![]() Railway Vehicle Preservations Collection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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OBS 1719E and 1729![]() Possibly the most historic vehicles in the collection - so important they get a page of their own, BEAVERTAIL APPEAL. Built at Doncaster in 1937 these vehicles were the streamlined observation cars for the rear of the "Coronation" trainsets. Styled to match the locomotives (A4s such as "Mallard"), and with heavy 1930's Art Deco influence, these trains became world famous for their speed exploits. Sadly the war curtailed their operation after just two years, and the carriage sets were disbanded. The observation cars went into store, not to re-appear until the 1950s on various special trains. In the mid fifties they moved to the West Highland lines in Scotland for regular summer use. Rebuilt in 1959 with a more angled end to give a better view they saw a further ten years use on these lines before withdrawl. By now the only surviving carriages from the "Coronation" trains both were preserved; 1719 at the Lochty Railway in Scotland and 1729 on the Keighley and Worth Valley. ![]() ![]() David has a comprehensive site on the transition from BR steam, which includes a page on pictures by ER Morten who took the picture. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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