CRHL03. Rake of Six 8-wheel and 12-wheel Pullman Cars by Peter Cowling. In post war Pullman umber and cream livery with grey roofs. Comprising (1) 8-wheel steel sided Parlour Brake/Second 'Car No. 27'. (2) 12-wheel matchboard sided Kitchen/Dining Composite 'Scotia'. (3) 12-wheel matchboard sided Kitchen/Dining First 'Portia'. (4) 8-wheel steel sided Parlour/Second 'Car No. 34'. (5) 12-wheel matchboard sided Parlour/Third 'Car No. 99'. (6) 8-wheel steel sided Brake/Parlour First 'Montana'. These are lightly used and are fitted with Kadee couplings. 'Montana' has very slight lining damage on one side. For anyone unfamiliar with Peter Cowling's work these are handbuilt of plastic/resin construction. All 6 coaches are supplied in their original boxes. In over 20 years of trading with Steamline Ltd. I have only ever previously seen 2 or 3 of the 12-wheel Pullman cars. Car 27 was into service in 1923 originally as Car No. 80, a Third Class Kitchen Car which was renumbered to Car No. 27 in 1928 when that number was required for one of the new all-steel 'K' type Pullmans. It was converted to a Brake/Parlour Car and was in service on LNER routes pre-war and possibly post-war but by 1959 it was on the Southern Region for Boat Train services. By 1962 it was part of the standby set on the Western Region to cover failures of the 'Blue Pullman'. 'Scotia' was one of the 1914 12-wheel cars and was used for the conveyance of top officials on First World War service. Following the war it was used on South Eastern & Chatham services from Victoria to Eastbourne, Newhaven and Brighton and on the 'Southern Belle'. It was laid up during the Second World War then by the early 1950's it was being used on Southampton Boat Train services and occasionally on the 'Bournemouth Belle'. It became a Camping Coach on the Eastern Region from 1961 - 1967 and was then sold for scrap. 'Portia' was one of the 1921 series of 12 cars initially used on South Eastern & Chatham Continental boat train services to Dover and Folkstone. This continued up to World War 2 and at some time during the war it was used by NAAFI as a mobile catering vehicle, moving post-war to the South West section for Southampton boat train services. In late 1960 it was withdrawn then placed in Camping Coach use at Felixstowe Town on the Eastern Region up to withdrawal and scrapping at the end of the 1966 season. Car No. 34 was into service in July 1926 and was a long-term 'Bournemouth Belle' car in post-war days including the final run of the service on 9th July 1967. Car No. 99 was originally 'Padua' from the 1920/21 series and had a similar life to 'Portia' until 1949 when it was converted to a Second Class Parlour Car for use on the 'Golden Arrow' service from 1950 (reclassified as 'Third Class' in 1951). It became a 'Holiday Coach' in the early 1960's serving at Littleham, later moving to Severn Tunnel Junction (1969) and Llantrisant (1970) as a BR mess coach. It survived as part of a hotel complex at Seaburn (Sunderland) until 2017 when the hotel closed, one of three survivors, all of which then moved to Barrow Hill (Chesterfield) for renovation (not sure of the current status) prior to relocation at Felixstowe. Montana was into service in March 1923 for the 'Golden Arrow' service then moving to be part of the inaugural 'Bournemouth Belle' service on 5th July 1931. It stayed on the Southern Railway/Southern Region for the whole of its life and is one of the survivors. RESERVED.
