Camping Coaches, Any interesting stories/pictures ?

I passed Dawlish on Thursday afternoon (on my way home from Kazakhstan - another story); it looked like the camping coaches were being repainted.

 

That's one hell of a long way around to get from Kazakhstan

 

Oil industry?

 

That, or one hell of an odd route for a rail replacement bus.

 

No; International Man of Mystery.

Passed Dawlish again on Wednesday; camping coaching painting in full swing.

 

Didn't stay in the Dawlish camping coaches but I remember them from holidays in the 1970s at Teignmouth. (Albeit that one holiday coincided with a BR strike so hopes of watching the trains from the beach came to nothing). I did wonder what happened to the coaches.

Only other things I can remember are a trip behind a 45 from Exeter to Teignmouth in a very heavy rain storm (maybe my only trip behind one) and that I seemed to see 47 510 Fair Rosamund a lot (I would guess during a day on the beach it is possible and I suspect I probably never saw it again).

 

I recall a holiday at Corfe Castle when I was very young. Someone referred to Camping Coaches, but my brother who knew a lot more about railways than me in those days, said we were actually staying in a Pullman Holiday Coach.

I do recall that we had a choice of chamber pots or using the station toilet. Quite something for a small child to be handed a big key and sent onto a deserted station to use the loo.

The branch was run by diesels at that time, but my older siblings were allowed to travel freely unaccompanied by train (sister to Swanage to swim, brother to Wareham for train spotting.)

 

Well if you'd like to try the modern equivelent, I would happily recommend the Coalport Station coaches. The wife and I had a very nice week in one of them in July 2018. Nothing original left inside, but externally they look pretty good. Great location too (with a very handy pub next door )

 

Saw a photograph in this months Railways illustrated of one of the Mark 1 camping coaches at Dawlish. Seemed it was having extensive work done on it including all new end sheeting and new steel side plating, although the photo showed the side off and just the bare steel framework.

Anybody know more about this or got any recent photos of the work being done, Seemed very extensive ?

 

Picnic or field trip buses are one of the most atmospheric things I know. However, it is worth saying that with all that said, this type of travel has several drawbacks, which have to do with the water supply in the bus itself and the electricity. To travel comfortably, it is better to always have a light flashlight on hand, which will not take up much space. My minibus, made in retro style, has a couple of flashlights I ordered online. So if you're getting your gear ready too, then https://www.amazon.com/Vont-Flashlight-Flashlights-Water-Resistant-Accessories/dp/B089T8HDBV will come in handy. Also, these buses are always short of drinking water supply, so think about this point before you go somewhere far away.

 

My one regret about my spotting days, (1958 onwards), was never staying in one of the coaches at Hest Bank in steam days. Although many happy times were spent at the station, asking or even begging parents to spend our next holiday there sadly fell on deaf ears. Morecambe was the nearest holiday we ever had when I was 11 0r 12. This at least allowed a full week daytime spotting from the footbridge or embankment. They did once book a caravan next to the North Wales Coast Mainline, so I did forgive them!

 

A recent Backtrack had photographs of, and reminiscences about, the camping coaches at Hest Bank. They were part of an article about camping coaches which ran over several issues.
Ray.

 

They are still going strong AFAIK; last year they acquired a very interesting ex-LBSCR pullman, presumably for restoration and future use:

http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=5876

Tom

 

They certainly are:

 

Holiday Coach P43 was originally "Coral" which, incidentally, was included in the inaugural "Thanet Belle" which ran from Ramsgate to Victoria on 31st May 1948.
"Coral", in it's converted state, had been on public display at Waterloo from 29th February to 4th March 1960. It was then allocated to Corfe from 1960 to 1967 but then scrapped on site in the Spring of 1968 as BR had by then decided Holiday Coaches were unprofitable or not profitable enough.
Holiday Coach P43 was joined in 1961 by P52 which had been "Milan". It's seven year 'sojourn' at Corfe also came to an end in the Spring 1968.

 

At Rowden Mill we have recently converted Inspection Saloon DB999508 to a camping coach. We have retained as much of the original Mk1 fittings as possible. Thanks to the SVR for the great assistance of their coach and waggon repair staff at Kidderminster who were able to provide some hard to find fittings during the course of the conversion along with a host of advice on Mk1 coach detail.

 

I've just updated the link on the SVR Wiki as the webpage had moved, but nevertheless I'm sure you'll be aware of Richard Spratt's page on GWR coaches
http://www.gwrcoaches.org.uk/ [go through diagram look up, click T36 and CTRL+F for 'camp' - not the easiest to find!]