Working Life
Restoration
Preservation
Built at the Derby Carriage & Wagon Works in 1927 as a 57 ft. first class corridor brake coach with four full compartments and one half non-smoking ‘coupe’ one, a brake compartment and numbered 5033.
Finally withdrawn in November, 1960 and converted at Wolverton Carriage Works into an Inspection Saloon for the Chief Projects Officer of the West Coast Main Line Electrification scheme at a cost of £6,000 it returned to service in December, 1961 and was renumbered DM395707 in the departmental stock range of numbers.
Condemned in January,1965, a completely new wooden framed steel plated saloon body, but incorporating many original parts, was built at Wolverton, the last L.M.S. type to be built there and craftsmen took great pride in the quality of this replacement. Fitted to a B.R. Mark 1 brake second suburban coach underframe, ex M43232, which had been placed on ‘Commonwealth’ type bogies, it was now kept strictly available to the London Midland Region’s General Manager only and kept at Euston ready for use.
On 7th May, 1974 it was the last vehicle in the special Royal Train formation used to convey Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh when they inspected the newly electrified West Coast main line between Preston and Glasgow, being marshalled behind Royal Saloon 2911, also in the Trust’s collection.
Re-numbered 6320 in Inter-City stock and re-painted in light grey/red stripe/dark grey livery in 1989 it was used as a V.I.P. vehicle and for special charter work, before being sold initially in 1996 first to Waterman Railways for charter work and then to Rail Charter Services.
Purchased initially by Pete Waterman it became part of the Rail Charter Services fleet in 1997 and, painted in maroon, was intended for hire as a Director’s Inspection Saloon running in Bristol – Paignton charter services, but was used only once before being stored at Heaton. Purchased by Alliance Trains Ltd. in April, 1997 it was used on their charter services, repainted in an ‘aircraft blue’ livery with a broad gold stripe edged in red at waist level and a narrower red stripe above the windows.
Becoming surplus to their requirements, and thanks to a generous private donation, it was purchased for the Trust in April 2001 and moved to the West Shed the following month.
It has since been repaired, overhauled and repainted in a representative L.M.S. livery complete with armorial device, and certificated for main line use as a special saloon. The 15 foot saloon at one end has been named ‘The Margaret Rose Dining Saloon’ and the 18 foot long lounge at the other has been named ‘The Sutherland Lounge’, thus commemorating both of the Trust’s two Stanier 4-6-2 express passenger locomotives. Frequently attached to many of the Trust’s main line tour trains, it provides luxury accommodation and, with the modern on-board kitchen facilities, a ‘haute cuisine’ full meals menu for V.I.P.’s and other special guest’s of the Trust.