Pre Mk1 Non Corridor Carriages GWR

Passengers definitely prefer compartments, commercial department tend to prefer opens! I agree the main problem is probably amount of doors, they are already a squeeze point for us as it is, it has been knownnto be getting to lining out before all the doors are sorted even on mk 1s. I'd be interested to hear from guards on the aforementioned railways to see what they think about the perceived problem of non corridor stock.

 

Is there any other type of carriage than compartment stock? It is all we have here on the Isle of Wight .

Their is the maintenance aspect to take into account, a typical bogie set of 4 coaches will have approx. 70 doors, 70 wooden droplights, 70 leather droplight straps etc. It is just a part of our maintenance regime, we have always had to do it, so we do not see it as a problem.

It is swings and roundabouts, lots of doors but no toilets!

 

I can remember Autocoach 169 coming to the GWSR from, I believe, Departmental use at Gloucester. There were attempts to restore it but the GWSR in the 1980s was nothing like the GWSR of the 2010s is now and so restoration of the Autocoach soon reached a "struggle factor of 10" and it was sold on. I'm delighted that it's now being so lovingly restored and well done to those who are doing it. Non-corridor stock is not popular on heritage lines for ticket checking reasons and flexibility but, in a world where heritage railways are becoming part of the everyday day out scene, unusual or "quirky" items will be more in demand. For example, the IOW and Bluebell Railways' older stock is a real draw for many people, particularly people like me who have become more interested in heritage rolling stock (thanks in no small part to Nat. Pres!) and so there is a future for such stock. However, once its gone....etc.

 

I do wish we could have kept hold of some of the more heritage rolling stock we must have acquired, in a few years time we could be in a position to have a go at it all Before my time the C&W department made an excellent job of the LMS inspection saloon, but moved on as it was never used, now at the SVR - where it isn't used...

 

Yes the saloon stock you also have and no MK1's at all. And they do look good as well.

No toilets so to keep the island water supply clean so all the toilets were taken out before they were used on the island.

 

Yes I am the new kid on the block and is my Sat job now, (started late August) and with nearly all the work on auto coach 233 nearly finished another start is been made on it, and time goes on I will be trusted to do more complicated parts as my skills gets better.

Also the two City brake thirds 3755,6 which are at Didcot started their preserved life on the SVR until they were given to the GWS.

 

It's the four wheelers with inter-coach corridor connctions that I like!

Tom

 

One of the operational reasons I've heard for not liking non-corridor stock is that often, once a compartment with a nominal capacity of say, 8 or 10 has a group of 3 or 4 in it, a second group are often reluctant to enter the same compartment, so each compartment ends up only partly full. Whether that is genuinely true or not I'm not sure. (My own feeling is that if you have a 300 capacity train and 150 people turn up, they will spread out regardless of whether it is corridor or non-corridor stock. If 300 people turn up, they will squeeze in regardless! Personally, I'd prefer a crowded compartment train to a crowded train of open saloons).

Tom

 

Passengers are less dense in compartment stock anyway, so then when they spread out in the way Tom described, that upsets the commercial department who think that they are losing money. I'd imagine though that if all the compartments are half full, people will still ride on the train, generally people don't mind sharing, they just prefer to have one to themselves if possible.

 

My personal favourite vehicles anywhere are saloons (the Maunsell open third on the Bluebell and the Ventnor West set on the IOWSR) but there is no doubt that with compartment stock the ability for badly supervised children/dogs to cause general mayhem is much reduced!

Paul H

 

Hello,
According to Mr Goodman the two GWR suburban coaches on the GWSR will be restored after his Pannier ,the LMS coach ,and LMS 4F.
Info from email received to night.

Nick

 

Thanks Nick, which ones are those then, the LMS coach is presumably the one sheeted up next to the suburban gwr ones? Or it could be the one next to it that left last month, or the stanier rust bucket which left last year? I expect most of those are goodman's? Is the pannier 9642? And the lms 4f 44027?

 

Hello,
I was not privy to the given number of the vehicles.
A bit like the reply ' it will be ready Friday' ....which Friday is not stated.



Nick
I think I will see if I can be deassenioned 9007!

 

I just hope until they are restored they are given some covered accommodation, so there will be something left worth restoring of the body work.

 

Hello,
Being under cover till restoration was not mentioned.
I will ask Mr Goodman of his current timescale on the LMS Carriage,The Pannier Tank Locomotive and The L MS 4F.
Maybe some questions of those who love the kettle on the front might make some enquiries via Nat Pres.
Five more years?

Nick
:-(

 

As an aside, an LMS sleeper coach is in his yard at Wishaw according to this Broadway blog post. Does anyone have a number for this, is it the one that was remove from Winchcombe in September and is this "the LMS carriage" already mentioned in the thread, or was it any of the other possibilities I mentioned? Thinking about Mr Goodman's stock always gives me headaches, there's so much of it under tarpaulins falling apart it's difficult to distinguish...

 

Hello,
Could be :LMS 621????

http://www.cs.vintagecarriagestrust.org/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=15
?????????????????????

Nick

 

Could be, the livery matches, as does the fadedness as it looks like it has been recently painted in the VCT picture back in 1998. It does say in the rarity section "several," but having had a quick look at the others in existence, that looks to be the most likely one. It doesn't look in too bad a condition, so assuming this is the LMS coach he mentioned, maybe another couple of years? same timespan for the 4F if indeed it is (4)4027 I believe, that just leaves his pannier which seems to have disappeared, before the GWR coaches are gotten to!