GNR 2701 Composite Corridor

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GNR 2701 Composite Corridor
LNER 2701 20150307.jpg
GNR (LNER) Corridor Composite No 2701
Built By 1922
Status Operational
Number 2701
Other numbers LNER 42701
BR E42701E
History
Built Doncaster
Designed By Gresley
Type CK
1958 Converted to camping coach
1964 Departmental use
1994 Entered preservation
2008 Entered service

Carriages

GNR 2701 was built at Doncaster in August 1922 as one of ten carriages to Diagram 164K. It is a Corridor Composite (CK), seating 21 first class passengers in three and a half compartments and 24 in four third class compartments. The carriage was involved in a collision at Retford during its first year of use, but survived to become LNER No 42701, and BR E42701E. It remained in passenger carrying service until 1958 when, together with sister carriage No 69, it was converted at Stratford to a camping coach and stationed at Mundsley until closure in 1964. Following transfer to departmental stock its long and varied career on "The Big Railway" ended c1980 at Boston serving as the painter's bothy.

2701 was then purchased by the landlord of the Plough Inn, a few miles away at Swineshead. Following a difficult road transfer involving a lorry and two cranes recounted here it was to be converted to a dining room, but the project failed to gain planning permission. Despite an attempt to preserve it in Norfolk, 2701 was moved to another pub at Stoneyford Lodge in Derbyshire, also with the intention of use as a dining room, but this time the adjacent open cast mine was extended over its intended site.

2701 was purchased in 1994 by The LNER (SVR) Coach Fund from Stoneyford Lodge, with a view to restoration. The move to the SVR was achieved by Allelys with the aid of a lorry, two cranes and some difficulty. A video of the move can be seen here The Big Lift Initially there was some confusion over the identity of the carriage; the SVR Stock Book 9th edition describes the carriage as “Our example, assumed to be No 69…” and lists it as such[1].

Filming took place in October 2000 for an episode of the 2001 TV series “ Off the Rails” featuring Vince Henderson. The restoration of GNR 2701 was one of the items featured. In 2001 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £84k towards the cost of restoration, and GNR No 2701 entered SVR service in July 2008, being formally launched into service on 16th August of that year by Mr Tim Godfrey, a grandson of Sir Nigel Gresley. It was declared the overall winner in the Heritage Railway Association Carriage & Wagon competition 2009[2].

In late 2014 2701 received an overhaul and revarnish at Kidderminster Carriage works, being released to traffic in time for the start of the 2015 season.

Early in 2016, a principal supplier of 24 Volt LED lamp bulbs introduced a 40 Watt equivalent "golf ball" style bulb, the installation of which would improve lighting levels and reduce power consumption. A public appeal raised sufficient money to replace all of the lamp bulbs in the LNER carriages of set N. The electrician reports that since the replacement, Set N has required very little top up charging from battery chargers as the dynamos are now able to supply sufficient current to charge the batteries (as they should).

In March 2016 the LNER (SVR) Coach Fund donated 2701 to the SVR Charitable Trust for long term safekeeping.

See also

References

Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey
LNER (SVR) Coach Fund

  1. SVR Stock Book 9th Edition
  2. vintagecarriagestrust.org

Links