cars if not using Kitmaster).

The Midland Pullmans also had a smaller seating area in the power car - Two windows and a frosted toilet. - Not three as per the Tri-Ang model (He says not having it to hand as a refernce!)

Good Luck! I am also in the same throws of doing the same, but all in Tri-ang. The two kitchen cars have been formed from the rear halfs of 4 surplus power cars!

Andy

Vandalism! :o)

(kim)

If its anything like here, there are loads of 2nd hand power/dummy cars around, but the centre cars are as rare as hens teeth. No doubt because most Pullman's seemed to be sold as 3 car sets and few were expanded to even a 4 car set let alone 6 or 8.

"Kevin Martin" wrote

If its anything like here, there are loads of 2nd hand power/dummy cars around, but the centre cars are as rare as hens teeth. No doubt because most Pullman's seemed to be sold as 3 car sets and few were expanded to even a 4 car set let alone 6 or 8.

Kevin Martin

Exactly. Now I have two Kitchen/Parlour cars with the aid of brass inlay windows - infact all are being replaced with these inlays.

At an exhibition today - There is a Tri-Ang stand. All he has on display is the later Grey/Blue Pullman and no centre car!

Andy

David,

I am just starting the same project, using Kitmaster kits obtained at silly prices via Ebay; (hence the introduction of my Blue Pullman transfer sheets).

The build spec. is as follows :-

Two 38mm. wheelbase 14mm. wheel diameter Black Beetles, (obtained directly from the manufacturers in Australia), in bogies 1 and 12. The original Black Beetle wheels will be replaced by Markits 14mm. dia. Mk.1 profiled insulated wheels with nickel tyres, with pick-ups adjusted to sit the larger wheel diameter.

(An alternative would be to power bogies 4 and 9 under the kitchen sections of the kitchen cars, but this would require 34mm. wheelbase Black Beetles).

I opted for the former arrangement as the only visible part of the raised floor will be in the driver's cabs, and shortening the seat plinths should disguise this almost completely. The latter arrangement would offer the advantage of better distribution of traction throughout the rake, but at the expense of unpowered 'power cars' and the consequent misplacement of the motor noise.

In either case, a 1.5mm. thick plastic card overlay applied to the upper face of the interior floor insert should give the correct pivot height for the Black Beetles. Cutouts will be required below this overlay in the interior and main floors. By locating and screw-fixing the overlay first, the existing Kitmaster pivot hole can be used to locate the new raised pivot hole before the floor appertures are cut.

All other wheels will be Markits 14mm. dia. Mk.1 profiled wheels with nickel tyres live-to-axle on one side . Each bogie will have low friction wiper pick-ups onto the live axles, with the power transmitted up into the car body via brass bogie pivot screws. Each car will have a two-track copper-clad bus bar in place of the supplied steel weight bars; (extra weight will be in the form of lead sheet in the toilet compartments).

These arrangements will allow power collection from all axles, albeit positive from one bogie and negative from the other bogie of each trailer car. Inter-car power transmission will be a-la-prototype; ie. cable connections at waist level on the car ends, with miniature pins and sockets stripped out of Maplin's mini connectors.

Variable close-coupling will be via Roco NEM socket underfloor units, joined by rigid bars as supplied with the Bachmann Intermodal wagons

Etched windscreen wipers and turned brass horns have been sourced, as have Hornby Class 60 sprung buffers - nearly correct and only requiring a few strokes of the file to make them spot-on for the Blue Pullmans.

I had thought of working table lights as in the Hornby Pullmans, but that is a little beyond my skills, I think. I will try and replace the rather chunky Kitmaster lamps with some produced from nickel silver wire and clear plastc rod, though.

Paints will be Phoenix; transfers my own - naturally!

This high-cost spec. should produce a model nearly to the standard which Hornby could achieve if only they could be convinced that the market is there!

I hope that this helps - I wonder who will finsih first?

Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

"cctransuk" wrote

(hence the introduction of my Blue Pullman transfer sheets). Regards, John Isherwood, Cambridge Custom Transfers.

John, Are there any images of what this sheet looks like ? ( No I'm not thinking of ripping it off !) As I am curious as to what the transfers that" you'd probably not even noticed it on the prototype " are ? (B&W would be fine) or a writen list ?

John,

No doubt in my mind that you - with what appears to be the most careful planning - will have yours in service long before mine hits the rails! Best of luck, and hope it all works as you have planned.

David Costigan

"David Costigan"wrote

To type designers, "Egyptian" is not a face but a generic style - as said, one with slab serifs, and often to fairly square proportions in the capitals. So that still wouldn't make it matchable from an existing source. It appears to be a version of the Pullman Company's house-style lettering which is characteristic of American display lettering of the 1880s when Pullman's went into business.

A commercial Egyptian typeface not unlike the BP lettering is Clarendon Bold (see the standard weight font on the URL above), but even so it's good to know Mr Isherwood has done a definitive decal set for those of us (I'm another, and there are many) who "one day" are going to have a full Blue Pullman swooshing round the layout. Got two power cars (unmotorised but who wants Triang's clompy motor bogie when there are so many good motors on the market now?) and one Triang parlour; still looking for the rest... (the dream find at a car boot, of course, rather than eBay).

Tony Clarke

Andy,

Did you get my off-list response?

Regards, John Isherwood.

Andy Sollis wrote:

John, No... Try snipped-for-privacy@cvmrd.freeserve.co.uk

Andy

Did you get my off-list response?

Regards, John Isherwood.

Andy Sollis wrote:

Andy,

Message duly sent to snipped-for-privacy@cvmrd.freeserve.co.uk

Did you receive it?

Regards, John Isherwood.

John, Yes, Replied on the return address ???

Been away for the weekend, running our exhibition today...

Andy

Message duly sent to snipped-for-privacy@cvmrd.freeserve.co.uk

Did you receive it?

Regards, John Isherwood.