Changes

|image = BR_16169_20150718BR_16169_20220716.jpg|caption = BR Composite Corridor 16169 (centreJuly 2022)

|status = Overhaul in progressIn service

|livery = n/a (was BR Maroon)

|years2 = 2007|events2 = Trapped at Arley|years3 = 2008|events3 = Stored|years4 = 2019|events4 = Returned to service

}}'''16169 ''' is a '''BR Mark 1 Corridor Composite ''' (CK) carriage. The term 'composite' refers to the use of more than one class of seating, in this case four first class compartments and three second class compartments. For the second class compartments, BR followed the seating plans used by the pre-nationalisation companies in each region, with LMR and ER carriages generally having seats with arm rests allowing six passengers per compartment while WR and SR carriages had no arm rests permitting 8 passengers per compartment.<ref name=Stockbook>SVR Stock Book 9th Edition</ref>

16169 was built at Derby in 1961 to diagram number 126 (AA201), lot number 30665. It entered service in the Midland region.numbered M16169,<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2013)]] p.112.</ref> In 1983 it in maroon livery with black ends. The practice of adding a yellow stripe above the first class areas was adopted shortly after that time, with 16169 probably receiving this modification at a depot when around two years old.<ref name=SVR94>SVR News 94</ref>  During the 1970s BR introduced the [[TOPS codes|TOPS numbering system]]. This required unique identifying numbers for all assets. To avoid potential conflicts, wholesale renumbering of certain ranges of coach numbers was renumbered as carried out, including CKs numbered 15xxx and 16xxx which became 7xxx.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2013)]] p.9.</ref> The coach therefore became number M7169, being . It was subsequently reallocated to the Scottish region in January 1986.<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Longworth (2013)]] p.80.</ref> 16169  7169 underwent its last works overhaul in January 1986. After running a further 59,595 miles on cross-country services, it was withdrawn from active service by BR on 2 December 1988 at Heaton, Newcastle in 1988, where it had been in use on cross-country services<ref name=SVR92>SVR News 92</ref><ref name=Stockbook/>.

16169 7169 arrived on the SVR from Heaton via Oxley in Wolverhampton on 16 August 1989 carrying BR's blue and grey livery, having been purchased by [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC | SVR(H)]] as one of two carriages acquired to increase the available first class accommodation. At the time the SVR was still creating fully matched 'sets' of carriages. Prior to its arrival, the initial plan was for 7169 to be used in either the 'BR/LNER' or 'GWR/BR' sets, as they were then described, until appropriate pre-grouping vehicles with first class accommodation could be restored.<ref name=Stockbook/><refname=SVR92/>SVR News 92However, within months of arrival it had undergone the necessary 'light repairs' and been repainted into BR maroon '1963 condition' (including the additional yellow first class stripe),<ref name=SVR94/ref> It saw going on to see regular use in the BR Maroon setunder its original number of M16169. By 2006 the overhauls of seven of the carriages in set M had recently been completed or were in progress. 16169, which was due to be the eighth, but by 2006 was described by the Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey as "externally very shabby and due for refurbishment". In particular, the double-glazed windows in the first class compartments had become so misted up that the compartments had been declassified to second class. In that year, while nominally still in service, a number of windows were removed and refurbished ahead of a planned overhaul and return to the maroon set.<ref>SVR News 156</ref> However in 2007 it was withdrawn from service and moved to [[Arley]] for use during the 1940s events to provide additional shelter for children should it rain. It became trapped at Arley by the [[2007 Storm Damage]], finally being . By the time it was retrieved and moved to Kidderminster in late 2008 for , it had effectively 'died', with swollen doors and mouldy seats. It underwent a health check before with the intention of returning it to availability as spare vehicle for the LMS set. During that time it received , including receiving some attention to compartment ceilings and veneers.<ref>SVR News 164</ref> In 2011 However in the event it was reported as being back at Arleydid not run again in service for some years, looking spending time in storage with moves to the paint shop in winter 2012 and 2013 while the C&W team "extremely tatty''nibbled away at some of its tasks to edge it nearer to working life again''.".<ref>SVR News 179, 182</ref> It was photographed in July 2015 stored in [https://forum[Kidderminster Carriage Shed|the carriage shed]] awaiting further work.svr <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-onlinealign:left">BR_16169_20150718.org.uk/viewtopicjpg | 16169 (centre) in store in July 2015.php?t=2219 SVR Forum, 23 August 2011]</refgallery>

===Overhaul from 2013===By 2013 work early 2017 the decision had started, as it was reported as undergoing a light repair.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2738&highlight=been made that 16169 GM's monthly round up March 2013]</ref> It was however photographed in July 2015 stored in needed to be returned to service so that identical [[Kidderminster Carriage ShedBR 16267 Composite Corridor|the carriage shed16267]] awaiting further work(which had 'borrowed' 16169's seats some years earlier) could be retired for major welding repairs and new doors. It had developed into a heavy overhaul by 2017, albeit as events permitted Work therefore began on overhauling 16267's old seats for use in 16169.<ref>SVR News 200, Winter 2017</ref> In March 2017 16169 was moved outside [[Carriage Repair Works|Kidderminster Carriage Works]], initially for welding repairs, with other jobs both internal and spring external continuing as events permitted.<ref>SVR News 200, Winter 2017</ref> Spring 2018 saw it outside the [[Carriage Repair Works|Kidderminster paintshop]] after work to make it waterproof with a newly painted roof. In September 2019 it was in the paint shop receiving further repairs before proper painting could begin, which were was completed by November 2019. After a delay awaiting time on the end of the year. In March 2020 jacks, 16169 was going moved onto accommodation bogies in March 2020 to allow its commonwealth bogies to be worked on<ref>SVR News 210, [https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3461&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60 'Kidderminster Carriage Works update, 'SVR Online Forum]</ref><ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/blsep20 Branch Lines newsletter, September 2020] (Retrieved 29 August 2020)</ref>. Further delays due to the second [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|COVID-19]] lockdowns meant that plans to return 16169 to service in time for the 2020 '[[Christmas services|Steam in Lights]]' could not be met, with the coach finally being shunted out of the carriage works for test running on 11 January 2021.<ref>SVR News 213</ref> 16169 returned to service in spring 2021, although a few weeks later it was briefly withdrawn again after an issue was found with the dynamo 'motoring' (being driven by the batteries, rather than putting power into them, as the result of a wiring fault). This was resolved by replacing all the heavy-duty cables from the dynamo to the regulator and battery box, with 16169 returning to duty in [[Carriages#The_carriage_sets|Set M]]<ref>SVR News 215</ref>.