Pre-Grouping Carriages
London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR)
London Chatham & Dover Railway (LC&DR)
South Eastern Railway (SER)
South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR)
London & South Western Railway (L&SWR)
Metropolitan Railway
Great Northern Railway (GNR)
London & North Western Railway (LNWR)
Southern Railway Maunsell Carriages (1923-39)
(all are Restriction 4 (i.e. 9ft wide), unless stated otherwise)
Southern Railway designed Bulleid Carriages (1945-52)
* denotes “semi-open type”
Pullman
British Railways Standard Steam Stock (Mk.I)
Ex-BR Carriages (now non-traffic vehicles)
Coaching stock nominally available for service
- LB&SCR: 661, 7598
- GNR: Directors’ Saloon (LNER 43909)
- SE&CR: 1098, 3363
- L&SWR: 1520
- LC&DR: 114, 3188, 3360
- Metropolitan Railway: 387, 394, 368, 412
- L&NWR: Observation Car 1503
- LMS: Stove R 32975*
- Pullman: 157 ‘Car No. 54’, 175 ‘Fingall’, 219 ‘Car No. 64’ (‘Christine’)
- SR Maunsell: 1309*, 1336, 6686, BY 404, Milk Tanker 4430*
- SR Bulleid: 1482, 2526, 5768
- BR: 1818, 3064*, 3069, 4754, 4941, 4957*, 16012, 16210, 21246, 25728*, 34556, CCT 2531
* indicates carriages which will require major overhaul in next few years.
Carriages undergoing major overhaul
- LB&SCR 949 – the restoration of this 1881-built brake third, rescued from a farmyard, is nearly complete.
- LB&SCR 328 – another grounded body under restoration, and like 949 now mounted on a rebuilt SR van underframe.
- SR Maunsell 3687 – a Hastings-line brake third, originally brought to the Bluebell to provide spare parts for other restorations, this became a restoration project in its own right. Now moving towards completion.
- SR Maunsell Restaurant Car 7864 – Major rebuild and restoration to original condition commenced February 2024.
- BR Mk.I RBR 1674 – Some structural repairs and rewiring.
- BR Mk.I BG 81025 – Structural overhaul and interior being fitted out as a catering support vehicle.
- BR Mk.I Saloon 5034 – End-structure overhaul complete, now receiving internal refurbishment, and door and window overhaul.
- BR Mk.I RMB 1838 – End-structure overhaul undertaken by external contractors. Awaiting re-commissioning at Bluebell.
Carriages currently receiving heavy maintenance
LB&SCR Van 270 – following restoration of its bodywork, and the replacement of its wheelsets, a redesign of its brake gear has been necessary, and the work on the brake gear is now underway to make the van operational.
Carriages currently undergoing light overhaul/maintenance
- Bulleid Open 3rd 1482 Intermediate bodyside overhaul, and re-trim of seating almost completed, whilst returned to service for peak periods. Toilets being reinstated.
- The four Metropolitan Railway carriages are receiving new door locks – two completed.
Carriages which are no longer at the Bluebell Railway
Caledonian Railway: TK 3339
L&NWR: Semi-Royal Saloon 806
SER: Body of Drawing Room Car 33 (later Pullman Car “Constance”)
Southern Railway: Maunsell TK 2356, TPO (POS) 4922, Maunsell UCB 4444, 4 Cor DMBT 11201
Pullman Cars: 229 Car 76 (‘Lilian’), 278 6 Pul Kitchen Composite ‘Bertha’, 282 “Brighton Belle” Kitchen 1st ‘Doris’, 305 1951 Kitchen 1st ‘Aquila’, 307 1951 Kitchen 1st ‘Carina’, 311 Met-Cam Kitchen 1st ‘Eagle’
Compagnie Internationale de Wagons-Lits: Night Ferry Wagons-Lits 3801
London, Midland & Scottish Railway: TK 1272, 1st Sleeper 398, 3rd Sleeper 603, 3rd Sleeper 623
British Railways: Mk.I RKB 1566 – photo, Mk.I RU(B) 1987, Mk.I FO 3042, Mk.I FO 3116, Mk.I 48-seat SO 4824, Mk.2c FK 13540, Mk.I CK 16263, Mk.I SK 18752, Mk.I SK 24458, Mk.I SK 25769, Mk.I BSK 35448, Mk.I BSK 35207, Mk.I CL 43010, Mk.I BS 43172, Mk.I SLO 48015
Southern Railway “Matchboard” Brake No.3554 was loaned to the Bluebell by the Vintage Carriages Trust, 1991-93. Photos: at Sheffield Park, Dec 1991 and approaching Horsted Keynes, Sept 1993
Ex-Travelling College train – 12 Mk.I carriages were purchased in late 1993. Five remain on the Bluebell. The following, which had been converted to dormitories were immediately sold-on: SK 25795, SK 25856 and SK 25994. Subsequently TSO 4921, SK 25853, BCK 21238, the “New Century Lounge” SK 25778, and SK 25776, were also sold for use elsewhere.
Five former “Queen of Scots” Sleeping Cars were hired for use on the Bluebell for a few years from 1992: BR Mk.I Sleeper First 2110 “State Car No.85”, BR Mk.I SK 26208 “Imperial State Car No.84”, BR Mk.I Sleeper First 2108 “State Car No.83” and BR Mk.I SK 26169 “Imperial State Car No.82”, which all left again after just a few years use. Mk.I SLC 2442 (QoS No.88, “Service Car No.2”) was purchased by the Bluebell, and was used as a staff dormitory for nearly 30 years. It was sold at the end of 2022.
Former SLOA (later FSS) set BN 91 carriages, which were on hire to the Bluebell from April 1990 for a year, were: BCK 120 (Sc21236) and FOs 125 Eileen (M3115), 127 Carol (M3117), 128 Beryl (M3130) and 358 (M3108), in addition to 3116 (listed above).
A rake of carriages was hired in 1963 to cover for the Chesham Set being sent to Neasden for the centenary of the Metropolitan Railway. These were Bulleid Brake Composite S6714S, Mk.I TSO S4381, Bulleid Open Third S1495S, Bulleid Open Third S1473S, Mk.I TSO S4014 and Mk.I 48-seat Open Second (later reclassified as Open First) S3504. None of these vehicles entered preservation. S3504 was used to supplement the Sheffield Park Buffet seating prior to the arrival of Maunsell 1365.
Arriving on the Bluebell on 24 February 1963 along with another SECR “Hundred Seater” (No. 971) was No. S1070S of a very slightly earlier design with some timber (rather than all-steel) panelling. Because it had broken windows, it was returned to BR, and replaced by another similar carriage in May that year. It is seen at Sheffield Park in Ian Nolan’s photo.
Maunsell low-window corridor 3rd No. S2354S was borrowed from BR for a Civil Defence exercise on 8 April 1962, as seen the previous week in Ian Nolan’s photo.
Copyright © 7 October 1995, and subsequent updates.
Last update 23 September 2024 by Richard Salmon.
