Ex LNWR Semi-Royal Saloon No 806

[PenrithBeacon]

Going back to the internal furniture. I took a peak inside this carriage at Horsted Keynes in around 2005 and then it had a few sticks of 1940s austerity furniture not altogether dis-similar to the stuff we have in the dining room.

 

Personally I think the only way this carriage can earn its keep is if the inside was converted to one of the LNWR's restaurant vehicles. Yes it would cost money but it wouldn't be beyond the carriage restorers at one of the railways. As it is now it pretty well a shell.

 

Regards

[Dr.Glum]

While looking on the web for further news of that shown below, Google including this RMweb thread, so it seems worth adding.

Letter written by Michael Whitehouse September 2022

LNWR Saloon 806

This lovely coach has popped up again.  Dad saved it from being burnt at Wolverton when it came out of the Royal Train in 1972, we got a Community Programme to completely refurbish it and in 1988 the Prince of Wales recommissioned it.  Then BR declined to allow it to run on the main line, so we sold it to the Bluebell Railway for their dining train.  It seems to have been sold on and ended up parked outside an Indian restaurant in Sevenoaks!  The current owner, an individual, appealed to us so, out of pity, we paid for it to be transported back to Tyseley as a rescue mission.  Now something will have to be done with it. Your LNWR Society members might be interested in its plight anyhow, maybe even to the tune of a few £ quid to save it again.  It is not in our collection (yet) so we can’t spend funds on it at the moment  I can send some pictures if useful.

Regards, Michael

 

VINTAGE TRAINS PRESS RELEASE   [Oct 2022: I cannot find this on the Vintage Trains website, nor in a Google search, so may only be an unissued draft]

L&NWR Semi Royal Saloon: Interim statement

London & North Western Railway Saloon No. 806, built in 1903, is the only survivor of Wolverton built Senior Special Traffic Saloons for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Train.  806 has a day saloon and two small night saloons for the use of Royal staff, family or guests and has the same body style as the rest of the L&NWR Royal Train, outshopped in that company’s renowned ‘plum and spilt milk’ livery.  The interior saloons were fitted out in ‘white naval’ style and the corridors and vestibules are varnished mahogany.

806 was withdrawn from the Royal Train in 1973 and preserved and restored by Vintage Trains, then the Birmingham Railway Museum, pursuant to a Community Programme scheme to provide unemployed craftsmen with work experience so they could gain full time employment.  This scheme was so successful in that over 800 people were retrained and gained new employment in industry.  In 1988, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, visited Tyseley to celebrate this achievement and recommissioned 806 which had been fully restored to original condition [picture shows him unlocking 806 in the presence of his Equerry. Major Christopher Lavender, and VT Chairman Michael Whitehouse].

Sadly, British Rail then withdrew the ability to run wooden bodied vehicles on the main line and, as Vintage Trains were prevented from realising this ambition, 806 was sold to a private individual for use in the Bluebell Railway’s dining train; the next best thing.  806 was subsequently sold on to the Lavender Line and then to another private individual who used the saloon for entertainment and events outside a Sevenoaks restaurant.

This year, it became necessary to move 806 from this location and the owner appealed to Vintage Trains for assistance.  Due to the national importance of the saloon and previous associations, VT has funded the move by road to Tyseley as a first step to securing 806’s long term future.  Plans are now being formulated for its future.  806 requires significant external bodywork repairs but is structurally sound, with its interior remaining in superb condition, a testament to the quality of the earlier 1980s restoration work undertaken by VT experts.  However, funds will need to be raised to purchase 806 and restore it once again to its former glory.  806 is currently being assessed and it remains possible that the owner may yet find another buyer for 806 for as yet an undetermined use. If the necessary restoration funds can be raised, the owner has expressed interest in transferring 806 to Vintage Trains Charitable Trust at a fair value.  It is possible that 806 could be restored for use at Tyseley Locomotive Works for display and private hire and it may yet be possible for the Saloon to run on the national network for special events and celebrations.  It would be a superb vehicle to accompany the reproduction L&NWR 2-2-2 single wheeler ‘Bloomer’ locomotive on exhibition nationally.  Further bulletins will be issued as plans develop, but if anyone is interested or able to assist this project as it evolves, please contact VT at enquiries@vintagetrains

[34101]

Drove past Polhill yesterday.  The restaurant is closed and surrounded by builders barriers.

 

The coach has gone.  Hopefully to somewhere where it can get some TLC.

 

Anyone know where it went?

 

[eastwestdivide]

Tyseley, as per the previous post?

and listed at

http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=582

 

[34101]

Thank you.

I had driven past it many times and suddenly realised it had gone.

Moral (to myself)  : read the previous post before posting!