No 7371 - Collett Brake Composite

A brake corridor composite vehicle with two first and four third class compartments, this was the last of 15 coaches built to diagram E.159, the first being constructed in 1938. In its final years in railway service this coach formed part of the Swindon test train until it was acquired by the society in 1968.

Once a regular performer in the Society's Vintage Train and at Didcot, this vehicle was withdrawn from active service in the early 1990s for a ‘Rapid Repaint’. However this revealed that the galvanised metal panels were in a very poor condition having rusted in many places on the inside. The only choice was to replace the panels and this was duly undertaken together with the installation of safety glass. The new panelling was given several coats of paint to protect it.

Internally the coach was in a very shabby condition with water damage to some compartments and corridors. The affected wood was replaced, stained and varnished. The 'bird's foot' upholstery that was installed in BR days was in much worn condition. All the seats had to be taken out and sent away for reupholstering by a specialist firm in Abingdon. Fortunately the society had a sample of the moquette (for the third class) that was used at the time the coach was built. This is green sea shell moquette and new was woven in Lithuania. The moquette for the first class is brown with gold piping and this too has been woven and applied to the appropriate seats. The GWR certainly did not believe in making it easy to remove the seats as a lot of wooden trim and doors had to be dismantled. With the seats have been reinstated and the interior finished, the coach was be shopped out in chocolate and cream 'button' livery.

The coach re-entered service in 2020.

Status

Operational

Build date

1941

Built at

Swindon

Original railway

GWR

Lot Number

1640

Diag No

E.159

Length

60’ 11.75”

Date Preserved

1966

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