DAVE LOWERY’S TOP TIPS
CREATING LAB 6
BR’s Research Department converted a Mk 1 carriage into an electrical systems test car in the mid‐1970s, with the work being carried out at Swindon Works. Designed to carry a pantograph in order to test overhead line equipment (OHLE), the interior featured a conference area, kitchen, generator compartment and workshop.
To create an ‘O’ gauge rendition of this important prototype, I used a Heljan Mk 1 SK brake coach as a starting point. I had to cut and lower the roof section to accommodate a pantograph. It’s a fairly simple operation, but I needed to use quite a few tools to do it.