British Railways - Standard Steam Stock (Mk.1)
Corridor Composite (CK) No.16210 - (built in 1961)

Both photos: Richard Salmon

Type: CK (Composite Corridor), Diagram 128
Built: June 1961, at BR Litchurch Lane Carriage Works, Derby (Lot 30666)
Original No: W16210
Other Nos: S16210, S7210, W7210
Seating: 24 1st class, 24 2nd class
Body Length: 64' 6"
Weight: 35.5 Tons
Withdrawn: 1986
Preserved: 1986
To Bluebell: 2/12/1986

Coaches such as this, from the early sixties, are the core of most steam railways' carriage fleets. We are lucky on the Bluebell to have rather more pre-nationalisation vintage stock running than most others. However, a carefully restored and well-maintained Mk.1 coach has an important role to play in the recreation of the last years of the steam era.

The photo on the right (taken in December 2003) shows one of the first class seats, trimmed in the charcoal grey first-class moquette of the mid-1960s.

One of the later CKs built by BR, the exterior featured aluminium window frames designed to help prevent corrosion. The carriage was built with vacuum braking, dual steam and electric heating and was mounted on Commonwealth cast bogies. As built, the compartments either side of the centre vestibule were designated non-smoking. The second class compartments seated four a side (ER and LMR sat three a side, with armrests). The centre second class compartment had an inward-opening window to allow stretcher-case passengers to be accommodated. Originally built for the Western Region, it was transferred to the Southern in October 1963 and was initially classified as "loose", being used on various workings on the South Western Division.

From 7th August 1967, S16210 was allocated to strengthen RMB Set 150 from 8 to 11 vehicles for the Summer service between Poole and Newcastle, returning to loose in 1969. The formation of Set 150 was:-
    CK* 16210
    SK* 24980
    BSK 34625
    CK 16204
    SO* 3825
    SO 3847
    RMB 1850
    SO 3833
    SO 3831
    CK 16205
    BSK 34626
*Summer Only

For just a short period (around May 1971 to January 1972) it was formed into Set No.104, replacing CK No.15871, allocated to SWD Newspaper Trains. The formation of Set 104 was:-
    BSK 34938
    CK  16210
    BSK 34627

In 1974 the Commonwealth bogies were fitted to older air-braked SO/TSO vehicles, being replaced by BR1 bogies. In 1985 it was briefly transferred back to the Western Region, before being withdrawn the following year and purchased for the Bluebell. On arrival on the Bluebell it was methodically and comprehensively overhauled, eliminating all corrosion, and remedying those minor design problems which had led to water ingress and corrosion. It is thus one of the most comprehensively overhauled Mk.1s in preservation, re-entering traffic in October 1991.