The railway is home to 5 Mk1 coaches all of which are operational.

BSK 34675 built in 1955 at Wolverton works was obtained from the aborted South Yorkshire Railway which was based near Meadow Hall.

The coach arrived at Preston by road with the other ones from Southport and eventually went into the new running shed in 2001 and in 2007 it was admitted into the main workshop for body overhaul, interior renovation and eventual repaint in British Railways lined maroon. An offer of a scrap BSK 34666 at Bury, formally in use as the mainline support coach for 45407 was moved by road to the railway for scrapping, as being built in the same batch by Wolverton works of BR, parts removed for use on our 34675 should have just swapped over. Wrong!

Passenger doors appeared to have been re skinned so they replaced the moth eaten ones on ours. Guards area doors needed certain skills with metal work repairs to rotten areas to make them as good as new again. All the seats were cleaned, woodwork re-varnished and the guards van area had the cage removed and new flooring installed, with seats provided for helpers for our wheelchair bound customers.

The propelling front has a modern electric tail / headlamp unit fitted, and is a big improvement over 35128′ s front end. The steam heating was tried out and apart from the usual areas that leaks developed, all was well except that there was a bad leak in the guards compartment. This was simply down to the fact that the pressure gauge was missing!

The coach was delivered in blood and custard to the Midland region of BR, then another repaint in all over lined maroon followed before the corporate blue grey era of BR introduced from 1964 onwards. The coach appears to have finished it’s working life on the Eastern region, before being allocated to departmental use. Two coats of maroon and one of varnish now make it the best looking one in the fleet. One of the coach crests is of 1988 manufacture obtained in 1991 from collectors corner, the other one of 1964 vintage was obtained with four others on eBay for £25, a bargain as the proper ones now cost nearly £40 each!

The coach entered RSR service in 2009 and has proved very popular with our disabled customers.

Furness Railway Trust Vehicles:

Mark 1 RMB 1812. Built in 1957 at York, this coach was the last of the first batch of RMBs built. The coach was purchased from Cowlairs in 1982 and transferred to Haverthwaite by road via Carnforth. The vehicle is painted in ‘blood and custard’ livery, but has suffered from the rays of the sun on one side, not having been used on the L&HR for a few years now. Otherwise the coach is complete.
Arrived RSR Monday, 16th November 2009.

L&NWR CCT No. 11010. Built at Wolverton in 1913 to diagram D444, this six wheeled vehicle was purchased in 1981 from Wolverton Works where it was being used as a Cell Truck for transporting battery cells within the works complex. The vehicle was transported by rail to Ulverston in July 1981 from where it was transported by road to Haverthwaite. After the discovery that some of these vehicles were used in circus trains, No. 11010 has always been affectionately known as the Elephant Van! Arrived RSR Wednesday, 18th November 2009.

BR 4 wheeled CCT No. M94237 was purchased from BRB Residuary Ltd in 2001, having come to the end of its useful days as a departmental van at Longsight. It was transferred to Haverthwaite by road and became the L&HR’s carriage & wagon store in place of the FRT’s former North London Railway second class coach body which was destined for restoration. Arrived RSR Wednesday, 18th November 2009.

Find all the latest news on The Furness Railway Trust on their website
http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk/

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