First class luxury both on and off the line at Ravenglass

THE Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway has officially launched three new luxury coaches into traffic.

Joan, director’s saloon Ruth, and first class saloon No. 140 were built by the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway at Boston Lodge Works.

The craftsmanship of the new carriages are a legacy to Lord Wakefield, who founded the Lake District Estates company and saved the railway in 1960.

Joan and Ruth are named in honour of his eldest and youngest daughters – Mrs Joan Raynsford and the late Mrs Ruth Adorian, who were company directors for more than 50 years. Mrs Adorian, who had motor neurone disease, was a strong campaigner for disability access in public spaces.

Georgina Townsend, Mrs Adorian’s daughter, cut the ribbon to launch the carriages on May 16. Mrs Adorian’s son, James Clarkson Webb, said: “This is a fitting tribute to the ongoing legacy she leaves behind.”

Lake District Estates chairman Peter Hensman said: “These new carriages take La’al Ratty to a new level of comfort and will enable our visitors to fully appreciate the beauty and grandeur of Eskdale.

“At the same time, by naming two of them Joan and Ruth, we pay tribute to the daughters of Lord Wakefield who, as director of the railway over 40 years, played a significant part in its development and success.”

Improving access

He said it was considered that the old carriages were no longer suitable to provide that ‘extra-special experience’.

“The carriages were ageing and we wanted to make it easier for those with disabilities,” he explained.

“We wanted three new carriages – an observation carriage, a special events carriage, and a comfortable ordinary carriage.

“We knew the prototypes would not be cheap, but the European Regional Development Fund helped with 25% of that.”

Features include accessible folding tables and flexible spaces.

A week later, on May 23, the Ravenglass Railway Museum officially opened Pullman camping coaches Maid of Kent and Elmira,

with railway historian and TV presenter Tim Dunn cutting the ribbons.

The two Pullmans were built in 1917 as part of a First World War ambulance train.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund granted £250,000 for the transformation of Elmira and the Maid of Kent.

The restoration of the pair was completed in 2021. They were turned into new visitor accommodation for up to six persons.

From the ‘Pullman Car No. 137’ plaque in the lounge to the marquetry that has been delicately repaired and features in the carriage, these special carriages transport guests to a bygone era during their stay.

The Pullman carriages have already received a Visit England Gold Award rating, as well as being finalists for the Morgan Award for Preservation in the 2022 Heritage Railway Association awards. They have also recently been shortlisted for the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2022 in the SelfCatering Accommodation of the Year category.

‘Innovative’

NLHF director David Renwick said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are proud to support the railway in this innovative project that sees our railway heritage celebrated in a new fashion and that also creates an interesting and commercially sustainable future for the Ravenglass Railway Museum Trust.”

Earlier, the Everything Goes! Gala, held on April 30 to May 2, marked the return of the line’s annual May Day Weekend.

It saw all nine of its working steam and diesel locomotives in action, plus special guest traction engine Providence.

RER On May 2, Katie and River Irt are seen double-heading at the Everything Goes! Gala. River Irt is the world’s oldest working 15in gauge locomotive.

RER A grandstand view of passing Krauss Pacific No. 8457 of 1929 Whillan Beck from a window in Pullman car Maid of Kent.

RER Left: Georgina Townsend, daughter of the late Mrs Ruth Adorian, who was a long-serving director of Lake District Estates, officially launches director’s saloon Ruth into service on May 16. The last of the three new coaches to be delivered, it is designed to deliver special first class experiences for guests, with traditional cream teas or Lakeland hampers. It features covered outdoor balcony seating, USB speakers, fold-down tables for wheelchair access, and two private compartments with an engraved glass sliding panel, allowing both sides to become one.

RER Stars of the show at the gala includes Les, a Lister diesel built in the 1960s, which arrived from the Bredgar & Wormshill Railway in March 1999 and is used as the Ravenglass engineers workshop shunter. Les hauled passenger trains for the first time in more than 20 years! New carriage Ruth and traction engine Providence can also be seen.

RER The two standard gauge Pullman camping coaches next to the 15in gauge line at Ravenglass.

RER Joan, one of the three new carriages, coupled behind Krauss Pacific No.12 Whillan Beck at Ravenglass on May 17.