The Railway Magazine – July 2019

With the unmistakable Pullman umber & cream gloss applied, Car No. 85 stands inside the workshops of

W H Davis in Shirebrook on June 1. This car has been fitted with a new large kitchen area and is being named

Gravetye Manor.All picturesANDY COWARD UNLESS STATED.

The nearly completed interior of the saloon insideGravetye Manor, showing the

reconfigured two-by-one seating layout as well as the exquisite wood panelling and

art-deco interior fittings.

A laid-up table inside the private‘coupe’compartment

in carDorisprovides a tantalising taste of what is to be

expected by passengers who are lucky enough to be

able to travel in this part of the‘Brighton Belle’. Final

carpeting and glazing was still to be added when this

photograph was taken.

The partially completed saloon inside First Class carDoris,showing the restored

armchairs and tables which will be fitted inside this coach. Carpets and final

finishing touches are still to be added over the coming weeks.

Car No. 91.Alterations made to this vehicle
will mean the train is fully accessible for
wheelchair users, with widened gangways
provided and access through double doors,
with the necessary space ‘borrowed’ by
reducing the size of the guards compartment
in this coach. A full-sized guards’ compartment
has been retained inCar No. 88(which is now
namedBeryl).
All of the toilets throughout the train
feature waste retention tanks, while the
disabled access toilet withinCar No. 91
features baby changing facilities, too. The train
has also been fitted with a central door locking
system.
Car No. 85 (which is to be namedGravetye

Manor) has been fitted with a new large kitchen
to allow better food preparation and cooking
facilities on board, as the original First Class
kitchen cars were considered too small to
cope with the need to prepare more than 100

multi-course meals for the luxury days’ out this

train will cater for. During the operating days

of the ‘Brighton Belle’, the journey time for

the train was only around 55 minutes and the

kitchens were only used for preparing more

basic snack-style meals than those that will be

prepared and served on board in the future.

The original kitchen inside 5BEL carDoris

has also been restored and modernised, and

this coach will be marshalled alongside the new

larger kitchen to be used for the preparation of

starters and desserts.

Compliant

The train has also been fitted with all

the mandatory safety equipment required to

operate on the main line, and has been wired

to modern standards, with a lot of attention

paid to ensure the unit is compliant with the

changing requirements and standards that have

been experienced throughout the rebuilding

project. Extensive electrical testing of the coach

wiring circuits was being carried out during the

visit to Shirebrook on June 1.

Work on fitting out the driving cabs is

still to be completed, but the cabs have been

provided with additional strengthening works

to meet requirements for crash-resistance. The

overall size of the driving cab has been slightly

increased to take into account the additional

equipment required.

Access to the cabs is now through the

guards’ compartment, with the former cab

doors sealed up, although externally they

will look as they originally did, and opening

droplights are still provided for the drivers use.

Externally, the cab fronts feature

high-intensity headlights and LED tail lights

for the first time, but these do not detract from

the stylish lines of the cab fronts, and as there is

now no requirement for yellow warning panels,

the original Pullman crests can be re-created

July 2019 •The Railway Magazine•31

ELECTRICPRESERVATION