GWR 80969 Inspection Saloon

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GWRGreat Western Railway 80969 Inspection Saloon
Severn Valley 1940's Weekend (9236474289).jpg
GWRGreat Western Railway 80969 Inspection Saloon
Built By GWRGreat Western Railway Swindon
Status In service
Number 80969
History
Built 1948
Designed By HawksworthFrederick Hawksworth, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1941-1948
Diagram Q13
Lot 1701
Type Nondescript, INSP
Seats 23 (as now used)
1973 Preserved on SVRSevern Valley Railway

Carriages

80969 is one of six 52ft inspection saloons (INSP) built at Swindon as lot number 1701 to diagram Q13. It was ordered under FW HawksworthFrederick Hawksworth, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1941-1948’s tenure as GWRGreat Western Railway CMEChief Mechanical Engineer, although it has little visual similarity to his other carriage designs. It entered service in January 1948 in what had by then become the BRBritish Rail or British Railways Western Region.

80969’s service ended at Cowlairs in Scotland in 1973, from where it arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway in April of that year having been privately purchased. It was initially used as the General Manager’s office. As of 2017, 80969 is used as an Observation Car, normally being attached to the end of a rake of carriages for private hire or ‘cream tea’ specials. It seats up to 23 people and is furnished with armchairs, settees and tables in the two saloons, which are separated by a corridor off which are found a toilet, small kitchen and guard’s office. It is finished in GWRGreat Western Railway 1942-47 livery, with the coat of arms insignia flanked by 'GREAT' and 'WESTERN'.

Gallery

Interior views of 80969

See also

List of carriages

References

SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition
Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey
SVRSevern Valley Railway Website

Links

80969 on www.vintagecarriagestrust.org
SVRSevern Valley Railway Website Observation Saloons page