The LNER Coach Association was formed in 1980 with the objectives of obtaining, restoring and operating a collection of ex-LNER and / or constituent companies vehicles. It also provides an umbrella organisation for members with privately owned LNER and / or constituent companies vehicles for eventual use on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
The LNERCA, in association with the The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust, marked the completion of two HLF supported projects with a special party, including representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund's Leeds office
Both A4 Sir Nigel Gresley, and our two carriages, BTO 43567 and TTO23956, the latter owned by the NRM, were recipients of HLF funding. A4 60007 was in charge of the special train, which conveyed its passengers in the restored LNER teak set of coaches, from Grosmont to Pickering and return on Sunday 18th May.The HLF representative was impressed and enjoyed the experience.
Of interest is that both projects have several things in common:
The website has been updated, with new photos added to the Photos of the teak rake gallery
The latest DVD's are now avaliable for purchase from our online shop. The new titles are:
NYMR Gala 2008 - DVD covering the NYMR Spring Gala, which featured 3 A4's, V2, B1, K1 and J15.
Steam and Teak - DVD is an excellent introduction to the LNERCA train, showing its development over several years through to 2007.
A Tale of Two Hearts - DVD is a visit to the NYMR in 2001, with a trip along the line behing 75014 Braveheart, and 34101 Heartland.
Click here to visit the shop
Whilst the LNERCA is probably best known for its Gresley restorations, it does not forget the following era when Edward Thompson gave his name to locomotives and rolling stock outshopped during his tenure of office.
Corridor Third (TK) No. 1623 is the LNERCA's main restoration project. This unique coach, built in 1950, has received a completely new bottom rail and much of its bodyside framing on both sides has been renewed. The coach resides in Pickering C & W yard next to the turntable.
All missing compartment partitions, removed by BR in the early 1960's to prepare the coach for Departmental service (No. DE 321133 ) have been replaced. All this has been made possible by a £8000 grant from the PRISM Fund . This follows an earlier £2000 grant from the same source to put the roof in good order, including a new roof sheet. All this work was done in 2007.
This year has seen all the knee - iron brackets installed to give the vehicle strength. These are bolted between the vertical 'pillars' and the horizontal 'rails'.
Thompson TK1623 is making good progress - this view shows all the compartment support panels fitted and the last of the seven sliding windows being screwed into place.
In April and May 2008, the wooden panel supports which fit between the pillars in the compartments on the window side have been planed, cut to size and screwed into place, finally being painted in aluminium primer. The coach has thus visibly progressed in recent weeks.
All the compartment sliding windows were fitted in May - this involved ensuring they were all tight up against the top window frame (by using a jack) and then held in position by screws.
Roger Melton screw the final sliding window into 1623. Note the jack to ensure it is flush tight with the top of the window frame.
One other job completed has been the lifting into place of a lagged water tank at the north end of the carriage. This heavy component was slowly jacked higher and higher in the toilet compartment and then slowly rolled over into place, resting on three transverse bars.
On Monday May 19th, the first of the 5 metal panels which screw onto the exteriior of the carriage were 'flapwheeled' (removing lumps of compound and mastic), and then treated with Jenolite (Phosphoric acid based rust inhibitor) and finally the whole of the underneath was covered in Waxoyl. Why 5? The 6th panel is already on the coach and covers the first section of framing to be replaced by Andrew Daniel some 10 years ago.
The next job in hand is to complete the preparation of the remaing untreated four panels, after which arrangements will be made to use the P.Way Dept's crane to lift them all into place to enable stainless steel screws to be inserted, holding the panels in place. The carriage will then look like a carriage again!
The long and laborious job of sanding and gluing split teak panels is evident here as John Curtis and Steve Hoather renovate end panels from TK3857.
Meanwhile, work continues in the LNERCA's workshop preparing and restoring teak panels removed from another of the Association's carriages - Third Corridor (TK) 3857 which is stored at Kirkby Stephen station. This coach ended its BR Departmental days at Peterborough as DE 320946.
After over a quarter of a century working outside, restoring Gresley and Thompson carriages, the prospect of working indoors beckons with teh completion of the Carriage Restoration Shed next to the car park at Pickering. First carriage expected to be ceremonially pushed in is likely to be Thompson No 1623, although Gresley TTO No. 24109 is also a strong candidate to allow the exterior varnish to be attended to and a new roof sheet to be fitted.
Soon we will be inside this new building! The Carriage Restoration Shed at Pickering will be complete in June 2008.
A warm welcome is extended to any reader who fancies a look round to see what we get up to. If you have a spare 20 minutes at the NYMR after your journey, do ask anyone in the shed and we will be pleased to show you around - its well worth seeing.
We are usually there every weekend.
The website has been updated, with new items added to the shop, new photo galleries added and May news uploaded.
Site last updated 25th May 2008.
Opinions expressed on this web site do not necessarily represent the policies of the LNERCA Committee. © 2008 L.N.E.R. Coach Association.