BR Coaching Stock - Preview

Enjoy this journey back in time with a delightful section of photographs taken from the Transport Treasury photographic archive, supported by scale drawings showing the layout of each type. ISBN 978-1-913893-40-8

£17.50

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BR 1970s Coaching Stock Longworth

This book captures the feel of ‘seventies coach spotting days: the mundane and the unusual; the common and the unique. It takes you on a journey learning to understand all the different coach layouts and coach types. How did the numbering system work? Why were there different types of bogies? What were all the non-passenger vehicles for, and why were they not counted as freight wagons?

BR 1970s Coaching Stock

Hugh Longworth 08/08/2023 14:18:28

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Introduction

n 1972 the Preston Guild took place. Now, as I’m sure you know, the Preston Guild only takes place every 20 years, and my Dad convinced me it was important to go - after all, I would be 34 years old when the next one came around! So my friend Grahame and I decided that our next trainspotting trip from Liverpool should be to Preston so we could visit the Guild.

vans, carriage trucks (what were they for I wondered?), and so on. I also realised how very few pre-nationalisation passenger coaches remained in service, but many hundreds of non-passenger vehicles were still around. These did not stay on their own regions, but could be seen anywhere. All the Southern vans were distinctive as they looked more like freight vehicles with outside framing and planked bodywork. GWR, LMS, and LNER vehicles all came with their distinct body styles. There were even six-wheeled coaches to be seen.

Fifty years later, what can I remember about the Guild? To be honest, nothing at all! But I do remember that day for other reasons. As avid trainspotters, we became members of the RCTS (Railway Correspondence and Travel Society) as soon as they would let us. In 1972, the RCTS published a book that was about to open our eyes to a whole new field: The Coaching Stock of British Railways by L.J. Bowles and P. Mallaband was a complete listing, available for the first time, of all of BR’s hauled coaching stock. The book also included a listing of EMU carriages in unit formations, and DMUs with allocations and formations.

So that is my memory of that day trip 50 plus years ago – having my eyes opened to a whole new field in my hobby! I hope to capture the feel of Seventies coach spotting days in this book: the mundane and the unusual; the common and the unique. The captions are designed to take you on that same journey I took. Learning to understand different coach layouts and coach types. Discovering how the numbering system worked. Why were there different types of bogies? What were all the non-passenger vehicles for, and why were they not counted as freight wagons? I look forward to taking you on this journey.

When it dropped through my letter box that week I was amazed to see the vast quantity of stock that was listed, in particular the thousands of (what I now know as) BR Mark 1 coaches. That Saturday trip to Preston was the first time Grahame and I tried our hands at coach spotting. We were suddenly taking notice of something that had previously just been in the background. Several things struck me that day:

Thank you to Kevin Robertson for inviting me to dip into Transport Treasury’s vast photographic library and make these selections. The photos are from the cameras of G.H. Taylor and Trevor Davis. They must have been friends as they often took photos at the same location and on the same day, sometimes even of the same vehicle. I never had the money in those days to get very far into photography, and I definitely never managed to achieve those skills myself. So I am very grateful for those who did, and who turned their cameras on to all the different areas of the railway scene for us to enjoy now.

• First of all, just how many of them there were! Taking the numbers of a fast moving rake of coaches involved new speed writing skills I hadn’t achieved before. • Even by 1972, most of the coaches we saw were already in blue and grey. There were a few maroon coaches around but they were fast disappearing, and some in green, though I never got to spot one of those in service. • I quickly realised there was a whole range of vehicles that were not passenger carrying, but fell into the same category because of the type of services they worked. Parcels carriages, newspaper

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I’ve tried not being too technical with my captions. If you are looking for more, grab hold of a copy of some of my other books, which will more than satisfy your desire for details! Hugh Longworth 3

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Mark 1 TSO Tourist Open Second E4889 is seen at Guide Bridge on 8 October 1977. The B4 bogies were developed to provide a more lightweight solution to the bogie problems. B5 bogies were a variant designed for heavy duty applications. In this photograph B4 bogies have replaced the original BR1 bogies. It was built as M4889 in 1960, and transferred to the Eastern Region in April 1975. It was withdrawn in March 1986, and scrapped in October 1986. G H Taylor

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On 26 March 1978 55007 Pinza powered the ‘DAA Man of Kent Railtour’. In the consist, Mark 1 BCK Brake Corridor Composite S21268 is seen at Sittingbourne. I always had a soft spot for these carriages, as they seemed to be a complete train in one carriage; first class, second class, and a brake compartment. S21268, with its brown painted Commonwealth bogies, seems to be taking this one step further on this railtour with the addition of a buffet! Built in 1964, it was withdrawn in January 2014. It was built with Commonwealth bogies, but for a while ran on BR1 bogies. It has been preserved at the West Somerset Railway. Trevor Davis Another of the carriages in the ‘DAA Man of Kent Railtour’ on 26 March 1978 was Mark 1 SK Corridor Second S25913, seen at Sittingbourne. This entire rake was electric-heated and air-braked. The coaches all looked ex-works in pristine blue and grey livery with brown painted bogies. W25193 was built with Commonwealth bogies in August 1962, then it transferred to the Southern Region in October 1963 and was fitted with BR1 bogies. It was renumbered S18913 in April 1983, was withdrawn in March 1986 and scrapped in November 1987. All the Mark 1 compartment coaches built for the Southern and Western regions were built with four-a-side seating in the second class compartments. The other regions specified three-a-side seating with armrests. Trevor Davis

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By the 1970s, most of the coaching stock had very quickly received blue and grey livery. But there were a few exceptions. Maroon liveried Mark 1 BSK Brake Corridor Second M34456 was built with BR1 bogies in May 1953. It was withdrawn in October 1972, but it is seen here at Derby Carriage Sidings some five years later on 26 November 1977. It is showing the effects of its long storage with faded maroon paintwork and smashed windows, and it was scrapped in June 1978. In 1973 Derby had managed to collect together a complete rake of surviving maroon coaches, and these were used on relief and excursion trains throughout 1973 and 1974. Known as the ‘Derby Red Set’ a typical formation was M34458, M24018, M25072, M25281, M15268, M15444, M25214, M24035, M25122, M21030, M24752, & M25666. M24936, M15183, & M24870 also were included in this rake at various times. G H Taylor

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Although no Mark 2 catering vehicles were built new, there was a small number of Mark 3 buffets. RB Restaurant Buffet M10003 is at Longsight depot in Manchester on 31 March 1979 and it is fitted with BT5 bogies. G H Taylor

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There was always a small number of special saloons on British Railways for the use of Senior Managers or other dignitaries. Here we see GWR design Special Saloon W9005W at GWS Didcot on 16 April 1978, where it has just arrived for preservation. Most saloons were numbered in departmental stock, but this was an exception. As such, it was listed in my coaching stock book in a small section entitled ‘Royal Train & Other Special Vehicles’. Built in February 1961 on the frame of BSK W5300W, it was withdrawn in 1974, and is now preserved by Hornby in Margate. G H Taylor

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Mark 1 POT Post Office Stowage Van W80424 is seen at Old Oak Common on 30 April 1978, fitted with B5 bogies. Built in November 1968, it was withdrawn in January 2004, and scrapped in September 2006. Note the red painted postal box on the side, where the public could post a letter right up until the departure of the train. G H Taylor

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Exhibition trains were fairly common in the 1970s. A number of redundant carriages were retained for these and they were fitted out as required and repainted for each contract. Mark 1 Exhibition Van S99602 is at Cambridge on 2 July 1978 as part of the Post Office’s ‘Busby Special’. Built as W21145 in December 1955, it transferred to London Midland Region in November 1967. It was withdrawn in March 1971, and in November 1971 it was converted to Exhibition Van M99602. In May 1977 all the Exhibition Vans were transferred to the Southern Region, based at Salisbury. This rake contained S38741M, S99601, S99602, S99608, S99610, & S99620. G H Taylor

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