Kent & East Sussex Railway

No. 62 Lavatory Composite

This vehicle was an acquisition of the early preservation years on the K&ESR but mever entered service. It was built at the London and South Western's Eastleigh Works in 1907 to diagram 274. The vehicle, which has a non-corridor wooden body on a steel underframe and is 56 ft. long by 8 ft. wide. It weighs 26 tons. No. 62 has seven compartments and two pairs of lavatories. There were originally only two third class compartments but this was increased to four in 1937.

The coach was originally numbered 959, was renumbered to 3078 in 1919 and to 5065 in 1925. It was withdrawn in March 1953 and became a camping coach, first at Amberley and later at Combpyne on the Lyme Regis branch. It finished up in departmental service at Southall and came to the K&ESR by rail, via Robertsbridge, in September 1968. Some conservation work was attempted over the years but the vehicle continued to deteriorate until made more secure and covered with tarpaulin in 2004.It is a long term restoration project.

No. 83 - L&SWR Invalid Saloon No. 11

This vehicle was built at Eastleigh Works in 1910. Both this coach and No. 62 described above, were built during the period in office of Carriage and Wagon Superintendent, Surrey Warner. The design was to drawing No. 1906 and the vehicle was, together with L&SWR No. 12, one of a pair of invalid saloons.

The underframe is of oak, making the vehicle largely of wooden construction (including Mansell pattern wooden centred wheels). Nearly half its length is an open saloon, accessed by double doors which allowed the coach to be used by people on stretchers or in wheelchairs. There is a luggage area at one end and one first and one second compartment with a short corridor leading to a lavatory at the other. The vehicle was finished to luxurious standards. No.11 weighs 23 tons, is 46 ft. 4 ins. in length and is carried on two 8 ft. wheelbase bogies. There were gangway connections at both ends.

Renumbering to No. 4195 took place in 1919 and to No. 7803 under the Southern Railway. The vehicle was sold to the Longmoor Military Railway in February 1938 becoming Army No. 119. It lost its end gangway connections at Longmoor and was again renumbered to 3007. It's subsequent history is similar to that of the ex-L&NWR saloon described elsewhere except that it arrived at Tenterden in 1985 in much worse condition. Some restoration work was attempted in 1993, but as a low capacity vehicle,  it is now stored under canvas and must be regarded as a long term project.