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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Birmingham Snow Hill - Grouping Period Rolling Stock: gwrbsh2494

GWR ganged corridor clerestory brake third No 3358 at the end of a down train on the main line at the north end of Birmingham Snow Hill station in 1947

Great Western Railway ganged corridor clerestory brake third (diagram D29) No 3358 viewed at the end of a departing down train on the main line at the north end of Birmingham Snow Hill station in 1947. The GWR crest can be seen in the centre of the coach's waist, above which are the brackets for a coach identification board. This coach was 56 feet long and had three 3rd class compartments, a lavatory (with the raised roof water tank lid above), a guards compartment with protruding side lookouts (this compartment contained the brake gear), plus a 34 foot, 6 inch long extended luggage area. The photograph shows the compartment side of the coach with each passenger compartment having a door with a droplight window. Commode style handles adjacent to each door and decorative mouldings were also features typical of the period when these coaches were built. These coaches were built with steam heating and had gas lighting located in, and ventilated by, the clerestory, but electric lighting was generally provided around 1930. The bogies are the standard ten foot wheelbase suspension bogies designed by William Dean, which were installed on coaches constructed between 1895 and 1904. Movement was controlled by the two pairs of volute springs on each bogie.

There were fifty-one coaches built to diagram D29 under various lots between 1899 and 1904, with the last being condemned around 1950. The lots are detailed in the table below. Coach No 3358 belonged to Lot 917.

Lot Completion Date Quantity Running Numbers
916 May 1899 10 3361 – 3370
917 July 1899 10 3351 – 3360
923 October 1899 10 3301 – 3310
998 November 1902 4 3445 – 3448
1009 January 1903 1 3305 (replacement see note below)
1019 May 1903 6 3449 – 3454
1036 September 1903 5 2332 – 2336
1050 March 1904 5 2337 – 2341

Note - The original No 3305 was altered to Composite No 714 on 20th June 1902 and later renumbered No 6714 in 1907. In this form it had two 1st class compartments, one 2nd class compartment, one 3rd class compartment plus lavatory and guards area. This coach was redesignated a brake third coach on 25th May 1912 and renumbered No 3733. It was condemned on 1st April 1939.

This photograph is displayed courtesy of the HMRS (Historical Model Railway Society) and copies can be ordered directly from them using the link HERE, quoting reference AEL426.

Robert Ferris

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