56097 Class 100 Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory
Home Railway |
Location History |
North Yorkshire Moors Railway Feb 74-Mar 85 |
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Current Location |
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Swanage Railway Mar 85-Aug 86 |
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Current Status |
Under Restoration |
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West Somerset Railway Aug 86-94 |
Current Livery |
BR Green (Plain End) |
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TRA Designation |
Visited Railways |
Private Site: Snetterton (storage) 94-Jul 98 |
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Partner Vehicle(s) |
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Midland Railway Butterley (restoration) Jul 98-Present |
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Owner |
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Website |
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Record Last Updated |
1 August 2024 |
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Preservation Modifications |
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Preservation Information In 1979/80 it was re-liveried again into Dark Green & Cream with silver roof and yellow end panels. Five years later 56097 and partner vehicle 51118 had fallen into disuse and were disposed of. The Swanage Railway bought 56097, along with 51118, 50341and 56099. 56097 & 51118 were used for driver training on only a handful of services and the set sold to the West Somerset Railway the following year. At the West Somerset Railway, it operated services for a few years before being taken out of traffic. 56097 spent four years in storage as part of an abortive preservation scheme and was at risk of scrapping. By now the vehicle was one of three surviving Class 100 trailer cars. Luckily the vehicle was purchased by the Llangollen Railcar Group who stripped the interior following asbestos removal. 56097 then spent a further 13 years in storage at the Midland Railway Butterley awaiting funds for full restoration. In 2011 the first phase of the restoration commenced, when the cab rebuild was started, along with the metalwork for the first class saloon. 2012 saw the work on the front saloon continue, both inside and outside the vehicle. Phase 1 of the bodywork rebuild (of the cab/first class) was completed in February, when the vehicle was moved back outside for interior restoration to continue. Of note was the progression of a cab rewire during the year, with the first electrical component (the cab light) "taking power" during the autumn. Other minor works were completed on component parts throughout 2013 while funding was raised. January 2014 saw phase 2 of the bodywork rebuild commence, the vehicle returning indoors for the middle saloon to be repaired/replaced. Also during May, the phase 1 bodywork was sanded and filled to a smooth finish and repainted gloss green. The following year, phase 2 completed, the rear saloon of the secondman's side was tackled and completed in July 2015. At this point, the vehicle was moved to the other side of the shed as the entire secondan's side was now completed and work was required to finish the driver's side. Between July 2015 and February 2016, the (final) phases four and five of the bodywork rebuild were completed with the rear corner, rear saloon and middle saloon of the driver's side fully stripped down, the framework repaired, panelwork replaced and then sanded/filled and protected in gloss green paint. All the glass was also refitted to the bodysides and the roof and gutters repaired whererequired, making the vehicle watertight for the first time in many years. 56097 was then taken out of the shed for its interior restoration to commence in earnest. During 2017, public address wiring was fitted to the ceiling and components started to be refitted to the cab. The following years saw the interior steadily be reassembled. Interior works continue. |
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Future Plans |
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56097/51118 under restoration at Butterley, 21/7/24. Aaron Browning |
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56097/51118 paired at butterley in the yard, 10/7/22. Ken Jones |
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56097 under restoration outside the shed at Butterley, 13/10/21. Aaron Browning |
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56097 outside the shed at Butterley. Interior restoration has been the focus of late, 17/3/19. Chris Moxon |
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56097 stands at Butterley, where interior restoration continues, 23/5/16. Ifan Huws |
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56097 rolled out of the shed at Butterley, its bodywork rebuild completed and the vehicle properly watertight for the first time in many years, 24/2/16. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097's middle saloon body now completed, 28/12/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097's rear saloon body now completed, 28/12/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Gutter repairs being undertaken on the driver's side, 14/12/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The driver's side middle saloon, stripped down and replacement framework going in, 2/11/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner (driver's side) now completed and in primer, 26/10/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The driver's side middle saloon after panelwork had been removed, 11/10/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner (secondman's side) now completed and in primer, 5/10/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner (driver's side) during finishing work to the replacement steel panelling, 5/10/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Framework repairs continue on the driver's side of the rear saloon, 21/9/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Window frames being fitted to 56097's middle saloon, 7/9/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner (driver's side), stripped down and replacement framework going in, 24/8/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner (driver's side), stripped down and replacement framework going in, 27/7/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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A rear view of 56097 outside, 20/7/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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A first forey outside for a very long time: 56097's bodywork has now passed the half way mark with the entire secondman's side completed, 17/7/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The metalwork progression on the rear saloon clear to see, 8/7/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The first of the new steelwork being welded onto the corner, 1/6/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Major bodywork including a complexrepair on th secondman's side corridor end corner in the shed at Butterley, 1/5/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The cantrail of the middle saloon found to be in better condition than the first class area, 26/5/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The cab front after sanding and repainting, 19/5/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Fresh panels installed on the middle saloon, 12/5/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The cab front being sanded and filled, 5/5/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The first of the new steel panels fitted on the middle saloon, 14/4/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Lower repairs progressing on the middle saloon, 28/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Lower repairs progressing on the middle saloon, 28/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Exploratory work on the rear saloon to see what needs replacement, 24/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Much of the mid saloon stripped down, 10/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Much of the mid saloon stripped down, 10/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Framework repaired and painted, 3/2/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The first sections of the mid saloon removed for replacement, 27/1/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097 being moved back to Butterley for phase 2 of the bodywork rebuild to begin, 21/1/14. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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General view of 56097 at Swanwick Junction, 23/12/13. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The task ahead: the corroded mid saloon bodywork being assessed for replacement, 23/12/13. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097, now outdoors again while work progresses on the interior, seen at Swanwick Junction showing off its nw route indicator blinds recently fitted, 14/7/12.Chris Moxon |
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Steelwork on the front end now completed: 56097 receives a coact of protective gloss, 29/2/12.Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097 having been moved to another road in the Butterley workshop so that access can be gained to the other side, defective parts of the frame in the first class area on the driver's side have been cut out and all the body sheeting on the lower body in this area removed. This side was considerably worse than the other, perhaps because it faced the sea during the time the set was stored at the West Somerset Railway. The panel which covers the two-character headcode has been fitted as had the headcode box and mechanism itself. Final fixing will take place once the glass is installed, 12/2/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Restoration of 56097 continues apace with the steelwork on the secondman's side of the first class saloon now complete, as is the welding to the cab floor. Repairs continue on the door pillar woodwork, which had been removed as it was swolen and damaged, this image shows the completed steelwork around the front end and first class saloon area, 25/1/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Considerable repairs have been required to the framework of the secondman's side of the first class saloon and once these were completed the first section of new bodywork could be welded in. We also had to repair the box section which is normally hidden by the curved body skirts and this had been affected by corrosion during the many years that the section had been covered in. Ironically the body skirts were holding in quantities of water, which must have originally got in there through the gaps at the bottom of the window glass, 18/1/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The welding work on 56097 is now complete. In the process the original appearance has been restored - on this car there were no end marker lights fitted, although in its West Somerset days a single fitting was added which contained a headlight. It has probably not looked like this since the mid 1960s. As can be seen the troublesome driver's side pillar is now completely replaced with new material, 12/1/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Work has started on repairs to the side of 56097, which is very heavily corroded. A section of the first class saloon's cladding has been removed to expose the frame and some parts of the frame have been removed. As well as making good corrosion damage we are also having to make good some very poor repairs which have been done to this vehicle during its preservation life, these have included use of random pieces of angle iron for repairs instead of proper section or steel box and pop rivets used for repairs which should have been welded. Once the area was stripped down a repair plan was agreed which will produce a very strong vehicle which should last for many more years to come. The unusual construction of the body can now easily be seen , 12/1/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097 now has the first of the complicated compound curves welded into the bottom of the secondman's door pillar, it's been a bit of a job but the finished product is an accurate representation of the original. Repairs are progressing on the driver's side of the cab, which appears to be more corroded than the secondman's side - perhaps a legacy of standing next to the sea at Minehead when it was based on the West Somerset Railway? 19/10/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Progress continues to be made with 56097 with the front end of the cab taking shape. The secondman's window now has its curved corners and the cab pillar has been welded in one the same side. Parts have begun to arrive from the fabricators, including the route indicator box, which will not be fitted yet but which had to have a trial! 10/10/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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One particular problem has been that the bottom of the cab pillars is a complicated compound curve shape which the fabricator has made and then joined with strips of metal, the resultant parts are seen ready for welding into the body front, 10/10/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The front end of 56097 is coming along nicely now - the front panels are beginning to go back on and the frame has been repaired at the cab corners. The arrangement of the partial load-bearing structure can clearly be seen, 21/9/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The sheeting has now been removed off the front of 56097 and repairs have been made to the frame. This has involved welding in quite a lot of new sections. As is normal we've found more rot than we could see and so repairs will be needed to the cab floor and corners which were not anticipated, 19/9/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097 has moved into the carriage shed where it is to receive welding work to the front end as the first phase of what will be a long restoration. Some more of the old metal has been removed to reveal the corrosion underneath. Despite the appearances the coach is not in as bad a state as some of those we have tackled before, 12/9/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Now that the Class 100 restoration project has started, a team has given one side of 56097 a coat of paint so that the vehicle did not look quite so bedraggled. The work is purely cosmetic but will tidy things up and show that someone does care about the set. Unfortunately much of the body is badly corroded and even one of the windows fell out whilst painting! 22/8/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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After many years storage, 56097's restoration has started. The first job has been to strip some of the sheeting off the cab front to find out how bad things are. The steel has been ordered up which will be used for the repair, which awaits space in the workshop, 3/8/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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56097 in store, 28/8/10. Andy Neil |
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56097 in store at Swanwick Junction, 28/3/09. David Beardmore |
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Rear view of 56097 stored at Swanwick Junction, 28/3/09. Chris Moxon |
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Cab end view of 56097 stored at Swanwick Junction, 28/3/09. Chris Moxon |
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At Swanwick Junction, 27/9/08. Daniel Adkins |
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56097 stored at Swanwick Junction, 1/4/07. Evan Green-Hughes |
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Class 100 DTC 56097 at the Midland Railway Centre, 1/10/99. Stuart Mackay |
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56097 & 51118 at Bishops Lydeard, West Somerset Railway, 20/3/88. Simon Jones |
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Believed to be 56097 leaving Grosmont. Phil Trotter |
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56097 leads a scenic land cruise train at Goathland, 1980. Ian Docwra |
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Thought to be 56097, seen at Pickering, September 1974. Ian Francis |
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The blue car is thought to be 56097, and the green/cream DMBS 50341, seen leaving Grosmont. Roy Lambeth |
Interior
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The lighting "pods" inside 56097 are now fitted to the rear saloon, so the majority of the vehicle can now be lit from a shore supply, 15/2/16. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Quarterlights after fitting to 56097 to make the vehicle watertight, 15/2/16. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The main sheets of glass being bonded to the bodyside, 8/2/16. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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A large section of flooring replaced from the rear of 56097, 1/2/16. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The middle section of replaced bodyside, viewed from the inside, showing the black protective gloss applied, 28/12/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The rear corner of the vehicle showing the extent of the matalwork replacement, 3/8/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Lighting "pods" being installed in the ceiling, which have been completed in the First Class section, 3/8/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Wooden window supports being fitted onto the replaced metalwork, 8/6/15. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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New cab gauges arriving back after restoration for 56097, 25/3/13. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Brand new components and wiring being installed under the cab desk as part of the vehicle's rewire, 15/10/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Supporting timbers for the interior panelling being fitted to the steelwork, 24/9/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Test fitting first class seating, 20/8/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Refurbished to a high standard: new Air/axle panel and vacuum gauge for 56097, 14/5/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Fitting new insulation and the restored Formica in First Class, 4/5/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Refitting the windows in First Class, 23/4/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Test fitting freshly restored Formica panels in First Class, 26/3/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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New steelwork seen from the inside ofthe vehicle in First Class, 29/2/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Inside the cab reassembly work has begun. A new ply floor was fitted which allowed the desk frame to be put back in place and secured. The new desk top panels had arrived but the old top was being used as a template while the cab is assembled round it. What remains of the original cab wall panels have been rescued from the 51118 where they were stored as have the destination boxes, 12/2/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Inside the cab the large hole under the driver's seat was repaired by welding in square channel, there were still some repairs to do to the platework under the driver's desk. As with every job on this vehicle there were bucketsful of rust removed at each stage, 12/1/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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The first class saloon in 56097. This is the first passenger area to receive attention as part of the vehicle's rebuild. Team members have been cleaning up the Formica bulkhead which had been sprayed as par of the asbestos stripping process over 10 years ago, 2/11/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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Inside the cab the desk and all the fittings have had to be completely removed so that the corroded floor could be cut out, as things were somewhat worse than we originally thought. Again there has been heavy corrosion and literally buckets full of rust have been removed from the pockets in the body underneath the cab floor. As can be seen from the photograph the area on which the driver was sitting had been literally suspended in mid-air on a sea of rust, 19/10/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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After many years storage, 56097's restoration has started. Inside the vehicle all the rubbish has been cleared out and the interior parts have been sorted to see what is there to assist in the restoration., 3/8/11.Llangollen Railcar Group |