Work
is nearing completion returning this stunning vehicle to working order, with
the intention of carrying ordinary fare paying passengers for the first time
in its life very soon in 2010!
You can read the fascinating month by month behind the scenes diary of the overhaul here.
The flagship carriage for our vintage train was built for no less than the wife of the heir to the throne! This vehicle joins our already-restored North London Railway Second Class carriage, and the still to be restored NLR First Class Coach, NLR 2nd class carriage Number 106 and the NLR Birdcage Brakevan in our future Vintage Train.
Great Eastern Railway Number 5 was built in 1898 at the company's Stratford Works. It was built for the then Princess of Wales, Princess Alexandra, the wife of the future King Edward VII. It's recorded that it had two saloons at either end of the vehicle, as well as a smoking compartment, servants quarters and lavatory. The GER was regularly used by the Royal Family - the company served the Sandringham Estate. The coach ran in varnished teak livery.
After
the Grouping of the railway companies, it was removed from Royal Train service
and became the dedicated vehicle for the Stratford Civil Engineer to inspect
the infrastructure and to travel around the network. The interior was modified
with a pantry and Guard's compartment added. The toilet facility was retained,
and one of the end saloons was lengthened during this work. At a later date
Gresley-pattern bogies were fitted.
The coach was privately purchased and put into storage as seen here.
This vehicle has been independently surveyed and found to be "unique" and to be historically "very important".
The Furness Railway Trust purchased this vehicle in 2006. An initial examination found no significant deterioration had taken place. There was a crack in the roof canvas, but that presented no problems as long as the vehicle was stored under cover. As can be seen from the picture above, the vehicle was ventilated whilst in storage by leaving windows open to prevent a build up of condensation or damp. In the light of this assessment, the Committee of the Trust decided that no preventative maintenance was required at that stage.
Work
is almost complete on a rapid overhaul,
to outshop the vehicle in its later guise as a special saloon. This allows
the features as currently fitted to be conserved wherever possible, and to
offer more practical seating and other facilities suitable for use by the
general public in the 21st century. Even in this slightly less glamorous incarnation,
this vehicle has an amazing story to tell, and will still offer people the
chance to ride in the coach (and visit the very toilet compartment) once used
by the wife of the heir to the throne!
The vehicle is under overhaul at the Appleby Heritage Centre, which restored the original North London 2nd class coach for the Trust. They have very generously made space available under cover, and regular working parties of FRT volunteers are making good progress on this project - which is now in its final stages.
GER No. 5 promises a range of future uses - it could be a stunning addition and flagship for our vintage train or be used on its own; because it contains a compartment for the Guard, as well as toilet and pantry facilities, it is a complete train in a single vehicle.
After over a century's existence carrying royalty and then railway top brass, it is almost ready to carry its first ever fare paying passengers...
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