We already have Furness Railway Number 20 - the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in Britain. Now we're putting a suitable train behind it!
The
current vehicle "in the works" is also the most illustrious we are
ever likely to own - it's a coach built specially for the then future Queen
of England!
What started life as Princess Alexandria's Royal Saloon comes complete with toilet, Guard's compartment and even pantry facilities: it's an entire train in a single vehicle. Because of this it has possibilities for use on its own for exclusive parties or private hires, as well as being the flagship carriage in our Vintage Train.
Just imagine - in a matter of weeks you could be riding in a former part of the Royal Train! Work is nearing completion on a major overhaul that will see the vehicle outshopped for public use in 2010 in its later guise as a special saloon.
We
have already achieved the first step in our goal with the restoration of what
we thought then (see below!) was an historically-unique carriage body that
saw service in what is now Cumbria. The North
London Railway Second Class carriage has been been restored under contract
thanks to the Heritage Lottery fund and
other backers. It's shown here on the left, after completion. By way of
contrast, the picture on the right shows it as it was as a chassis-less body
before restoration. You can also read a detailed report on how the team at
the Appleby Heritage Centre, supported by Furness Railway Trust volunteers,
went about the restoration process.
And,
with perfect timing, in the same week that the first vehicle was completed,
the Trust acquired the second vehicle for this Vintage Train! A sister vehicle
to our first carriage, the Furness Railway Trust has been donated a former
North London Railway "birdcage" Guards
and Luggage van which had been at the bottom of a West Midlands garden
for eight decades! (A "birdcage" brake van like this one has a raised
portion where the Guard can observe the signals over the roof of the rest
of the train.) A massive crane was needed to lift the wooden body out of the
private garden, and onto a waiting lorry for the journey to Cumbria. If this
wasn't difficult enough, there was a tree in the way, and the body had to
be lifted over part of the PC World Shirley superstore that bordered the garden
fence! It is now awaiting restoration.
A
third North London Railway carriage body is coming into our possession, and
it is another variant on the same design. This time it's the top of the tree,
First Class design. It is the same length
as our Second Class carriage, but was divided into four, not five, compartments,
to allow more legroom and luxury for those passengers prepared to pay the
premium fare. To add to the historical interest, this vehicle was converted
during the First World War to be an Ambulance Coach, and still carries the
modified doors to one of the central compartments. These can be used to give
full disabled access once the coach is restored.
And
then came the surprise discovery - a second NLR
2nd class carriage body that had been part of a bungalow near Chichester
for many decades which was donated to the FRT when the site was cleared. This
body still clearly carries its NLR number - 106 - and has been moved to a
private site in the Blackpool area pending restoration.
So - we hold our hands up, we now know the coach we have already restored is not unique, but we can now claim a unique pair of NLR 2nd class carraiges!
Because of its good condition, and the availability of an identical donor underframe to that used with the NLR 2nd class coach already restored, it is likely that this will be the next vehicle to receive attention, once the overhaul of the Royal coach is complete and that has re-entered service. Fingers crossed, this next restoration could be the first to be carried in a new FRT workshop building in Preston - as long as progress continues to be made on that critical project!
These four former NLR vehicles together will form a fascinating train, able to accommodate well over 100 passengers including wheelchair users. The precise number depends on the final seating arrangements chosen in the First Class carriage with its disabled compartment, and whenther any seating is provided in the Birdcage Brake. These can be augmented by the Royal coach to provide further premium accommodation. Alternatively, the Royal Coach will be able to be used on its own.
It is the Trust's ambition to assemble a full train of Victorian passenger stock to use with Furness Railway Number 20. We are now well on our way towards achieving this, but the vehicles already secured now need to be restored, so there is much work still to do. And we're still on the look out for more vehicles.
Away
from the vintage passenger train, the FRT owns a number of other passenger
and goods vehicles.
A 1950s built Mark 1 RMB (buffet car) spent many years at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, and is now in storage at the Ribble Steam Railway pending overhaul.
The Trust owns a LMS goods brake van, which saw service for many years on the Permanent Way (track repair) train on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, before departing in 2009 on a five year loan to the Rutland Railway Museum in the East Midlands.
It is seen here marshalled in a rake of wagons at Rutland in summer 2009.
In addition, Trust members own a London and North Western Railway "Elephant Van". (The name always causes an eyebrow to be raised! Officially, it is actually a L&NWR "Covered Combination Truck", used to carry anything from parcels, to early motor cars or even circus animals - hence the name!) This vehicle is complete but would need restoration if it was to be used in the Vintage Train. The Trust also owns a more modern CCT which will be used as a donor underframe for one of the North London carriage bodies mentioned above. Both these vehicles are also being moved to Preston for storage.
Looking further into the future, there are a number of grounded carriage bodies still in existence that hail from the Furness Railway and other Victorian railways, which now find use as chicken sheds and the like. It is possible that one or more of these could be returned to working order.
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