Friday 16 November 2012

Railway carriages for sale

There's a bloke who lives near me who renovates steam engines. The traction ones you can sit on, not the Thomas the tank-engine-sized things. He has a garden full of them.
Anyway, walking past that garden again made me think about vintage railway carriages and how easy it might be to buy a carriage 'wreck' to renovate and live in? Maybe on that cheap plot of land you've had your eye on?
They're not easy to find, and what's available changes from week to week so you need to check the sites  below regularly, but here are some examples.
C.A.R Services, a Shropshire business specialising in selling redundant train stock, currently has a gorgeous batch of carriages for sale. Including this restored, three car group of carriages (DMU Class 115), pictured top and below:


C.A.R also has this 1961 Mk 1 RBR (below). RBR means a restaurant buffet carriage which, in this case, means it also has a galley kitchen and pantry as well as the dining area - so a great space to work with.


Click to open the plans, below, to see what I mean.


Carriages average 66-feet-long, by just over nine-feet-wide.  C.A.R have useful information on their site, including this PDF guide to carriage types.
Carriage Exchange is an enthusiasts' site with a regularly updated list of sites selling train stock.
WNXX is also a train fan's with news, pictures, forums etc. It includes a private sales section for members to advertise their own stock. Right now, that includes this unrestored MK 2 carriage ("most of the copper has been robbed from the vehicle"):


The seller is looking for "offers in excess of scrap price" (about £2-£4k). Poor little Clarabel...
(PS: Fab inspirational photos of carriage restoration on RailHoliday's facebook page- click on 'Photos').