LMS Brake Third Corridor 26880

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LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Brake Third Corridor 26880
LMS 26880 20150322.jpg
LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Brake Third Corridor 26880
Built By BRBritish Rail or British Railways Derby
Status In service
Number 26880
Other numbers E26880M, DM 395979, TEST CAR NO. 9
History
Built 1950
Designed By StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944
Diagram 2161
Lot 1501
Type CH, BTK
Length 57ft
Weight 30T
Seats 24 third
1973 Arrived on SVRSevern Valley Railway
2012 Restoration completed

Carriages

LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 26880 Brake Third Corridor (BTK) is an example of the port-hole stock designed by William StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 before the Second World War but implemented by his successors C E FairburnCharles Edward Fairburn, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1944-1945 and H G IvattHenry George Ivatt, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1946-1948. CME of BR (London Midland Region) 1948-1951.

Sir William StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 was succeeded as CMEChief Mechanical Engineer of the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway by C E FairburnCharles Edward Fairburn, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1944-1945 in 1944 and H G 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 1945. Although neither produced any new carriage designs, they did implement some of StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944’s style changes. Among those was the port-hole stock, echoing that used by the 1938 streamliners. Following nationalisation in January 1948, BRBritish Rail or British Railways continued to build LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway style carriages into the early 1950s. Unlike the Corridor Composite version, the Brake Third Corridor continued the use of timber framing with steel top, bottom and corner members.

Service

LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway Brake Third Corridor (BTK) 26880 was built in 1950 by BRBritish Rail or British Railways at Wolverton as part of lot number 1505 to diagram number 2161. All 439 of the Diagram 2161 BTKs were built post-nationalisation and were believed to have entered service in BRBritish Rail or British Railways's crimson and cream livery and to have been fitted with post-War BRBritish Rail or British Railways-type torpedo ventilators.[1] It carried the number E26880M, the mixed prefix and suffix denoting a coach of LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway design allocated to BRBritish Rail or British Railways's Eastern region.[2][3]

After passenger service, it was converted for use as a test vehicle. An article in SVRSevern Valley Railway News by Hugh McQuade, written in 1998 during its subsequent restoration at the SVRSevern Valley Railway, described its use:

"These trials formed the basis of the BRBritish Rail or British Railways "Depot Loads Book" with which all ex-BRBritish Rail or British Railways drivers and guards will be familiar. It lays down how many wagons a particular class of locomotive over a particular route should be allowed to convey. Also, each wagon is credited with a brake force in tons and each route given a minimum figure that must be achieved in order for the trains to be able to stop safely. This book guided guards and yard staff for thirty years until all braked trains with powerful air-brakes ensured that run-away trains became a thing of folklore. All of this was devised using data compiled in 26880, formed at the head of a vacuum-braked train of mineral wagons which roamed the country."[4]

Other articles in SVRSevern Valley Railway News suggest it was also used in Advanced Passenger Train experiments.[5] 26880 carried the DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. number DM395979 until withdrawal in 1972[6].

Preservation

In late 1972 the L.M.S. & B.R. Coach Fund identified four LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway BCKs in the sidings at Chaddesdon, Derby as possible candidates for preservation. No 27043 was rejected as being in very poor condition[7][note 1] but the other three were acquired for the SVRSevern Valley Railway including 26880 which was initially mis-identified as 26680. It arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway on 6 January 1973 from Chaddesdon, having been privately purchased by Mr DA JohnsonSamuel Waite Johnson, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway 1873-1903.[8][note 2] The other two (26668 and 27023) were also acquired by the SVRSevern Valley Railway to be used as a source of spares.

During 1981 '26680' was moved from storage at Highley to Bridgnorth where it was used as the Bridgnorth C&WCarriage & Wagon stores vehicle.[9] It was subsequently moved to Eardington and by summer 1989 had been acquired by Steve Downes.[10] Later that year, some 26 years after arrival, the coach was finally earmarked for a long-term restoration by the Bridgnorth C&WCarriage & Wagon team as one of three main projects at the time.[11][note 3] While preparatory work for the restoration was being carried out at Eardington, the correct original number E26880M was discovered under the later DM number.[3]

By 1993 26880 had moved to the Bridgnorth cattle dock where the 'slow but steady' restoration by Steve and a small team of volunteers continued.[12] 1998 saw the external panelling completed and the missing compartment walls reinstated. By summer 2001 26880 was "…at last looking like a complete coach.[13] In September 2002 it was turned at Kidderminster,[14] after which work continued on the internal refurbishment.[15]

During 2006 Steve instigated the production of 350 metres of reproduction early BRBritish Rail or British Railways-pattern Moquette for use in refurbishing the seats of late LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway and early BRBritish Rail or British Railways carriages, the cost of which was sponsored by the Charitable Trust. Part of the material was in turn sold back to Steve for use in the restoration of his own coach.[16]

The decision had been made during restoration to use 26880 as a wheelchair-accessible coach. In autumn 2008 SVRSevern Valley Railway News noted that The wheelchair area is completed and so the coach is now about 95% finished.[17]

In 2011 26880 moved to Kidderminster to have a set of overhauled bogies and the brake gear fitted.[18] Other work including final painting was also carried out there. On 30 May 2012 26880 underwent a test run behind class 20 D8059 including a visit to the weighing machine. It was declared fit for use and entered the LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway set to provide it with wheelchair accommodation.[19]

26880 forms part of the LMS Maroon set (Set L), notwithstanding that it was not built until after nationalisation and first carried Carmine and Cream livery.

See also

Notes

  1. 27043 was later preserved at the Strathspey Railway in Scotland.
  2. Its arrival on SVRSevern Valley Railway-occupied metals at Bewdley Down Yard was in a trip working from Kidderminster yard behind Sulzer Type 2The British Railways classification for diesel locomotives of 1001 bhp to 1499 bhp No 7655, accompanied by GWR 6045 Bow-end Composite, GWR 9615 Kitchen Diner First, plus locomotives 4141, 5164,4930 and 7819 and an ex-LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway tender. The locomotives and tender had arrived earlier that day in a convoy from Barry Scrapyard.
  3. The other two main Bridgnorth C&WCarriage & Wagon projects in 1989 were the ongoing restoration of LNER 43612 and the urgent restoration of 5 BRBritish Rail or British Railways Mark 1 open thirds.

References

  1. Jenkinson & Essery (1977) p. 110.
  2. Longworth (2019) p.310.
  3. 3.0 3.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 93
  4. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 128, Autumn 1998, Hugh McQuade, Bridgnorth Carriage Restoration Notes
  5. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 26
  6. Longworth (2019) p.460.
  7. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 26
  8. SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Sixth Edition, August 1977, pp.55, 80-81.
  9. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 59, 61, 65
  10. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 92
  11. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 97
  12. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 107
  13. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 136
  14. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 141
  15. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 148, 150
  16. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 156
  17. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 163
  18. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 174
  19. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 179

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