Carriage 17

Carriage 17
Type	Compartment Composite
Seating	6 x 1st, 30 x 3rd
Home Railway	FR
Status	In service, Heritage Fleet
History
Built by	Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd.
Built	1876
Technical
Length	34 ft 7 in
Width	6 ft 0 in
Body Length	32 ft 3 in
Height	7 ft 8 in
Frames	Iron
Wheelbase	25 ft 6 in
Carriages

Carriage 17 is one of a pair of carriages built for the FR in 1876.

Background

Carriage 17 is one of the first pair of carriages (the other is 18) in the group collectively known as the "Bowsiders" because of the shape of their sides. These coaches were supplied to the Festiniog Railway by two builders in 1876 and 1879.

Built by Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd., at Adderley Park, Birmingham; to G. P. Spooner's design with Wrought iron frames, but not perpetuating the iron body bracing of Nos. 15 & 16, the running gear was provided by Boston Lodge. This time only six compartments were specified, the bodies being raised so as to increase the height in the end compartments. Unlike the early coaches, the sides were waisted-in at the bottoms. Hence the term Bowsider. They again featured end balconies. Arrangement: 3rd/3rd/1st/2nd/3rd/3rd. Later 3rd/3rd/1st/3rd/3rd/3rd.) 44 passengers.

Note that the easy way to tell between these pairs is that 17 & 18 have only two wide panels, on either side of the first class windows, but 19 & 20 have three panels for two first class compartments.

Post Preservation

17 was originally restored to service in 1956 using some parts from 19 and seats from Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramways and Birmingham Corporation Tramways. It re-entered service on 24/7/56. At this time it was repainted in to green and ivory livery with Edinburgh tram class designations.

It received body repairs in 1960 and then again in 1965/66. By 1968 it had lost the door ventilator hoods and was repainted in varnished livery with yellow panels either side of the 1st class compartment, much of the beading was also removed.

It had a major body repair in 1990, by which point the beading had been reinstated. At this time it received roller bearing bogies previously carried by Carriage 117, its old plain bearing bogies were used to restore Carriage 10 to service. In 1990 17 was painted maroon with cream panels. It has now been repainted back into green and ivory livery.

In 2014 17 was taken into the carriage works for repairs to the roof. At this time the bodywork was rebuilt with original style tongue and groove boarding in place of plywood which had been used in some previous rebuilds. It retains the green and ivory livery and has also regained the Edinburgh tram class designations.

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  Maroon and cream livery, 2004
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  Previous livery with modern style class designations.
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  Current livery with Edinburgh tram class designations
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  In Service at Porthmadog, August 2019
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See also

• FR Carriages