Embsay is the new home for two LNER coaches from Llangollen
THE LNER Coach Association is taking care of two historic coaches which have recently been moved from the Llangollen Railway.
Thompson Buffet Car No. E1706E is one of two Doncaster-built vehicles, Nos. 1705 and 1706, which were built in 1948 as lounge buffets for the postwar ‘Flying Scotsman' service.
To mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, BR incorporated them in two sets consisting entirely of Thompson coaches for the nonstop ‘Elizabethan' service between King's Cross and Edinburgh.
The pair were the last passenger coaches of pre-nationalisation design to remain in service with BR. In 1957 the catering vehicles were replaced in the ‘Elizabethan' sets and the two lounge buffets were rebuilt for general use as restaurant buffets.
During its subsequent service, No. E1706E appeared on both the ‘North Country Continental' route between Harwich and Manchester and the West Highland line in Scotland.
Transferred to Departmental use in 1979, it was sold for preservation in 1981 and arrived at Llangollen in 1986.
It is owned by the Thompson Heritage Buffet Association (THBA), which modified it to a close representation of its original layout as a lounge buffet, the work being completed in 2012. The superblyrestored coach figured as 'The Flying Scotsman's Cocktail Bar' in the National Railway Museum's Service with Style exhibition in 2016. No. E1706E has been transferred to secure accommodation at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, along with 1907-built East Coast Joint Stock Third Corridor No. 377. One of the earliest Gresley coaches, it was latterly used to store spares.
As part of No. 377's restoration to ECJS condition, the LNERCA intends to reconstruct the interior, which was gutted by BR. Chairman Nick Stringer said: “We are very grateful to the THBA for generously making this superb Thompson Buffet available to join the collection under LNERCA's care. After attention to the running gear, it will be available to the EBASR to run in its very successful dining train services.
“The ECJS coach is a longer-term project and we are indebted to our hosts at Embsay for making available covered accommodation for both coaches.”
➜ The LNERCA has stocked up on teak from a ‘barn find' for future restoration projects – see page 45.