Gresley Tourist Third Opens

[notascoobie]

Good evening,

I was looking at a magazine article which detailed the restoration of Gresley Tourist Third Open no 60505 at Stainmore. I had a look at the Kirkby Stephen web-site and saw the photos of the carriage and it's of teak construction with the Tourist Open interior. It is stated as being Dia 216 and my copy of Harris bears that out and states the length as 52'6." Am I right in thinking that these carriages were the GE section equivalent of the Dia 186 TTOs used elsewhere?

Idle curiosity.

Regards,

Vernon

[jwealleans]

I believe that's the case. ISTR (without checking) that one or two sets were built, a number of the opens and a very few open brakes as well.

Edit - just checked in Campling - only two open brakes were built.

[notascoobie]

Thanks for that Jonathon.

I guess I was a little surprised because I thought that 61'6" stock was being drafted into the GE during the 1930s.

Regards,

Vernon

[jwealleans]

There were only certain routes where the 61'6" stock wasn't allowed - I can't recall where these were offhand but I expect I can find out if I look hard enough. Bill B made reference to it in a post in the last few days, but i can't recall if that was here or on RMWeb.

[65447]

Thanks for that Jonathon.

I guess I was a little surprised because I thought that 61'6" stock was being drafted into the GE during the 1930s.

Regards,

Vernon

The GE Section did have 61' 6" stock from its introduction as an LNER standard, but only under certain circumstances.

Explanations are lost in the mists of antiquity but the GE standard carriage was 54' and locking bars (especially on the approaches to Liverpool Street) were of such a length that a longer carriage might not operate them if a train was held in the approaches.

Shorter carriages (approximately equivalent to GE stock) were also required for those workings serving multiple destinations, when one or more carriages was detached at various points on the journey.

Standard carriages were acceptable for such fixed workings as the various boat trains connecting with Harwich, or when a fixed platform and hence known routing into Liverpool Street did not give rise to potential problems.

As to general restrictions, the lists in the WTT are quite interesting but not readily reproduced!

[jwealleans]

Cheers, '47. Presumably by 1938 (when the last 52'6" carriages were built) the S & T had amended the infrastructure to allow standard stock?

I had a browse through Harris this morning and he mentions a change in GE management coinciding with the acceptance of standard stock, but there must have been more to it than that.

Getting back to D 216, Harris states that they were built for excursion use (the GE not having any Tourist Stock either) and after building two lots of two only - that's what had stuck in my mind - they then built a lot of about 50 in 1936. There must have been ex-GE or NE open brakes available, though as they only ever built two of those.