Current and Proposed New-Builds

I don't think anybody was. It was suggested aeons ago that newbuild carriages were a (theoretical) means of getting away from the plethora of Mk.1s. This brought the usual suspects into play in their defence.

PH

 

I would absoulutely recommend a carriage shed in steel construction due to fire safety.

A fire in a shed full of beautiful restored coaches would be the worst nightmare!

Knut

 

There is an interesting subsidiary question - what was the peak in terms of quality of passenger experience from UK rolling stock?

Neither Victorian 4 wheelers (even with 1 st plush cushions) nor anything post HST is actually comfortable to travel on.

HST stock (at least as built) isn't bad (they still presumed passengers had legs, unlike the idiots that drew up the current generation of trains), but I'd argue that a MK1 compartment bench seat is more comfortable.

Was a good MK1 as good as our coaching stock got for passengers, or had the rot already set in, and some of big four built carriages even better (I'm not old enough to have experienced anything pre-mk1 at full line speed)?

 

I have created one now, in the forum heritage rolling stock

 

IMHO they were the decline of the "traditional" The 4Cor EMU stock on the Waterloo to Portsmouth line had far more agreeable interiors than their successors although they rode appallingly. Not all Mk1s were good by any means and I gather much experimentation went on to improve this.

PH

 

An interesting piece of trivia on this point: which commonwealth was the Commonwealth bogie named after?

 

Carriage shed on the way! Newbuild wooden carriages sadly not for the foreseeable future; with a 110 strong C+W volunteer workforce we're still stretched trying to get to where we want to be for Broadway (but we'll do it)!

 

Some later had the B4 bogies from mark 2 s fitted, which rode quite well

 

I think it was after the Commonwealth Steel Corporation of the USA, being based on one of their designs

 

Were some built with Formica panelling? I'd always assumed it was a refurbishment modification.

 

A Mk1 compartment seat is brilliant if you get one of the corner seats - less so in the middle of thebench.

 

I *think* they were all modifications.

 

Personally I think the MK1 FO takes a lot of beating in terms of all round visibility.

Having said that however for best ever I would tend towards a Great Western MK3, especially on the 2 seater bays. They are quiet unlike the MK1, and more importantly because of the use of disc brakes there is none of that ubiquitous brake dust

 

I am fairly sure that from about 1961/2 Formica was standard

 

I bow to your superior knowledge - only I thought the FO we recently did was 1962 and that was wooden paneled. We hadn't relabeled it and before that it was with Riviera.

 

Would you recommend it having sides and doors?

 

And perfect for stretching out on and getting your head down on long journey's. The Aberystwyth mail, especially. Not much sleep, though, even after you'd removed all the light bulbs, due to listening to the locos up front.

 

I didn't think it was all types, late TSO and BCK spring to mind.

 

That'll be why then!

 

Love it!

Richard.