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South Eastern & Chatham Railway
"100 seater" 3rd No. 971 (built in 1923)

No. 971 is seen at Horsted Keynes on 30 March 2003 in lined SR olive green - John Arkell.

This coach was built very solidly, if simply, to carry London commuters. Having 10 seats in each of its ten compartments, it is known as a "Hundred Seater". This carriage became, at some point, part of Set 896, a 9-coach "Long Set", which in the summer of 1947 was employed on Saturdays on the 9.46am London Victoria to Margate and 1.25pm return services. David Gould (in his 1993 Oakwood Press book, 'Bogie Carriages of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway') records this set as being formed entirely of ex-SECR vehicles, as follows:

Set 896 (1941-48) - berthed at Eardley
  3265 (Brake 3rd)
  1103 (3rd)
  7354 (Lavatory 1st)
  971 (3rd)
  973 (3rd)
  1066 (3rd)
  5330 (Lavatory Compo)
  960 (Lavatory 3rd)
  3318 (Lavatory Brake 3rd)

When these services into Kent were electrified it migrated onto branch-line services. It was piped through for push-pull working at Lancing in April 1958, and ended its days used as a "strengthener" on the Horsham to Brighton (via Steyning) and Horsham to Guildford services. It was condemned in September 1961.

Seven similar coaches were still in daily use in 1960 attached to sets of more modern Bulleid coaches on services from Tunbridge Wells West, Forest Row, and East Grinstead in-to and out-of London Bridge.

It came to the Bluebell in 1963, and has therefore been in operation for longer now on the Bluebell than it was on the main line railways. With nothing more than routine maintenance, painting, re-trimming of the seats, and a new roof-canvas and the re-bedding of the windows in 1979, it has been in fairly continuous service since its arrival on the Bluebell, a testament to the quality of its design and construction.

No.. 971 whilst it was painted in SR Malachite green, March 1992 - Richard Salmon.

In 1997 it received a second new Bluebell roof canvas, new draw-gear, and was repainted into the lined Maunsell olive green so then matched No.1098. It had carried this livery in the 1930s, having been amongst the last SECR coaches to be repainted from that railway's plain brown post-war livery.

In 2007 the coach was withdrawn for what was expected to be a quick repanelling exercise. The work required (where the bottom-side had split due to corroded bolts) having been found to be much more extensive than had been allowed for, the carriage has been stored in the carriage shed and awaits a budget allocation for the work, which would probably also have to include major repairs to the rotten roof and partitions, and re-trimming of the seats. Photographs and further details are available here.

In 2023 a tentative plan was formulated, starting with the overhaul the doors, using volunteer labour, and hopefully once employed staff are free from other taks, the structural repairs can also be undertaken, to enable the carriage to re-enter service.

Go to a full article about the two Hundred Seaters, as part of the Carriage Fleet Review.

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Type: Third
Built: June 1923, SR Ashford Works
Seating: 100 3rd
Length: 60'
Weight: 32 tons
Original No: 1434 A
Other Nos: 971, S971S
Withdrawn: September 1961
Preserved: 1963
To Bluebell: 24/2/1963

Ian Nolan's photos show, above the carriage, numbered as S971S, at Brighton in November 1961, and on the left on 30 March 1963, shortly after arrival at Sheffield Park, with the "Condemned" cypher painted out. Click on the photos to see the larger versions available on Ian's Flickr pages.

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