Believed to be the only restorable Cambrian Railways brake in existence.
In 2017 we were told about a Cambrian Railways brake carriage behind a derelict property near Launceston. As this is the only restorable Cambrian brake in existence and as it would make a good partner for Cambrian 110 we decided to recover it.
This proved to be time consuming and quite expensive as trees had grown around the site which had also been enclosed by a wall with a narrow gateway, the overhead electricity supply cable fouled the entrance, and the ground was too soft to support a crane truck except when fully dried out in summer.
The site had probably been unused for 30 years, the associated bungalow was derelict and the carriage was surrounded by brambles and tree growth. The carriage was remarkably complete, only one of the luggage doors had fallen out and that was rescued from under vegetation. However, 18 months after it had been found, Cambrian 104 arrived at Blunsdon in August 2018.
104 is a 6-wheel full brake carriage built by Ashbury’s in 1894. It has two luggage/goods compartments and a central guard’s area. In spite of its appearance in the picture above, it is in better basic condition than was No 110 when it arrived.
When restored, it will clearly be an attractive companion for No 110. We will initially use it as a store with a small display area, but intend to clean it up using casual volunteer labour as and when this becomes available. Initial concerns are to make it weatherproof, and work is already in hand to restore the floor throughout to make it safe for visitors to enter.
Showing the interior after the rotten floor had been removed at one end. The roof at this end leaked badly and the floor had suffered as a consequence. Other timbers were generally OK. The space for the missing door is on the left, and its companion shows a badly rusted metal repair panel. Door locking bars were in good condition.
The other end after a new floor had been put in. This end is in much better condition as the roof covering is still largely in place. We are now starting to use this vehicle more as a workspace and for material storage.
The guards area, again with rotten floor removed. The doors seem to be in reasonable condition but all the droplight windows will have to be completely replaced. We intend to clean up this space and use it as a small exhibition area with photographs of our reconstruction work.
