BR 34606 Brake Corridor Second
| BR 34606 Brake Corridor Second | |
|---|---|
 DB 975481 (ex-BR 34606) at Kidderminster | |
| Built By | Gloucester |
| Status | In service |
| Number | DB975481 |
| Livery | BR Crimson (unlined) |
| Other numbers | E34606, ADB 975481 |
| History | |
| Built | 1955 |
| Diagram | 181 |
| Lot | 30141 |
| Type | BSK |
| TOPS code | AB21 (as built) QQA (as converted) |
| Seats | None (24 standard as built) |
| 2012 | Arrived on SVR |
DB 975481 was originally built as a BR Mark 1 Brake Second Corridor (BSK) with a guard's area and seating for 24 passengers in 4 compartments. It was later converted into a Tool and Generator Van for use in a breakdown train.
Service[edit | edit source]
E34606 was built at Gloucester in 1955 to Diagram 181 (AB201), Lot 30141. It entered service in the Eastern region in May 1955, remaining in that region throughout its passenger service. The picture below of sister coach 34562 shows how E34606 would have looked during that time.
BSK E34562
After withdrawal from passenger service circa January 1975, E34606 underwent conversion into a Breakdown Train Unit (BTU) Tool & Generator van. The external windows were removed, and two large roller doors installed on each side; other passenger doors were replaced by solid doors with no external handles. The gangwayed ends of the carriage were also replaced by solid ends. Internally it was equipped a room housing a generator. After the conversion was completed, it was transferred into Departmental use in April 1977 and given the Departmental number ADB 975481.[1] In Departmental service it formed part of the Toton Breakdown Train.[2]
A photograph of ADB 975481 at Toton in 2001 may be found on Flickr (see external links below). It carries BR Breakdown train yellow livery with the Departmental number ADB 975481 and TOPS code QQA.[note 1]
Reports on departmentals.com suggest the breakdown train was red-carded in early 2008, with ADB 975481 moving to Warrington in March of that year.[3]. It was recorded as withdrawn from service circa March 2010.[4]
Preservation[edit | edit source]
The SVR had been presented with a BR Post Office Sorting coach 80307 in 1981.[5] Over the next 30 years 80307 saw use as "Sodor Mail" in 'Thomas' events and particularly for storage of "Christmas paraphernalia", notwithstanding that it had less than ideal storage space. By spring 2012 it was "getting a bit holey". A swap was therefore arranged with the Great Central Railway; having already been converted to a stores van ADB 975481 was considered ideal for the SVR's Christmas storage purposes whilst 80307 was intended for renovation by a Post Office enthusiast at the GCR.[2]
At the time, the recent economic recession meant that budgets were limited. Work to overhaul and modify ADB 975481 took around a month, with much of the work carried out by volunteers as a 'budget holiday'. Redundant doors and the remains of the internal generator room were removed and the doorways repaired to make the roller shutter doors roll again. To save money much of the redundant material was re-used in the vehicle, with plywood shelving becoming wall-planking and scrap door skins providing steel plate to patch one end of the vehicle. Other parts including the former electrical system were 'weighed in' and the proceeds used to help fund the rewiring of part of the Carriage Repair Works building, a 'non-budget' project at the time. After being made watertight, the coach was repainted in 'BR carmine' with the Departmental number DB 975481 but without the 'A' prefix.[note 2]. Following the decision to use it as lecture room for school groups, the interior also received additional attention including repainting, while the volunteer electricians temporarily stopped work on re-wiring the first floor of the workshop while they wired up and installed lights in the vehicle, much of the cost also being funded by recycled materials from its previous electrical system.[6]
Another view of DB 975481 at Kidderminster (October 2017)
The coach is regularly used to store visitors' belongings such as push chairs during Santa services and other similar events, for which it is normally located in the bay platform opposite Kidderminster Railway Museum as seen in the main photograph above. At other times it is normally stored in or around the carriage shed.
E34606 was originally vacuum-braked, but as ADB 975481 was air-braked only. It remained so following the 2012 overhaul, although it was noted that "...at some stage in the future it could be made dual-braked if required, by reinstatement of its original vacuum gear".[6] It operated with visiting Saphos coaches to form part of the air-braked stock set for the 2024 Spring Diesel Festival.
See also[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The individual letters of TOPS code QQA denoted Q (a hauled Departmental carriage) Q (of type 'tool van') A (air-braked).
- ↑ DB denoted allocation to the Regional Civil Engineer's department, ADB denoted allocation to the Mechanical & Electrical Engineers department.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Longworth (2013) pp.60, 161.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 SVR News 179, pp. 62-63.
- ↑ departmentals.com
- ↑ Longworth (2013) pp.60, 161.
- ↑ SVR News 101, p. 26.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 SVR News 182, pp 24-25
Links[edit | edit source]
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