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Southern Railway - Maunsell 6575 Corridor Brake Composite (built in 1929)
This photo shows the corridor side of the coach, with the distinctive high windows.
Richard Salmon

Type: Corridor Brake Composite
Built: 1929 at Eastleigh (E363)
Original No: 6575
Other Nos: S6575S
Seating: 12 1st class, 32 3rd class
Length: 59'
Restriction: 4
Weight: 32 Tons
Withdrawn: 1959
Preserved: 1960
To Bluebell: 17/5/1960

Built specifically to form a single-coach portion of the Bournemouth to Newcastle service to be detached to serve either Bradford or Leeds, this coach contains all the elements required as a self-contained train, i.e. first and third class accommodation, lavatory, luggage space and a compartment for the guard.

It demonstrates well the advances made in coach design in the late 1920s. The high windows on the corridor side, in addition to allowing standing passengers a view of the passing scenery, also lend the coach a distinguised look, especially when married to the ornately lined sage green livery. Note also that, on the corridor side, half of the "doors" are not doors at all. Many's the hand that, in spite of the notice on the inside inscribed "No Exit", has felt out of the window for the non-existent door handle!

One of the Bluebell's first two coaches (the only two for the first year) this vehicle was later painted "Bluebell Blue". By 1974 it was practically falling apart, and was withdrawn from use, until its overhaul started in 1979. Returning to traffic in 1981, having received a complete rebuild, it was by 2000 again a "mature" coach, no longer in quite the pristine condition it once was. Such are the rigours of a hard-working operational coach. Thanks to a leaking roof, and general deterioration of the interior and the structure at the brake end, it was withdrawn from service at the end of November 2000 for an intermediate overhaul, which it is hoped will take place once the workshop space and staff can be allocated to the project.