Roof Ventilation Pre-Nationisation Coaching Stock

[cary hill]

Probably two stupid questions but I am currently adrift in a sea of ignorance so here goes:

 

How was roof ventilation controlled on Pre-Nationalisation coaching stock - were there any degrees of sophistication available or distinct variations in company practice?

 

I also note that certainly in the case of some Ex-GWR compartment coaching stock(and probably other Companies' stock?) that approximately half the vents seem to have later been removed - is it for passenger "comfort" or lower maintenance cost reasons?

[coachmann]

I haven't come across roof vents being removed from Big Four coaching stock. The vents coaches were built with remained to the end although replacements could be of a different type.

 

The torpedo roof vent reigned supreme for many years with only the GWR adopting the shell vent. The LMS adopted it in 1935 but only for a few years. Then they reverted to a vent that was virtually the Wolverton LNWR hemispherical roof vent of circa 1917. BR adopted it with minor mods for Mk.I stock.

 

Inside the coach the vents could be 'shut off' by a lever that closed the ventilation slots, although these varied from company to company. I wonder if anyone bothered. Ventilation was important in earlier times when smoking was 'normal'.

[jwealleans]

Excuse me if this sounds patronising, but you're not confusing the removal of lamp tops, as coaches were converted to electric lighting, with ventilators, are you?

[cary hill]

Excuse me if this sounds patronising, but you're not confusing the removal of lamp tops, as coaches were converted to electric lighting, with ventilators, are you?

 

Not feeling at all "patronised" as your suggestion has caused me to undertake a bit more "armchair research", even though I was confident that I was looking at GWR shell vents.

 

This has resulted in the discovery, amongst my collection of GWR Journals of a 20 page article with several photographs of GWR 70' 'South Wales' 1923-26 coaches in late GWR and early BR crimson and cream livery. I now have photographic references confirming that my Comet coach instructions, which indicated that one vent per compartment was removed at some time after construction, appear correct. In the case of a 70' GWR Collett Corridor Third(Diag C44) this was originally provided with 22 shell vents as built but there is a side-on photograph of one in BR condition clearing showing only twelve vents present and there are similar photographs indicating that the Composites and Van Thirds of this build series also had a reduced number of vents in their later condition.

 

So thanks for your suggestion as I now have enough "later" photographic reference material to proceed which still leaves the question why were some vents removed although the answer is not now "mission critical".