Gresley NV BT(4) D294

[UpDistant]

Having sorted the question of GN coach buffers, my next question concerns Gresley's NV BT(4) Diagram 294 - the wartime build with steel panelling vice teak panels.

As with the Ex-GNR coaches, I have a couple of sets of Fozard etches for D294. Photos of his finished models show toplights in the passenger and guards doors, the double luggage doors being plain. An alternative view was taken by Banks using Kemilway etches - photos of these finished models show all doors having ventilators.

I only have one photo showing the prototype, unfortunately taken at a 7/8 view with the passenger section furthest from the camera. It does suggest that the doors have ventilators. Can anyone confirm this? They seem to have been rather camera shy.

[jwealleans]

I don't have my books to hand, but is this one of the diagrams built by outside contractors? In which case either is correct depending on the builder. Have a dig around Banksy's site and he illustrates it very well.

[UpDistant]

JW, I've just re-read the Steve Banks article in BRM regarding Gresley and Thompson steel panelled coaches. It doesn't throw much light on the specifics although it does mention a "reversion to GN practice" re door toplights, but not the applicable diagrams.

There were 2 batches of D294 built, the first (1939) for the GEA, the second (1941) for the NEA, both built at York. I "think" I read somewhere that the NEA batch were used in the East Riding of Yorkshire however, the only photo I have is a train at Newcastle bound for Riccarton or Hawick - which is why I've got one! If you have Neil Caplan's Border Country Branch Line Album, it's in there.

[jwealleans]

I've been through SB's pages and he doesn't explicitly cover D294. I'd speculate, though, that if the contractors are the same as the diagrams he does cover then you can raise a strongish argument for both ventilator types being built. If there's this little evidence, who can argue?

Edit - I didn't find any pictures in the Seabrook collection either.

[Danby Wiske]

Michael Harris's book (I have the 2011 edition) says:

One characteristic feature of their [the steel panelled carriages'] appearance was the use of fixed glass fanlights above the door droplights, apparently because the usual hit and miss ventilators were difficult to fit. At least, this was the case until May 1939 when it was agreed by the CME that hit and miss ventilators would be fitted to the doors of all new non-vestibuled stock.
[p.97]

As the ones for the North Eastern Area were not built until 1941, it would seem reasonable to assume that ventilators were fitted...

[UpDistant]

I don't know how I missed that in Harris' book - ventilators it is.