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BR 1853 Restaurant Miniature Buffet

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*W1853 from October 1983 in the Western region<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2013)]] p.24.</ref>.
Until 1999 it was operated by Rail Charter Services<ref group="note">A post-BR-privatisation era business namefor the former BR Special Trains Unit, distinct from Jeremy Hosking's company "Rail Charter Services Ltd which was incorporated in June 2020</ref><ref>[http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=3419 1853 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line] (Retrieved 9 September 2020)</ref>.
==Preservation==
1853 made a very unusual maiden voyage on the SVR. A then new EWS Class 66 locomotive, 66074, brought a train of 9 KPA bogie hopper wagons plus a KOA 'Piggyback' lorry transporter wagon onto the SVR on Saturday 17 March. The train ran the full length of the Railway to [[Bridgnorth]]. On the return trip which set off at 18.05 it dropped ballast at a number of locations, including south of [[Hampton Loade]] where the generators on board the Piggyback wagon were started up to demonstrate floodlit ballast dropping. The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate the system to representatives of Railtrack and infrastructure maintenance company GT Railway Maintenance (GTRM). Newly arrived RMB 1853 was attached to the train to accommodate the press and observers, as it was still fitted with air brakes compatible with the wagons. The total loaded weight of the train including the buffet car was estimated at 585 tonnes making it probably the heaviest train to traverse the branch at any time in its history. After the ballast was discharged it weighed about 285 tonnes.<ref>SVR News 131</ref>
Later in 1999 1853 was repainted into crimson and cream livery in [[Carriage Repair Works|Kidderminster paint shop]], in order to take the place in that set of sister coach [[BR 1856 Restaurant Miniature Buffet|1856]] which was by that time in tired condition. At the same time a three month refit was required after what were described as "''some alarming 'main line' repairs''" were discovered. With a short list of minor things left to finish, 1853 was handed into traffic in time to take part in the 1999 [[Christmas services]].<Ref>SVR News 133, 135</ref>
During early 2004 1853's motley collection of seats were re-upholstered by Ray and Muriel Wallington using moquette acquired at a modest price from Wolverton Works. The coach also received a wheelset change at Kidderminster, after which all the wheelsets were turned to the same size.<ref>SVR News 147, 148</ref>
Experience over the years showed that Buffet Cars buffet cars and Brake brake vans tended to suffer from over-used batteries. To counter this, a small diameter pulley wheel for the dynamo was bought from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway during 2006 and trialled on 1853. The trial was a success, with well-charged batteries becoming the norm on 1853.<ref>SVR News 156</ref>
In late 2006 1853 came onto the Mechanics mechanics' jacks for repairs to a blown steam pipe below the toilet. The pipe had rotted away due to a leaking lavatory waste pipe which had also caused rot in the vestibule floor and two fifty-five inch long timber joints under the lavatory walls. A five week repair and repaint was completed, apart from refitting the toilets, just in time for that year's Santa services. The work was then completed in early 2007.<ref>SVR News 152, 153</ref>
In 2015 1853 returned to Kidderminster Carriage Works for entered for attention to two areas. The gangways were drooping due to the wear to the support pin rubbers which required replacement, while a broken coil spring also required replacement. During 2017 another broken spring was also noted and replaced.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3461 SVR-Online forum, Kidderminster Carriage Works Update]</ref>
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