Built: 1897   Maker: Lancaster Railway Carriage & Wagon Co Ltd.      WC&PR numbered: 1-6  Bought: 1897   

Withdrawn by WC&P: 1935-1940  Scrapped: 1935-40

History:

Originally built for the Argentine Republic Railway but bought new by the WC&PR when the export order fell through. These carriages were assembled in a former barn at Parnell Road, Clevedon (see The Line Today – Clevedon Section). They were of American design, like those in a Western cowboy film, and had end platforms with ornate ironwork, clerestory roofs, centre corridors, and passenger steps. They had two four-wheel bogies.

The body was made from mahogany originally painted dark crimson, later dark brown. Nos 3, 5 and 6 were out of use by 1930 and scrapped around 1935. The last three to survive, Nos 1, 2 and 4 were refurbished and painted dark green. Seating was mostly longitudinal and made of plywood, but originally some carriages had transverse leather seats in first class compartments.

Christopher Redwood’s book ‘The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway’ has scale drawings of carriage No 2 for modelling. See Books page. Drawings can also be bought from Col. Stephens Society.