The exterior is now pretty much complete, and the drop-light mechanisms have now been adjusted to work. The interior is coming together well, with the ceilings finished, and the seating in the process of being installed. (Photos from Dave Clarke)
With all the panelling and cover strips, and windows in place, the coach now once again looks like a droplight open third!
The seating has been trimmed in a reproduction SR Jazz-pattern Moquette, specially reproduced for this project. It is the 1930s moquette which No.1309 was trimmed in when first built.
One design problem with this coach is that it is virtually impossible to prevent water entering through the large opening droplights in the body-side. The original design included provision for drainage from the bottom of the droplight cavity.
In our restoration we have endeavoured to improve these arrangements, as can be seen here with these newly fabricated stainless steel trays, and (blue) plastic drainage tubes below.
The first of the new interior mahogany panels, with mahogany veneer centres, and white celluloid banding between, have been fitted in one of the saloons.
The first section of new exterior panelling to be finally fixed in place is that seen here at the south end of the coach, together with tare and restriction plates, and gangway surrounds.
The project had started in 1998. The first phase was to dismantle the body and recover what was re-usable.
The ingress of water had caused corrosion of the steel re-inforcings below the opening windows, and this had split every one of the 28 main body pillars. The solution was to dismantle the carriage body down to a bare underframe and rebuild it on the new bottom side members, which replaced the completely rotten originals.
This photo, taken sometime in mid-to-late 2000, shows the reconstruction of the body proceeding.
Last updated 31 March 2008 by Richard Salmon