Severn Valley Railway volunteers restore 1934 LNER Gresley

The nearly completed LNER Gresley teak carriage 43612 recently made its way out of the Bewdley paintshop, a testament to a team of 25 dedicated volunteers who have been working on this intensive restoration over the past two-and-a-half years.

The carriage, originally built in 1934, has undergone extensive repairs under their skilful hands.

More than 50 guests cheered on this successful project, among them were the volunteering team, SVR directors, SVR Charitable Trust trustees, and members of the press.

The SVR Charitable Trust, who own the carriage, played a significant role in funding its restoration.

SVR managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster, expressed his gratitude stating: "It looks amazing.

"And it’s a credit to the team involved, with leadership from our paid staff member Colin Astbury.

"They have a clear passion to keep these heritage skills alive. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts."

The carriage has been meticulously restored (Image: Gus Dunster/Severn Valley Railway)

Further details regarding the restoration were revealed by Martin Turbutt, a worker at the SVR in Bewdley.

He said: "We’ve repaired the underframe, floor and roof, replaced all interior panels and vinyl wall coverings, reupholstered all 64 seats with new 1924-pattern moquette, installed new tables, and repaired the timber frame and some of the exterior teak panels."

Interesting tasks included replacing some worn-out gangway components using drawings from the Birmingham library which were converted into CAD drawings by one of the volunteers.

Among the final steps were careful painting and varnishing, plus the application of hand-painted lining and lettering.

Additional mechanical work is still to be undertaken, including the fitment of a set of bogies and overhauling the braking and heating systems in Carriage & Wagon at Kidderminster.

The SVR hopes to reintegrate the 43612 into the teak set by autumn.