The M&GN Society has a varied and interesting set of corridor bogie coaches dating between 1907 and 1950. These vehicles represent the golden age of rail travel of the Edwardian era, up to the late 1930s. The majority of these vehicles were finished in varnish teak but will now display different time period liveries.

The LNER used pioneering Art-Deco interiors which still look modern by today's standards.

Our 1907 GER BTK brake third will be restored with a disabled compartment by using half of the large luggage area, the exterior will be varnished teak livery. This will join the Quad set to give disabled access to this set.

Many of our vehicles survived scrapping because they were used in departmental service during the post-war British Railways period. After they became life expired in the late 1970s, many were purchased by newly formed preservation society's, such as the M&GN Society. Although several of them, restoration work has not started, but with out them possible future restoration is impossible.

The Mainline set consists of :-

GER 295 / 62377 / DE320325 BTK Brake Corridor Third built 1907 Stratford carriage works.

The coach has three third class compartments (18 seats), plus toilet and a large brake compartment, with two sets of double doors. At one end of this area was located the guard’s seat and hand brake.

.

This coach was built for the crack Liverpool Street service to Sheringham, the “Norfolk Coast Express” in 1907. This was due to the GER and M&GN creating the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway in parts of Norfolk. This in turn gave the GER access to Sheringham Station via the link line and the Runton Cromer avoiding line.

In the thirties this coach was downgraded and used on secondary services after being replaced with more up to date stock.

In the fifties this coach was transferred into the Signal & Telegraph (painting team) S&T in department stock ensuring its survival until withdrawn in 1966 at Dereham.

The coach was spotted by Derek Plyer and through his efforts arranged a three-way purchase: - Derek Plyer, M&GN Society and London Railway Preservation Society (which evolved into the Quainton Railway Society Limited)

In 1967 it arrived at Sheringham by rail over the level crossing before its removal, with the LNER Quad set, LNER B12, LNER J15 and the two German built Waggon und Maschienenbau DRB Diesel Rail Buses for their retirement to the Norfolk coast.

This coach in the early years of the North Norfolk Railway, was used as sleeping accommodation for the volunteers at the railway, until the early eighties when replaced by the LMS sleeping car, which has since been replaced by the BR Mk3 Sleeper.

Some time in the late Eighties the ownership of the other two-part owners of GER 295 was transferred to the M&GN Society who now is the sole owner of the coach.

This coach is in BRCS Bridge Road Carriage Shed awaiting its turn to be restored, it will be restored into Varnished teak. The large luggage area will be divided into two, one half converted into a disabled compartment and will be run with the Quadart set to give disabled access to the train.

LNER 3395 / 12493 / ADE320877 TK Third Corridor Gresley Diagram No 115 built 1931 by Metro Cammell Saltley.

Built as a side corridor third class compartment (48 seats) coach, with a door to each compartment, plus two toilets.

This coach when new was allocated to the Southern Scottish region of the LNER, built in teak and varnished to a high finish.

In the mid – sixties this coach was transferred to Departmental use in the Mechanical & Electrical Engineers as a Staff Van and renumbered ADE. It went through works where the interior was stripped out, most of the doors screwed shut a new inward opening door fitted to where one of the toilet windows used to be. A central water tank and sink fitted, all electric lighting and batteries removed, replaced by propane gas bottles powering lighting / heating.

It was condemned at Norwich on 20 December 1975, where it was purchased by the M&GN Society and taken to the Norwich outstation part of the local group initiative. This allowed the local group to work on stock away from the NNR. It arrived at the Norwich Coal Concentration Depot Queens Road (Norwich outstation) in 1976 and stayed there for 4 years. This site is now the site of Sainsburys car park at Queens road.

The coach was converted into an educational coach, but at present is the children’s play coach.

Long term the coach will be restored, but will be converted into another type, the reason for this is there are several TK type coaches in preservation and very few first-class coaches preserved. The plan is to recreate an end vestibule composite side corridor. This has two advantages, first the coach is an empty shell which means all the interior needs making so makes no difference to what type is chosen. Secondly the end vestibule version has only four doors, instead of twelve which cuts down maintenance.

LNER 52256 / 13548 / DE321002 / YDR 21 TTO Tourist Third Open Gresley Diagram No 594 built 1935 by York carriage works.

Built as a tourist third open (64 seats), the reason the word tourist is used to denote it has higher number of seats over a TO which has 48 seats.

The coach when new was allocated to the Great Central region of the LNER. Built in teak and varnished to a high finish.

In 1961 it was transferred into the secret Eastern Region Control train based at Doncaster, part of the British nuclear deterrent programme to allow offices to be taken to trouble spots in the case of emergency.

Withdrawn in 1980 privately preserved at Embsay Steam Railway and numbered YDR 21.

The Society purchased the coach in December 2000, it is still waiting restoration, it is a empty shell from when it was in the Control Train.

Long term the coach will be restored, but as there are several TTO type coaches in preservation and very few first-class coaches preserved. The plan is to recreate a type of coach that did not survive into preservation, the East Anglian First Open. This has an advantage; the coach is an empty shell which means all the interior needs making so makes no difference to what type is chosen. The reason the East Anglian first was chosen is two twin seat frames were donated to the Society from the East Anglian First which sowed the seed for the rebuild. The coach resides in BRCS Bridge Road Carriage Shed.

LNER 51769 / E9128E RB Buffet Car Gresley Diagram No 167 built 1937 by York carriage works.

Built as a buffet car for the Manchester – Sheffield – Cleethorpes services, to provide light refreshments on general service duties, usually on semi-fast services, and those subject to competition from road services.

The coach when new was allocated to the Great Central region of the LNER. Built in teak and varnished to a high finish.

In the late 1950's E9128E was rebuilt by BR to internally match the more modern Mk1 stock, with Formica walls, blanked off windows, lowered ceilings, and enclosed bar counters.

In late 1960's it was one of only a handful of pre-nationalisation carriages repainted from BR Maroon to BR Rail Blue and Pearl Grey livery, its final colour scheme. One of very last pre-nationalisation carriages in service, regularly used on Cambridge Buffet Expresses and the Harwich Boat Trains to / from Manchester, as well as excursion work in 1970s.

Withdrawn and Preserved 1977 by M&GNJRPS, partially restored at Norwich Victoria till 1979. Further restoration work carried out externally by 1982 and internally 1982-87. Restored it to original condition with its art deco interior of chrome and Rexene. Which to the casual visitor this interior may look very modern and totally out of place for a 1937 built coach, but it just shows how the designers in the thirties had real style.

In 2013 due to the increasing Gas regulations coming into force, the original stills boiler (the bar top head piece of the boiler still kept in place) and other propane gas equipment was replaced by a diesel generator supplying 240v to power a boiler, fridge and 110v lighting.

LNER 70621 BG Brake Guards Thompson Diagram No 327 built 1945 by York carriage works.

Built during wartime to a new austerity design of economy, straight sides and straight roof ends and deal planks covering the exterior. This being done to preserve the teak stocks the LNER had which had been lost due to wartime air raids.

Withdrawn in 1978 partially restored at Norwich Victoria until 1979 when it was moved to Sheringham to become the Society Museum.

It is unique as far as known, there were other examples preserved but were cut up for spares. Also two of the same type went to the USA with the Flying Scotsman exhibition train (survival in USA unknown)

It has released its LNER pattern corridor connections to the Thompson BTK 1866 and been fitted with the ex BR Mk1 versions which had been fitted to 1866.

The eventual use is once repanelled on the outside and repainted, is to become extra display space for the William Marriot Museum at Holt. As it is only going to be used as a static exhibit the loss of working corridor connections was not a problem. It may have part of the interior fitted with cinema seats so short films can be shown.

LNER 1866 / DE321120 / 99400 BTK Brake Third Corridor Thompson Diagram No 346 built 1950 by Doncaster carriage works.

Built post war during steel shortages, it was the Mk2 design of Thompson coaches with rounded corners to the windows. This was done to try to alleviate the problem with the Mk1 version where the square corners were suffering from advanced rusting in this area.

In the mid-sixties transferred into Departmental use which included removal of corridor connections, interior compartments and electrical lighting and batteries.

Withdrawn in 1977 preserved at Dinting Railway Centre as a support coach 99400 for “Blue Peter” until 1986. Moved to ICI Wilton, sold to Peter Lund at the Llangollen railway in 1992. Part of one side had rotted and fallen off, with part of the remaining frame also rotten. Restoration well advanced by 07/12, by which time all the frame repairs had been completed, body re-clad in new steel, and in undercoat for a BR crimson lake and cream livery finish.

Purchased by the M&GN Society in August 2018 and moved to North Norfolk Railway where, restoration work is continuing. The plan is to restore the interior as a special saloon with small bar area, where tea and coffee can be served from pump thermos flasks. The large brake area is sacrificing some of its space and one set of double doors to the saloon so that the three chairs (individually or all depending on the need) can be moved away from the tables to allow 3 wheel chairs to sit at the tables.

The corridor connections from LNER BG 70621 have been fitted and the dynamo and regulator control box from the RB 51769 have been fitted (no longer required on RB as diesel generator fitted).

It is planned to become a BSF Brake Saloon First, with small armchairs as the seating plus loose tables to allow different configurations. The interior is to have designs of the Festival of Britain Circa 1951 to celebrate that Great British event.

The bogies have been removed from the coach and are being overhauled by the NNR under contract during the lock down of 2020.