BR 34562 Brake Second Corridor
| BR 34562 Brake Second Corridor | |
|---|---|
 BR Brake Second Corridor 34562 | |
| Built By | BR Wolverton |
| Status | In service |
| Number | W34562 |
| Livery | BR Crimson & Cream |
| Other numbers | M34562, SC34562 |
| History | |
| Built | 1955 |
| Diagram | 181 |
| Lot | 30095 |
| Type | BSK |
| TOPS code | AB21 |
| Seats | 24 (or 32) standard |
| 1974 | Entered preservation |
Contents
34562 in service and preservation
34562 was built at Wolverton in 1955 to Diagram 181 (AB201), Lot 30095. It entered service in the London Midland region in May 1955 as M34562. In June 1971 it was reallocated to the Scottish region and renumbered SC34562.[1]
In 1974 SC34562 was acquired from BR's Cowlairs Works where it was awaiting an overhaul.[2] Unusually it was still in as-built condition externally, with the pressed-in edges to the windows, never having been fitted with the aluminium repair frames.[3] It arrived on the SVR from Scotland on 13 May 1974 carrying BR's Inter-City Livery; the owner at that time was recorded as SVR Member Charles Newton who had already bought 46521 among other items of rolling stock.[4]
One side of the carriage was quickly repainted into BR crimson and cream livery, although not varnished. After several years' service in 'half and half' livery, the second side was repainted in June 1977 and also varnished, the first Bridgnorth paintwork where this was done.[5] By August 1977 M34562, as it had become again, was recorded as being in the ownership of The 75069 Fund.[6]
After several more years in service, 34562 was withdrawn in September 1981 for overhaul, with the intention of being returned to service for the start of the 1982 season.[7] In the event, work was hampered by exceptionally bad weather over that winter (the overhaul being in the open air at Bridgnorth), and it became a seven month heavy rebuild including several new panels, rehung doors and the most comprehensively stripped and revarnished interior to date.[8].
In mid-1987 34562 was known to need four doors re-skinning and was taken out of service for an expected five-week overhaul at Bridgnorth. In the event all but one of the ten doors required attention and seven months later the Bridgnorth C&W team were attempting to complete the painting and varnishing outdoors in mid-January. A number of other internal jobs were also carried out including the upholstery, with a return to service taking place in April 1988.[9]
In 1996, after a further eight years of service with the inevitable wear and tear, 34562 was one of the carriages used in filming Oh Doctor Beeching!. Hugh McQuade commented in SVR News that "I understand the BBC were looking for red and cream coaches in rundown condition to represent the 1950s-60s state of the railways. Well, at the time, the Mark 1's were almost brand new and branch lines would probably not have seen them in great numbers as pre-nationalised ex-main line cast offs would have predominated. Never mind - it's a comedy, not a documentary."[10]
By summer 1997 34562 was back at Bridgnorth for another heavy overhaul. This was a more protracted affair taking some two and a half years to complete, partly due to the first occurrence of a problem since found on other Mark 1s, namely corroded floor supports.[11]. A light overhaul followed in late 2005.[12]
A further overhaul began in 2013. By this time the upholstery was life-expired and all four compartments were re-covered in a regal blue moquette known as 'timetable' as used by South West Trains. In order to save on budget, the carriage was converted to the Western Region seating arrangement involving removing the fold-up armrests from the seat backs, repadding the hole and making a new back panel. Following this change 34562 was given a 'W' prefix instead of an 'M', something it never carried in service.[13] In summer 2014 34562 went to Bristol St. Philips Marsh depot for tyre turning, after which it its planned lift repair programme was carried out, including steam heat, vacuum brake, bogie and drawgear repairs as required. The reprofiling of the tyres also required the bogie and coach ride heights to be reset. 34562 was completed in September 2014 and became the first coach to be weighed on the C&W department's portable weighing machine.[14]
34562 in Set C at Bridgnorth in 2015, shortly the 2013-14 overhaul
In winter 2019, 34562 was selected for use in the new Christmas "Steam in Lights" trains, requiring the positioning of two generators in the luggage cage. These fitted through the doorways by a margin of ¾in but left no room for the operator to get into position to work them. A section of the wire mesh cage wall was therefore carefully removed with an angle grinder in such a way that it could be welded back in later on. A hole also had to be cut in the corridor floor for the power cables to leave the cage and connect to the LED lights outside the coaches, which was done in such a way that the hole could be plated over but still re-used in future years in required.[15]
By 2022 it had one pair of luggage doors locked out of use with a broken door stile, and other doors showing signs of distress. An overhaul in 2023 was being considered.[16]
34562 is normally in Set C, and is still owned by the The 75069 Fund.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Those in the Western and Southern regions seated eight per compartment, other regions seated six per compartment
References
- ↑ Longworth (2013) pp.159-160.
- ↑ SVR Stock Book Eighth Edition, February 1990
- ↑ SVR News123
- ↑ SVR Stock Book Fifth Edition, September 1974
- ↑ SVR News 47
- ↑ SVR Stock Book Sixth Edition, August 1977
- ↑ SVR News 61
- ↑ SVR News 63, 65
- ↑ SVR News 87, 88, 89
- ↑ SVR News 123
- ↑ SVR News 123, 125, 128, 129, 152
- ↑ SVR News 152
- ↑ SVR News 182
- ↑ SVR News 184, 188
- ↑ SVR News 210
- ↑ Branch Lines, December 2022
Links
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