The electrical compartment inside the
guard’s compartment inCar No. 91,
showing that this vehicle has been fully
rewired to modern standards and is as
technologically advanced as many other
modern trains.The new fully equipped kitchen fitted insideGravetye
Manor.This kitchen will be used to prepare meals for
the 100 passengers expected to be on board each‘Brighton Belle’tour.
The original small kitchen insideDorishas been rebuilt,
but is much smaller than that fitted insideGravetye
Manor.This will be used mainly for the preparation of
starters and desserts, with main meals being prepared
in the larger kitchen.“With the rebuilt
‘Brighton Belle’
expected to be
back carrying
passengers within
the next year, it will
provide a unique
electrically powered
luxury dining train
providing day
trips to various
destinations, while
also filling one of
the gaps in main line
railway preservation.”
on the cabs. The 1930’s-inspired art-deco feel
of the trains has been carefully re-created, with
original wooden wall panels restored to their
former glory, and any missing fittings, such as
the original ‘Brighton Belle’ table lamps, have
been replaced with specially produced replicas
that have been made to match the originals.
Internally, the original Third Class sections
of the train have had their two-by-two seat
layout changed to two-by-one to create larger
more comfortable seating within the train,
which will effectively be First Class throughout.
New tables have also been produced in the
same style as the originals to take into account
the different seating configuration.
The coaches are all being equipped with
modern under-seat heating units, rather than
the original heaters, which ran along the length
of the vehicles at floor level.
The First Class saloons and the private
four-person ‘coupe’ compartment withinDoris
will all feature comfortable individual armchairs
for passengers travelling in this section.
The four-coach train will have capacity
for slightly more than 100 passengers, and
although no tours are currently booked in for
the set until the 5BEL Trust is satisfied with
the testing and commissioning of the vehicles,
it is planned that it will be operated by
GB Railfreight and the majority of tours will be
promoted by UK Railtours. When not in use
the unit will be based at Eastleigh Works.Exclusivity
The 5BEL Trust hopes to see the train
in use roughly once a month to maintain
its exclusivity, while also catering for the
anticipated demand, but they are equally
keen to ensure it is not worked too often as
they do not wish to wear it out or to get into
competition with other luxury train operators.
The maximum speed of the unit will be
90mph, although it will probably be usually
pathed for 70mph running on Network Rail.
The vehicles are equipped with running gear
and bogies recovered from scrapped Southern
Region Mk 1 EMUs, and it is hoped this will
go a long way towards resolving the poor ride
quality that often plagued the units during
their BR careers.
With the ‘Brighton Belle’ technically ableto operate anywhere on the Southern Region
third-rail network (subject to Network Rail
route clearance), it is also fitted with equipment
that will allow it to be operated in push-pull
mode using a suitable locomotive such as a
Class 33 or a Class 73.
The owning group have not ruled
out operating the set on heritage railways
occasionally, although it will primarily spend its
time working on the main line.
Remarkably, 14 of the 15 original cars stillsurvive, with the 5BEL Trust owning six of the
vehicles. The remainder are owned by luxury
train operator Belmond, with the exception of
Car No. 89which is used as accommodation at
a pub in Derbyshire.
The 15th vehicle was destroyed by fire
several years ago.
Once completed the set will operate with
the identity of No. 3050, the number of
which, although never previously carried by
a ‘Brighton Belle’, precedes the three original
units and seemed appropriate, as the 5BEL
Trust set has been assembled using coaches
from all three of the original sets.‘First Class’
Another change from the original sets is
the decision to name the Third Class vehicles,
which previously just operated using their
coach identity. As such Car No. 85 is to
becomeGravetye Manor, Car No. 88 has been
namedBeryland Car No. 91 will beMabel.As
Denis Dunstone commented: “All of this train
is now First Class.”
It is hoped that at some stage in the future
the 5BEL Trust’s two remaining unrestored
vehicles – Car No. 87 (which will eventually be
namedClare) andHazel, which are currently
stored at Barrow Hill – can also be restored
and returned to the main line, although it is
anticipated the rebuilding of these coaches to
current standards will be in the region of
£1 million for each vehicle. There are no
current plans to start any work on these
vehicles in the foreseeable future.
Mr Dunstone expressed his personal
frustration that the project had been beset with32 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019ELECTRICPRESERVATION