Railcar interiors

Many non-enthusiasts claim that Railcars are " all the same". Here we illustrate the diversity which can be found inside these vehicles.

This class of unit features a wooden panelled interior and high back seats which give it a feeling of luxury not found in other Railcars. We have fully restored the interior of both our operating 104 cars.
The 105 units featured the more common green formica wall covering and a design of seat which owes much to contemporary bus practice. The original tungsten lighting is still in place but the seats feature a later pattern BR fabric. The seating was recovered in the winter of 2002/3 using a modern fabric but which has a traditional appearance.
For suburban designs British Railways went back to having a large number of doors and face-to-face seating. This car was built with high back seats and had strip lighting from new. This set has also had a complete interior refit recently using the traditional 1950s "razor blade" pattern of fabric. This is not original to this car but is a much more pleasing design.
In later years the interiors of the surviving cars were revamped - our class 108 has been refaced with blue and orange formica. The seats feature a purple pattern which was applied to some sets at the end of their life. During refurbishment strip lights were fitted in place of the original tungsten type.
Luxury! The interior of the first class section of class 108 coach 54490 is immediately behind the driver and features carpets, curtains, wider seats and other comforts. At the Llangollen Railway there is a modest charge of Ł1 per person each way for use of the first class saloons - all the money raised being ploughed back into the restoration of the railcar fleet.
Another example of a first class saloon as fitted to the Cravens trailer E56456. This has also been refurbished recently with new fabric, curtains and carpets. The covering of the seating was particularly difficult to do as the design has a number of awkward corners which were not easy to cover properly.
The Class 109 - or Wickham unit - is unique both inside and out. The interior design owes much to the "Art-deco" school with its curved draught screens. The seats have leatherette edges as was common in the 1950s and the fabric is an accurate copy of the original used in these vehicles. This interior is a replica made by us as the original was lost in a conversion scheme in 1970.
The class 141 was built using parts from the Leyland National bus and was even built at the same factory as the buses. An interior view of the passenger saloon shows clearly many of the bus-type features, including the bus-style seats. Despite the lack of refinement the design has many good points - not least of all that it has a section which is suitable for access by wheelchairs and prams - something which was sadly lacking in 1950s train design.