Vintage Collection

Build Date 1884-1929
Operators Various
Livery Crimson or Varnished Teak
Status: In Service
Owned By
 M&GN Society

History

Our collection of vintage carriages has shown to be one of our most popular trains with visitors. Unlike all of our other sets, they do not represent an accurate train for a particular railway at a particular time, instead the set gives a mixed flavour showcasing Victorian and Edwardian railway travel across East Anglia. Formed of five of our oldest vehicles, each has its own origins, operating area and unique story. They are all either unique or have very few sisters which very much adds to their appeal.

Built in 1886 as a “third class” picnic saloon for the Midland Railway at Derby and originally numbered 1616. With the British class system at its peak during Victoria times, there was much call on the railways to keep classes separate and many options were offered at different price ranges. No3 typifies this system being rather opulent inside (for the standards of the time) but nevertheless being designated third class. As its name suggests, it was designed as a self-contained saloon with centre table for catering and adjacent toilet and would have been added to existing trains and hired by a party who had means to hire such a private vehicle but perhaps could not quite stretch to the first class option!

During the earlier times of the railways, it was traditional for larger railways to sell their stock after some years of use to smaller railways. In 1903, the Midland transferred the saloon to the Midland & Great Northern (where it gained its current number) and continued to be used in East Anglia until 1932. It saw out a few more years on the railway as a signalling department workshop before the chassis was scrapped and the body sold to become a clubhouse in the local village of Briston. In the decades that followed No3 was used for residential purposes in a private garden and also saw use as a radio and TV workshop.

Similar to No3, 129 was built new for another railway, in this case the Great Northern, in 1887. This is one of the vehicles in the vintage set that aims to represent the mundane rather than the special. Hundreds of similar carriages would have been built to this GN design and many survived after withdrawal, though very few have been restored to running order. 129’s original number is not known, but it was built with five third class compartments for suburban use. Facilities were basic, with no through corridor, no toilets and thin padding on the seating. Internal décor was plain timber.

The 6-wheel vehicle had a slightly superior ride to its 4-wheel cousins, however larger and more comfortable bogie carriages replaced it and it was transferred to the M&GN in 1903, where it gained the number 129. It retained the as-built varnished teak livery but was re-lettered with the M&GN branding. Withdrawn in 1935 after a working life of 48 years, it was stripped from its chassis and the body cocooned inside a bungalow in Kings Lynn until 1990, which kept it in good condition compared with other bodies stored outside.

Similar to 129, 853 is another “everyman’s coach”, having been built for London commuter services in 1899. 853 seats 24 passengers in two third class compartments, which are only semi-enclosed internally. Over half of the vehicle is dedicated to a guards and luggage space, essential when formed in a long train of similar vehicles which only contained passenger compartments. A simple early design 4-wheel steel chassis was mounted below the all-wooden body. Developments and improvements to carriage design were to make considerable steps forwards shortly after 853 was built, rendering it basic and uncomfortable relatively quickly after being introduced. Higher capacity coaches with better riding bogies would soon make inroads into the UK’s railways. However financial constraints meant that 853 was to run until 1927.

This was to not prove the end for 853, as its well-built body found further use after being sold off and moved to Mattishall (near Dereham) in Norfolk where it was grounded for domestic use. It became part of a Bungalow and over the years was boxed in by other developments alongside it. It was this unintentional protection that was the make 853 survive in a better condition than other similar bodies in Norfolk who braved the outdoor elements over all those years. 853’s history as a Bungalow from the 1930’s through to the 1990’s would be a private affair, the full details of which we will obviously never know.

The oldest vehicle in the set, built in 1884 for the Great Eastern Railway, and also the most unusual in appearance. Said to have been part of an export order for a country in America, which was later cancelled, the part built vehicles were utilised on the isolated Wisbech & Upwell Tramway. This explains the American verandas, platforms and body/roof appearance which contrasts sharply with the British equivalents of the same era. The vehicle was one of a pair of bogie coaches, compatible with the British system in terms of couplings, brakes and buffers etc. however the riding height and proportions of the vehicle are closer to the light railway world than that of the heavy railway.

Most of the other similar stock used on the tramway were 4-wheeled. The vehicle is a composite and has two passenger saloons, first and third class. The seating is longitudel, a feature shared by M&GN 3. Used on the highly rural and agricultural Wisbech to Upwell route, the line was mostly unsuccessful and closed to passengers in the 1930’s with some of the rolling stock transferred to the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway. No7 survived here until being withdrawn in 1951 having clocked up an impressive 67 years’ service. It lost its chassis and the body used as an onion store in Cambridgeshire for several decades.

The youngest vehicle in the set, built at Doncaster carriage works in 1929 costing £922. It is the only member of the vintage train to be built “after grouping” (post 1923) and was specifically designed to carry homing pigeons to their point of release. Hinged, slatted shelves fold down from the walls to hold their baskets. There are no passenger seats and the “Pigeon Van” was mounted on a 4-wheel chassis and also contained a guard’s position in the centre. When not being used for pigeons, the van would have been utilised as a general purpose goods brake. Originally dual braked (vacuum and air), it led an uneventful service life before being condemned in 1962. Renumbered 040923, it was transferred to departmental stock where it continued to serve until becoming one of the earliest items to join the fledgling NNR.

Preservation

The growing North Norfolk Railway had acquired various older vehicles, some purchased, some donated from the 1970’s through to the 1990’s. However, there had not been a firm strategy and many of the grounded bodies in particular had deteriorated in outside storage and had either been lost or become eyesores. It was clear that there was not a sustainable future for large numbers of these vehicles despite the admirable intention of the early preservationists. Many of them were also common Great Eastern Railway types which were abundant in gardens around Norfolk and had very similar histories.

In the mid 1990’s, moves were made to create a working group (later known as the Joint Heritage Coach Fund) with a more realistic aim of steadily restoring vehicles, predominantly grounded bodies, and returning them to operating railway condition under the M&GN Society. Five vehicles were to be selected to create a Victorian/Edwardian train and the remaining vehicles that had duplicate histories would be disposed of. In spite of the scaled down aims, the group were still internally mocked as the road ahead appeared too long and too far removed from the resources available at the time. Many similar projects had either failed or had only achieved the first phase of a multi-faceted plan.

Happily however, over a steady 25 year period, the dream in this case was in fact realised with all five vehicles restored to either original condition, or the slightly later condition in which they ran in East Anglia. Much like their histories, each vehicle was restored differently and at different times:

Picnic Saloon No3 arrived at the NNR in 2002, a fairly late arrival and added to the collection owing to its unusual layout and its M&GN pedigree. Initially stored at Sheringham station awaiting its turn for restoration. This started in 2010 when it was lifted off the ground and placed on a temporary 4-wheel chassis for its restoration which was to take five years. This vehicle had particularly bad body rot in the lower sections (which had been close to the damp ground) so this was contracted out to a professional carpenter who rebuilt the lower quarter and made the framework structurally sound. The outer panelling, doors and roof were then made sound by the volunteer team at Weybourne. Interior reconstruction was also undertaken carefully reproducing lost details from limited photographs that were available.

A 6-wheel chassis was also prepared for the vehicle, salvaged from a Midland Railway full brake vehicle which had been scrapped. No3 was the first 6-wheel chassis created by the team so proved quite a learning curve. The vehicle was completed in 2015, resplendent in its Midland Crimson livery with M&GN lettering (as it ran after being transferred to East Anglia) and added to the Vintage set. M&GN 3’s completion was an important milestone for the vintage set as it grew the formation to four vehicles (three passenger carrying) which for the first time allowed the set to carry enough passengers to run as a respectable train in its own right.

129 was sought out as early as 1990 and was one of the grounded bodies acquired by the railway during the less structured years. It was seen as a very attractive addition to the collection due to its M&GN pedigree, and was therefore of greater value to the preserved NNR than the much more common rival Great Eastern Railway bodies that Norfolk was full of. It was originally placed on the platform at Sheringham where limited work was done to it. However, in the late 1990’s 129 became the first grounded vehicle selected for the more structured running vintage train restoration project. In 1997 the body was mounted on a shortened (tube) wagon chassis and a decade long steady restoration was to follow. During this time all the woodwork and interior reconstruction was undertaken along with finishing off the chassis, although it was sharing resources with No7 and 6843 during some of these years.

129 entered service in 2009, a milestone moment for the NNR as this was the first genuine M&GN carriage to return in service to M&GN rails in the preservation era. Early running days saw 129 attached to other trains as there weren’t enough period vehicles to run with it, so whilst 129 was a huge achievement and looked great coupled to the varnished Pigeon Van, more work was needed to realise the vintage train project properly. Additionally, because 129 was the first grounded body to be restored, lessons had been learned and it was found the 4-wheel wagon chassis gave a rough ride. Tolerated for ten years whilst other vehicles were restored, towards the end of the vintage train project a replacement and more authentic 6-wheel chassis was restored and swapped under 129 in 2020, which finally finished the vehicle.

In 2003 demolition of the buildings that had cocooned 853 led to it being offered as a donation to the M&GN Society, this being accepted and the body moved to the NNR in summer 2003. Although similar and common GER bodies had already been acquired by the railway, 853’s excellent condition and brake configuration made it attractive to the vintage train project, so it took the place of potential others. 853 would have to wait its turn and was to become the final coach in the project. After No3 was completed in 2015, 853’s restoration was started. Being of a very basic design and in reasonable condition, the restoration was relatively straightforward with the now familiar process being followed. The interior was rebuilt (having been hollowed out when it was a bungalow) with original compartments being recreated. The brake area was restored but with a wheelchair accessible area which a key aim for this particular member of the vintage train.

Unusually, the frames of the original chassis that were still attached to the underside of the body were found to be in good order, so rather than replacing the chassis it was retained with salvaged wheelsets and brake-gear from other vehicles being reattached beneath. 853 joined the operational set in 2019 and also brought the curtain down on the 25-year project, bringing the set up to the full intended five vehicles. Whilst the other four members of the set were all selected for their rarity, unusualness and M&GN pedigree, it was fitting that 853 represented the much more common GER survivors that were found all around Norfolk. By 2019, all of the common and surplus GER bodies had been dismantled or moved to other homes, and every year more of the grounded examples in the county are also lost, so the once common is becoming increasingly uncommon! For this reason, 853 holds an important place in the vintage set as a representative of the much larger rival Great Eastern.

The tramcar was originally not part of the Vintage train project and in more ways than one represents the “wild card” in the pack. Its quirkiness and place in preservation had been further reinforced following the classic 1952 Ealing Comedy “The Titfield Thunderbolt” which starred the withdrawn sister vehicle No8 as the bar car. Additionally, the Wisbech tramcars were also known as being the real-life basis for “Henrietta” in the much loved Thomas the Tank Engine books. Returning to No7, it was the subject of a failed preservation attempt after becoming the only Wisbech & Upwell carriage to survive and was latterly to be found at the Rutland Railway Museum. Although not originally part of the plan, a significant bequest allowed the vehicle body to have a complete contract restoration off-site and be transferred into the M&GN Society collection in 2002.

This part was completed in 2004 and over the following years was mounted on a custom underframe with hand built bogies, proving an interesting challenge as very few donor vehicles could be considered given the unique nature of the original tramcar chassis. One of the changes made was ensuring compatibility with the rest of the set by making the new chassis vacuum braked, in contrast with the original air braking. A further modification during the restoration was to recreate the famous “Titfield bar” that had been fitted to No8 for the film. The finished vehicle was launched into passenger service in 2010. No7’s self-contained nature allows the vehicle to occasionally appear on its own in addition to its normal duties in the vintage train.

The “Pigeon Van” is in some ways backwards to the rest of the vehicles in the set. It is the youngest, but has been on the railway the longest time, having first been preserved privately by Paul McOwan as long ago as 1969/70, bought directly from British Rail and delivered by rail to North Walsham (the rest of the journey to Sheringham was completed by road). Without much restoration 6843 ran in unlined maroon livery before being restored to original varnished teak livery in 1979. It continued to operate until the late 1990’s being set aside awaiting a full overhaul. The whole coach needed stripping down to the individual components to repair the ravages of time, rust and water. The real work did not start until undercover space became available in the new C&W Shed at Weybourne.

In 2001 the M&GN Society purchased the Pigeon Van which unlocked the full restoration effort. After being completed in the summer of 2006, 6843 was launched into service and to mark the occasion, some ‘special’ feathered friends where invited from HRH’s royal estate at Sandringham. These were carried in the van from Sheringham and then released at Holt. With no other similar vehicles to run with, 6843 had to operate on the rear of Mark 1 passenger sets for some years, however the very first piece of the vintage train project had been secured, albeit with no passenger seating available! Following the launch of the 1920’s Quad Art set, 6843 has spent much of its time coupled to that set in addition to its vintage train duties.

Today, the much loved vintage train operates regularly at the NNR as a four or five coach set (as the non-passenger carrying Pigeon Van is often seen reinforcing the Quad Art set) and occasionally the Wisbech & Upwell Tramcar makes a chartered solo run. The set is in-part special as whilst a good selection of heritage lines in the UK possess a restored coach from this earlier era, relatively few run a whole train of them as a set.

Number Type Built Notes
3 6 Wheel Third Class Saloon 1886 MR Derby Used on M&GN
129 6 Wheel Third 1887 GNR Doncaster Used on M&GN
853 4 Wheel Brake Third 1899 GER Stratford
7 Wisbech & Upwell Tramcar 1884 GER Stratford Also used solo
6843 4 Wheel Pigeon Van 1929 LNER York Also used with Quad Art set