Q23 Stock conversion to trailers

The driving windows were not covered - not even the drivers' doors converted, just locked out and seats put in the space. J door was removed. Motors were removed but how much else below the solebar was changed would need a greater expert than I.

There are VIDEOs of them in service - particularly "Q stock remembered". They come up regularly on ebay at reasonable prices (usually).

For converted running numbers you'll need a VERY patient member to list them- or get hold of one of the usual reference books like an old Ian Allen 'ABC of London railways', again from ebay.

jsp3970 had a website (geocities) with all you needed on it:
www.geocities.com/jsp3970/LUindex
but I've just tried it and it's dead, whether temporary or permanent I know not.

The 14 converted Q23 motors to trailers were numbered 08835-08848. They were done at Acton 1958-60.

Previous numbers respectively 4140, 4142, 4151, 4153, 4154, 4155, 4156, 4157, 4159, 4163, 4165, 4169, 4171 and 4183.

They were among the first Q Stock to be scrapped (apart from the WW2 damaged ones and the two South Acton cars) in 1964-66.

Hello Phil,Reg and JSP
Many thanks for taking the time to help me out.
That is just the info i was after
Cheers John

You would have to get a photo of individual cars to confirm this as most ex-motor car trailers kept their motor bogies (minus equipment).

Hi Metman
I am having a crack at scratchbuilding a Q35 trailer at present (will post some photos when i have something reasonable to show)and have plans to build a couple of Q23 cars after that.I also have enough unbuilt kits to keep me going for the next decade at least.I particually like the old harrow whitemetal kits and have a 5 car rake of F stock to build and a 4 car rake of Q38 stock(which may yet emerge from the works as R stock).Have returned to modelling after about a decade away (work and life got in the way!) and have managed to liberate a 15' X 12' attic to build a layout in although it needs some work to make it habitable first.
I got interested in LT railways when in the early 1990's i was a member of the Weston Railway modellers and we exibited an em guage BR/LT layout called Grove Park.It had a 4 car rake of Harrow F stock running on it and it didn't only look right but it thundered into the station and it sounded right!
The next thing i am thinking about is a prototype to model for the attic layout i also have a couple of 501's in the to-do box so somewhere where the North London line and LT meet perhaps,Gunnersby looks quite interesting.
I like the look of your Harrow project do you have anymore photos?How do you find the Radley models resin cast models to build compared to the older whitemetal kits
Cheers John

Whilst on the subject, in order to backdate the Radley models Acton shuttle car to a DM is all that is required merely filling in the cab windows in one end or am I being completely optimistic?

Sounds like my sort of conversion.... Thanks!

Having done what any studious modeller should do and studied the photographs/film available, am I right in thinking that the Acton Shuttle cars had a unique arrangement of marker lights on the supposedly unmodified end? From what I have seen they appear to have a pair of markers each side of the front end as opposed to having all four under the non-driving side as per every picture of a G/Q23 DM I've seen?

Its weird the arrangment of shutters yes! Maybe tubeprune can explain why some Q23s had lights on the on side and some didn't?

The Acton shuttles will vary of course-4067 was a D end unit so its pipe layout will be different to 4076 which was an A end unit (Simply-4067 will have the pipes at the far ends of the car sides [at the leading end] and 4076 will have them close to the M door!).

Thanks for the gen metman and tubeprune. I guess I am going to have to be v-e-r-y careful with a scalpel blade in removing them from the moulding under the drivers window in order to re-use them under the non-drivers window! Excellent info re siting of air pipes depending on which way round the car was. The puzzle is why, on the one that I have a picture of the rebuilt end, the pipes were place directly in front of the new head/tail light! No-one to get in the way twixt Acton Town and South Acton then? Fab feedback as always. Thanks again.

Good point but I will be replacing the moulded air pipes anyway. Another question, are LBC kits of surface stock the best kept secret in the London Transport modelling world? It's only since I ordered the Acton shuttle car that I found out that LDC have done kits of all of the 'Q' stock I will ever need including the Q23 DM that I am making out of the Acton Shuttle. The other obvious question is, are they any good? Has anyone made any and do you have pictures perchance?

Could it be cured with the hot water method?

There are some bowed kits around, and the LBC Q stock come with the wrong bogies. All 3 models come with A2 motor bogies when the Q35 trailer should have two K2 trailing bogies and the Q23/27 should have one! I'm working on correcting this oversite!

Sadly not! Basically, I want to design a new 'proper' trailing bogie for the LBC Q stock that Radley models sell! The Q23 and 27 stock should have one at the trailing end and the Q35 trailer should have two. They will have drop in wheels and hence will not need bearings.

Photo of a mock up here:
i100.photobucket.com/albums/m6/Adthelad/K2bogiemockup.jpg