ECJS Restaurant Third 189

The 1894 built teak clerestory carriage located at Wabtec Doncaster will shortly be passed into the ownership of the LNER Coach Association following the sucessful award of a Prism acquistition grant.
See news section on \\www.lnerca.org
It is planned to remove the body from the Gresley suburban underframe it currently resides on and modify the underframe from a Gresley Corridor coach (which is currently in store) which will allow 189 to receive pullman gangways and buckeyes. This will allow it to run in the teak set on the NYMR (subject to acceptance of the vehicle).
This is a very important vehicle and possibly one of the oldest dining cars in existance. The LNERCA would welcome any donations towards the cost of the underframe modifications which are likely to be the major costs - details on the web site. The restoration of the body and interior are very advanced so the carriage could be running very quickly with the right funding.

 

Its interesting that the sale of a common or garden Mk1 CK by the Bluebell can generate pages of hot air, but news of the acquisition of a unique Victorian era survivor of nearly half a cebntury as a pig shed has generated no interest at all! To anyone who has an interest in vintage carriage this is surely a fascinating survivor.

 

This is mere restoration work. To get interest and posts you need politics as well!!!!!

That said I did follow the link and had a read of the website which was a welcome distraction for a wet Sunday afternoon. It will look magnificant. Only thing is - who will have the spare underframe and for what purpose? Maybe Didcot could turn it into a lost GWR 4-6-0...

 

Unfortunately, there is nowhere on the NYMR to build a large carriage shed: land would have to be acquired and then there is the problem of getting approval from the National Park planning authority. It's something we have tried to address over the years, but it will be a while yet I fear. In the meantime, regular use and some tlc keeps them in good trim.

There is a plan for the (hopefully( soon to be displaced chassis, but it is definitely one for the long term - it's not ideas we're short of, it's money and manpower!

 

Nice one, It is a great place for the vehicle to go

Don't forget Peterborough east is still there http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/969204

 

The NYMR Trust Board have deferred a decision on allowing 189 to be located there. This will be put to the Carriage Policy Sub Committee but as a final decision is now not likely until the next full Board Meeting in Feb 2010, the LNERCA is possibly looking at another site to store 189 until then. Dependant on the final decision it may be that the LNERCA may be looking for another Heritage Railway to accomodate this vehicle. If anyone knows of one who have capacity or may be interested please contact the LNERCA at lnerca@btinternet.com.
Thank you.

 

I thought/hoped that when the overall roof if back at Pickering station that some of the teak fleet would be shunted under there on a night.

However, the lack of an official reply to this suggests I am mistaken!

Ben

 

Certainly, the ability to keep up to 6 coaches under cover in winter is a major benefit of Pickering roof - it has even been suggested the structure be fitted with removable ends to form a complete building in winter.

61624 and other LNERCA posters may disagree but I would suggest that, as long as the varnish is kept in good order, wooden bodied coaches probably survive the weather better than steel bodies coaches. Certainly, the general bodywork condition of the teaks compares very well with Mark 1s done at a similar time. The LNERCA Vice-Chairman was at least once heard to comment that the LNER kept teak coaches outside!

Seriously, the deferment of the decision on acceptance by the NYMR Board should not be taken as a precussor to refusal. The Board had a long agenda on Friday, including the 2010 Budget, and it was heading towards 23:00 hours when this subject was reached. A detailed document had been submitted by the LNERCA, who had also offered to speak to the Board on the subject. Examination by Carriage Policy Committee and debate at the February meeting, when hopefully the LNERCA will be able to speak to the Board, will do the subject justice. I realise that this may give some storage problems in the interim for the LNERCA but I hope that the solution of these does not mean the consideration of the application by the NYMR becomes academic.

Steven Hogg
NYMR Board Member (guess the post from my user name!)

 

Thanks for the reply Steven and for the views on Pickering roof.
I dont envy you the length of the meeting

 

Thanks Autocar - I am afraid the length of NYMR Board Meetings is usually around the 4 hour mark - we have done a bit better once or twice this year and got them in at about 3 1/2!

Steven