BR 25498 Corridor Second

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BRBritish Rail or British Railways 25498 Corridor Second
BR 25498 20210604.jpg
BRBritish Rail or British Railways Corridor Second 25498
Built By BRBritish Rail or British Railways York
Status In service
Number M25498
Livery BRBritish Rail or British Railways Crimson & Cream
Other numbers E25498
History
Built 1958
Diagram 146
Lot 30374
Type SK
TOPS code AA21
Seats 48
1983 Entered preservation

Carriages

25498 is a BRBritish Rail or British Railways Mark 1 Corridor Second (SK). The SK was the most prolific of the Mark 1 passenger stock, with more than 2,200 built. The layout included eight compartments with a central cross-vestibule and two toilets in one of the two end vestibules. Those in the Western and Southern regions seated eight per compartment, while those on Midland and Eastern routes were provided with armrests and seated six per compartment. Early examples featured veneered walls, while later batches used formica laminates. The SKs were an early candidate for withdrawal, being replaced by Mark 2 Open, HST sets and Networker Turbo units[1][2].

Service and preservation

25498 was built at York in 1958 to Diagram 146 (AA201), Lot 30374. It was equipped with BR1 bogies and had a running weight of 34 tons. Being destined for use in the Eastern Region, it had the smaller 48-seat capacity.[3] It also included cast aluminium exterior doors, one of few examples on the SVRSevern Valley Railway to be so fitted.[4]

The coach entered service in the Eastern region in that year as E25498, where it remained allocated throughout BRBritish Rail or British Railways service.[3][note 1]

Some evidence of 25498's use in service was found during subsequent restoration at the SVRSevern Valley Railway. It appears that the first livery included the upper half being covered with grained imitation wood paint (presumably the LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway scumble-grained mock teak), over which layers of BRBritish Rail or British Railways grey had subsequently been applied.[4] Paper stickers found in the doors referred to use on 'Continental Boat Trains', and also to a football special between Liverpool Lime Street and Nottingham at £4.00 per head.[5]

25498 was still in BRBritish Rail or British Railways(E) service on the day it was examined at Heaton Depot, Newcastle by members of the L.M.S. & B.R. Coach Fund as a prospective candidate for preservation as a replacement for their first BRBritish Rail or British Railways Mk 1, E24726. It was then given special protection by the depot staff until its forward movement to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, with the arrival from Heaton taking place on 16 May 1983.

25498 initially entered SVRSevern Valley Railway service in BRBritish Rail or British Railways's in blue and grey livery. It received a quick 'spray repaint' in Bridgnorth cattle dock in late August 2004,[4] followed by re-bedding the windows in early 1989[6] (25498 has the earlier pattern of windows with the glass set in mastic and pressed against the outside steel plate; some Mk1s had the windows set in from the outside to help prevent leaks and rust formation). Later in 1989 25498 was withdrawn from service for a six-week overhaul at Bridgnorth. It required welded repairs to seven locations on the bodyside panelling, and also renewal of the entire roof tank filler pipe layout which had collapsed during painting. Internally several damaged pieces of upholstery were replaced and all the seats were shampooed, while externally it was repainted in BRBritish Rail or British Railways Crimson and Cream livery.[7]

In 1996 several other coaches suffered blown fuses. The cause took some time to identify, but was eventually traced to a wiring problem in 25498 where jumper cables had been fitted in reverse. This meant that it was working against the controller in the guards' van, although it only became apparent when the coach changed ends on the set.[8]

25498 was 'stopped' for repairs in late 1999. The work began at Bewdley in 2000 and included welding work on the bulkhead ends, gangway areas and some of the door edges. Internally it received a full plumbing refit of the lavatories. The ceilings were repainted in white gloss, door lock exams were carried out, and new bottom panels in varnished plywood fitted on all six doors. 25498 then moved to Kidderminster for finishing off, including a full exterior repaint.[9]

During summer 2003 returned to Kidderminster for bogie repairs, steam-heat overhaul, buckeye and drawgear attention and its lavatory tank dump-valves overhauling.[10] In late 2005 it received further minor repairs and a repaint at Kidderminster.[11]

In 2007 the original owning group, L.M.S. & B.R. Coach Fund, donated all its vehicles and merged with the Severn Valley Railway Rolling Stock Trust, now the SVR Charitable Trust.

25498 was 'red carded' in March 2010 with excessive wheel flats. Financial constraints at the time meant that it was February 2011 before the coach could be sent to Bristol Barton Hill for tyre turning. On return, the doors were rebuilt and the coach received a full repaint and interior refurbishment at Kidderminster.[12]

In early 2017 25498 underwent an overhaul at Kidderminster Carriage Shed (rather than the Carriage Repair Works), including roof repairs, overhauling of door locks and repaint.[13] It is a regular in Set C, the BRBritish Rail or British Railways Crimson & Cream running set and carries the number M25498.

See also

Notes

  1. The now defunct 25498 page on the Charitable Trust website suggests that the coach was initially allocated to the Midland Region, reflected in the number it now caries. Longworth suggests all 50 of the York-built Lot 30374 including 25498 were allocated to the Eastern Region.

References

  1. SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book 9th edition
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway Charitable Trust
  3. 3.0 3.1 Longworth (2013) p.142.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 75
  5. Charitable Trust information poster in E25498.
  6. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 92
  7. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 94
  8. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 119
  9. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 133, 135
  10. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 144
  11. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 152
  12. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 170, 173, 176
  13. 'Branch Lines' May 2017 e-newsletter

Links