Double Decker

Photos taken in May 2014 of the mortal remains of the Double Decker. Absolutely complete inside down to the light bulbs

 

Coventry by any chance? Such a shame to see the Uks only DD rotting like this. Sorry not Double decker. They were more 1 and a half levels.

 

Swann Farm, Sellindge. One driving motor vehicle and one trailer. There is another trailer at Coventry with the other driving motor vehicle getting cut up after the squabble at Ashford.

 

I thought one was preserved somewhere? NRM?

 

This is it. It was at Ashford steam Centre and wasnt moved when the lease was terminated. Despite much correspondence it wasnt moved until BRB sent in the scrappy. One vehicle got gnashed and the other three got moved pronto. The Stirling 01 and several other vehicles including two Birdcages got shifted before the axe got to them. Fortune smiled on the 01 as it eventually got to Sheffield Park and reassembled

 

I thought there were only 2 DD vehicles left...?

Edit: 13003 & 13004 DMs survive at Sellindge and Northampton Ironstone. 13503 trailer scrapped 1984. Can't find any record of another trailer, surviving or otherwise.

 

Three of four

 

So what & where is the 3rd then?

 

2 cars at Sellindge & 1 at Coventry. 4th one became a washing machine in calcutta

 

Seems outrageous? Bulleid Soc?

 

Probably too late. Both vehicles are completely rotten. Bulleid Society have always known where they are. They just have absolutely no use for them or resource to conserve them

 

Scrapped trailer
http://www.cs.vintagecarriagestrust.org/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=557

General info
http://www.bulleidlocos.org.uk/(S(ugxmklqv04nz5cncqzuiztoj))/_oth/4_dd.aspx
http://www.kentrail.org.uk/Bulleid_4DD.htm

 

Also seeing as the land owner passed away a few months back I can see these vehicles getting scrapped in the near future

 

Maunsell man, where are you getting your information from? I can see no evidence on either the VCT, preserved railway stocklist site, or any of those links, of a second car at Sellindge nor any car at Coventry (and nothing on the Coventry museum's website either). And plenty to the contrary.

Personally I would love to see these reunited, restored and running and they'd be perfect for the electrified Ardingly branch... however I have not won the lottery yet...

 

Evidence? I walked round both of them at Sellindge at Whitsun. I remember when it all kicked off at Ashford and saw the photos in the railway press of one vehicle biting the dust. One of the trailers has been on a tour and was at Coventry (and may have moved since) and the other two dissappeared into the ether to keep them out of the BRBs hands. Both of those at Swann Farm have been there for yonks as has the Mansell 6 wheeled birdcage full brake behind them. The bogied birdcage composite is now tarped up at Horsted Keynes and in very poor condition. All of ELE's railway assets that were at Ashford had a charge on them by the BRB to recover costs after the legal battle. Hence the 01 dissappeared and was dismantled and then spread over Kent and the other stuff took shelter in the meadow at Sellindge thanks to the late Les Birch

 

The O1 was spread further afield than just Kent.

 

Hmmmm bit of a confession. There was one. Just looked at the pics again. Other one was a mk1. Set of 4 originally, 3 purchased by ELE and middle one subsequently scrapped at Ashford in 1984. Apologies. Thought it would interest people putting up some pictures of some long forgotten unique rolling stock that may not be around much longer. Foot in mouth...

 

Like all EMUs there is little you can do with them without having access to a live rail. I have travelled on them a couple of times, they allways stayed on Dartford line, and can confirm upper deck claustrophobic. With a 10 car there was at least more standing room when open coaches were adopted. No one has yet mentioned smelly feet. Aparently the floor of the upper deck was just right to be in smelling range of a downstairs passenger. I am a southern enthusiast but would not put my hand in my pocket to save a DD.

 

Fascinating beast though. Too far gone to retrieve now though. I read in Bulleid's biography that the design called fir some lateral thinking. The standard wheel size for EMUs was too big to clear the lowered underframe and they didn't have time to cast smaller ones. So they fabricated them. And they failed in traffic. The fleet were grounded until cast ones were available