Strong start to unique GCR Barnum coach’s £50k restoration campaign
THE £50,000 appeal to complete the restoration of one of three nowunique Edwardian Great Central Railway Barnum coaches has started strongly, reports GCR Rolling Stock Trust trustee Roger Person.
As highlighted in Heritage Railway issue 296, the ambitious plan is to restore 1910-built 64-seat tourist carriage No. 228, currently being worked on at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre in Ruddington, within three years.
Roger said: “The support of our launch by Heritage Railway has brought in a very good response and some £6500 donations already
– and that alone has covered the cost of the preparation of the very specialised and precision cut and finish of hardwood parts that makes up our prototype four-seat unit.
“To keep up the momentum on the project and to show just how determined we are to raise our game, our next immediate step is to trial-run the upholstery make-up of a pair of those seats. Experience gained in the major fitting out of our Victorian six-wheel gem No. 946 shows just how to proceed and deliver a fire-resistant seating cover that will be very much like the original GCR Barnum of 1910.
“We are close, but we want to get still closer to what was originally specified, so there is an inevitable touch of trial and error here! And when this trial is complete, we will be seeking the views of our sponsors, donors, and all interested parties.
“It has taken six months of very particular computer design work by specialist Keith Stimpson to develop the whole of the four-seat back-toback unit to provide new drawings for our woodworking specialist to make up into a fully-working kit. The assembly of that kit within the Barnum saloon clearly showed that it fits precisely and is of the quality of finish to which we aspire.
“While now near banned hardwoods were used in the 1910 seat build, modern equivalents will be used to ensure we have a credible GCR finish within an acceptable cost.
“Our hope is that this very positive start will encourage more people, especially GCR supporters, to join our Barnum Restoration Club and get this carriage up and running and doing its job – that of carrying passengers comfortably and on the GCR London Extension lines in the next three years.
➜ Donations are invited online via the trust’s website, www.gcrrollingstocktrust.co.uk, or by post to chairman Richard Tilden-Smith at: GCR Rolling Stock Trust, 11 Clifford Court, Clifford Road, Bexhill-on-Sea TN40 1QQ.