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Wagons
The sand quarry operations required a large fleet of 4-wheeled tipping wagons, or “skips”, mostly built in Leeds by Robert Hudson Ltd. Some of these survive in the Leighton Buzzard Railway’s nationally significant museum collection.
Several wooden-bodied bogie wagons, built for the First World War battlefield supply lines, were also bought for the transport of bagged sand and other materials, and some of these are also preserved in working order.
The Leighton Buzzard Railway has over 120 wagons in its collection, covering the wide range of industries which once used narrow-gauge railways as an integral part of their operations. Some are still in regular active service, employed on the maintenance of the railway. A selection of these can usually be seen in the centre siding at Stonehenge Works station.
Items from our museum wagon fleet can be seen in operation regularly, with appropriate locomotives, as part of our programme of working heritage displays.
Coaches
Except on the opening day in 1919, when some wagons were fitted with seats for the VIPs, the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway never carried passengers. The heritage railway operation, when it started in 1968, also converted wagons with seats at first, but over the years a collection of dedicated passenger coaches has been bought or built.
Coaches you are likely to see on the passenger service are:
3 & 4
The railway’s first “proper” coaches, built in 1969-70 on the frames of First World War bogie wagons. With their “toastrack” seating arrangement and open sides, they are very popular in warm weather. No 4 has been converted to accommodate wheelchairs in one of its seating bays, and running boards have recently been fitted to both coaches, to improve passenger safety at stations.
5
A 4-wheeled brake van with passenger compartment, built on the frames of a Motor Rail “Simplex” diesel locomotive. Usually kept in reserve for the bogie coaches with Guard accommodation.
7
Another open-sided “toastrack” coach, built on the frames of a Hudson tipping wagon.
8
The coach with perhaps the most unusual history, this was once a standard-gauge 4-wheeled diesel railcar, built by Baguley for the Ministry of Defence. It was cut down and converted to an unpowered narrow-gauge bogie coach by Alan Keef Ltd, and fitted out internally to a very high standard.
9
Built by Hudson in the early 1940s for the RAF, and subsequently converted by them from the open-sided “toastrack” arrangement to the enclosed coach with longitudinal seating that it is today. Further modified at Leighton Buzzard, with extra windows and ventilation, and a separate Guard compartment.
11
Enclosed coach with Guard compartment, built at the Leighton Buzzard Railway on the widened frames of an ex-RAF Hudson bogie wagon.
12
The first coach to be designed and built entirely by the Leighton Buzzard Railway, this is the same general type as No 11, but without the Guard compartment. Part of the coach can be converted to accommodate up to four wheelchair passengers, in the same compartment as the rest of their party. Advance notification is appreciated.
F38
This is what No 9 would have looked like when new. The 1940s “toastrack” design has been reconstructed at the Leighton Buzzard Railway on an original frame, using authentic materials, and finished in correct RAF livery. It won the Heritage Railway Association coach restoration award in 1999. Coach D39, on static display at Stonehenge Works, is of the same design, but was also rebuilt as an enclosed type.
All locomotives and coaches used on the passenger service have been fitted with air braking equipment, to ensure safe operation.
For more details of the locomotives and rolling stock in the Leighton Buzzard Railway collection, look out for the latest edition of our Stockbook at the Page’s Park shop.
© 2008 Leighton Buzzard Railway
www.buzzrail.co.uk
Last updated 30th April 2008
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