LNER 7960 Kitchen Composite
| LNER 7960 Kitchen Composite | |
|---|---|
 LNER Kitchen Composite 7960 | |
| Built By | LNER Doncaster |
| Status | In service |
| Number | 7960 |
| Other numbers | 9162, DE321021 |
| History | |
| Built | 1936 |
| Designed By | Gresley |
| Diagram | 187 |
| Lot | 673 |
| Type | RC |
| Seats | 12 first, 18 third (as built) |
| 1980 | Preserved on SVR |
| 2015 | Restoration completed |
LNER Kitchen Composite (RC) 7960 was built at Doncaster[1] in 1936. It was originally equipped with an anthracite-electric kitchen to serve meals into separate First and Third class saloons seating 12 and 18 respectively.
Contents
7960 in service
7960 was renumbered as 9162 in 1946. It remained in use in the former GNS area of the LNER until the 1960s. Its regular diagram was Aberdeen to Inverness, northbound serving breakfast, dinner on return.
Departmental service
Following withdrawal it was converted to a Mess Coach for Scottish Region track workers, as departmental number DE 321021. The third class saloon was most altered to three sleeping compartments with a side corridor, and the former first class to a messroom complete with coal burning stove. Surprisingly the kitchen remained largely untouched although at some stage in its life the anthracite-electric cooker had been replaced with gas.
7960 in preservation
7960 arrived painted black and in run down condition on the SVR, from Perth in late 1980, having been purchased privately by Mr John Giles. The ownership later passed to Mr Phil James who spent the next 20 years painstakingly restoring it to original condition. Sadly he died before he was able to complete the lengthy restoration, and in January 2011 7960 was generously gifted by his widow Louise to the SVR Rolling Stock Trust (now The SVR Charitable Trust. Final completion of the kitchen and pantry took place in 2015, and 7960 entered service in May 2015. Phil James and Paul Bennett created a very interesting website, hosted by the Great Western (SVR) association which may be found at 7960 pages
On 5 April 2016 a contentious bronze sculpture by Hazel Reeves of Sir Nigel Gresley was unveiled during a ceremony at King’s Cross station in London.[2] 7960 was one of the stars of the show, on display on Platform 8.[3]
For the 2019 season, 7960 is scheduled for use in "The Gin Train" and other similar events, where it is billed as "our 1936-built luxurious first class carriage (once hauled by the Flying Scotsman)"[4]
See also
References
- ↑ (Or built at York, see sources below)
- ↑ Pantry, L., 'Nigel Gresley statue unveiled at King’s Cross - and he’s out for a duck', Yorkshire Post, 5 April 2016 (Retrieved 18 March 2018)
- ↑ 'Starring Role for Kitchen Composite 7960', SVRLive webpage 23 April 2016
- ↑ Special Events on www.svr.co.uk
Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey (incorrectly states built at York)
LNER SVR Coach Fund (states built at Doncaster)
SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition (states built at Doncaster)
Links
7960 on vintagecarriagestrust.org
7960 on lnersvrcoachfund.org.uk
7960 on svrtrust.org.uk
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