Duke of Sutherland Saloon No.58A arrives!
18th May 2011
Its a few month since we saw this – coach 58A, last reported from in Canada! Following a safe passage, the coach (and Dunrobin) arrived at Seaforth Container Depot, Liverpool, on Monday night at 10pm. Subsequently transhipped onto a lorry, unloaded onto track in the depot so as to re-load it the other way around, it was moved last night and arrived at Beamish at 7:30am this morning. Here are some views of it as it arrives and was unloaded:
Below: A selection of interior views. A deep clean and thorough inspection will follow once the coach has been moved into the RMS – unfortunately in the short term it will not be on public display while we carry out this process, but the aim is for a return to use sooner rather than later…
Below: The carriage has a rather fancy toilet compartment!
Below: The brake compartment, not the width of the door. The roof panels have badly cracked in the dry Canadian air, but otherwise the interior appears to be sound.
Below: Touchdown!
The coach was built for the 4th Duke of Sutherland by the Highland Railway at Lochgorm works in 1909 and has resided with Dunrobin ever since, being based at Golspie with the locomotive. They were sold together in 1949 and moved to Kent together in 1950, then Canada in 1965. It is therefore only fitting to keep them together with the 2010 sale to Beamish. The aim is still to have them reunited for operation from 2013…
hope all goes well …looking forward to coming to see them running
Very fine … !!!!!!
How is the restoration going please? is the colour correct or will it be the ‘invisible’ (very dark) green as its big brother at York NRM?
Any idea when it will be completed?
Finally do you know there is a etched brass kit of the vehicle (Lochgorm Kits)
Yours Peter.
Hi Peter – work is proceeding slowly as we have numerous other commitments but the mechanical overhaul and replacement of the missing lower footboards is under way. We are consulting with the Highland Railway Society regarding livery, though a darker shade per 57A is likely at the moment. The lighter green would appear to be as applied in Canada but when we rub the coach down we may learn more on this.
Best wishes
Paul