Carriage BLV 1076

Current Status: 30% Restored
Built: 1920
Retired: 1988
Type: Composite and Guards Van (17 First class seats + 16 Economy seats)
Weight: 20.4t
Length: 12.215m
Width: 2.620m
Gauge: 1,065 mm gauge (3ft 6in)

Composite and Guards Van BLV 1076 built in 1920, was retired from service in 1988, and moved to a local property in Warwick before being donated to the SDSR in 2000.

This carriage was received in a very poor state and needed a replacement set of bogies. The new bogies under this carriage where taken from carriage AU1259 that has consequently been grounded (ie has no wheels and is sitting on the ground).

BLV 1076 in the workshop at the Warwick Railway Precinct.

BLV 1076 has three sections:

  1. There is a guards compartment, which with dual doors, may allow easy access for Wheel chairs.
  2. The second area was a goods area, but is being reverted to “near original” 2 x 2nd class sitting compartments (with corridor) to toilet,
  3. The last area was 2 x 1st Class Sitting Compartments, with corridor to another toilet.

The first class corridor ran on the drivers side of the train, and 2nd class on firemans, however… we are planning to leave only one toilet, and have the corridor right through to guards compartment.

As with all QR heritage rollingstock (wooden), wheelchair access is difficult with the door to door widths of general carriages. Hence the guards compartment with dual doors will be utilised.