Mid Hants Preservation Society Gifted LBSCR Coaches

The Mid Hants Railway is delighted to announce that four 19th-century, heritage coach bodies have been donated to the Preservation Society by the Hayling Island Railway Society.
It is believed that the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) carriages ran on the Hayling Island line up until 1923 and they are of local, historical interest. After the coaches’ withdrawal from service, they were turned into static holiday homes and used up until the 1970s. After this, three of the four carriages have been partially restored and kept undercover and subsequently, are in excellent condition. Salvageable parts from the fourth coach, LBSCR 660, are currently being recovered. These will form the foundation of the Watercress Line’s first vintage carriage set.
The carriages will be restored to working order by the Carriage and Wagon workshop, Ropley. The renovations will utilise the facilities, large building capacity and experienced staff created by the HLF project in 2010. Over the last 5 years, the department has gained in experience and reputation of rolling stock restoration and is continually looking to expand its portfolio.
The donated carriages are:
LBSCR 174 – six-wheeled passenger brake van, built 1880
LBSCR 521 – six-wheeled First, built 1898
LBSCR 1646 – six-wheeled BK 3rd converted from a First
LBSCR 660 – six-wheeled Third, built 1878

• 
  LBSCR 174, 1880
• 
  LBSCR 521, 1898
• 
  LBSCR 521, 1898
• 
  LBSCR 1646
• 
  LBSCR 1646

 

WOW - this is amazing news for the MHR, the nucleus of a vintage set.

They will look great behind the S15's in years to come!

 

I saw these in Eastleigh (Where they are being stored) and I did wonder who they belong to.

 

Is that why a spare PMV chassis came in on a low loader when 34051 was collected....just add an extra set of wheels...

 

Carl Watson got some photos of the coach bodies arriving at Eastleigh

http://carlswatson.com/Trains/Galle...01/20150108ArlingtonEastleighWorks/index.html

 

Something to get your teeth into then, and to keep your near railway across the water on their toes with their Victorian set.

 

Its not been a bad week for the railway.

Churchill finished and gone, Bittern arrived, Britannia back on 12 wheels, these new coaches and most importantly I remembered to renew my membership

 

Now all we need to do when the time is right, is go and nick some appropriate motive power from the Bluebell..........

They're not going to be seen for a good few years, as it looks like they need a hell of a lot of work!

 

Taken from the mid hants site

"
On Thursday 22nd January I was asked by John Trigg, the company’s safety officer, if I would like to go with him to Eastleigh Works on one of his periodic visits to check on CanPac. I knew, however, that CanPac wasn’t his only reason for going.

Not far from the entrance to the huge yard is one of the work’s smaller buildings and inside was a truly incongruous sight. On the right as we went in was a newish Class 70 freight loco and on the left the bodies of three ex-LBSCR vehicles. A perfect small train for the making.

The first photo (110) is clearly a brake vehicle. I’m guessing this has been modified at some time as the sides forward of the guard’s double doors, on both sides, are fitted with 6 opening doors similar to a wardrobe. It’s full of carriage doors. I would guess (risky) this would have been a 4-wheeled van as it would have been too short to have been a passenger coach even by 19th century standards. (I’m fully expecting to be corrected!)

The second photo (108) shows what I would think must be the most complete vehicle of the three. This also has a brake compartment on the end nearest the camera. The last photo (107) of the 4 shoes a straightforward compartment coach. Both these vehicles I’m told were 6-wheelers.

They have been given to the Mid Hants by the family of a gentleman on Hayling Island. They were originally rescued and worked on by a team hoping to save a part of the island branch. (Chris Cornell, the Mid Hants’ archivist was involved with the group) It seems fairly clear that not only is it astonishing to still be able to find items this old in the 21st century, but how well they have been kept. They are completely bone dry.

So, at some time in the future the Mid Hants will not only have a Southern Bulleid 3-set but will also have one of the oldest trains in the country comprising a brake compartment coach, a compartment coach and a passenger parcels brake van.

Not one to wait for something simply to happen, Colin Chambers has already made moves to source chassis for the two longer vehicles. These will be from PMVs. The first arrived earlier this week on the low loader sent to collect 34051. The second is currently part of the crane fleet. The body off this will be grounded for additional accommodation for the Alton section of the Wagon Group. The crane team will get the BG which has run in The Belle set for the last three decades. (Recycling at its best)

Peter Cutler

 

Brilliant news. A great excuse to get some Terrier tanks back on the line in the future!

 

perhaps the Bluebell could do a swap for its LSWR 1520 coach?

cheers,
julian

 

or we could use it as excuse to get our hands on a Southern tank engine to play with it

 

I'm sure that would go down like a lead balloon with those people who sweated blood to restore her ...

Good luck to the MHR I say: it certainly felt a bit of a left-field move when I heard, given the general 1950s atmosphere of the line, but if the MHR get them restored I'll certainly be making a visit to sample them!

Tom

 

Put this way, once the rake is complete (and keep each refurbed coach under wraps until such time) and with the appropriate motive power at the head - at a gala they will be THE show stopper!

I for one would love to get involved with their restoration ( much like the Bulleids) but until Saturday, or even Sunday, working commences in the carriage shop, I can but dream......

 

Tho the one thing I find strange about the statement is going to visit CanPac on a thursday as the team works Monday to Wednesday.

 

Ehh, your carriage works have no weekend working days? Seems a but daft to me, is there a premise to start one? We recently started doing Tuesdays, now up to about 10 people on a good day, on top of Saturday Thursday and Wednesday, I'd have thought introducing a Saturday working would be easy.

 

I don't, there's no banging & crashing going on, or dunking of biscuits & slurping of tea either, so that progress can be viewed in relative silence & conversations had without resorting to shouting!

 

Err, no hence my post, Mon - Fri only at the mo.......

But hopefully soon things will change........

 

Was just surprised that's all. Is it all volunteer or some paid staff too? I guess if it's paid that makes sense, but volunteers a lot easier to get hold of during the weekend.