Narrow gauge coach formation

[HarryW]

I am currently working on designing and producing a set of coaches for a 45mm 16mm scale garden railway.

For a rake of British narrow gauge coaches, what is a standard formation of coaches. I gather the compartments you can do are First, Second, Third, Luggage, Guard. Which of these are essential for a plausible rake of coaches? Do you need a guard compartment at both ends? Are duckets a necessity? I've also seen the label for a 'Brake' compartment. Is this the same as a guard compartment?

My plan is for a first class coach (possibly with a luggage compartment), a second class coach, and a third class coach with a guard compartment at the end. Is this a prototypical formation?

Sorry for the amount of questions.
Harry

[philipy]

Not sure that there really is any such thing as a standard or typical formation. Then again "narrow gauge" is a very wide field. The Lynton & Barnstaple was much more of a 'mainline' operation than, say, the Festiniog & Blaenau. The F & B ran a Brake/3rd, 1st/2nd Composite, 2x All Third - all 4-wheelers, standard formation, mainly because that is all they had! The L & B in contrast had bogie stock, of which there were 16 or 17 of 6 different types.

So in answer to your question, you can run whatever you fancy! Generally speaking, on narrow gauge lines 1st class would have been very limited ( on the F & B it was a single 1st class compartment sandwiched by a 2nd class at both ends) and the majority would have been 3rd class. A full brake ( guards) was rare and most would have been an enlarged compartment at one end of a passengar coach ( Brake Composite).

[HarryW]

Thanks for the information. In that case I may do a brake/3rd, first and second composite, and maybe an all third.

[ge_rik]

As Philip says, it was dependent on each railway's resources.

For example, the Southwold Railway had six (six wheeled) coaches - three were first/third composites and three were all thirds. The only difference between the seats in first and third was cushions on the wooden bench seats.

The Welshpool & Llanfair had the three bogie coaches - two were 3rd/brake/1st composites and one was all 3rd.

The Leek and Manifold had four bogie coaches - two were brake/third/ first and two were third only

The Rye & Camber had two bogie carriages - one was 1st/2nd composite and one was all 3rd

The Schull & Skibbereen had eight coaches (five four wheelers and three bogies) - one of the four wheelers was All 1st and the other four were all 3rds. One bogie coach was a 1st/3rd composite and the other two were all 3rds

As Philip says some railways (eg IoM) had dozens of coaches

Hope that helps

Rik

[HarryW]

Thanks for the further info. It seems second class compartments are less common than I had thought. I may go for a Brake/third/first and an all third like the Welshpool ones (which I've also just looked at and realised they don't have duckets on their guard compartment).