1950s coach has £5k facelift by railway volunteers

* The new coach is seen on arrival at Carrog on Friday.

Carriage restoration enthusiasts are celebrating the completion of their project to return a 1950s compartment coach to working condition at the Llangollen Railway.

The coach, once used on commuter trains in and out of London Kings Cross, is described as a Brake Second Suburban unit. 

It has taken three years of volunteer effort to restore it at the railway’s Carriage & Wagon Works. 

The coach features six separate compartments for passengers with a guard’s compartment. 

It will join an existing rake of four previously-restored suburban coaches. Together they will offer a unique train operating formation on Llangollen Railway.

Coach No.E43359 was taken for a trial run with the 11am departure from Llangollen hauled by the Class 26 diesel locomotive No.5310, recreating a scene from the late 1950s when such trains ran on the Eastern Region lines in north London.

During the restoration the opportunity was taken to provide additional capacity for the less able passengers to travel.

The luggage space within the guard’s compartment was partitioned off and fitted with seats and space to accommodate wheel chair users and their carers. An added feature is the installation of two windows in the end wall which offer an observation coach view of the line when at the rear of the train.

* Project team members Peter Jump and Paul Bailey with LRT deputy chair Phil Coles sample the new compartment for mobility impaired passengers

Project leader Peter Jump said: “When the coach was acquired in dilapidated condition from another railway its restoration was considered a major job.

“So it proved to be and three years later the Llangollen Railway Suburban Group members are more than pleased with the outcome of their endeavours.

"It shows what dedicated volunteers can achieve working one-day-week in the open air with a minimum of facilities. 

"This style of coach has 18 doors, half of which had to be replaced and the rest repaired. The bench seating in each compartment has been reupholstered with a Scot Rail machete material and each compartment has four framed reproduction prints of British Railways countrywide scenes, each sponsored by supporters. 

"The project has cost about £5,000, plus innumerable volunteer hours of work.”

Llangollen Railway Trust deputy chairman Phil Coles acknowledged the successful completion of the project by the group of volunteers.

He said: “On behalf of the Trust, I congratulate them for their dedication to see the work completed, especially during the period of the pandemic.

“The Suburban coaches will provide the regular set for weekend trains during the autumn period running through to Halloween. Either a steam or diesel locomotive will haul the train and offer an example of what it was like to travel into the City of London in pre-electrification days.”

To be formed as a five-coach rake, the Suburban set offers a modern-day seating capacity of around 300. 

This is rather less than the number of commuters British Railways wanted to cram in 60 years ago when travellers were a lot thinner and a compartment was expected to take 12 adults in cosy comfort.

Today the availability of all the compartments makes the coaches ideal for maintaining social distancing, as well as offering an unusual rail experience at Llangollen Railway.

* The Class 26 diesel and train at Carrog.