GWR Tourist Open Third Nos 1285 and 1295
These coaches were part of a class of 27 such vehicles designed by C. B. Collett, chief mechanical engineer of the GWR, and built at Swindon in 1937. They were a departure from Great Western tradition in having an open-plan interior, instead of the then standard compartment layout. The design was so different that they were known as excursion stock and were intended for use only on special workings, mainly to and from Bristol, which earned them the nickname as the ‘Bristols’. They were finished in a very modern style for the period, with internal semi-partitions to reduce noise and feature art deco style squares in the fittings and decorations. Of particular interest is the GWR monogram etched on the glass of the interior partitions. Both coaches were extensively used in the early days of preservation. On one sad night, both were badly and mindlessly vandalised. 1295 has since been repaired and restored; 1285 is sitting patiently waiting her turn.
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