Trustworthy, administrator
11,900
edits
Changes
m
add links
9103 was first located 'off the rails' at Swansea Landore, but while preservation plans were drawn up, the vehicle was re-railed and sent to nearby Danygraig. It was eventually privately purchased from there by Phil James, becoming the first vehicle to arrive at [[Bewdley]] on 29 January 1972. After arrival, the roof was made waterproof and work began to replace the interior as closely as possible to the original layout.<ref>SVR News 24</ref><ref>SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition</ref> By the end of 1973 the ceilings had been completely replaced as had a missing partition and the missing brake gear. The wiring was also reinstalled, with Phil James carrying out much of the work.<ref>SVR News 27, 28, 30</ref><ref name=GWSVRA/>
9103 was then bought by Mick Haynes who continued the restoration with the aid of only a small team including family members.<ref name=GWSVRA/> In the early 1980s 9103 spent several years inside Bewdley Goods Shed to the evident frustration of the [[Wagon GroupDepartment]]; with reports in SVR News including 'tongue in cheek' comments such as "''Next door in the main goods shed, however, the grass continues to grow around Mick Haynes' nondescript saloon 9103; shame we can't evict it and get another couple of wagons in!''"<ref>SVR News 74</ref> By the late 1980s 9103 was back out in the open, with the inevitable consequence that "''Despite the fact that it is partly sheeted over, it no sooner dries out than it gets soaked again. The Haynes' descend on it "en famille" every weekend only to find that rain stopped play.''"<ref>SVR News 87</ref> Progress nevertheless continued slowly through the 1990s, with occasional short reports that "''Restoration is proceeding steadily''".<ref>SVR News 115 (Summer 1995), SVR News 128 (Summer1998) etc.</ref>
In 2004 the GW(SVR)A created a web page which fully documented the restoration after that time. The page may be seen [http://www.gw-svr-a.org.uk/9103_restoration.html here]. By 2007 it appeared possible that 9103 might be ready for traffic in 2008,<ref>SVR News 157</ref> but in the event the restoration was not completed until 2013. 9103 was rolled out for 'official' pictures to be taken at Bewdley on Thursday 15 July,<ref>SVR News 183</ref> with the Association arranging a special train to mark the completion on Wednesday 18 September 2013.
