LMS 798 Royal Coach | |
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LMS King George VI Royal Saloon No.798 | |
Built By | LMS Wolverton |
Status | Static display |
Number | 798 |
History | |
Built | 1941 |
Designed By | Stanier |
Diagram | 2054 |
Lot | 1167 |
Type | ROY |
Length | 69ft |
Weight | 56T |
1977 | Preserved in NRM collection |
2010 | Arrived on SVR |
In 1941 the LMS built two Royal Saloon carriages for King George VI and H.M. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), to enable them to travel around the country safely during the Second World War. Each coach was fitted with an armour-plated steel roof and side panelling mounted on a steel welded framework. The windows were also fitted with armour plated shuttering. The two Royal Saloons were the heaviest railway carriages to run in Britain, weighing 56 tons apiece and were also unusually long, being almost 70 ft in length.
King George's saloon was later used by H.R.H. Prince Philip as part of the royal train until 1977, after which it was presented to the NRM. It arrived on the SVR in 2010,[1] and is now owned by SVR(H).[2] Conducted tours of the interior of carriage are normally possible, subject to the availablility of Engine House staff.
See also
References
Links
- The King's Royal Saloon on www.rail.co.uk
- LMS 798 King George VI's Armoured Saloon on Railway Heritage Register On-Line
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