GWR 9615 Kitchen Diner First
| GWR 9615 Kitchen Diner First | |
|---|---|
 9615 in store November 2016 | |
| Built By | GWR Swindon |
| Status | Stored, undergoing overhaul |
| Number | 9615 |
| Other numbers | DW150336 |
| History | |
| Built | 1932 |
| Designed By | Collett |
| Diagram | H39 |
| Lot | 1468 |
| Type | RF |
| Length | 61ft 4½in |
| Weight | 44t 0cwt |
| Seats | 24 first |
| 1973 | Preserved on SVR |
| 2017- | Overhaul |
GWR 9615 is a Kitchen Diner First (RF) carriage; one of the final designs of the bow-ended era.
Contents
9615 in service
In 1932 the GWR introduced a batch of 10 dining car twin-sets, with a Kitchen First saloon (RFK) coupled to a full Third Class Restaurant Open (RTO). 9615 was completed in that year, having been built at Swindon as part of Lot 1469 to Diagram H39. A post-War upgrade saw the addition of sliding windows for ventilation and an improved interior.
While in GWR and BR Service, 9615 was regularly paired with Third Class Restaurant carriage 9627, and both are preserved on the SVR. All the dining set pairs were withdrawn from passenger service by 1963, having been replaced by BR stock; however 9615 later saw Departmental use as No DW 150336.[1][2]
9615 in preservation
9615 was acquired by SVR(H), arriving 6 January 1973 from Cardiff Canton diesel depot where it had been serving as an office. After a two year restoration, it was used from the mid-1970s as part of the SVR's GWR main line set as well as on the SVR itself. Further body work attention was carried out in 1980.[1]
9615 was moved into Kidderminster Carriage Shed in early 2016 for assessment for its overhaul. In October 2017 it entered Bewdley paint shop for major repairs to begin, having patiently waited for overhaul for 12 years.[3] 9615 is undergoing a back-to-the floor restoration which will take several years to complete. Reports and pictures of the overhaul can be found on the SVR Forum GWR 9615 thread. The Charitable Trust have funded the work.[4] In January 2022 the decision was taken to pause work as the kitchen design has not been decided, the bogies require overhaul and there are higher priority jobs. It returned to store in Kidderminster Carriage Shed[5].
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SVR Stock Book 9th Edition
- ↑ Great Western Coaches 1890-1954, Michael Harris (1966/1972), ISBN 0 7153 5502 3)
- ↑ SVROnline forum
- ↑ 'Platform' magazine, 2018 Issue 4, p.6
- ↑ Branch Lines January 2022 (Retrieved 13 January 2022)
Links
- 9615 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line (incorrectly states that "It was originally ordered in 1915 … making it one of the last Bow-Ended toplight carriages")
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