Project has turned a Toad into a luggage brake
VINTAGE Train Project volunteers at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway have now finished luggage brake No. 422.
The vehicle is a conversion from a standard Toad open veranda goods brake van and is intended to run with the already-restored Taff Vale Railway coach No. 73.
No. 73 is a single four-wheel vintage carriage with no guard’s facilities, and does not provide a viable passenger train. However, with
No. 422 providing guards’ accommodation, and with the ability to accommodate wheelchairs, the running of a complete – albeit small – vintage train is possible.
The conversion is intended to convey the spirit of a 19th-century vehicle once common on smaller railways. The style is that of builders of the time, such as Ashbury, thereby in keeping with the lines of No. 73. As well as disabled access, the vehicle will offer an interpretation of the range of traffic carried on rural railway backwaters before Grouping.
Completing No. 422 has taken longer than expected, partly because of engineering complications. Existing faults had to be rectified and safety issues regarding converting a goods vehicle to a passenger carriage had to be addressed. Because it had been stored outside, some of the external panels had deteriorated, so some remedial bodywork was also required.
The group is continuing to restore its other coaches, Cambrian Railways Nos. 104 and 110, and North London Railway No. 111, none of which have chassis. However, the group has a suitable chassis for No. 111, although it needs much attention, and a donor CCT van will provide a chassis for 110.
The group is currently housed in a polytunnel at Blunsdon, which is now showing its age and will not be tall enough to house the bodies once mounted on chassis. Volunteers are therefore planning to construct a steelframed building so work can continue on completing the current projects and gradually increase the length of the vintage train.
➜ Anyone who would like to join the volunteers in restoring these coaches is invited to email swindonvtp@gmail.com. Donations towards the cost of the new shed are welcome. Cash or cheques can be dropped into the polytunnel or posted to: The Treasurer, Swindon & Cricklade Railway, Blunsdon station, Tadpole Lane, Swindon SN25 2DA, marked for VTP.