LMS Corridor Third 2300

LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Corridor Third 2300
LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Corridor Third 2300
Built By	LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Derby
Status	In service
Number	2300
Other numbers	SC2300M, W2300M
History
Built	1946
Designed By	WM StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 / HG IvattHenry George Ivatt, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1946-1948. CME of BR (London Midland Region) 1948-1951
Diagram	2119
Lot	1407
Type	CF, TK
Length	57ft
Weight	31T
Seats	42 third
1966	Withdrawn
1978	Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway
1984	Entered SVRSevern Valley Railway service
Carriages

Although the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway was active in building Open carriages following the appointment of W A (later Sir William) StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 as CMEChief Mechanical Engineer, they continued to build some Corridor Thirds (LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway: CF, BRBritish Rail or British Railways: TK) at the same time. LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Corridor Third 2300 was a StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 design although by the time it was built in 1946, StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 had been succeeded as CMEChief Mechanical Engineer by Charles FairburnCharles Edward Fairburn, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1944-1945 in 1944 and then H G IvattHenry George Ivatt, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1946-1948. CME of BR (London Midland Region) 1948-1951 in 1946. Weighing 31 tons and with a 57ft length, the coach provides seating for 42 third class passengers in seven third class compartments plus two toilets, one at each end of the side corridor. Post-war design modifications saw the introduction of an all-welded roof and the provision of four external doors rather than two on the corridor side.

2300 in service

2300 was built at Derby in 1946 to diagram number 2119, lot number 1407. After nationalisation it initially carried the number SC2300M, the prefix indicating a carriage allocated to BRBritish Rail or British Railways's Scottish Region and the suffix denoting its LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway origin. It was later renumbered W2300M after being transferred to BRBritish Rail or British Railways's Western Region, and was withdrawn from BRBritish Rail or British Railways service in January 1966.

2300 in preservation

2300 was acquired by Bass Charrington in Plymouth where, after being internally stripped, it was used for the next 11 years as a store room by the barrel-making department. In mid-1977 it was identified as a candidate for acquisition by the SVRSevern Valley Railway. At the time it appeared virtually complete externally with the bodywork in good condition, although a decision had yet to be taken on whether the carriage would ultimately be restored or stripped for parts for use in the SVRSevern Valley Railway's other LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway carriages.

2300 arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway on 9 February 1978 as an empty shell having been donated by Bass Charrington; its owner on the SVRSevern Valley Railway was subsequently recorded as a member of the L.M.S. & B.R. Coach Fund. By late 1978 restoration at Bridgnorth was due to begin in earnest using the internal panelling from BRCWBirmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company-built LMS Corridor Third 13045 whose bodywork was badly corroded and was later cut up.

By June 1980 the partitions from 13045 had been installed and the windows re-bedded along one side, while work on stripping and priming the roof had begun. Work then stopped for three months while 13045 received attention. After resuming, the carriage was rewired with the work funded by the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Coach Fund. By summer 1983 the carriage was mounted on a new set of bogies, with 2300's bogies destined for 27218 after refurbishment.

The five-year plus restoration was finally completed when 2300 entered traffic on the 2.30 p.m. train ex Bridgnorth on Sunday 21 July 1984. As well as being one of the most comprehensive rebuilds undertaken at the time, it was also largely responsible for establishing the Bridgnorth C&W team, which began with five people at its start and had become a close team of around thirty by late 1983.

By 1989 the carriage was still in good condition. The roof received attention to ensure it remained watertight, and later in the same year the carriage was repainted.

During 1992 the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set was in limited use. After assessment of the whole set, 2300's bogies were found to be in the worst condition and the carriage was transferred onto a newly refurbished set originally intended for 12992.

In spring 1997 the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set received attention to its upholstery. 2300 was re-upholstered with original LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway seats which had been in store at Kidderminster Carriage Repair Works. Most of the set also required repairs and repainting. 2300 underwent a ten week overhaul which involved a number of repairs including replacing a ten foot rotten strip of ash wood under one end of the roof, half of the floor in one vestibule and two step boards. The door locks were all removed and renovated. Finally 2300 became the first carriage to be repainted in the newly opened Kidderminster Carriage Works paint shop.

In September 2002 2300 underwent a three week overhaul. Some 1200 external screws (mostly 1946 originals) were changed as they were coming loose and allowing the curved steel skin to return to a straight steel sheet. The windows were also re-bedded, having last been done during restoration. Frost-damaged plumbing in one lavatory was re-instated and some collapsed seat rails were reinforced. 2300 was not required on that year's Christmas services so spent the winter in the Carriage Shed where the opportunity was taken to replace a ripped gangway bellows.

In 2007 the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway & BRBritish Rail or British Railways Coach Fund donated all its vehicles to the then SVR Rolling Stock Trust. The LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set was in the course of overhaul and repainting, with 12992 completed at Bewdley Carriage and Wagon Department and 149 and 27220 at Kidderminster, when the June 2007 Storm Damage closed the line. The LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set was trapped at Bridgnorth where it remained in the open for the next nine months. When the railway reopened on Good Friday 2008, the set returned to Kidderminster Carriage Shed. 2300 was found to have the floor of its battery box collapsed which was stripped out and rebuilt. The overhauls resumed with 27270 in mid-2008. 2300's overhaul finally began in September 2008. A section of roof gutter was taken down to allow seven patches to be welded in. The seat bases were reversed to even out wear and extend their life. The ceilings were sugar-soaped and repainted, while all of the veneered walls re-varnished. Ten panels of veneer-faced plywood in the corridor were renewed, the old ones having delaminated due to damp incurred at Charrington's Brewery. One gangway also had its canvas bellow renewed. 2300 was fully repainted and returned to traffic in time to take part in the 2008 Christmas services.

2300 is regularly used in the the LMS Maroon set (Set L).

See also

• List of carriages

References

Links

• 2300 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line
• 2300 on svrtrust.org.uk