GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Fenny Compton Station: smjfc95a

Ex-Bristol and Exeter (B&E) Railway coach converted to a Divisional Engineer's Inspection Saloon by the Great Western Railway in circa 1900 and seen at Fenny Compton in British Railways days, still in its 1920s livery. This saloon is probably the Wolverhampton Divisional Engineer's Inspection Saloon which carried British Railway's number W14643. This is understood to be the last of this type of coach to remain in service. It was reported as being condemned in 1955 in its 1920s livery.

The B&E Railway’s Works at Bridgwater had turned out broad gauge carriages from 1848 and later convertible as well as standard gauge rolling stock (and locomotives). Following amalgamation with the Great Western Railway on 1st August 1876, all the B&E rolling stock was absorbed, but within a year many of the older coaches had been condemned, while most of the remainder were either downgraded to third class coaches or became service vehicles. The later included several of the recently built (1875) coaches, which had been constructed as main line stock with six wheels (the centre set of wheels were removed in the late 1880s leaving them with a wheelbase of 22 feet). They had an overall length of 38 feet and originally had four passenger compartments, plus a central luggage area. Oil lighting was provided. A central corridor gave access to a verandah at each end, which had fixed ladders for alighting at low level platforms.

The ex B&E coaches converted to Inspection Saloons for the Engineering Department were allocated to coach diagram Q4. Several were fitted with gas flare lamps at the end of the verandah roof for illuminating tunnels (as seen on the inspection saloon in 'gwrkd111'). The coach lighting was also converted to gas and this and the flare lamps was supplied from a cylinder tanks below the frame.

Inspection saloon W14643 was also photographed at Warwick ('gwrw2626') and Lapworth ('gwrl3283').

Robert Ferris

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