Difference between revisions of "GWR 9055 Nondescript Saloon"
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|status = In service | |status = In service | ||
|carno = 9055 | |carno = 9055 | ||
| − | |othernos = DW150127 | + | |othernos = W9055W, DW150127 |
|designed = Churchward | |designed = Churchward | ||
|diagram = G43 | |diagram = G43 | ||
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|years1 = 1972 | |years1 = 1972 | ||
|events1 = Preserved on SVR | |events1 = Preserved on SVR | ||
| − | |years2 = | + | |years2 = 1981-198 |
| − | |events2 = | + | |events2 = Converted to wheelchair-accessible coach |
|years3 = | |years3 = | ||
|events3 = | |events3 = | ||
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|years6 = | |years6 = | ||
|events6 = | |events6 = | ||
| − | }}'''GWR Nondescript Saloon 9055''' was designed by GJ Churchward and built by the GWR at Swindon in 1912. It was an unclassified or 'nondescript' saloon (ie not allocated to any specific class such as first or third), and was used for private hire. It | + | }}'''GWR Nondescript Saloon 9055''' was designed by GJ Churchward and built by the GWR at Swindon in 1912 as a 'one-off' replacement for a Dean gas-lit clerestory coach which was destroyed by fire.<ref name=SVR210>SVR News 210</ref> It was an unclassified or 'nondescript' saloon (ie not allocated to any specific class such as first or third), and was normally used for private hire. It has 'toplights', small 'lights' or windows above the main windows, which were a feature of many GWR carriages of the period. |
| − | From the near end as seen (picture top right), the layout of | + | From the near end as seen (picture top right), the original layout of 9055 comprised a toilet, a saloon with exterior doors at both ends, a single compartment with an exterior door, a second saloon matching the first, a luggage compartment with double doors and another toilet. This arrangement resulted in three closely spaced external doors at the centre of the coach. On the far side as seen there is only one central external door into the corridor, serving both the compartment and one end of each of the saloons. The two saloons each seated 18 passengers on bench seats at the ends and along the sides, with the compartment seating a further 8 giving a nominal total capacity of 44. The compartment, which was normally used by servants of the hiring party, was built to first class dimensions and had first class lamps but otherwise had third class fittings. Each saloon had a fold-down table down the centre. The luggage compartment was used to carry refreshments.<ref name=SVR180>SVR News 180</ref><ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Harris (1966)]] p. 74.</ref><ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2018)]] p.175. (Longworth gives the capacity as 34 seats, this appears to be an error)</ref> |
| − | 9055 was a | + | Although 9055 was a 'one-off' prototype, it formed the basis of a later Collett design of which [[GWR 9103 Nondescript Saloon | 9103]] and [[GWR 9369 Nondescript Saloon | 9369]] are also at the SVR. Changes made by Collett included placing the two saloons next to each other with an interconnecting door (which had the incidental effect of reducing the capacity from 44 seats to 40), including a brake in the luggage compartment, and adopting the 'Bow end' body style without Churchward's toplight windows. |
==Service and preservation== | ==Service and preservation== | ||
| − | 9055 | + | 9055 served with the GWR and briefly with BR(W). It was withdrawn from passenger use in the early 1950s and transferred into Departmental Stock where it was numbered DW150127.<ref group="note">The GW(SVR)A date withdrawal to 1950. Longworth gives the date of renumbering into Departmental stock as November 1955</ref> It was used as a mobile MPD office at Shrewsbury<ref name=SVR180/> and later at Newport, from where it was purchased by [[Great Western (SVR) Assoc. | The Great Western (SVR) Association]], arriving on 6 September 1972.<ref>SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition</ref> As acquired, the interior consisted of one saloon and the luggage compartment (both stripped) with the rest being a large open space. |
| − | + | 9055 spent some years serving as the Railway Shop on Bewdley's platform 3, helping to raise funds for the Association. The saloon was also partially restored during that time.<ref name=SVR63>SVR News 63</ref><ref name=GWRSVA>GW(SVR)A website</ref> | |
| − | 9055 | + | By 1981 a number of other railways had begun to offer facilities for parties with wheelchairs to travel in a suitably modified coach, leading to the GW(SVR)A setting up a project to do the same. [[GWR 98 Full Brake|Full Brake 98]] was initially considered for this purpose, before 9055 was eventually selected, being considered better suited due to the double doors at one end and the large number of windows. The intention at the time was for another carriage to take over this duty after 10 years or so with 9055 then being fully restored to original condition.<ref name=SVR63/> |
| + | |||
| + | The restoration and conversion was carried out at Bewdley entirely without the use of external contractors. The conversion entailed restoring one saloon, with the central compartment, second salon and luggage compartment becoming an open wheelchair area with optional loose seating. Final painting in late 1985 used the GWR's "Lake 1912" livery, an elegant crimson lake livery which was introduced in 1912 and carried until July 1922. 9055 was used for the first time, unadvertised, in June 1986; the "proper red" colour confused a number of visitors to the Railway and also the operating department who coupled it up to the LMS set!<ref>SVR News 81</ref> Financial constraints meant the saloon was furnished using ex-BR upholstery; nevertheless the coach received a "Commended" award in the 1986 ARPS Coach Competition. | ||
| + | <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left"> | ||
| + | 9055_award.jpg|ARPS Award | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
| + | 9055 duly operated for ten years before being withdrawn from service in 1996 as planned. Its subsequent overhaul included a number of internal modifications. These included replacing the missing wall to re-create the centre compartment and installing additional seating in the second saloon. This was felt to make better overall use of the vehicle by providing additional capacity for day to day use in Set GW2 at the cost of reducing somewhat the space available for wheelchairs. It also included a repaint into panelled chocolate and cream livery to match 3930.<ref>SVR News 115, 128</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | In mid-2001 the C&W department began a programme to refresh the whole GWR set whose appearance had been generating some negative comment. Although it was not long since the overhaul was completed, 9055's finish was starting to show signs of cracking, especially around the mouldings, and it was retouched, selectively repainted and varnished between December 2002 and January 2003.<ref>SVR News 142</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | On 19 November 2004 the [[Friends of 4930 Hagley Hall]] group organised a photo charter of a "typical 1930s Great Western train" with large Prairie 5164 and a short 'Churchward rake' comprising 9055, 9369 and 3960.<ref>SVR News 156, 157</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | On 20 October 2012 the GWR(SVR)A ran a special charter train, "The 9055 Centenarian", to mark the 100th anniversary of the construction of 9055. The train consisted of newly restored [[1501|Hawksworth pannier tank 1501]] and five of the Association's GW carriages including | ||
| + | 9055 and fellow toplight 3930.<ref name=SVR180/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left"> | ||
| + | File:9055 interior 1.JPG | Interior view in 2016 | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
| + | In October 2018 9055 entered the [[Carriage Repair Works]] for a wheelset change, the tyres having worn down to scrapping size, and for any other overhaul work as necessary. Other 'below floor' work on a bogie and brake overhaul was completed relatively quickly, but 9055 then spent many months under a tent while the roof dried out completely so repairs to it could be carried out.<ref>SVR News 204, 206</ref>. It had been intended to carry out the work in the Carriage Shed in January 2020, but condensation and low temperatures brought about a change of plan with 9055 entering the paint shop where the roof was completely re-canvassed. Other work included door repairs, new battery boxes, a new toilet floor, some new lino and a repaint.<ref name=SVR210/><ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3461 SVR Forum] (Retrieved 15 April 2020)</ref>. The seating has also been reupholstered as seen in the internal views below taken in June 2021. | ||
| + | |||
| + | <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left"> | ||
| + | GWR_9055_Saloon_1_20210619.jpg | The 'unconverted' saloon looking towards the centre of the coach. | ||
| + | GWR_9055_Saloon_2_20210619.jpg | The 'converted' saloon seen from the wheelchair area. The compartment is beyond the far wall which was reinstated in the 1990s overhaul. | ||
| + | GWR_9055_Saloon_3_20210619.jpg | The wheelchair area seen from the 'converted' saloon. | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | |||
| + | 9055 is finished in GWR 1922-27 livery featuring the 'garter crest' logo. It is normally used in the [[Carriages#Set Toplights|Toplights set]], although since services resumed in August 2020 following the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]] it has formed part of the GW 'Explorer' set. | ||
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left"> | <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left"> | ||
File:GWR_Garter_Crest.jpg | The GWR Garter Crest | File:GWR_Garter_Crest.jpg | The GWR Garter Crest | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
[[Carriages| List of carriages]] | [[Carriages| List of carriages]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Notes== | ||
| + | <references group="note"/> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
| − | *[http://www.gw-svr-a.org.uk/9055.html 9055 on www.gw-svr-a.org.uk] | + | *[http://www.gw-svr-a.org.uk/9055.html 9055 on www.gw-svr-a.org.uk] (including pictures of the 1981-86 restoration) |
*[http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=244 9055 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line] | *[http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=244 9055 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line] | ||
| Line 62: | Line 89: | ||
[[Category: Rolling stock owned by the Great Western (SVR) Association]] | [[Category: Rolling stock owned by the Great Western (SVR) Association]] | ||
[[Category: Wheelchair-accessible adapted carriages]] | [[Category: Wheelchair-accessible adapted carriages]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Featured articles]] | ||
Revision as of 13:51, 28 June 2021
| GWRGreat Western Railway 9055 Nondescript Saloon | |
|---|---|
 GWRGreat Western Railway 9055 Nondescript Saloon | |
| Built By | GWRGreat Western Railway Swindon |
| Status | In service |
| Number | 9055 |
| Other numbers | W9055W, DW150127 |
| History | |
| Built | 1912 |
| Designed By | ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922 |
| Diagram | G43 |
| Lot | 1209 |
| Type | Nondescript, BTO |
| Length | 57ft 0in |
| Weight | 26t 6cwt |
| Seats | 44 unclassified (as built) |
| 1972 | Preserved on SVRSevern Valley Railway |
| 1981-198 | Converted to wheelchair-accessible coach |
GWRGreat Western Railway Nondescript Saloon 9055 was designed by GJ ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922 and built by the GWRGreat Western Railway at Swindon in 1912 as a 'one-off' replacement for a DeanWilliam Dean, Chief Locomotive Engineer of the Great Western Railway 1877-1902 gas-lit clerestory coach which was destroyed by fire.[1] It was an unclassified or 'nondescript' saloon (ie not allocated to any specific class such as first or third), and was normally used for private hire. It has 'toplights', small 'lights' or windows above the main windows, which were a feature of many GWRGreat Western Railway carriages of the period.
From the near end as seen (picture top right), the original layout of 9055 comprised a toilet, a saloon with exterior doors at both ends, a single compartment with an exterior door, a second saloon matching the first, a luggage compartment with double doors and another toilet. This arrangement resulted in three closely spaced external doors at the centre of the coach. On the far side as seen there is only one central external door into the corridor, serving both the compartment and one end of each of the saloons. The two saloons each seated 18 passengers on bench seats at the ends and along the sides, with the compartment seating a further 8 giving a nominal total capacity of 44. The compartment, which was normally used by servants of the hiring party, was built to first class dimensions and had first class lamps but otherwise had third class fittings. Each saloon had a fold-down table down the centre. The luggage compartment was used to carry refreshments.[2][3][4]
Although 9055 was a 'one-off' prototype, it formed the basis of a later CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 design of which 9103 and 9369 are also at the SVRSevern Valley Railway. Changes made by CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 included placing the two saloons next to each other with an interconnecting door (which had the incidental effect of reducing the capacity from 44 seats to 40), including a brake in the luggage compartment, and adopting the 'Bow end' body style without ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922's toplight windows.
Service and preservation
9055 served with the GWRGreat Western Railway and briefly with BRBritish Rail or British Railways(W). It was withdrawn from passenger use in the early 1950s and transferred into DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. Stock where it was numbered DW150127.[note 1] It was used as a mobile MPDMotive Power Depot office at Shrewsbury[2] and later at Newport, from where it was purchased by The Great Western (SVR) Association, arriving on 6 September 1972.[5] As acquired, the interior consisted of one saloon and the luggage compartment (both stripped) with the rest being a large open space.
9055 spent some years serving as the Railway Shop on Bewdley's platform 3, helping to raise funds for the Association. The saloon was also partially restored during that time.[6][7]
By 1981 a number of other railways had begun to offer facilities for parties with wheelchairs to travel in a suitably modified coach, leading to the GW(SVR)AGreat Western (SVR) Association setting up a project to do the same. Full Brake 98 was initially considered for this purpose, before 9055 was eventually selected, being considered better suited due to the double doors at one end and the large number of windows. The intention at the time was for another carriage to take over this duty after 10 years or so with 9055 then being fully restored to original condition.[6]
The restoration and conversion was carried out at Bewdley entirely without the use of external contractors. The conversion entailed restoring one saloon, with the central compartment, second salon and luggage compartment becoming an open wheelchair area with optional loose seating. Final painting in late 1985 used the GWRGreat Western Railway's "Lake 1912" livery, an elegant crimson lake livery which was introduced in 1912 and carried until July 1922. 9055 was used for the first time, unadvertised, in June 1986; the "proper red" colour confused a number of visitors to the Railway and also the operating department who coupled it up to the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set![8] Financial constraints meant the saloon was furnished using ex-BRBritish Rail or British Railways upholstery; nevertheless the coach received a "Commended" award in the 1986 ARPSAssociation of Railway Preservation Societies Coach Competition.
ARPSAssociation of Railway Preservation Societies Award
9055 duly operated for ten years before being withdrawn from service in 1996 as planned. Its subsequent overhaul included a number of internal modifications. These included replacing the missing wall to re-create the centre compartment and installing additional seating in the second saloon. This was felt to make better overall use of the vehicle by providing additional capacity for day to day use in Set GW2 at the cost of reducing somewhat the space available for wheelchairs. It also included a repaint into panelled chocolate and cream livery to match 3930.[9]
In mid-2001 the C&WCarriage & Wagon department began a programme to refresh the whole GWRGreat Western Railway set whose appearance had been generating some negative comment. Although it was not long since the overhaul was completed, 9055's finish was starting to show signs of cracking, especially around the mouldings, and it was retouched, selectively repainted and varnished between December 2002 and January 2003.[10]
On 19 November 2004 the Friends of 4930 Hagley Hall group organised a photo charter of a "typical 1930s Great Western train" with large PrairieLocomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel configuration 5164 and a short 'ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922 rake' comprising 9055, 9369 and 3960.[11]
On 20 October 2012 the GWRGreat Western Railway(SVRSevern Valley Railway)A ran a special charter train, "The 9055 Centenarian", to mark the 100th anniversary of the construction of 9055. The train consisted of newly restored Hawksworth pannier tank 1501 and five of the Association's GW carriages including 9055 and fellow toplight 3930.[2]
Interior view in 2016
In October 2018 9055 entered the Carriage Repair Works for a wheelset change, the tyres having worn down to scrapping size, and for any other overhaul work as necessary. Other 'below floor' work on a bogie and brake overhaul was completed relatively quickly, but 9055 then spent many months under a tent while the roof dried out completely so repairs to it could be carried out.[12]. It had been intended to carry out the work in the Carriage Shed in January 2020, but condensation and low temperatures brought about a change of plan with 9055 entering the paint shop where the roof was completely re-canvassed. Other work included door repairs, new battery boxes, a new toilet floor, some new lino and a repaint.[1][13]. The seating has also been reupholstered as seen in the internal views below taken in June 2021.
The 'unconverted' saloon looking towards the centre of the coach.
The 'converted' saloon seen from the wheelchair area. The compartment is beyond the far wall which was reinstated in the 1990s overhaul.
The wheelchair area seen from the 'converted' saloon.
9055 is finished in GWRGreat Western Railway 1922-27 livery featuring the 'garter crest' logo. It is normally used in the Toplights set, although since services resumed in August 2020 following the 2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic it has formed part of the GW 'Explorer' set.
The GWRGreat Western Railway Garter Crest
See also
Notes
- ↑ The GW(SVR)AGreat Western (SVR) Association date withdrawal to 1950. Longworth gives the date of renumbering into DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. stock as November 1955
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 210
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 180
- ↑ Harris (1966) p. 74.
- ↑ Longworth (2018) p.175. (Longworth gives the capacity as 34 seats, this appears to be an error)
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 63
- ↑ GW(SVR)AGreat Western (SVR) Association website
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 81
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 115, 128
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 142
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 156, 157
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 204, 206
- ↑ SVR Forum (Retrieved 15 April 2020)
Links
- 9055 on www.gw-svr-a.org.uk (including pictures of the 1981-86 restoration)
- 9055 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line
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