SUBURBAN 4 PROJECT: INTRODUCTION

INFORMATION SOURCED FROM THE M&GN SOCIETY'S WEBSITE

REALITY CHECK:

Quote

In 2011 NNR chairman Clive Morris formally launched the Suburban 4 project to restore the NNR’s suburban stock back to their former glory, in the condition they left the factory over 60 years ago. The project complimented Clive’s previous major carriage restoration triumph the 1924 Quad-Art set that was returned to service in 2008. The aim was to show the story of commuter travel in Britain over a 50-year period – the diesel multiple units bring the story into the 1970s – whilst preserving several coaches that may otherwise have been at risk of scrapping.

That same year, the NNR swapped three of its original suburban coaches for two others in better condition that were at risk of scrapping. This reshuffle also removed duplicate coaches from the collection and resulted in the final set to be restored consisting of one of each of the surviving designs. The vehicles concerned became: Composite Lavatory E43041, Brake Third E43357, Third W46139 and Third Lavatory Open E48001

BRAKE THIRD – E43357
This carriage was built at York in April 1956. It is designed to seat up to 72 passengers and carry up to three tons of goods in the guard’s brake van. It spent all of its working life on the Eastern Region of BR on the Great Northern lines from King’s Cross. It was withdrawn in December 1976 and purchased by the North Norfolk Railway in early 1977 arriving at the Railway in May 1977.

THIRD – W46139
This carriage was built at Wolverton in December 1954. It is designed to seat up to 108 passengers in nine compartments. It spent its early working life on the Western Region of BR before transferring to the Eastern Region in 1966 to work on the Great Northern lines from King’s Cross. It was withdrawn in April 1972 and purchased for preservation. It passed through two ownerships before being donated to the NNR in April 2011.

THIRD LAVATORY OPEN - E48001
This carriage was built at Doncaster in February 1956. It is designed to seat up to 80 passengers in two large open compartments separated by a short internal corridor and two toilets. It spent all of its working life on the Eastern Region of British Railways on the Great Northern lines from King’s Cross. It was withdrawn in October 1977 and purchased for preservation. It, too, passed though two ownerships before being donated to the NNR in April 2011.

COMPOSITE LAVATORY – E43041
This carriage was built at Doncaster in May 1956. It is designed to seat up to 61 passengers (19 first and 42 third class). The first and third class sections of the coach are separate, each with its own toilet. It spent all of its working life on the Eastern Region of British Railways. It was initially used on the Great Eastern line from Liverpool Street to Ipswich and finally on the Great Northern lines from King’s Cross. It was withdrawn in November 1974 and soon after purchased for preservation at the North Norfolk Railway.

(All four courtesy of Steve Allen)

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MODELLING THE SET:

As per my introduction post, each coach is ranked on the difficulty of construction:

• THIRD: SILVER
• BRAKE THIRD: SILVER
• THIRD LAV OPEN: GOLD
• COMP. LAV: GOLD

The Third and Brake third will be RTR Bachmann Models which will get a simple repaint, Renumber and varnishing + weathering.

The TL And CLO will have custom Laser-cut sides, with Cooper-Craft Ends and roofs with Replica Railways Chassis. They will then have the same treatment as the T and BT.

This project is already making leaps and bounds and will most likely be the first complete.