REVEALED: THE FULL GLORY OF TV’s SECRETLY RESTORED CARRIAGES
Documentary series follows stunning restorations of decaying wrecks.
Acarriage that was declared ‘surplus’ by the newly formed Southern Railway and a unique Royal Saloon have been fully unveiled as part of a Channel 4 documentary series that first aired on June 6. As exclusively revealed in Steam Railway last autumn (SR473), four carriages from different eras of railway history, from the mid-1840s to the mid-20th century, have been overhauled and restored within an unusually tight six-month schedule. Media embargoes dictated that each of the vehicles that ran for filming of the final episode should be kept hidden from public view until they had starred in their individual programmes. The standout restorations are the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s 1864 Oldbury coach, which underwent extensive reconstruction, including a completely new underframe, and Queen Victoria’s LSWR Royal Saloon No. 17, which at the start of filming last June was a gutted, grounded body. A Great Northern Railway Brake Composite at the Llangollen Railway and ‘Met-Camm’ Pullman Eagle are also featured in Great Rail Restorations with Peter Snow, produced by Brown Bob. The first three episodes, featuring the Gresley teak, Isle of Wight Railway carriages and Eagle are available to view via Channel 4’s ‘All 4’ catch-up service on its digital television and online platforms (see https://bit.ly/2HJ9c5y). The final two programmes are scheduled to air on C4 at 8pm on June 27 and July 4. Read the story of how the series and restorations came together in Steve Davies’ exclusive first-hand account on pages 42-49.