Old coaches for sale - What are these?

[Kris]

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what these are / were?

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/415726089704119/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=undefined

 

 

My mind says narrow gauge or tramway stock. 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Kris

[298]

Possibly Milnes tram cars, looking at the curve over the saloon entrance. With an open top deck, although I wouldn't discount an enclosed single deck.

[BernardTPM]

Possibly small enough to be horse trams.

[Johann Marsbar]

Cambourne & Redruth Tramways would be the nearest operator to that area and they had Milnes bodied passenger cars.

Nothing listed on the Railway Heritage Register Tram Survey Project for anything surviving from that system or anything in the Penzance area.

http://wpehs.org.uk/camborne-redruth-light-railways-tramway

The windows don't match though.....

Edited February 4, 2021 by Johann Marsbar
added link

[Michael Hodgson]

I think you mean Camborne.

Cambourne hasn't got a station yet - though it is on the cards as the planned Oxford-Cambridge line will run pretty close by.

[steve W]

I've just been looking up the book on the Cambone and Redruth Tramway (Cornwalls Electric Tramcars, L.Fisher Barham, Glasney Press, 1972).  The large cars only had three window sections, not four and the smaller cars had two.  The book states "... were all broken up and it was the company's policy that none should be sold partially intact to litter the district as sheds."

 

Plymouth's  cars are a more likey source. See: http://www.tramwaybadgesandbuttons.com/page148/page151/page336/files/p_00010_19330crop.jpg 

Car 24.

Edited February 4, 2021 by steve W
link added

[jonhall]

A suggestion elsewhere is LCC trailer, rather like this one previously entombed in a bungalow on Canvey Island.

 

https://www.canveyisland.org/history-2/old/tram-carriage/tram_carriage

 

Jon

[Kris]

1 hour ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Cambourne & Redruth Tramways would be the nearest operator to that area and they had Milnes bodied passenger cars.

Nothing listed on the Railway Heritage Register Tram Survey Project for anything surviving from that system or anything in the Penzance area.

http://wpehs.org.uk/camborne-redruth-light-railways-tramway

The windows don't match though.....

My first though was of the Camborne and Redruth tramway. 

[Johann Marsbar]

I've copied the original sale advert to the chap who runs the British Trams Online website, so the subject will no doubt appear on there in the coming days....

 

The LCC trailer at Canvey certainly seems to match the ones that are for sale - particularly the vertical planking on the side panels.   The LT Museum  seem to have parts for an LCC trailer in store as well.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Johann Marsbar
Extra info added

[BernardTPM]

The asymmetric window/door/blank panels on the ends too.

[steve W]

Having erronously  suggested Plymouth, I passed the query on to a friend who is very much a London tram enthusiast and he has now come back with a likely explanation:

 

"...........concerning grounded vehicle bodies in Cornwall: I have done some research and they are ex-LCC trailer bodies, the unusual ventilator arrangement, number and proportion of the windows and the straight matchboard sides are the indicators.  The LCC trailers were in operation 1913-24 on the south side when their use was discontinued as part of the drive to speed up services in response to growing bus competition, because they were withdrawn early they had a high residual book value so the LCC was keen to sell them intact rather than scrap them.  The reason that they made it to Kernow is that there were 150 of them, and in body only form they were easily transported due to their small size and light weight construction.  They were for their day technically quite advanced; ball bearing axleboxes and an ingenious automatic brake held off by spring pressure against drawbar pull, and if the drawgear totally failed on an upgrade a runaway was virtually impossible."

 

 

[Kris]

I have just seen some further photos of these tram cars ... on the back of a lorry. It looks like someone is going to try and save them. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10225510820505282&set=pcb.10158824216352110

 

 

[pb_devon]

On today’s (20 March 2021) news on the CRS website:

”These vehicles were used as living accommodation at Kenneggy Downs for many years by Mr & Mrs Ned Thomas.  In the early 1960's the old tram bodies they were moved to another location in the area where they have remained until mid March 2021, however as building work was about to commence on this site these historic vehicles have been been moved and  placed into temporary storage locally by Mr Andrew Newport, a haulage contractor and a transport enthusiast of Penzance. Mr. Newport  would like to find a good home for these historic trams where they can undergo restoration. ”

[Kris]

I didn't think that I would be adding anything further to this thread, however I went out for a walk this afternoon and happened to look across a field and noticed that both of these coaches have arrived there. Knowing the owner of the site, I would guess that restoration will be taking place, at what speed however is anyones guess. 

@pb_devon @Johann Marsbar