Carriage 25
From Festipedia, hosted by the FR Heritage Group
| Carriage 25 | |
| Built By | Ashbury Railway Carriage & Iron Co |
| Designation | Fully-glazed, centre corridor, Saloon |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Date Built | 1893 |
| Operating | Rebuilding |
| Carriages | |
Contents |
[edit]Background
Carriage 25 is to be a replica of North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways NWNGR No.9, built in 1893 by The Ashbury Railway Carriage & Iron Co., and later with the Welsh Highland Railway.
No.9 and its pair, No.10, were built as all 3rd Class carriages and had doors at each end with glazing all along each side.
The two coaches were cut down in 1923 to fit the restricted Festiniog Railway loading gauge. This was done by lowering them on their bogie bolsters and cutting the sides above the windows. Renumbered in the WHR/FR scheme, it appears that 9 became No.25 and 10 No.23.
Number 25 did not survive into the preservation era but a new steel underframe was delivered to Gelert's Farm Works in 2005, on which is to be constructed the replica carriage. The clash between the FR Co. and NWNGR numbering systems that required the renumbering of the WHR carriages back in the 1920s remains. That means that the new carriage, although to be built to the original NWNGR dimensions, will be numbered 25 rather than 9.
The new underframe was sent in April to Llangollen where all the metal components for brakes were added. The underframe was then moved to Magnay and Yates workshop in Haltwhistle where the body has been assembled. It is sheduled to arrive back at Gelert's Farm Works (painted and glazed) early in 2009. A contract for assembleing the bogies has been given to Alan Keef Ltd for delivery early in the new year.
This "Ashbury" carriage should not be confused with a new FR 4-wheel Ashbury carriage, finished at Boston Lodge in 2006 (or "reconstructed" as a result of the use of some original parts), which will carry the number 10.
For further information see this external link from which this material was adapted.