Carriage 22
From Festipedia, hosted by the FR Heritage Group
| Carriage 22 | |
 | |
|---|---|
| In current livery Photo: Martin Ellis | |
| Built By | Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Co, Manchester |
| Designation | Third Open |
| Seating | Third |
| History | |
| Date Built | 1896 |
| Operating | FR |
| Carriages | |
This carriage was built for the FR. Rebodied in 1984, it bears little resemblence to its original appearance.
One of two carriages (the other being Carriage 21), built for the Festiniog Railway, in 1896 by Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Co, Manchester. Both carriages were known as "The Yellow Cars" after an early livery. They were considered unsuccessful in their original form and were often used in quarrymen's trains. No 22 was restored to traffic in 1958
Having lost the tension in the wooden underframe, a pronounced sag appeared in the body shape, so it was known as "the banana van." It held 56 in some discomfort; guards had to load the middle compartment first, shut the door, then load the side compartments, shutting the doors, ending with the compartments over the bogies. This was because the doors jammed and if you loaded the ends, you could not shut the middle doors.
*Date 17 August 1964 *Photo: Geoff Plumb Ref 968
Other photographs of this carriage with its "banana" shape can be found in Geoff Plumb's photo of Linda & train at Penrhyn Crossing 26th August 1963 (4th carriage in train) here
It received a steel underframe in 1967. On withdrawal in 1982, it was decided to replace the body with a new wooden frame with a roof profile similar to the Barns. The rebuild was completed in mid season 1984. It has been down-graded to carry 42 passengers and while it still works well enough, the backs of the seats have a ridge to make you sit up straight in the best Victorian style and there is not enough leg room for anyone above 5ft 6ins high. This results in taller passengers having to interlock their knees - in the Mk II Quarrymens Carriages this led to the term zip-fastener carriage.
*Date Sep 1992 *Photo: Roger Marks
*Date Unknown *Photo: Martin Ellis