This month’s blog begins to see an end to the renovation of the carriage. With work having been done in almost every aspect throughout the carriage, our time in restoration is finally paying off.
With work having been done in almost every aspect throughout the carriage, our time in restoration is finally paying off.
This blog starts with the renovation of the guards half of the carriage. Since sanding down the carriage in our last blog, this issue brings a much more homely feeling to the guards half of the carriage as we introduce some more office-style features. Along with a writing desk and chair, the guards part now inhabits a station master sign and a train painting which was actually given to us as a present from someone whom deemed it fit for the tip! (One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that!)
Moving to the outside of the carriage, we bought a transfer from Bluebell Railway which would’ve been used in the original coaches a while ago and it was KSEL’s team who finally fitted the piece to the exterior of the carriage once we finally deemed that the exterior wasn’t to change any more! The transfer displays the London to Brighton south coast emblem in a royal blue and adds a sense of colour to the carriage! We at KSEL think that the transfer adds a touch of character and class to the carriages exterior and finishes off the carriage quite nicely!
This is what the outside of the passenger carriage looks like now.
The whole carriage itself now feels as though there is a sense of accomplishment, that we are at the final steps of the renovation of the carriage and everything is finally coming together! The exterior is complete and can now be ready to be shown to guests of the house whilst the guards half sits a more quaint office for a workman of the railway trade. The passenger part of the carriage remains largely empty with only one vital bit missing throughout… the floor! This is what the outside looks like now.
We got an email from the vintage carriage trust and have a page on their website
We have only been able to find one other of these carriages (with the long window) in the world so it has historical interest.
