History of the Wye Valley Railway

Coaches and passenger traffic

Contents

• Introduction

• From gas lighting to ladies only compartments

• Early years

• Middle years

• Later years

• Resources

Introduction

When the Wye Valley Railway (WVR) started carrying passengers there were three classes of travel: First, second and third. A composite coach would have seats for two of these classes while a tri-composite had seats for all three. The term ‘Brake’ in a coach description indicates that the coach has a guard’s compartment equipped with a train brake. Coaches at first were almost always configured as either compartment or corridor stock. Auto-trailers and Diesel railcars, both forerunners of Diesel Multiple Units, were prominent on the WVR in later years and were laid out as open carriages with a corridor down the centre. Clerestory coaches were built with part of the roof raised giving better lighting and ventilation.

From gas lighting to ladies only compartments

Lighting

Illumination in clerestory stock was provided at first by long pendants hanging below the level of the clerestory with fishtail burners fed by compressed oil-gas cylinders under the coach. Experiments were carried out with electric lighting at the end of the nineteenth century and during the early years of the twentieth century. The rather orange glow of early electric lights was inferior to gas lighting, the use of which was prolonged by the invention of the gas mantle in 1905. The gas mantle gave out a soft white light and its use continues today in gas camping lanterns. The GWR built no new stock with gas lighting after 1911, except railmotors and trailers. The life of a coach could extend to 50 years so gas lit stock could have been seen on the WVR after the Second World War. The last gas-lit auto-trailer was withdrawn in 1959.

Gas lighting installations could be dangerous. On 13 October 1928, a Leeds-to-Bristol night mail train crashed under the road bridge at Charfield station, South Gloucestershire. 15 people were killed and a further 23 injured, the bodies of two children were never identified.

Rail archives show the train went through a red signal in fog.

The gas cylinders used to light the carriages ignited on impact, and the ensuing fire hindered the identification of bodies. Four carriages were burnt out.

The accident investigation concluded that driver error was the cause but also concluded that the railway management shared some responsibility for not quickening the pace of conversion of lighting in trains from gas to electric. Another secondary cause identified was inadequate rolling stock strength.

Historian Ian Thomas, who has researched the crash, said the identities of the two small burnt bodies would probably always remain a puzzle. A BBC report on the 80th anniversary of the crash speculated that the charred remains could be jockeys or a ventriloquist’s dummies.

Steam heating

At the end of the nineteenth century steam heating was introduced. The steam was circulated in pipes running through each carriage. The temperature of compartments was normally maintained at 13-15 degrees centigrade.

Toilets

In the Victorian period toilets were provided on corridor stock for both ladies and gentlemen. This resulted in four toilets in total for each coach. The two centre toilets with adjoining compartments of each class (first and third) were ‘ladies only’, with doors shutting off this section. This provision was discontinued in the early 1900s. Early toilets were basic but in later years the pipework was boxed in with laminated plastic and the floor was finished in mottled tiles.

The first perforated toilet paper rolls were introduced in 1890 and by 1935 toilet paper was finally manufactured ‘splinter free’ by Northern Tissue. Toilet rolls were not cheap and, for this reason the GWR introduced thief proof toilet roll holders. The roller was locked by a key.

Upholstery, blinds and panelling

Passenger coach standards of comfort reached a standard close to current day levels by 1910.

In the early years the public were in favour of side-corridor arrangements. Dark wood such as mahogany, walnut and dark oak were used. Diesel railcars, introduced on the WVR in the 1940s had a lighter and brighter interior and were laid out as an open carriage. They were popular with passengers.

In the late 1940s the interiors of corridor coaches followed two schemes: quartered oak veneer or ‘Holoplast’ plastic laminate which was a more durable alternative. Holoplast panelling is used in both the above compartments.

Coach construction

Before the Second World War coach bodies were built of oak, teak, mahogany and ash. Keruing, a hardwood from an evergreen grown in south-east Asia was also used for construction.

Steel panelled roofs and ends were introduced in the 1920s to improve fireproofing although the wood frames were retained. Metal coach bodies were not introduced until the British Railways Mk 1 coaches. Mk 1 coaches abandoned the traditional practice of mounting a separate body onto a heavy chassis and instead designed the body to take some of the forces on a coach, e.g. in a crash. The Mk 1 was designed to be much stronger than previous designs and to provide better protection for passengers in the event of a collision or derailment. Although Mk 1 construction started in 1950 it is uncertain if any of these coaches ran on the WVR except perhaps with excursion trains. The windows of the external doors were opened and closed using a lazy-tong device in place of a leather strap.

Couplings

In the 1920s some carriages were fitted with buckeye couplings instead of three-link screw-tensioned couplings. The buckeye coupler automatically locks into place when two vehicles are brought together avoiding the need for train staff to climb down onto the tracks to link the vehicles. On the three-link screw-tensioned couplings the screw has to be tightened until the buffers are squeezed together cushioning the connection between the vehicles. This is done by train staff at track level. Buckeye couplings, although heavier, can haul a much greater train weight but experience greater jarring during mating and shunting.

Ladies only compartments

The GWR Rules and Regulations 1904 required the Guards to ‘pay every attention to the comfort of ladies travelling alone’. In the 1936 GWR rulebook Guards are required to inform any unaccompanied ladies that ‘ladies-only’ compartments are available.

By 1960 ‘ladies-only’ were a rarity so they may have been absent from WVR carriages before the line closed to passenger traffic.

No smoking compartments

No-smoking compartments were finally abolished on the railways in 2005 and all smoking was then prohibited in all compartments. It seems likely that during the life of the WVR that all trains had at least one no-smoking compartment. In the early years instead of ‘no smoking’ compartments, parts of a coach were often laid out with centre- corridor smoking-saloons upholstered in leather. Smoking regulations could be confusing as a train with ‘no smoking’ compartments meant that smoking was permitted in other compartments whereas a train with ‘smoking’ compartments meant that these were the only compartments where smoking was permitted.

The GWR Rules and Regulations 1904 protects women from being seated in smoking compartments:

‘Smoking in the carriages, except in the compartments set aside for that purpose, is strictly forbidden, ....and Guards must be careful not to place ladies in the compartments so reserved.’

No spitting notices

Before the Second World War, tuberculosis (TB) was widely feared. It had been one of the biggest killers in the 1800s. In the 1880s it was recognised that spittle contained the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and spitting in public was discouraged to prevent the spread of infection.

In the early years carriages carried ‘No spitting’ notices to prevent the spread of disease but also to discourage offending people. Spitting was once an acceptable habit but changing social manners, as well as its link with TB, led to it being frowned upon and viewed as offensive.

This photograph courtesy of Martin Scott is taken in a GWR Dean Third Clerestory coach built 1901. The coach is in preservation at the Didcot Railway Centre.

Photographs, maps and mirrors

For most of the period when the WVR operated, photographs and either GWR rail network maps or mirrors were hung above the seats. In later years the maps continued to show branch lines that had been taken out of service.

Guard’s duty to separate railway workers from passengers

The GWR Rules and Regulations, 1904, require the Guard to see that Platelayers and other workmen of the Company holding third-class passes are kept as separate as possible from the passengers.

Coach suspension

The comfort and safety of the ride in a coach depends on the suspension system. Many arrangements and types of springs were used in the GWR period. One of the more interesting types of spring which was in use in almost all the suspension versions was the volute spring. Under compression the coils slide over each other, so affording longer travel.

The Early Years

Limited information has been found about the coaching stock in early years that ran specifically on the WVR. However, some reasonable assumptions have been made on the basis of coaches known to be in use elsewhere on the Great Western Railway.

The coach below was one of the first to run on the Severn and Wye Railway from Lydney to Cinderford in September 1875 approximately a year before the WVR was open to passengers. This railway was likely to use similar coaches to the WVR. The coach has two second class compartments, one first class and one third class, known as a tri- composite. Second class travel on the GWR was abolished in 1910. There is no connection between the compartments and no toilet facilities. A running board allows the coach to be entered from ground level, for example at a level crossing. There are just four wheels. The overall length is probably around 31 ft or approximately 10 m.

Between 1872 and 1913 the GWR built several thousand 4 and 6 wheeled coaches. There were about 50 original designs. (Ref: http://penrhos.me.uk/CoachesIntro.shtml).

Railway modellers are meticulous in building accurate models. The GWR rolling stock special interest group on the RM Web Forum attracts experts in detailed information about all ages of GWR coaches. So, the Forum can be relied upon as an authentic source. One of the members recalls an early photograph showing four 4-wheeled carriages and two cattle trucks making up a train on the WVR hauled by a 517 class locomotive. The group member that recalled seeing the early photograph with 4-wheelers on the WVR also identified a small part of a coach visible in a 1912 photo (Ref: The Wye Valley Railway and the Coleford Branch, B.M. Handley and R.Dingwell ) as a clerestory, probably with compartments and no corridor. Examples of a 4 wheeled coach and a clerestory coach that could have run on the WVR are described below.

The 4-wheel coach on the right is in preservation at Didcot Railway Centre. It is approximately 10 m long with a guard’s department and four passenger compartments. A longer coach could be subject to a route restriction to avoid it failing to negotiate tight curves. This problem was addressed by building coaches with eight wheels on two independent bogies. This type of coach could have run on the WVR.

The coach was originally oil-lit, gas lighting was fitted in 1898 before it became an early recipient of the incandescent gas system in 1906.

The photograph to the right shows a GWR Dean Third No. 1941, 46 ft 6 inch long coach built in 1901. The clerestory vault is clearly visible. It provided more light and ventilation than the standard coach. The coach has eight wheels on two Dean centreless bogies. This type of coach could have run on the WVR.

The coach has 8 compartments each seating 10 passengers. No corridor or toilet is provided. Lighting was by gas which was converted to incandescent lighting in 1912.

This was the standard third class coach when it was built. Several hundred were constructed.

The last batches of clerestory coaches were built by the GWR in 1904. Withdrawals began in the late 1930s with some of the thirds lasted until 1955.

This postcard shows a 517 locomotive. It is hauling a GWR autocoach which is a train formation that could have been seen on the WVR in the early years although no reference has been found to their deployment on the WVR at that time. Autocoaches were definitely in use in the later years. The section that covers this period includes more information.

The Middle years

The Great Western Trust were approached to see if they had evidence of coaches that ran on the WVR in this period. They replied to say that they do not hold a Coach Working Document that covers the WVR and so could not help. A paper titled ‘The History of Tidenham Station’ by Geoff Mead 1981 (courtesy of Tidenham History Group) states:

‘a typical train would comprise about five or six 4 wheeled coaches hauled by a small open-cabbed four-coupled tank engine of the ‘517’ or ‘Metro’ type, or an 0-6-0ST or Pannier, like the ‘Buffalo’ class engine involved in the Whitebrook accident of 1925.’

ST refers to saddle tank and the engine involved in the accident was a saddle tank also. It is probable that ‘Pannier’ is an error. The ‘Metro’ type (455 class) was built between 1868 and 1899 remaining on the WVR until the early 1930s when the 14XX and 64XX pannier tank engines took over and then was withdrawn from all GWR service in 1949. The 517 class was built between 1868 and 1885 with the last withdrawn in 1945. The GWR Buffalo class engines were built between 1870 and 1891 with the last one withdrawn in 1946. It is difficult to speculate the date of Geoff Mead’s record of 4 wheeled coaches but around 1920/1930 could be appropriate. It is surprising to read that the train was formed of five or six coaches.

In the absence of evidence, two examples of coaches have been chosen to illustrate the middle years after 4 wheeled coaches were withdrawn or perhaps operating at the same time as the 4-wheelers. Both coaches are in preserved condition at the Severn Valley Railway. These examples are suitable for working on branch lines such as the WVR. A train set could comprise just the Brake Third or the Brake Third coupled to a Full Third.

GWR 5883 Brake Third

A Brake coach includes a large luggage compartment and a small compartment for the guard with brakes to stop the train. These parts of the carriage are at the rear of the photograph above. The doors for the passengers open into a corridor giving access to the compartments and the toilet. There are a total of 32 third class seats in four compartments. On the opposite side of the coach there is a door for each compartment.

The equipment in the guard’s compartment is very similar to that in a Mark 1 coach at the Dean Forest Railway shown below. All photographs are courtesy of Kev Daniels.

The coach was designed under the technical management of C B Collett the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR based in Swindon. 33 coaches of this type were built between 1934 and 1935. The coach is 57 ft long.

The Severn Valley Railway consider that the versatile design makes this type ideal for use on rural branch lines such as the Severn Valley Branch. This comment would also apply to their suitability for the WVR.

GWR 1116 Full Third

By the time this coach was built in 1938 the design of coaches had developed to include large picture windows replacing the external door to every compartment. Access to the coach is by vestibules at each end. The compartment side view of Brake third 5883 above shows the previous design with narrow windows. In addition, there are two extra entry doors on the corridor side. 8 compartments each seat 8 passengers. A toilet is situated at each end of the coach. The coach is 61 ft long.

The windows on the external doors were operated by a leather strap with punched holes that could be pulled up and let down. It was held in position by a stud attached to the bodywork. These photographs, courtesy of Kev Daniels, are from Collett Full Third No. 5183 at the Dean Forest Railway built at Swindon in 1934.

CB Collett was responsible for the design of coach No. 1116.

The Later Years

Diesel Railcars

Diesel railcars were prominent on the WVR in the 1940s and 1950s. They were popular with passengers. The streamlined design, appropriate for main line express services where the railcars were first used, was tested in a wind tunnel. More details of railcars are provided in the Chapter on ‘Railcars’.

Railcar numbers 19 to 33 were built at Swindon works. They were intended for branch line working. By this time it was realised that the railcars could transform a previously loss-making branch line service and retain the ability to work the fast main-line stopping services when required. (www.greatwestern.org.uk).

Autocoach (or autotrailer)

The GWR autocoach, sometimes called an autotrailer, was used by the Great Western Railway for push-pull trains powered by a steam locomotive. The autocoach has a driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be on the footplate of the locomotive. This eliminates the need for the engine to run round to the other end of the coach at the end of each journey. The combination of locomotive and autocoach(es) is known as an auto-train and they were mainly used on small branch lines. The start of service on the WVR was possibly in the 1930s.

Steam locomotives provided with the equipment to be used as an auto-train are said to be auto-fitted. The driver operates the regulator (for speed control), brakes and whistle from the autocoach; the fireman remains on the locomotive. A system of rods and couplings connect the steam engine controls to the autocoach. The driver, guard and fireman can communicate with each other by an electric bell system.

Nos W153W, W174W and W237W were regularly scheduled turns of duty along the WVR towards the end of the stream engine in the front part of the coach. The boiler was vertical to save space. The first entered service in 1903. Eventually almost all were converted to autocoaches. W174W was built in 1930 and W237W was built in 1953.

The driver can also warn of the train's approach using a large mechanical gong, prominently mounted high on the cab end of the autocoach, which is operated by stamping on a pedal on the floor of the cab.

This photo shows a 6400 class locomotove hauling two autocoaches. All 40 examples of this class were ‘auto-fitted’.

This photo shows a single autocoach being hauled which was a familiar sight particularly in the final years. Locomotive no 1422 was one of the 1400 class. All 75 locomotives of this class were fitted with push-pull apparatus for auto train working.

Autocoach design proved long-lived with 163 examples being built to a similar design. The last coaches were built in 1954.

Bench seating, 2-abreast seating and overhead straps were provided. Typically, 72 passengers could be carried.

A set of steps can be lowered by the guard so that passengers are able to alight where there is no platform, for example at a level crossing. Ladies in long dresses were unimpressed by this method of climbing into a coach from ground level (Ref: The Steam Rail Motors of the Great Western Railway – Ken Gibbs)

Resources

In addition to the individual references in this section, the following book was a most helpful source of information on the coaches of the period:

Great Western Coaches 1890-1954 – Michael Harris.
Railcars and autocoaches were not covered in the same depth as the rest of the coaching stock.