Carriage 2048
| Carriage 2048 | |
|---|---|
 . | |
| Type | Corridor Third |
| Seating | 35 x 3rd |
| Home Railway | WHR |
| Status | In Service |
| History | |
| Built by | FR Co. |
| Technical | |
| Length | 42 ft 8 in[1] |
| Frames | Steel |
| Carriages | |
Carriage 2048 is a WHR third class saloon carriage.
Background[edit]
The carriage will be of the "third" design of modern Welsh Highland Railway carriage (i.e. with panoramic windows aligned with each seating bay, no drop windows, and opening toplights as with carriages 2046 and 2047).
It was constructed at Boston Lodge and funded by long time supporter Mr Peter Campbell.[2] It is due to replace 116 on WHR service trains when complete and this will mean that both sets will be formed entirely of WHR stock (except carriage 122 which is a non-standard design and is permanently assigned to the WHR).[3]
Construction[edit]
By August 2019 the underframe and steel body frame were compete and ready to move into the carriage works after competition of 2152. By October 2019 the frames were in the carriage works and construction of the body was at an advanced stage. By Christmas the Carriage was mostly externally complete.The doors, seats and tables were made and awaited fitting, whilst the body was complete (minus doors) and had been given a coat of primer. The electrical systems have also been moved from the underside of the carriage, like Boston Lodge built carriages 2043-7, to the interior of the carriage, like the FR superbarns. This is due to the previous carriages developing electrical problems, because the location of the electrics meant they picked up a lot of dirt. [4] By March 2020, most of the components to build the bogies had been acquired, however the wheel-sets were yet to be delivered. [5] Construction was halted in late March 2020, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. By this point, most of the seats and tables had been completed and fitted to the interior and the upholstery for the seats was yet to be delivered. The paintwork had also been completed, whilst the varnishing was still required. Additionally, the wiring was complete, whilst the heater and fuel tank still needed fitting. [6]
Work on the carriage resumed when the works was reopened and it was complete by the end of 2020. It entered service at the end of May 2021 as part of the Porthmadog based WHR set which was otherwise made up of FR stock due to operational changes resulting from Covid-19. It had transferred from the Glaslyn Venturer set based at Porthmadog to the Gelert Explorer set based at Dinas by 6/7/21.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ General Rule Book
- ^ Moving Pictures, Number 51 - 2/6/21
- ^ "WHR society news".
- ^ Moving Pictures, Thirty Nine - 20/12/19
- ^ "Workshops & Running Shed", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 248, page(s): 573
- ^ "Carriage Works", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 249, page(s): 654