Original page created on 12/01/2021; updated on 17/01/2021.
Lighting (continued)
Wiring of the body
I’m going to give three examples, because we’ve already seen that the setting is different according to the type of coach. The passage of the wires will also be different.
Equipment of a B11 coach
The wires coming from the bogies pass through openings in the chassis that look as if they were made on purpose…
View from below.
View from above.
Then the wires are held along the ballast with a bit of Blu-Tack.
Small notches are made into the floor at the level of the toilet (large notches are the result of an incorrect trial):
The wires pass through these notches, hidden behind the overmantels of the body, and then go to the back wall of the toilet, which will avoid their shadow being cast on the window when the toilet is lit.
It remains to put the interior fittings back in place, then the linings (in the following photo, this has not yet been done), avoiding jamming the wires. The coach is now waiting for its lighting strip…
Note: experience will show that it is better to reassemble the linings before the interior fittings. Indeed, it is much easier to press them into place, or even glue them with thin double-sided adhesive, if the interior fittings are not present. And that doesn’t make it any more difficult to put the latter back in place.
Equipment of a B5D coach
This time, the wires must pass close to the drawbars, as the toilets are located at the ends of the coach. They must therefore be carefully held in the corner of the bodywork, especially for those close to a transparent window. View from the compartment side:
The wall linings are put back, still as pink as ever, then the interior fittings.
View of the van side:
Equipping an A3B4 coach
There is a difference in layout between the genuine A3B4, which has one toilet for each class, and the ex A7, which has only one.
On these coaches, the wires can go up between two windows, where the “expansion joints” are located. No need for holes or notches in the fittings.
Result after assembly of the bogies. The “puttying” will be practically invisible from the outside.
