Carriage 1001
| Carriage 1001 | |
|---|---|
 Standing at Dinas on its first day in public service at Superpower 2002 | |
| Type | PW Mess Van |
| Home Railway | WHR |
| Original Railway | Chattenden and Upnor |
| Status | Undergoing refurbishment |
| History | |
| Built by | D. Wickham & Co. Ltd |
| Built | 1957 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 24 ft 8 in |
| Carriages | |
Carriage 1001 is a permanent way mess and brake vehicle in use on the Welsh Highland Railway.
Overview[edit]
This passenger brake vehicle falls between categories, as it has multiple uses. It was built to 2' 6" gauge in 1957 by D. Wickham & Co. Ltd of Ware in Hertfordshire, builder's number 7372. It was supplied to the naval Chattenden and Upnor Railway at Lodge Hill near Rochester in Kent, and was designated as a Combination Brake Van because it had separate compartments for officers and ratings.
It was sold to the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway in 1961, who in turn sold it, minus bogies, to the 2ft gauge South Tynedale Railway in 1989. It was not used there, and was subsequently acquired for WHR use. It has been regauged to 2ft gauge by fitting a pair of South African bogies and is painted in a livery matching the modern coaches.
Its main use to date has been as a mess coach for use on works trains. It is also available as a reserve brake vehicle for regular passenger services, or for special workings such as "driver experience" goods trains. Not used much after the completion of the WHR, in 2017 volunteers began to refurbish the carriage.