LMS 12992 Corridor Third

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LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 12992 Corridor Third
LMS 12992 20150718.jpg
LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 12992 Corridor Third
Built By BRCWBirmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company for BRBritish Rail or British Railways
Status In service
Number 12992
Other numbers M12992M
History
Built 1949
Designed By StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944/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 1484
Type CF, TK
Length 57ft
Weight 30T
Seats 42 third
1972 Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway
1991-92 Major overhaul

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 at the same time. StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 was 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 (George) 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. After nationalisation in 1948, BRBritish Rail or British Railways continued to receive carriages already ordered by the constituent companies with some further build runs continuing up to the introduction of Mk 1 stock in the early 1950s.

Service

Corridor Third (TK) 12992 was built for BRBritish Rail or British Railways in 1949 as part of lot number 1484 to diagram number 2119 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRC&WBirmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company) at Smethwick, that company being a contractor who regularly built coaches for the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway. It followed the basic StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 Period III design of a 57ft coach seating 42 passengers in 7 compartments together with two toilets, but included some post-War modifications made under George IvattHenry George Ivatt, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1946-1948. CME of BR (London Midland Region) 1948-1951, among them an all welded roof, the provision of two extra doors on the corridor side and changes to the style of sliding ventilators.[1]

12992 entered service in BRBritish Rail or British Railways Crimson & Cream livery[1] with BRBritish Rail or British Railways London Midland Region numbering M12992M.[2] Before the end of its working life it was repainted in the mid-1960s blue and grey livery. It continued in passenger service until 1971, outlasting the end of steam.[3] It was never renumbered from M12992M, although at one point it was allocated a subsequently cancelled DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. number DM396006.[2] It eventually became redundant at Tavistock Junction, Plymouth, an unusual final location for an LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway carriage[4].

Preservation

12992 was purchased from Plymouth by the L.M.S. & B.R. Coach Fund after a "£1 per head" appeal.[5] The only other surviving BRC&WBirmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company example of the type, 13045, was acquired from Derby St Mary's by a Fund member and both carriages arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway on 9 December 1972.[6]

It was tentatively arranged for 12992 to visit the Derby Litchurch Lane Carriage Works Open Day on 11 August 1973, together with 8F 8233, corridor brake third 26986 and "Stove R" 32919. Work was underway at Bewdley, but by July 12992 was still in need of new corner posts and rebuilding at one end, so 24617 was sent instead.[7] The restoration was completed in early 1974 with 12992 being turned out in LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 1947 livery.[8]

In summer 1974 12992 was one of the items of rolling stock requested for the following year's Rail 150 event at Shildon,[9] but in the event did not take part. It continued in use on SVRSevern Valley Railway services, although by late 1982 was reported as needing stop-gap attention to the doors and floor.[10] It was withdrawn from services pending a major overhaul in 1984, spending a period in storage at Kidderminster.[11]

In 1991 12992 was taken out of storage at Kidderminster and moved into the Carriage Repair Works for repairs to begin. The seats were removed, some in a "highly dubious state". While in the Works, two corner posts and a door fell off! The carriage was hastily tied together and sent to Bewdley, where the last of the steel sheets also came adrift. A large quantity of timber was required to replace the corner posts and stringers together with sections of the floor. The carriage was completely re-panelled and welded up and the bottom twelve inches of the roof were also replaced. All the doors were also rebuilt.[12] 12992 returned to Kidderminster where it was given two overhauled vacuum cylinders, the drawgear was tightened up and a number of steam-heat problems were sorted out. By spring 1992 12992 had returned to Bewdley for repainting in LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway livery and interior work[13] The interior was in poor condition and was stripped out. Some timber could be salvaged, with the rest being replaced by new parts made from Brazilian mahogany. The old veneered panels which had disintegrated were replaced with mahogany veneer. In autumn 1992 another return to Kidderminster saw the toilet floors replaced, the seats refitted, the linoleum flooring laid and the doors rehung.[14]

Following this major overhaul, 12992 returned to service. In 1997 the Kidderminster Carriage Works paint shop was commissioned, giving the opportunity to tidy up the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set with a number of repaints including 12992. The carriage's roof with an area of 570 sq. ft. required two-and-a-half litres of paint and 4 hour to complete. On this occasion the corridor side was rubbed down and fully repainted, while the compartment side only needed washing down with sugar soap, touching in small holes and re-varnishing. Once lined, lettered and numbered, the glass and brass was polished to complete the repaint. The set also received attention to its upholstery, with 12992 having the armrests recovered.[15]

In September 2002 12992 was again at Kidderminster, where the plumbing hoses were renewed and a frost damaged lavatory recommissioned. On this occasion the compartment side was fully repainted while the corridor side which was fully repainted in 1997 only required some colour patching and two coats of varnish.[16] 12992 was re-varnished at Bewdley in 2006.[17]

In 2007 the former owning group, the L.M.S. & B.R.British Rail or British Railways Coach Fund, donated all its vehicles to the SVRSevern Valley Railway Rolling Stock Trust (now the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust), becoming a department of the Trust from that time.

In summer 2008 12992 returned to Kidderminster Carriage works for a planned brake overhaul and bogie work. Brake pins and linkages were renewed and machined. At the same time the seats were re-covered by the regular contractor using reproduction 1949 LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway moquette provided by the Trust. Paint shop staff re-bedded all the sliding window glasses and fitted or adjusted skates and springs on the windows. 12992 was completed but not required for that year's Santa Services so spent winter 2008-09 in the carriage shed.[18][19]

12992 regularly forms part of Set L, the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Maroon set in pre-War LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway livery, notwithstanding that it was not built until after nationalisation.

See also

List of carriages

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Jenkinson & Essery (1977) p. 109.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Longworth Volume 2 (2019) p.302.
  3. SVRSevern Valley Railway Charitable Trust
  4. SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition
  5. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 26
  6. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 26
  7. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 29
  8. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 31
  9. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 32
  10. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 63,66
  11. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 90,99
  12. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 99
  13. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 102
  14. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 104
  15. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 122, 124
  16. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 139
  17. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 163
  18. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 164
  19. SVRSevern Valley Railway Charitable Trust

Links